Viltrox AF 25mm 1.7 Air APS-C

The Viltrox AF 25mm f/1.7 XF Air produced very decent results during our testing. In terms of lab performance, the achieved center resolution is excellent straight from f/1.7, and outer image field still on a good to very good level. Stopping down broadens the quality near the center, and the results are very good overall around the f/2.8 mark already. The focus field is a bit wavy, though, so stopping down a bit further is advisable for "infinity" scenes. Lateral CAs are somewhat elevated, although you should be able to handle this during post-processing if needed. The vignetting is high at f/1.7 - albeit rather normal for a fast prime lens - but mostly negligible from f/2.8. Unfortunately, there's no built-in correction profile at the time of this review, at least. Hopefully, Viltrox will provide a firmware update for this at some point. You shouldn't expect wonders in terms of bokeh from an APS-C wide-angle lens. However, in close focus scenarios, it can deliver a quite smooth out-of-focus blur. Keep in mind that the maximum magnification is a bit limited at 1:9, so the close focus capabilities are a bit limited. Viltrox Air lenses are targeting the consumer segment. For a lens in this class, the build quality may be simple, but it's also pretty good. The body is based on decent quality engineered plastics based on a metal mount. The (plastic) focus ring turns smoothly and there's no wobbling whatsoever. Weather sealing is not provided here, but the internal focusing should help a bit in terms of protection. The AF is surprisingly fast and quiet. Viltrox AF 25mm f/1.7 XF Air follows the tradition of its in-house "Air" cousins - it provides good optical and mechanical qualities at an attractive price point.