We now have a name for Viltrox’s series of small, lightweight, and yet surprisingly high performing lenses – the “Air” Series. We’ve seen 20mm F2.8 and 40mm F2.4 full frame lenses, a really excellent 56mm F1.7 APS-C lens, and now a companion to that lens in the form of the new Viltrox AF 35mm F1.7. I’m delighted to see this lens, as I really liked the 56mm, and this is arguably an even more useful focal length. Fuji has two 35mm options already: the 35mm F2 (which I reviewed here), and the 35mm F1.4 (which I haven’t reviewed). Their most recent lens in this general vicinity is the excellent 33mm F1.4 LM WR lens which I reviewed here. I’m a big fan of the 33mm F1.4, which has beautiful rendering, but it also retails for a a whopping $799 USD, which is, of course, out of the range of many buyers. The Viltrox provides a much cheaper alternative at just $179 USD while still delivering a lens with a lot of great qualities. Is it worth checking out? Find out my thoughts by watching the video review below, reading the text review, or by enjoying the photos in the gallery below.

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Thanks to Viltrox for sending me a review loaner of this lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with the Fujifilm X-H2 camera.

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35mm is a slightly oddball focal length on APS-C, landing at a 52.5mm full frame equivalent. It stands to reason why the 33mm (49.5mm) is more conventional, as it is delivering that typical 50mm “normal” angle of view. That extra 3mm is hardly likely to make much of a difference. This is a great focal length that gives a very normal, relatable point of view.

In Viltrox’s earlier days they released an F1.4 series with a 23mm, 33mm, and 56mm option. This new series is going to naturally provide a bit of confusion, as the newer lenses have smaller maximum apertures (F1.7 rather than F1.4), have a slightly downgraded build (no aperture ring, plastic housing rather than metal), but are actually better lenses in terms of autofocus and optical performance. Viltrox has improved their optical glass, the smoothness and effectiveness of their autofocus motors, and has generally become much more competent in their optical designs. There’s also the fact that the new 35mm F1.7 is 17mm shorter and weighs a full 100g less, which is a core part of why the “Air” series has proven so popular.

Much like Samyang’s “Tiny series”, this lens is for those who don’t care about bells and whistles and just want a lightweight, high performing lens. Add in the fact that, like the 56mm F1.7, this new lens is one of the least expensive lenses that can fully resolve the extremely demanding 40MP sensor. It’s sharp even at F1.7, has nice bokeh, and can produce extremely nice images.

Sound interesting? Perhaps the photos below will help you decide.

Images of the Viltrox AF 35mm F1.7 STM

Images taken with the Viltrox AF 35mm F1.7 STM

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GEAR USED:

Purchase the Viltrox AF 35mm F1.7 here: https://geni.us/Dustin35mmAir (extra 15% from December 18-30th)

Purchase the Viltrox AF 56mm F1.7 @ Viltrox (use code DUSTINABBOTT for 8% off starting April 23rd) | B&H Photo | Adorama | Nuzira | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany

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