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The Viltrox 15mm f1.7 Air is a compact APS-C autofocus lens available in both Sony E-mount, Nikon Z-mount and Fujifilm X-mount formats. I’m using a Fujifilm version for this review, shot mostly on the Fujifilm X-T2.
Pros
- Lightweight and compact
- Sharp in the center, even wide open
- Fast, quiet autofocus
- Good color and contrast
- Great Chromatic Aberrations control
- Affordable price
Cons
- Some vignetting at all apertures
- Noticable distortion
- No aperture ring or AF/MF switch
- No weather sealing
Viltrox 15mm f1.7 Air – Amazon / B&H
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Quick Personal Thoughts: I like this lens. For the price, it’s really tough to beat. I also own the Fujifilm 14mm f2.8 and 16mm f1.4. While the Fujifilm 16mm is nice, I don’t think either of those lenses is worth the price now, considering how good this Viltrox lens is, unless you really need all the additional perks of those premium lenses. Most of us don’t.
That being said, this lens will benefit a lot from profiles that should come to Lightroom eventually, and autofocus is not quite as perfect as you would get with native Fujifilm lenses. You might get a little more clarity from those Fujifilm lenses with their coatings, but I’m not really noticing any difference when not comparing them side by side. I’ve had a ton of fun with this lens out in California this summer with my kids at the beach. Although I had to be careful at the beach since this lens is not weather-sealed.
If you just need a fun wide lens for nothing too crazy serious, this lens is it!
Viltrox 15mm f1.7 Air Lens Review
Viltrox has been making waves in the mirrorless lens market lately, and the 15mm f1.7 “Air” continues that trend—with a compact design, fast aperture, and a price that’s almost too good to be true.
Viltrox did send me a sample of this lens to try out for their launch. I got a pretty good copy of this lens, and here’s how it stacks up.
Build Quality: Lightweight Doesn’t Mean Cheap
It weighs in at 180 grams and barely adds any bulk to smaller APS-C mirrorless bodies. If you’re shooting with a Fujifilm X-series, Sony E, or Nikon Z camera, this lens balances beautifully. It feels like a pancake lens stretched to ultra-wide territory.
Despite the lightness, the build quality isn’t bad. It’s primarily plastic, but doesn’t feel fragile. The metal lens mount adds confidence, and the included lens hood is a nice bonus. That said, there’s no weather sealing, and the minimalist design skips the aperture ring and AF/MF switch. If you’re used to Fujifilm’s tactile controls, this might feel like a step backward in ergonomics, and you’ll need to get used to adjusting your camera’s controls to control the aperture.
Technical Performance
Wide open at f1.7, the center sharpness is very impressive—even pixel peeping at high-res, there’s plenty of detail. The corners start off a little softer but improve noticeably by f/4 and clean up nicely at f5.6. For landscape or architectural work, you’ll want to stop down a bit anyway.
Sharpness
The sharpness charts are looking really good here. Very sharp in the center, and the edges, corners, and mid-frame hold up surprisingly well. With the 26MP sensor of the Fujifilm X-T3, diffraction becomes noticeable at f11.
Center Sharpness
Mid-Frame Sharpness Chart
Not really seeing much difference between the midframe and the center.
Edge Sharpness Chart
When looking at the edges, we see a slight drop in sharpness compared to the center, but it cleans up well by f4. But even with the slightly softer performance at f1.7. I still consider this very impressive for how compact this lens is.
Corner Sharpness Chart
Similar to the edges, the corners are slightly softer until about f4.
Vignetting
Vignetting is at its strongest at f1.7 and f2, improves a little by f2.8 and f4, and clears up a bit more by f5.6 to f16.
Distortion
Pretty noticeable distortion. We’ll have to wait for profile corrections in Lightroom to clean this up properly.
Chromatic Aberrations
Excellent chromatic aberration control in these high contrast samples.
Autofocus: Fast, Quiet, Reliable
Viltrox uses a stepping motor (STM) in this lens, and it performs well. Autofocus is fast, accurate, and virtually silent. It’s not a sports lens, obviously, but for street, travel, and general-purpose work, it does exactly what it needs to do.
Focus breathing is minimal, making it a great option for video shooters who want to move in and out of focus without jarring field-of-view shifts. It’s also internal focusing, so the front element doesn’t extend or rotate.
I occasionally experience autofocus misses that I don’t think I would normally get with native Fujifilm glass. But this isn’t super common or disruptive. This issue occurs more frequently on older cameras, such as the X-T2 and X-Pro2.
Firmware and Compatibility
A nice feature for a third-party lens is the USB-C port, which supports firmware updates. It’s nice not to need a lens dock or adapter—just plug it in and go. This ensures the lens remains compatible with new camera bodies and maintains long-term usability.
I didn’t encounter any compatibility issues on the Fujifilm bodies I tested, but it’s always a good idea to check for firmware updates when you first get it.
Art& Character
It’s an ultra-wide lens, so I wouldn’t consider any ultra-wide lens a character lens; however, it still has nice clarity and punch with pretty good contrast.
Bokeh
Very soft and creamy bokeh at wide open aperture. It never gets busy or distracting.
Color & Contrast
If you’re a landscape photographer, the contrast and color are definitely good, and it’s very consistent across the frame.
Sometimes, with these third-party brands, the cheaper coatings introduce a loss of color due to light reflecting around inside the lens, but we’re not seeing it with this lens. The images are always crisp in almost every lighting situation.
Vignetting can darken those blue skies along the edges and corners, so you’ll need to be careful how you shoot at faster apertures or try to clean up the vignetting in Lightroom.
When shooting black and white, we still get some great tonal detail and contrast.
Flaring
Flare resistance is decent, and ghosting is only an issue when shooting directly into strong light sources—par for the course with a lens this wide.
Sunstars
Sunstars at smaller apertures look nice and controlled.
Final Thoughts: Budget Beast for Wide-Angle Lovers
The Viltrox 15mm f1.7 Air punches well above its weight—literally and figuratively. It’s light, affordable, and delivers excellent image quality for the price. It’s not perfect: the lack of weather sealing and manual controls might turn off some users, and the corners do need stopping down for best results.
But if you’re looking for an everyday ultra-wide that won’t break the bank, it’s hard to find a better option in this price range.
Viltrox 15mm f1.7 AIR Sample Images
Most of the samples in this review are shot on the Fujifilm X-T2 and colored with the Core Presets. For those who have the presets, on some of these landscape shots, I’m just using the Color Elements to add a little color on top of Provia.
6 comments
Thanks for bringing my attention to this lens. I just got a Z50ii and this lens is going on my wishlist! It is so helpful that your sample pictures are a mix of people and street/landscape. And I have to say that I love your color presets, too. I bought them over the summer and they make my editing go so much faster. The film vibe is tops!
Thanks Tanya! Most of the Viltrox lenses are an incredible value, and they’re well-made.
Just moved over to the Nikon Zf and have been looking at something wide range to carry around, not too heavy. I have my eye on the Pergear 14mm or the TTartisan 14mm, but it’s very weird right now with the tarrifs.
Needed something wide the other day for a last minute shoot. I was looking at this, but couldn’t go with it because it’s for a crop sensor. However, I did find the 7artisans 18mm 4.5 at B&H and that worked out pretty damn well. Very low profile and pretty sharp, except the corners, of course.
Viltrox has been on a banger streak. Releasing a lot of great lenses for the price.
The entire Air series has been a hit. I own the 20mm and 50mm FF.
Thanks for the review and the sample pics look nice. Viltrox is on a hot streak lately with their Air series which as you point out offer superb value and excellent performance in very compact sizes. It’s a great option to have for photographers.
That said at least on X mount I feel the strongest competition could be Fuji’s own underrated 15-45 kit zoom which also offers compact dimensions, good IQ and can be found at very similar prices.