Is This Affordable 35mm Lens a Good Alternative?

A 35mm lens with a wide aperture has long been one of the most popular options for both photography and filmmaking, offering a wide but relatively neutral focal length that can cover everything from portraits to landscapes. There are a lot of 35mm lenses available to choose from, and this excellent video review takes a look at one of the most affordable options, the Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 AF. 

Coming to you from The Hybrid Shooter, this great video review takes a look at the Viltrox 35mm f/1.8 AF lens. At $379, this lens is more affordable than many other 35mm primes, though it still comes with a variety of useful features, including: 

  • 10 elements in eight groups
  • Two extra-low dispersion elements and two high-transparency elements for reduced chromatic aberrations and improved clarity
  • Two aspherical elements for reduced spherical aberrations and distortion and increased sharpness
  • HD nano multi-layer coating for reduced flares and ghosting and increased contrast
  • STM autofocus motor with full-time manual override
  • Nine-blade diaphragm for smoother bokeh

Altogether, the 35mm f/1.8 AF looks like a nice option for a wide variety of photographers and filmmakers who do not want to shell out over $1,000 for a top-shelf lens. Check out the video above for the full rundown. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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6 Comments

I have every Viltrox lens for the Fujifilm X-Mount. If this lens is anything close to those, then it's certainly a great bargain that punches well above it's weight. Viltrox is quickly gaining more and more followers. Though not quite as good as Sigma lenses, it's very close!

Will it be available for canon RF mount?

The only one they have is a 85 f1.8, which just came out Dec 2021. So, they could be trying to catch up their RF lineup with the rest of the mounts.

thank you

I have both the Viltrox 35 & 85 Nikon Z mount paired with Z6ii. Both absolutely fine lenses no problems at all, sharp enough when wide open at 1.8 though the 35 due to focal length is obviously less soft on the background but with close subject the background is pretty decent. No issues with the AF though I just feel the 85 seems a better lens maybe just as this a more familiar focal length to me.
I have a wedding to photograph so wanted something a little wider than 50mm and this 35mm ticks the boxes 1.8 is plenty wide enough for me.
I do believe Viltrox produce affordable lenses with perfectly acceptable quality that would meet the needs for most photographers and with no other third party options is a good alternative to Nikon's 35mm.

I hope they come out with more rf lens. Been using the viltrox 85mm 1.8 and honestly its amazing and after that and if their new lens are on par, i wouldnt hesitate to buy or recommend to my friends and other hobbyists. The metal build feels amazing. The images out of the 85mm are sharp, contrasy but a little colour shift to the warmer side.