Viltrox has fairly a couple of totally different lens lineups, with the LAB collection being probably the most optically rigorous. One such lens is the Viltrox 35mm f/1.2 LAB, which has been accessible for the Sony E-mount for a while. Lately, they’ve launched the Nikon Z model, and on this area evaluate, you’ll see the way it performs.
Introduction
The Viltrox 35mm f/1.2 LAB is a beast of a lens in additional methods than one. In fact, being a high-end f/1.2 prime, it actually makes a press release in your digital camera:
It’s a relatively optically-complex specimen with 15 parts in 10 teams and 11 aperture blades. It’s a modern, weather-sealed design made largely of metallic and weighs in at 910 grams (2.0 kilos). The lens additionally has fairly a couple of controls: two operate buttons, a handbook/autofocus change, a declicker change, and two management rings.
The bigger entrance ring is a spotlight ring, and it turns properly for handbook focus. The opposite ring is a operate ring. It’s not just like the aperture ring I noticed on the Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Professional, which may solely be used to vary the aperture. In fact, it can be used for that, however it may be assigned to vary anything as nicely, identical to the operate ring on Nikon’s personal lenses.
As a bonus, the ring is declickable. So, when you like click on stops in your aperture, that may be accomplished. However when you additionally have to eradicate noises for video work otherwise you desire a clean motion, then simply flick the declicker change.
Contained in the lens, the Viltrox 35mm f/1.2 PRO is powered by a quiet VCM motor, which is decently fast. I discovered no points with autofocus when utilizing this lens, together with essential accuracy at f/1.2.
Lastly, this lens has a display screen:
It’s really a cool characteristic that shows the present focusing distance. And, whenever you change it to handbook focus, it additionally shows a distance scale. Beneath the dimensions, the at the moment chosen aperture can be proven on a scale.
Optical Efficiency
Many individuals might be within the sharpness of this beast, which we hope to check rigorously quickly. However listed below are heart, midframe, and nook crops at varied apertures (click on to enlarge to get the total image):
The lens is already fairly sharp at f/1.2 within the heart. The midframe is fairly near the middle, and solely within the excessive corners will we see some softness vast open. In fact, for the kinds of photographs typical for f/1.2, it’s unlikely that you simply’ll care an excessive amount of in regards to the corners anyway. At f/2.8, the corners are already respectable, and at f/5.6, there’s not a lot to fret about in any respect. Actually, this lens may be very enjoyable to shoot at f/1.2, and I feel it ought to be stored there on a regular basis. However for these instances when you could cease down, the complete body does look good.
In fact, sharpness is sweet, however what I actually needed to take a look at was the bokeh! In any case, 35mm is a basic environmental portrait size, and I feel it’s secure to say that when you’re getting an f/1.2 lens, you’re actually going to wish to see some bokeh. And whereas 35mm gained’t offer you that magnified bokeh of 85mm or extra, you may nonetheless get some fairly properly out-of-focus photographs with this factor.
To research the bokeh of this lens, we should always take into account three kinds of bokeh: the out-of-focus background, the out-of-focus foreground, and the stopped-down efficiency. The worst-case state of affairs might be approximated by taking a look at out-of-focus specular highlights, since these point out how the lens will carry out within the hardest of conditions. For background, foreground, and stopped down efficiency, take a look at these pictures:
The wide-open out-of-focus background may be very delicate, and it appears that evidently the lens has been optimized for it. There’s a tiny quantity of longitudinal chromatic aberration, and solely a really delicate edge, which leads to the circles softly merging into one another. The insides of the circles are usually not fully clean, nevertheless it’s fairly shut. General, I give very excessive reward to the out-of-focus background.
The out-of-focus foreground has a barely totally different character, nevertheless it’s nonetheless fairly good. Once more, the chromatic aberrations are pretty minor, nevertheless it’s a has a bit extra edge. It’s nonetheless fairly elegant although.
Lastly, the stopped-down form at f/2.5 is sort of round, as a result of 11 aperture blades. It appeared to choose up some extra texture and somewhat extra of a tough edge at that aperture.
One lens I take into account additionally excellent for bokeh is the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G, and you’ll see how these two lenses examine right here:
Usually talking, if a lens can at the very least do in addition to the Nikon, it’s already excellent as loads of lenses can’t. And on this comparability, you may see that the Viltrox is a lot better vast open with regard to the sting softness, and it’s additionally perceptibly higher with regard to chromatic aberrations.
The one place the place the Nikon pulls forward somewhat is the inside circle smoothness upon stopping down, which on the Nikon is absolutely fairly clean. Nevertheless, in real-world conditions, inner-circle smoothness is comparatively much less necessary in comparison with the circle edge efficiency, as a result of it’s the edge which can result in issues like double-line issues and nervous bokeh.
Here’s a check shot of a busy bokeh state of affairs:
You possibly can see that the bokeh within the background is pretty clean, predicted by the circle evaluation. General, I’d give the Viltrox 35mm f/1.2 a wonderful rating relating to bokeh, and I’m significantly impressed by the circle-edge efficiency.
Lastly, close to the minimal focus distance, you may see a little bit of pincushion distortion nevertheless it’s fairly simply corrected:
For customers of darktable who in all probability gained’t get a correction profile for this lens for some time, the Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 correction profile is similar to this lens and can right many of the distortion and vignetting.
General Ideas
The Viltrox 35mm f/1.2 LAB lens is an unimaginable lens. In follow, I’d say it has only a few compromises. It’s sharp the place it counts, has very clean bokeh, and can be an excellent occasion lens with its tremendous quick f/1.2 aperture. Though the first-party Nikon 35mm f/1.2 S is really an impressive, practically flawless lens, remember that it’s additionally $2600 – on sale. The common value is $3000. So, when you’re in search of the privilege of taking pictures at f/1.2, the Viltrox at $999 is a a lot friendlier proposition.
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