p.8 #1 · Viltrox 26mm f2.8 EVO for Z and E - first look
Andrei Dima won't get out of my YT comments, insisting that this is the "first" modern lens to respect the "classic" Nikon aperture ring direction, basing that on his experience with a single old F mount Vivitar
p.8 #4 · Viltrox 26mm f2.8 EVO for Z and E - first look
Then I guess it depends on when and where the lens is being used. Last weekend I shot an outdoor group picnic with just the Viltrox 50 AIR, many at f2.0, no flare whatsoever. Quite a few subjects were backlit with sun in or just outside the frame like @RacingManiac examples as far as I can see. The results were crisp and clear, no flare, no colour variations. Just very impressive lens performance. I don't have my 26mm yet -- it's still in the delivery pipeline -- but I have been shooting the 50 for a couple of months and yet to see any problems like the reviewers find.
p.8 #5 · Viltrox 26mm f2.8 EVO for Z and E - first look
Flare is the biggest downside to most Chinese lenses at this point. Body design issues are the second biggest (aperture clicks that aren't firm enough, won't stay in Auto, rotate wrong way, stupid screens, etc). AF performance is generally fine for amateurs but maybe not there for pros.
p.8 #6 · Viltrox 26mm f2.8 EVO for Z and E - first look
I think one way to look at this lens is as a dedicated look or style prime. At least for me, I look to primes for providing something a top tier zoom can’t. It’s usually a look either due to optical imperfections or wider apertures for limited DoF, and usually combinations of both; and then also a very convenient size. This lens lacks optical speed but has some imperfections I like. IOW it has warts that can be either annoying or artistic depending on how they’re used. It’s sharp enough for current gen digicams, it AF’s decently, it’s nearly as small on a body as a current fixed-lens cam. It has light and resolution falloff, some edge distortion and flares in backlighting. But I am aware of all that and can utilize it all in ways that works for me. Sometimes there’s a happy accident, others a “meh” result. So for me at its size and price, it’s a no-brainer, always in my bag lens.
p.8 #7 · Viltrox 26mm f2.8 EVO for Z and E - first look
deadwolfbones wrote:
Flare is the biggest downside to most Chinese lenses....
Not to mention quality assurance.
The defect rate for these lenses is significantly higher (which is understandable, since quality assurance costs money).
p.8 #8 · Viltrox 26mm f2.8 EVO for Z and E - first look
Zmounter wrote:
Not to mention quality assurance.
The defect rate for these lenses is significantly higher (which is understandable, since quality assurance costs money).
I've not personally encountered any defects yet, and I test lenses for a living. But I also don't doubt it.
p.8 #9 · Viltrox 26mm f2.8 EVO for Z and E - first look
I have yet to get a bum Viltrox, but plenty of bum other Chinese lenses. When these things undercut OEM by half to a third of the price, you expect a bit of that.
p.8 #10 · Viltrox 26mm f2.8 EVO for Z and E - first look
Flare: 'Once considered a technical flaw to be aggressively avoided with matte boxes and lens hoods..
(you are here)
.. the lens flare transformed into a celebrated cinematic aesthetic. Pioneered in New Hollywood gems like Cool Hand Luke (1967) to inject raw, sun-drenched realism, flares now signify texture, heightened emotion, and sci-fi spectacle.'
'Deliberate Vintage Character: Brands designing specialized fast prime or rangefinder-style lenses (like Thypoch or 7Artisans) often tune their optics to lean into a dreamy, low-contrast aesthetic wide open, viewing controlled flare as an artistic asset rather than a pure optical defect.'
'Washing out contrast and lifting blacks creates a hazy, nostalgic, or dreamlike atmosphere.' 'Modern projects utilize vintage glass, diffusion filters, or digital overlays as a shorthand for tactile, organic filmmaking.' (they are there).
The Chinese are, above all, aesthetes in their approach to imaging. Many of their lens makers either began or operate in both stills and videography fields (Nisi, Thypoch, Sirui, Laowa, Viltrox, Meike, etc.). Many of their lenses are targeted at the burgeoning videography field.
p.8 #11 · Viltrox 26mm f2.8 EVO for Z and E - first look
'defect rate for these lenses is significantly higher'
When trying to persuade readers, nothing - absolutely nothing - compares to providing reliable evidence for our claims. It offers the reader the great advantage of deciding for themselves, based on knowable facts, rather than having to trust you. Trust is in short supply in 2026.
