My Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 II Lens Review – Is This Affordable Portrait Lens Worth It?

In this review I will be reviewing the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 II Lens using the Lab and real world testing via my older but still awesome full frame Sony A7R and Sony A6400 camera bodies.

If you are interested in purchasing this lens I also have a special discount code “05VT85182” that will get you and extra 10% OFF!

I’m always excited to test out ne gear and this lens in particular caught my interest due to the affordable price point, portrait range, and fast f/1.8 aperture. I heard this lens was good, but I really needed to see for myself and I wanted to share my findings with you all in detail!

For the full frame coverage I am using my older 36MP A7R, so the autofocus is contrast detection only, which means it’s not that fast when compared to the Phase detection AF found in the newer full frame e-mount mirrorless cameras like the Sony A7 III for example. However, the A7R AF is still extremely accurate and not as slow as you might think. In addition I have my Sony A6400 to test the autofocus abilities for both photos and video, so the lens will be put through the necessary tests for a proper review, don’t you worry!

So let’s just get right into it shall we 😉

Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 II STM Lens Key Features:

• E-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
• Aperture Range: f/1.8 to f/16
• APS-C Effective Range = 127.5mm
• STM Stepping AF Motor
• One Extra-Low Dispersion Element
• One Aspherical Element
• HD Nano multi-layer coatings
• Minimum Focus Distance = 2.62′ / 80 cm
• 9-Blade Rounded Aperture Diaphragm
• Filter Thread = 72mm
• USB Port for updates
• Weight = 1.06 lb / 484 g
• Price = $400 US

Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 II Lens Review

Please enjoy my highly detailed review and be sure to select the highest viewing quality and go full screen for the best viewing experience. After the video, be sure to scroll down and check out all the links plus high resolution sample photos for your detailed inspection. After that you will see the review rating and written conclusions to wrap things up.

• My Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 Lens Review: – https://www.sonyalphalab.com/my-sony-fe-85mm-f-1-8-lens-review/

• My Sony E-Mount Lens Guides: https://www.sonyalphalab.com/guides/e-mount-lens-guides/

REVIEW GEAR:

• Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 II STM Lens: https://amzn.to/3dcKsCN – 10% OFF CODE = 05VT85182

RECOMMENDED LENS ACCESSORIES:

• 72mm ND Filters: https://amzn.to/3dcFoOA
• 72mm Polarizing FIlters: https://amzn.to/2YQfxah
• 72mm Filter Kits: https://amzn.to/2AMTf0X
• Front Lens Cap: https://amzn.to/30U9BzF
• Rear lens Cap: https://amzn.to/3dko4aJ
• Lens Care and Cleaning kits: https://amzn.to/3edgDmX

OTHER GEAR USED TO CREATE THIS VIDEO:

• Sony A6400: https://amzn.to/2Ya34Pk
• Sony A7R: https://amzn.to/2UWGqb9
• Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC Lens: https://amzn.to/2UVB53P
• SDXC Memory Card: https://amzn.to/3hBqrZU
• Manfrotto Tripod: https://amzn.to/2AQplsL
• MacBook Pro: https://amzn.to/2UWItvR
• WD Portable 5TB Hard Drive: https://amzn.to/2UVJKnb
• Neewer 660 LED Light: https://amzn.to/2YbKZAm
• Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun Microphone: https://amzn.to/3hH2CQk
• Zoom H5 Recorder: https://amzn.to/2UVxe73

Sample Photos

Here are all the sample photos from the review and be sure to click on the images for a larger view!

Lab Testing w/ Sony A7R

Full Lab Scene Testing w/ 100% Crops

Minimum Focus Distance Testing… w/ 100% crop

Sony A7R Sample Photos

Be sure to click on the images for a larger version and Exif data!

Sony A6400 Sample Photos

Conclusions

I was very interested in the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 II Lens, because of the affordable price, light weight and potentially great image quality. Overall I was not disappointed. The image quality is fantastic as far as sharpness, color, and contrast. I was very impressed at how punchy the color and contrast were in particular, but the sharpness was also very impressive.

As far as the lab testing goes, I did notice the bokeh balls were not perfectly round and when stopped down they had an uneven octagon shape to them which looked a little strange. However in the real world this did not cause any issues based on my testing.

As I mentioned in the video portion of this review above, I did not care for the focus ring being so tight, but other than that the build quality and design was very good.

The autofocus was fast and accurate, but it made a fairly significant amount of noise, making it not the best choice for video in particular. It also struggled a little bit when transition from one subject to another based on my testing. Overall not to bad, but worth noting.

Therefore at the end of the day I recommend this lens for those into photography looking for a high quality and affordable full frame portrait lens. If you are looking to record video, I would go for the more expensive Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 lens for the much quieter and faster AF motors and smoother focus transitions.

• If you are interested in purchasing this lens I also have a special discount code “05VT85182” that will get you and extra 10% OFF!

That is about it for this review and I really hope you got what you were looking for! Please feel free to ask questions and comment below as always. Have a wonderful day and be safe out there! Jay

My Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 II Lens Review – Is This Affordable Portrait Lens Worth It?

Affordable Good Quality Portrait Lens

I was very interested in the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 II Lens, because of the affordable price, light weight and potentially great image quality. Overall I was not disappointed. The image quality is fantastic as far as sharpness, color, and contrast. I was very impressed at how punchy the color and contrast were in particular, but the sharpness was also very impressive. As far as the lab testing goes, I did notice the bokeh balls were not perfectly round and when stopped down they had an uneven octagon shape to them which looked a little strange. However in the real world this did not cause any issues based on my testing. As I mentioned in the video portion of this review above, I did not care for the focus ring being so tight, but other than that the build quality and design was very good. The autofocus was fast and accurate, but it made a fairly significant amount of noise, making it not the best choice for video in particular. It also struggled a little bit when transition from one subject to another based on my testing. Overall not to bad, but worth noting. Therefore at the end of the day I recommend this lens for those into photography looking for a high quality and affordable full frame portrait lens. If you are looking to record video, I would go for the more expensive Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 lens for the much quieter and faster AF motors and smoother focus transitions. If you are interested in purchasing this lens I also have a special discount code "05VT85182" that will get you and extra 10% OFF!

Bang For The Buck

85

Feature Set

80

Build Quality and Design

75

Ergonomics

85

Auto Focus System

75

Real World Usability

95

Video Quality

65

Real World Image quality

96

Lab Testing Optical Quality

85

Lens Distortion Control

93

Low Light Performance

85

Fun Factor

95

Pros

Affordable

Very Sharp

Great color and contrast

Excellent for portrait photography

Cons

Manual focus ring is tight out of the box

autofocus motor is pretty noisy, so not the best for video use

Bokeh ball renderings are uneven when you stop down in the lab testing

85

Full Frame E-Mount Prime Lens

Check Pricing @ Amazon

Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 II Lens