Third-party lenses are challenging established brands with impressive performance at lower price points, making the choice more complex than ever before. Here's a look at two fantastic 35mm lenses.
Coming to you from Dustin Abbott, this comprehensive video pits the Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master against the new Viltrox 35mm f/1.2 LAB lens in a detailed side-by-side comparison. Abbott, who has owned the Sony G Master for four years and considers it one of the best 35mm lenses ever made, provides unbiased insights into how these lenses perform in real-world scenarios. The Sony offers remarkable performance in a compact package, weighing just 525 grams compared to the Viltrox's hefty 920 grams. If you prioritize traveling light while maintaining professional image quality, the Sony's smaller size and 0.26x magnification capability (versus 0.17x on the Viltrox) provide tangible benefits for your shooting style.
The Viltrox lens challenges conventional wisdom by delivering exceptional performance at a $400 lower price point. Its /f1.2 maximum aperture provides more light gathering ability than the Sony's f/1.4, resulting in noticeably creamier bokeh and softer specular highlights. What's truly surprising is the Viltrox's focusing speed—its quad focus motors actually outperform the G Master in autofocus tests, which Abbott notes is extraordinary for an f/1.2 lens. The Viltrox lens also produces sharper images with better contrast across most of the frame, maintaining this edge even when stopped down to match the Sony's aperture.
Both lenses share professional-grade build quality with thorough weather-sealing and a similar feature set including manual aperture control, AF/MF switches, and custom function buttons. The Viltrox adds an LCD screen displaying focus distance and offering extra customization options including an AB focus preset feature. Sony bakes in some proprietary advantages including focus breathing compensation on compatible bodies and unlimited burst rates on sports-oriented cameras, whereas the Viltrox caps at 15 fps. The optical comparison reveals that while the Sony handles distortion more linearly (making it easier to correct), the Viltrox produces more pleasing background rendering and maintains better light transmission even at matched aperture settings. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Abbott.
