The Viltrox AF 90mm f/2.2 EVO is the company's latest in its budget-friendly, compact line of lenses for APS-C systems, and it offers excellent image quality and value for the dollar.
Design and Build Quality
The 90mm is compact and light, providing a 135mm equivalent focal length in full frame terms. Weighing in around 345 g, one almost forgets that it's a 135mm focal length. I took the lens around for a day of shooting attached to a Fujifilm X-T5, and barely noticed it was there.
The lens feels solid and is constructed of a combination of hard plastic and metal components. It has a gasketed metal mount and a wide aperture ring that is very easy to find and also has a firm click between each setting. The manual focus ring is smooth, but with a good amount of resistance, and the lens hood is made of a very hard plastic. The Fujifilm version has only an aperture ring and focus ring; however, other versions of the lens include an AF/MF switch, a click switch, and a function button. If you have used any other Viltrox EVO lenses in the past, you will find yourself right at home with the 90mm f/2.2, right down to the same 58mm filter thread size, which is a nice touch by Viltrox.
Image Quality
The 90mm has the following optical configuration:
- 10 elements in 8 groups
- 2 high-refractive-index elements
- 2 extra-low-dispersion elements
- f/2.2 maximum aperture
- 0.74m minimum focus distance
I used the 90mm f/2.2 for street photography around Brooklyn, to take portraits of Laura, a dancer, and at a local nature preserve. The image quality is excellent. The images are sharp, with great contrast as well as rich colors. In backlit situations outside, and against bright sun, there was minimal chromatic aberration. The subject separation is pleasing as well, with a natural-looking bokeh (you can see the bokeh shape in one of my flower images). I was especially impressed by the color rendition, even when shooting in hard midday sun. For the black-and-white images in this review, I used Fujifilm's Acros Film Simulation, shot all the images in raw, and then exported them as JPEGs. The color images were shot in Fujifilm's standard color setting, also in raw. After using the 90mm for a few weeks, I have found very little to dislike about the image quality.
Autofocus
The autofocus is fast and quiet, and uses an STM motor that transitions smoothly. Still and video shooters alike will appreciate the quiet autofocus in such a compact lens. In my tests, the focus was snappy and quick when on the Fujifilm X-T5, and there wasn't a time when I heard the lens focusing. In bright backlit situations, once or twice it struggled to lock focus, but overall it worked very well in all the situations I tested it in. The lens also supports face and eye detection.
Conclusion
Over the past few years, Viltrox has made major strides in developing a huge array of excellent lenses that won't break the bank. The 90mm f/2.2 EVO can be counted among them, as the lens offers excellent build quality, performance, and image quality for the price. As a 135mm equivalent focal length, it will certainly be appealing to portrait photographers looking for a lens that gives great results without feeling like a burden to lug around during a long session or while walking around for a day of outdoor portraits. The small footprint and light weight of the 90mm make it practical, easy to take along, and, most of all, a lot of fun. Portrait photographers who want to push their craft further may also enjoy the Perfecting the Headshot tutorial.
You can get a Viltrox AF 90mm f/2.2 EVO lens here.
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