Viltrox Pro AF 50mm F1.4 FE Review

Thanks to Viltrox for sending me a review copy 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 Sony a7RV and the Sony Alpha 1. You can find the listing for the AF 50mm F1.4 Pro FE here.

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Viltrox Pro Series Lens Reviews

APS-C

• 27mm F1.2
• 56mm F1.2
• 75mm F1.2

Full Frame

• 50mm F1.4
• 85mm F1.4

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AI SUMMARY: The Viltrox Pro AF 50mm F1.4 FE lens marks another strong entry in Viltrox’s Pro series, delivering exceptional optical performance with sharp details and creamy bokeh, ideal for portrait and wedding photographers. It features a robust, weather-sealed build with a premium magnesium-aluminum alloy body, an intuitive aperture ring, and a USB-C port for firmware updates, all at a budget-friendly price of $549 USD. The lens employs advanced HyperVCM autofocus for fast, silent focusing and incorporates floating elements for improved close-focus performance, though it is notably heavier than competitors like the Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM. While its size and weight may deter some, the lens’s combination of pro-grade build, optical excellence, and value makes it a compelling choice for photographers seeking high performance without breaking the bank.

Strengths:

• Optical Excellence: Delivers outstanding sharpness, contrast, and creamy bokeh, rivaling premium lenses like the Sony G-Master and Sigma ART.
• Value for Money: Priced at $549 USD, it undercuts competitors by hundreds of dollars while offering comparable build and performance.
• Premium Build Quality: Features a durable magnesium-aluminum alloy body, thorough weather sealing, and a stylish, functional design with a clickable/declickable aperture ring.
• Advanced Autofocus: HyperVCM motor provides fast, silent, and smooth focusing, suitable for both stills and video, with minimal focus breathing.

Weaknesses:

• Size and Weight: At 800g and 111mm long, it’s significantly heavier and larger than competitors like the Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM (516g), which may deter photographers prioritizing portability.
• No Iris Lock: Lacks an aperture ring lock, which could be inconvenient for users switching between manual and camera-controlled aperture settings.
• Slight Corner Softness: While center and mid-frame sharpness are exceptional at F1.4, corner performance lags slightly until stopped down to F2.8 or F4.
• Loose Lens Hood: The lens hood doesn’t bayonet on as tightly as preferred, making it prone to being dislodged.

The strength of the Pro series has consistently been a great blend between sharpness and rendering. Some lenses have great corrections that allow them to have low aberrations and good contrast, but images look rather flat and uninspiring. Other lenses have nice rendering and bokeh, but lack decent contrast and have blooming on the textures or more fringing than preferred. It is a rare lens that manages to produce both great sharpness and also have soft, creamy bokeh. The Pro series has excelled in that regard, and the Pro 50mm F1.4 is no exception.

Like the Pro 85mm, the the new 50mm will use Viltrox’s new VCM (voice coil motor) technology for more thrust and smoother focus action. We’ve got a full set of features, including an aperture ring that be clicked or declicked, a custom/function button, an AF | MF switch, weather sealing, and a USB-C port for easy firmware updates. This is a lens with a GM level of build and features…but one with a much more approachable price tag. Portrait and wedding photographers with strong backs and shallow wallets should rejoice over the Pro 50mm F1.4; it isn’t light, but it is light on the wallet.

Optically I’m pretty much in love. I got great looking images in all the settings I used the lens in, from those beautiful autumn landscapes in the early, misty mornings…

…to shots of the sleeping kitty in a dim living room.

Images just have that pro-grade sparkle to them. Let’s explore the details…

Viltrox Pro 50mm Build and Handling

The first thing to note is that this is definitely a pro-level build quality, which is interesting considering that this is not their most premium lineup. There are more than a few people who have commented that they prefer the less-extreme Pro series over the early LAB lenses. I’m not sure I’m all the way in that camp (those exotic LAB lenses are special), but these Pro lenses are sweet. They have a clean, streamlined design that looks and handles great.

There are things that I love about Viltrox’s design philosophy on the LAB series, but their integration with the aperture ring is not one of them. The Pro series takes a more traditional approach to controlling aperture, and in this case you can call me a traditionalist!

The aperture ring works perfectly here, with markings at the one third stop positions and light detents at those places if you have the “clicks” on. You also have a declick option where you can smoothly rack from F1.4 to F16. There is a firmer detent between F16 and the A (automatic) option which will allow aperture to be controlled from within the camera. The one aperture feature that is missing is an iris lock which would allow you to either lock into or out of the aperture ring.

I was able to perform aperture racks in the declicked mode without visible steps.

The iris itself has 11 aperture blades, and these make for a nicely rounded aperture (though with a slight outline of the blades) even when stopped down a fair bit. Here’s F1.4, F2, and F2.8.

Here’s a look at the aperture iris stopped down to F5.6.

Other features include an AF | MF switch and a custom/Fn button that can be programmed to various functions from within the camera.

The Pro series lenses have all come with thorough weather sealing.  This includes a bright red/orange gasket at the lens mount (which I think is very stylish), internal seals at the switches, rings, and near the front element, and a HD Nano coating on the front elements to resist moisture and fingerprints.

Viltrox has proven that they can make very competent small lenses in their AIR series, but thus far the Pro and LAB lenses have all been quite large. The body of the Pro 50mm F.4 is very robust, utilizing an aviation-grade magnesium-aluminum alloy blend.  This is similar to the materials used in camera bodies and ensures that the lens will be tough and durable for years of use.  It has a black anodized finish that looks classic and and elegant.  The lens is understated but attractive, with no loud accent colors or attempts to demand your attention.

I do kind of miss the LCD screen from the LAB series as central visual element, but I’m glad that the aperture control is more traditional.

Viltrox continues with a trend that other lens makers are now imitating by including a USB-C port in the lens mount that allows you to do firmware updates right to the lens.  I’m a fan of this approach, as it eliminates the need for a separate dock or lens station for firmware updates, and I find the process a little more intuitive than even doing firmware updates through the camera.  Viltrox gives you a variety of ways to do the firmware updates. Here’s the screen I got after doing a firmware update via their PC app.

There is no lens based stabilization, so you will need to rely upon the in-camera stabilization if your camera is so equipped.

Viltrox has redesigned their bigger front lens caps with a bevel along the front that makes it feel slimmer. The lens also comes with the hood and a leather pouch (similar to Canon L-series lenses). There is some cushion on the bottom, but I don’t find these pouches nearly as useful as a good padded nylon case like what Sigma provides.  The lens hood itself is fine (nothing fancy), though I don’t find that it bayonets on as tightly as what I would prefer. It isn’t hard to dislodge it.

So the build and handling are great, but the bad news is coming. As with the other Pro Series lenses, this is a big, heavy lens. My current 50mm lens of choice is the Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM, a lens that I use as my primary tool for filming on my channel. The Pro 50mm is obviously bigger than the GM lens.

The GM lens 96mm in length, but the Pro lens is 111mm in length (4.37″). The diameter is also bigger, at 80.6mm for the Sony and 84.5mm (3.32″) for the Viltrox. It has a 77mm front filter thread, which is definitley bigger than the GM’s 67mm.

As you might expect, that comes at a cost on the scale, too, with the Viltrox weighing 800g (28.2oz) compared to just 516g for the GM lens.

Now, to be fair, Sony is basically on their second generation of 50mm F1.4 lens design for E-mount, with the original Sony Zeiss Planar 50mm F1.4 being similar in length (108mm) and weight (780g). The Sigma 50mm F1.4 ART is similar in length (111.5mm) but weighs considerably less due to being narrower (660g). The Pro 50mm F1.4 isn’t small or light, so some may be turned off by that. It is a legitimate concern.

Like the 85mm F1.4, the Pro 50mm sports floating elements in its design.  This has a very positive benefit that we’ll detail momentarily, but those unfamiliar with this design element may be thrown by the fact that something seems to move (and clunk) a bit inside the lens when you tip it up and down.  Floating element groups do in fact move forward and backward when the lens is powered off, though as soon as the lens is powered on, those elements are energized and no longer move.  You can then tip the lens up and down and nothing happens. Other brands (including Sony) are increasingly doing similar designs, though I find the Viltrox design to be a little more obvious than some others.

The primary reason for employing floating elements is that it allows the lens to function better at close focus distances.  The Pro 50mm can focus as closely as 45cm and produces a decent 0.145x magnification.  That’s very slightly less than the Sigma (0.15x) and GM (0.16x) lenses. Here’s what the magnification looks like.

The floating elements aren’t producing higher magnification, but at least we are getting good up close performance.

The manual focus ring is wide, very nicely damped, and provides a great manual focus experience, with good precision, no lag in the focus (as sometimes experienced on mirrorless lenses with their focus-by-wire systems), and a nice amount of focus throw.

The Viltrox Pro AF 50mm F1.4 is a beautifully made lens that does weigh a bit more than its primary competitors but compensates nicely by undercutting them in price anywhere from $100 (Samyang) to $900 (GM) while providing a build quality and handling experience that equals the top lenses in the class.  I am once again very impressed by how Viltrox is able to make beautifully crafted lenses and sell them so much cheaper than competing brands.

Autofocus for Stills

Viltrox has now moved to higher end HyperVCM (voice-coil motor) focus in their recent premium lenses.  Thus far they seem to be reserving their multiple-motor “hyper-VCM” focus systems to the LAB lenses, but even the single HyperVCM motor powering focus is nice and snappy in the Pro 50mm.  It’s not “instant” fast in the way that the GM lens is (with the dual XD Linear motors), but fairly comparable to the HLA-powered Sigma 50mm F1.4 ART. It’s fast enough to grab this shot of Nala moving along in an environment she is well camouflaged in.

What’s more, focus is perfectly silent, without any accompanying noise or drama.  I can put the lens right next to my ear and focus and not hear anything.  It’s a remarkably quiet focus motor.

Like the Pro 85mm, focus changes from the Pro 50mm are not quite instantaneous, but there is only a split second lag, and focus not only moves quickly but arrives with great confidence. I had no problem nailing a very narrow backlit subject with great precision.

And look at that beautiful rendering!

I shot a few rounds at the hive and got good but not exceptionally good results. Focus is close but not flawless.

I can see this lens being used by wedding photographers, and it had no problem (even at F1.4) nailing the entry of the bride and groom into a dimly lit hall.

At this stage I’m shocked if a lens doesn’t provide excellent focus results for portraits on Sony, and the Pro 50mm had no problem in that environment, giving me well focused, beautiful results.

As with all third-party lenses, burst rate will be limited to 15FPS with autofocus, though that’s probably less of a limiting factor with a fast 50mm lens. You’ll rarely use a lens like this for sports or wildlife, so there isn’t much to complain about here.  Viltrox has levelled up their autofocus systems in their premium lenses, and, while the Sony G-Master is still the top dog for autofocus, the Viltrox has no problem keeping up with any of the lesser competition…and at a lower price than them all, to boot.

Video AF

One of the chief advantages of the move to VCM from STM is that VCM moves in a linear fashion as opposed the steps involved with an STM (stepping motor), which means that the likelihood of smooth focus transitions in video is higher.  Such proves to be the case here, as focus transitions are nice and smooth. They happen with good pace, but are smooth and well damped.