Does Size Matter? Not for the Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air

Welcome to my review of the Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air.

As always, I purchased this gear with my own money, I have no sponsor and there are no affiliate links on this site. As you may know from previous reviews, I try to take a more casual approach and make it more real world based than purely technical. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it and provides some value to you.

The Unexpected Addition

The 50 Air was a lens that wasn’t really on my radar but my search for a 50mm to fill that gap between my 35GM and 85mm Art was never ending until I found this lens. I can’t even remember how but I was traveling when I discovered this lens and at roughly $200 on sale it was the type of purchase that you could describe as a throw away lens.

Before this I was considering giving the Sigma 50mm f/2 Contemporary lens another try as I did enjoy the images it produced but felt I got rid of it too soon. The issue with the Sigma is that even on sale, it’s roughly $800 which is significantly more for the same focal length and aperture, albeit a better build (and likely AF).

So due to the low cost and risk, I decided to give the lens a try.

Punching Above Its Weight

As someone who isn’t afraid of third party lenses, I was still skeptical about Viltrox and how good their lenses really are. For a very budget orientated lens, this skepticism was increased even more as you wouldn’t expect something of this price to have such good IQ but I’m pleasantly surprised to say that IQ is excellent.

In terms of sharpness I feel it delivers more than expected plus much more, I’d even say it rivaled my previously owned 50mm lens like the Sony FE 50mm f/2.5 G or Sigma 50mm f/2 Contemporary. This is certainly a lens that can comfortably be used wide open with the images looking great stopped down as well.

Due to its size and weight, it’s the type of lens you could easily carry with you in case you have a gap in your focal lengths or just want a small light prime to compliment your zoom. If you own one of the compact Sony bodies like the a7C II or a7CR then this will match the body even better and make it a truly light EDC.

I actually took this lens on my trip to Melbourne for a few days and there wasn’t any situations that I felt I was at risk of missing a shot due to this particular lens. Usually it would be my 35GM with me but since I’ve been to Melbourne countless times it didn’t hurt to try something different.

Build wise it seems to be plastic which isn’t a bad thing and also isn’t expected for something that is usually only a few hundred dollars. In fact I believe I got mine for around $220 AUD down from about $270 AUD which is usually your nifty fifty price but I’d argue this lens (IQ wise) is superior.

The autofocus isn’t too bad accuracy wise but speed wise it does leave a lot to be desired (more on that below). If you aren’t used to more higher end (such as G or GM lenses then you may notice it more than someone who already owns more budget gear.

The Expected but Undeniable Downsides

Surprisingly there aren’t too many to list here but given the price of this lens, they shouldn’t be a surprise either.

The first and most important one for me that actually makes me want to let go of this lens is the minimum focusing distance. At 50cm this is quite large considering the standard focal length. 50mm lenses are great for general purpose photography which in my opinion, includes casual food photos which I ideally use this lens for. The issue is the MFD can make getting the composition a bit tricky and as someone who prefers to get it right in camera while not wasting resolution, cropping isn’t something I want to do for the type of photo I shouldn’t need to.

In comparison, the Viltrox 55mm EVO has a 8cm shorter MFD which would likely work better for what I need. Depending on what you shoot and what you use this lens for it could be a non issue, but for me it’s certainly a frustration.

Next up is the autofocus which isn’t horrible, but it certainly isn’t a strong point either. Owning the lenses I do, I was a bit surprised when I first used it and watched the lens slowly obtain focus although once it does lock on, it doesn’t seem to struggle to keep it. I’d definitely not recommend this lens for something that requires action, even certain street shots may be challenged by the speed but as you can see from the gallery below I did use it for people walking which it managed to keep up.

The final and least important for me is the build. It’s not really a real downside due to the price but if you are looking for something with a more stronger, robust build, a budget lens like this probably isn’t for you.

The Best Possible Alternative

In terms of other lenses I’d say the one that could make me sell this 50 Air would be the Viltrox 55mm f/1.8 EVO. For that lens you’d likely get similar if not better sharpness, nicer bokeh due to the f/1.8 aperture and possibly better autofocus albeit at a $300 AUD premium over the air lens.

For now at least I’ll be sticking with the Air lens since 50mm isn’t a very commonly used focal length for me so it does the job well enough.

Below is a gallery of images taken with this lens, almost all with the a7V I believe but one or two may be with the a7C II.

Summary

The Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air is a lens that is honestly much better than it should be for the cheap price you pay for it. I’m not really a 50mm shooter but for a lens this cheap it doesn’t hurt to own this lens for situations that you may want something a bit faster than a zoom or between 35/85mm focal lengths. Like anything it has its shortcomings which are its autofocus speed and minimum focus distance but those are compromises many people can accept for what it offers.

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