Viltrox has filled the last gap in its Pro-series prime lineup. The AF 35mm f/1.4 Pro, announced Thursday for full-frame Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount mirrorless cameras, joins the existing AF 50mm f/1.4 Pro and AF 85mm f/1.4 Pro to form what the company calls a complete trio of fast, pro-grade primes.
The lens costs $829 ($1,159 CAD, £739, AU$1,299), though Viltrox is running a launch discount that drops the direct price to $663 through its own store. The three Pro lenses together, Viltrox says, cost under $2,000 as a set.
Optically, the 35mm Pro packs 16 glass elements, including two Ultra-Precision Aspherical elements aimed at taming onion-ring bokeh, three ED elements to cut chromatic aberration, and four HR elements meant to keep the lens from ballooning in size. PetaPixel reports the elements are arranged across 11 groups, while Digital Camera World's own coverage lists 12 groups, a small discrepancy between the two outlets' specs. An 11-blade aperture diaphragm and HD Nano coatings round out the optical design.
Autofocus comes from Viltrox's Hyper VCM, a voice-coil motor system the company says focuses quickly and silently, with minimal focus breathing for video work. Minimum focus distance is 0.3 meters, with 0.18x maximum magnification, matching both the Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.4 and Sony's FE 35mm f/1.4 GM on that spec.
The body is weather-sealed, with a matte black finish, rubber gasketing, and a fluorine coating on the front element. Handling mirrors its Pro-series siblings exactly: a clickable aperture ring, an AF/MF switch, and a customizable function button, all arranged identically across the 35mm, 50mm and 85mm so switching lenses mid-shoot doesn't mean relearning controls.
It's also the heaviest 35mm f/1.4 on either mount by a wide margin. PetaPixel lists the lens at 760 grams for E-mount and 780 grams for Z-mount, while Digital Camera World's figures put it closer to 795 grams. Either way, that's nearly double the Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.4's 415 grams, and well past the 524-gram Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. Both Viltrox mounts take 77mm filters, versus 62mm for Nikon's lens and 67mm for Sony's.
On price, the Viltrox lens lands well under its direct rivals. Sony's own FE 35mm f/1.4 GM runs $1,498, and the E-mount Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Art lists at $1,059, according to Digital Camera World. Nikon's Z 35mm f/1.4 is cheaper outright, listed at $678 by Digital Camera World though PetaPixel notes it was selling for $576 with a temporary $100 discount at the time of writing.
A Digital Camera World reviewer who tested the lens called the autofocus "super-fast, consistently accurate and virtually silent" and praised the bokeh, while noting the lens lacks a locking switch to secure the aperture ring in its Auto position. That's one outlet's verdict, and it's worth weighing against the size and weight trade-off before deciding whether the trio's matched handling is worth carrying the extra heft.
The AF 35mm f/1.4 Pro is available now in both mounts.
GDFiled by The Gadgets Desk
Audio, wearables, cameras, tablets, chargers and every other device worth carrying or plugging in.
More from this desk →
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.