Viltrox 23mm f/1.4 Lens For Fujifilm X-Mount (Black)

This is a good alternative to Fujifilm's 56mm f/1.2. I rented that lens, and was underwhelmed with it as a portrait lens: slow autofocus, anxious bokeh, large, heavy, and very expensive. Frankly I don't think it's one of Fuji's better lenses compared to their others. It's not bad, it's just not up to the usual standard. It's one of their older ones and needs to be refreshed.The Viltrox is a decent high-value alternative to the Fujifilm but it's not mindblowing. It's clearly targeted as a compelling alternative, a direct competitor. It's light, compact, bright, and the autofocus is quite a bit better than the Fuji f/1.2. (See footnote.)It's got reasonable bokeh although to be honest I don't like it better than the Fuji's. A wicker chair in the background of one ... MoreThis is a good alternative to Fujifilm's 56mm f/1.2. I rented that lens, and was underwhelmed with it as a portrait lens: slow autofocus, anxious bokeh, large, heavy, and very expensive. Frankly I don't think it's one of Fuji's better lenses compared to their others. It's not bad, it's just not up to the usual standard. It's one of their older ones and needs to be refreshed.The Viltrox is a decent high-value alternative to the Fujifilm but it's not mindblowing. It's clearly targeted as a compelling alternative, a direct competitor. It's light, compact, bright, and the autofocus is quite a bit better than the Fuji f/1.2. (See footnote.)It's got reasonable bokeh although to be honest I don't like it better than the Fuji's. A wicker chair in the background of one of my shots looked like it was just the right frequency to washboard instead of blurring smoothly. You'll have to be careful about what's not in-focus so you don't get distractions from the subject. Not everything just melts into dreaminess.Optically, it's very good but falls short of excellent. Sharpness is good with only slight field curvature. (Read Roger Cicala's articles on Digital Photography Review to learn more about assessing sharpness more specifically than the usual sharp/soft descriptions you'll read online.)More problematic than sharpness is chromatic aberration. Out-of-focus areas have pretty significant green/purple fringing. You'll need to be careful with high-contrast defocused areas to get good color rendering. The attached sample image demonstrates this; it's harsh sunlight shining sideways across paving stones. The shadows nearer to the camera are purple, more distant are green. This is shot wide-open at roughly a meter so it's a worst-case demonstration of this weakness. For me, 56mm is pretty long for portraiture, so I'm generally going to be much further from my subject and DoF is correspondingly greater; and that mitigates the effect a lot.These weaknesses are acceptable and pretty easy to work around once you know about them. I like this lens. It's a keeper, and I hope it encourages Fujifilm to engineer a newer generation of the venerable 56mm f/1.2!Footnote: I did get one weird blip in cold weather where suddenly my camera started activating focus check aids, as if the lens stopped signaling to the camera that it was AF capable. It hasn't recurred, so maybe I hit the focus lever button accidentally.

Is this the ultimate, sharpest, most technically perfect lens to exist? No, of course not. But I doubt you can find many lenses in this price range that are built as well and take photos as well. With Fuji's film recipes, you get some really nice images out the camera without needing much, if any, post-production work. I think this is a perfect lens for daily use or content creation. I also took a video of a drive up in the palisades and it looked great. It's not weather-sealed, so that's a consideration, and it's definitely bigger/heavier than the Fuji XF 23 f2, but between the two, I prefer the Viltrox - the extra stops are a very useful and the price is less, which is a bonus.

Overall, 3-stars for image quality, but adding a star for affordability.Good: lens performs great. autofocus is accurate, great sharpness, decent colors and contrast. Even works good for video-autofocus. Everything also works well in low light thanks to the extra stop.Bad: bokeh is so busy and unflattering. Bokeh in the center and mids are prone to heavy aberration that become busy, contrasted distractions. It looks like if you boosted Clarity but only in the out-of-focus areas. Bokeh on the edges look like smudges. edge bokeh also gets warped, I assume from poor corner performance. The Fujifilm 35mm f2 has much more soft and pleasing bokeh.Recommendation: For the first-time Fuji buyer that wants their first prime to go with their kit lens. Or an amateur or ... MoreOverall, 3-stars for image quality, but adding a star for affordability.Good: lens performs great. autofocus is accurate, great sharpness, decent colors and contrast. Even works good for video-autofocus. Everything also works well in low light thanks to the extra stop.Bad: bokeh is so busy and unflattering. Bokeh in the center and mids are prone to heavy aberration that become busy, contrasted distractions. It looks like if you boosted Clarity but only in the out-of-focus areas. Bokeh on the edges look like smudges. edge bokeh also gets warped, I assume from poor corner performance. The Fujifilm 35mm f2 has much more soft and pleasing bokeh.Recommendation: For the first-time Fuji buyer that wants their first prime to go with their kit lens. Or an amateur or hobbyist that prefers an extra stop of light over general image quality. Either way, this is a great budget option.