I LOVE the Fuji 90. This lens looks great, Viltrox has really thrown down the gauntlet. However, despite the 1.2 vs 2.0, I'm sticking with the 90. I use it often for shooting models coming down the runway, and even with the 'old' X-T2 I get a very high hit rate. This isn't the first review I've seen of this lens being praised for overall performance, with a caveat about the AF for moving subjects. Kudos to Viltrox, their 33 1.4 (which I got for $200) might be my most used lens, and they've really stepped up their game with the 13 (probably my next purchase) and now this beast.. liked and subscribed
the OG 56mm has been my go to for 5 years. I was going to sell it for $500 and get the new WR 56mm but I think i'm going to keep it and get the 75mm for the same price. The 75MM is looking like it might be my new favorite. The only downside i'm seeing is size. I do love how compact the 56mm is.
@@jaegerschtulmann for a lot of people, yes, it would be a better focal length. I live in the Dominican Republic and most of my work is outdoors, especially on beaches so the distance isn't a problem. Still a tempting lens though
@@robmacattack Me too! 13 has some Chromatic Aberrations and Coma (I shoot astro/landscape) but skill in framing and Lightroom can minimize. Fortunately 99% of viewers are looking at your work on their phone. They assume you took it with your phone. Sales pitch to wife for the 75mm begins at dawn.
I wanted one too after watching this, but then I googled “viltrox lens died” and got lots of horror stories. I think I will pass for now and be happy with my Fuji 90/2 😅
Thanks for the first look at this, Benj. I have been so impressed with the Viltrox 13mm, both from an image quality and build perspective, that I was intrigued by the 75mm as a potential cheaper alternative to the Fuji 90mm. Would love to see a comparison between the two (and maybe the 56mm 1.2 as well).
@@varundas6183 I've never used the Samyang, so can only really comment on the Viltrox 13mm. The thing is very well built, and seems to be made for astro. I'm still learning and figuring things out with it, but have been impressed. I believe Matthew Storer here on RU-vid has done some videos on it for astro, and they were pretty convincing to me when I was shopping around.
Already have the 56 WR. Better for indoor use IMO, and long enough to be useful outdoors. If the AF was faster on the Viltrox I’d consider it a must-buy. But if we’re talking outdoors, I’d rather have the 90mm f/2 with me. Or the 50-140. The 56 is a great lens and generally seems fast enough, but better autofocus adds a lot of versatility, if you ask me. Neither the 56 nor this 75 cut it in that sense, so I’d pick one and move on!
Been shooting with the 75mm for a couple of month and now the focus has been updated on both lens and xt5... Very reliable. Or as reliable as a Fuji lens in any case :)
Thank you very much! I owned a 90mm Fujinon before (going with 23, 35 and 90 on my first wedding days) and quickly swapped it for a 56mm as it was to tight in so many situation. Know as i miss the quality of my 90mm, this let’s me think of getting the 75mm as a more versatile alternative…
I cant disagree about focal lenght. This 75mm is total sweet spot. While i think before replaceing my 90mm/f2 for 80mm or 60mm Fuji. Now 75mm sounds like a deal.
Viltrox will make a fortune out of this lens I think! I hope they make a zoom lens in the future as it seems they are getting better and better at lens making.
Looks awesome! I love Viltrox lenses. They are a great bang for your buck. I own two of them but I would love to buy this one too. Im thrilled about this new PRO line. Cant wait what they come up with next.
Viltrox makes some amazing optics! The 23mm 1.4 is one of my favorites. Might consider selling one of my Fuji's to get this and cover the gap between my 50mm f1 and 90mm f2
If you think about it, for this particular lens, the biggest ennemy of Viltrox is... Viltrox itself. At one point in the vide you said "you'd be hard pressed to find a better lens for the money [...] for a portrait length / longer documentary style lens". Well, to me this sounds like the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 which was intended as a competition for the FUjifilm ZF 90mm f/2, but ends up fairly close to the 75mm. True, the 75mm opens up 1 stop brighter. True, the focal length is shorter and gives a wider shot (not by a huge margin though, if you ever comapared 115mm and 130mm I'm sure the difference wouldn't be that obvious). True, it has an aperture ring and decent weather resistance while the 85mm has none of that. And it is also true that the 85mm can exhibit a bit of chromatic aberration if there is very high contrast scenes. But the lens is clearly sharp enough even for the 40MP sensors, the autofocus is fast (I'd say faster than the 75mm currently, maybe firmware will change that). But then you look at the price : If the price is fairly close when the lens is brand new (the 150$ of difference to get the 75mm are well worth it), the 85mm has been around for quite some time, and wwith the 75mm coming, a lot of 85mm users are selling theirs, meaning you can get a 85mm f/1.8 for 250/280 bucks in Europe right now (dunno about the US market). And for half the price, well I would say that the 75mm has pretty fair competition when it comes to bang for buck. (also, small note, that isn't mentionned in the video but when tou talked about the focus breathing, you showed footage of the 135mm f/1.8 GM which has tons of focus breathing. Someone that isn't really looking for things like IU details and stuff like that could totally miss that it's on a Sony camera and that it's not actually the lens you're talking about)
I think the main customer base for Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 is Sony full frame system. So, Viltrox can sell both lenses without self-competition. The 85mm was adopted to Fuji system as a secondary market. Personally, I would like to see a dedicated Viltrox 60mm 1.8 for crop systems (Fuji, Sony) below $300.
For me the 90mm f2. What do you think when compares to this new Viltrox. The speed of autofocus definitely is better on the fujinon. Great Channel and have a good day from Barcelona :)
Looks like a phenomenal lens, but… I would still prefer a classic 100-105mm ff equivalent for portraits, and would forego the f1.2 aperture for a smaller, lighter f1.4 or f1.8 lens. I got into Fuji in part to keep my gear small. There’s an obvious gap someone could easily fill.
Loving these vids and I know how long it must take to put them together. Really keeps their rest of us informed on what's out there. Quick Q thought: Do you think lenses like this could work well on the X-T1. The autofocus on the T1 is some of the worst I've used and was just wondering whether you reckon third party lenses would make it worse somehow?
Dear hello, your videos are so instructive!!!! I would like an advise: I am behind two lenses, but I have multiple doubts to choose the right ones between these four options: the 35mm f/1.2, the 50mm f/0.95 (both from 7Artisans), the 75mm f/1.2 and 85mm f/1.8 (both from Viltrox). I want to pick two which don't repeat features. I'll use them for modeling and occasionally street photo. My camera is a fuji X-H1..... could you help me? thanx
Unleash the AF speed? Pair it with xh2s and maybe the future e mount A6700. It changes everything. Have you guys ever tried the 75mm 1.2 before leaving a comment? This pro lineup lens is entirely different than previous crappy viltrox lenses (xh2s, xf 23 1.4 r lm wr, viltrox 75 1.2 pro owner)
No review so far addresss minimum focus distance which I believe may be this lens’s weakness. I used to own sigmas 135mm 1.8 art for Sony which had a 3ft minimum distance, which is fine, but that extra ft closer out of the Fuji 90mm is just mind blowing. If this lens can get that close or even closer, then Voltron’s has a winner for sure. Because why have such massive aperture if you’re not gonna take full advantage of close up’s? This is where the 90mm still wins.
I just got this lens. My only Fujifilm camera is the x-e4 so it does look a little odd but my Sony a7c always has a Tamron 35-150 f/2-2.8 on it so I’m used to it. 😂 But this Viltrox is amazing. Bang for your buck, this lens is tough to beat. It is super sharp and bokeh king for sure.
If I didn’t already own the Fuji 80mm & 90mm lenses, then I would probably purchase the Viltrox. Thank you for your informative content that you share with your viewing audience. Best wishes, Ben!😊🙏
Currently in Japan and only brought 35f2 cos I was lazy...wanted to take portraits of my girls...came across a 56f1.2 at usd365 like new at uses camera shop... bought...then realised that there is a viltrox 75f1.2...found it in another shop in pristine condition at USD 367..abit more than the 56...tested it and was surprised how sharp it is...bought😂
Wait... I thought the XT series crop factor was 1.5 which would make this an even 100mm equivalent. Correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, I've had this lens for about 8 months and I really like it! 😀
Why isn’t this the best for manual focusing? I would like to use this for product videos, in a controlled environment, and need to rely on manual focus, will this lens be a good option? (I'm using an X-T4)
Some of your photos show off center almond shaped bokeh which I have noticed in photos of other RU-vid reports on this lens. Is that no one other than a photographer would notice or care about? I’d like to hear Viltrox’s explanation.
@@benjhaisch I have not yet concluded whether I like it or not, simply that it is different or unusual. As much as anything I suppose I am more curious about why it is different than anything else. I enjoyed your review. Thanks!
Hello, can somebody please help me with one problem that I am having? I put the lens in aperture A mode and now i cant undo it. Its stucked in A mode. Is there some switch to unlock it?
Question: did viltrox gift you the lens? Not saying you can’t do ur job and be objective, I just always feel weird when people say they “sent” it without clarifying if you have to send back… love your vids!
Ah good question, I thought I had been clear but I looks like I wasn’t. I am keeping this lens, yes. I added the “sponsored content” disclaimer on the RU-vid dialogue, but I’m not being paid at all. Most of the third party ones are like that for me.
@@benjhaisch thank you so much for the honesty! I am not one to assume reviewers can't be objective because they are paid, or given an item of value (which can be sold later, or kept for jobs they will be paid for). I'd much rather reviewer say, "they gave it to me but I will be as objective as possible", then a reviewer that just says "they sent me X". To me, that phrase is misleading in two ways. It potentially implies no valuable items were exchanged, OR, perhaps even worse, it feels as though a small channel is making itself look more important than what it is because they get free stuff from companies. (I def don't consider yours a small channel, so it leans more toward the first option.) I just think the word "sent", while technically a fact (it was sent), has been used dishonestly in the past from other reviewers that it kinda changed the meaning of that phrase, to me at least, but I can bet a million dollars other people notice this too. LATER DUDE!
I had to unsubscribe from this channel for that reason. Dude is literally just trying to sell gear for anyone who sends him stuff. I’ve tried so hard to not let his stuff show up in my feed but somehow it still does. No real hate for the guy but he basically is a salesman for these companies at this point. Kinda sad that’s what most of these “content creators” are now. Just trying to sell us on the next best thing.
Any idea when the release date is? I do see some presales on ebay but at pretty high prices. This lens is definitely on the radar when they're widely available and the price settles
Yeah, I can get a Fuji 56 for $699 and while that does focus slower than some things, it's consistent. That lens also has fantastic rendering. This one seems to have the triplet design swirly bokey, which I have a Helios 44 to cover. Also, the music was cringe.
I imagine when this comes out for Sony the auto focus will be pretty fantastic. also, it would’ve been helpful if you took actual portrait images because it’s a portrait lens… but based on the reviews i’ve seen thus far, i’m getting it.
I hope this will never come out for Sony. First, sonyboys have to suffer the amount of money they have to spend of being so proud that they own old overpriced cameras. Second, Sony must literally allow 3rd party companies to make lenses that I suppose will not happen due to their love of sucking money from costumers.
@@spectrum_series Wow...talk about an unbiased opinion...lol. OF COURSE Viltrox is coming out with a Sony E lens. They understand business...even if you do not.
@@JACKnJESUS you didn't get the point though, lol. What does business has to do with a statement starting with "I hope..." , dunno. Just tell us you are a sonyboy, my boy. Having fun with yourself and thinking in the same time? One hand on an autofocus button. The only way sonyboys can get hard.
Did anyone notice this lens has aperture issues - somewhere between 9-16 it often incorrectly opens the aperture and for instance f14 is brighter (bigger whole) then f13 and there is no difference between f9 and f10 (aperture doesn’t change at all. I know 99% of users value this lens for its superb quality at f1.2 but it is definitely the issue confirmed by the Viltox distributor and none of the firmware updates so far didn’t solve it.
as camera manufacturers update their focusing algorithms and other things, the native lenses can get updates to keep up from the camera itself, but 3rd party lenses can get updates by literally plugging a lens into a computer to get updates. Hope that makes sense.
I would never recommend a viltrox lens to anyone. My last Fuji lens from them just stopped working on its own with minimal use within 6 months and they refused to replace it and then just ignored my follow up emails. 😊The focusing motors seemed to just slowly drift out of alignment or something because the image became softer and softer until it became basically a soft focus lens and unusable for most forms of photography. It still “focuses” but the entire image is incredibly blurry regardless of aperture and focus distance. Again, their customer service is atrocious and build quality also, not great if a lens that largely sat in a protected camera bag could fail on its own after less than a year.
@@reyjoson7895 Fuji XT4. Made sure the lens was fully updated to the latest firmware and everything. Worst experience I’ve ever had with a lens/manufacturer.
Had two Viltrox 85mm lenses on a Nikon Z7 II. Image quality was decent but not the best and autofocus was slow even compared to older nikon glass used with a ftz adapter. But both lenses died after 3-4 months and were only used a couple of times. Even checked them on a Nikon Z6 II but it was not showing F stops on the camera anymore and focus stopped working. Thank good I bought them at a store where retourning them was not an issue. Would highly recommend to NOT buy glass from them, save a little more and get decent glass. Even resellling Nikon or Zeiss glass after a couple of years is easy and you won't lose to much of the investment.
I don't think there are many lenses that are sharper than Sonys 135mm GM. I sold my 100-400mm Sigma because 135mm GM was sharper cropped to 300mm than Sigma was at 300mm... uncropped.
For those that can’t afford the new 56mm WR, this lens is a great option but i honestly would rather save more and get the fuji, it’s better in every way, smaller, lighter, better AF, WR, list goes on. Also, as someone that used to shoot with a Voigt 75 1.4 on fuji X, the length is a bit too long for everything but outdoor portraits
I believe that this has Cat's Eye Bokey, which is considered unacceptable by all Bokians. Also mumble, mumble, transitions, mumble. BUT if I need to photograph a camera on a monopod, I'll go for this lens. TL;DR: The obsession with blur has gone off the tracks.
the lens might be ok, but the AF on the Fuji, esp when focusing on people is still ....bad. I should stop investing in the Fuji system, because with an AF system like this, it is impossible to think about it as a reliable professional tool. There are many things I love about Fuji but improved AF is a must.
