I had no idea the Viltrox was coming, and after ~months~ of deliberation I settled on the Sigma 23mm for an upcoming trip. On the day I was going to order it, your first review for the Viltrox dropped. It was the perfect lens for me - 27mm, fast, weather sealed, and a strong vignette (I love a vignette!). I was unsure about the size/weight, but took the chance and ordered it. It was definitely the right call. This thing is incredible, and I feel even better about my decision after this video! Don't get me wrong, the Sigmas are great and I love my 56mm, but this Viltrox is just in a different league. I hope we see more of this niche - It seems most lens manufacturers try to balance size, optics, AF vs MF, and price. They'll often compromise on one of them, like going MF only to keep price down (7artisans), or quirky optics with colour fringing (regular Viltrox), or top quality but high price (Fuji somewhat, Voigtlander). Until now though, it seems nobody has said "If size wasn't an issue, what could we do?". That's what this lens feels like. I appreciate not everyone will want a huge heavy lens, but at the same time not everyone want's a cheap lens with colour fringing, or a small lens that costs an arm and a leg. It's good to have the option. One of the big things I keep hearing when this lens is mentioned is "It's the size of a full frame lens, why don't you just get a full frame setup?". Well, because it's an option. If I'm so inclined, I can take this off, attach a 35mm f2 and suddenly the setup fits in my pocket.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I agree. Wonderful lens particularly matched with the Fuji X T5. Portraits, candids, and landscapes get wonderful images from .jpg and the Fuji engine. Great price too as about $750 Can. $. Just have to develop a good procedure in holding the camera to adjust for weight of the body + lens + Godox V1 + large diffusion device. Whew, for an old guy this was a challenge. Would love to see Viltrox do a 16-80mm lens and would hope it is sharper than the Fuji version and for a better price.
I have the Viltrox 27mm and I pretty much have or have had the best of the Fujifilm lenses. The Viltrox is at the top tier for bokeh and tack tack tack sharpness. Honestly it doesn't get better than this Viltrox. The same goes for the 75mm f1.2. No wonder Canon doesn't want companies like Viltrox to make lenses for their platform. I was blown away by the Viltrox 27mm. I've already sold my 16mm f2.8 23mm f2 and 35mm f2 because of this Viltrox. Never selling the 35mm f1.4 lol
It's true that these lenses provide a lot of pressure on the first party options, but think of how many people are avoiding buying Canon because there are no third party options.
The 75mm is imo a bit disappointing at minimal focus distance, which at roughly 90cm isn’t exactly close focusing. The 27mm seems to be more impressive.
Absolutely love my Viltrox 27mm and 75mm f/1.2 lenses on my A6700 and A6600! They deliver tack-sharp images with amazing micro contrast and creamy bokeh. The only lens that tops them on bokeh for outdoor event photography is my Sony 200-600. Highly recommend!
I’ve got the Viltrox and optically, it’s unbeatable. Sharp as hell. Super bright. Gorgeous results. But man, this thing is a chunky beast. After shooting with it for a bit, you kinda wanna just toss it-it’s that heavy. Been trying to sell it on Marketplace for months, trade it in at different spots, and nobody’s interested. The places that usually do decent trade-ins are only offering like $100-200, which is crazy for a lens that’s less than a year old and in perfect shape. Just goes to show, unlike Fujifilm, Viltrox lenses don’t hold their value over time. Something to keep in mind.
That is a very valid point. It's going to take a while for some of these third party brands to develop enough of a reputation to have demand on the used market. Sigma and Tamron have reached that place, now, but it does take time.
If the Viltrox 27mm had equal or better Continuous mode autofocusing than my Fuji 33m f1.4, I'd strongly consider switching over to it. But that stepping focus motor is offputting. I could probably cope with carrying the 27mm's weight in my hand during street roaming, as I spent all summer carrying the 95g heavier Fuji 16-55mm. I do worry that 27mm is just a tiny bit too wide to give the most attractive portraits, though. In any case, I'm using 33mm because I want to hone my skill at using PARTS the background rather than the WIDER background. So I'll stick with it - even though I found thing getting compositions much easier (lazier!) with my 16-55mm. I've always loved simple vignettes in model making, comic panels etc and I have the idea that the 33mm could help me simplify scenes in that way.
Viltrox is doing a great job, they just need to get their glass consistent. Very irregular plane of focus in many of their lenses, even noticeable on their wide ones like the 13 1.4
I have found the three most recent lenses (27mm F1.2, 75mm F1.2, and 16mm F1.8 full frame) to be much improved in this regard. I think they have retooled their whole manufacturing.
Currently thinking about a return to APS-C, and these two would be the primes I would consider for Sony E. However, I'm leaning a lot towards the Viltrox. It is quite big and heavy for APS-C, but the whole build, the optics, everything I have seen and heard about it until now is very convincing. That's one of these lenses you want to have with you all the time while nevertheless slightly complaining "If it were a bit smaller only..." :D Compared to 1.4 or 1.2 lenses for full frame, it's a lot cheaper and helps to keep ISO lower on APS-C. Definitely a package that sounds very reasonable to me.
Nice video. I don’t want to be a pain in the ass, but I think that stepping up from f1.4 to f1.2 is a full stop, we get double the light (not a third of a stop like mentioned in the video). And when you step from f1.4 to f2.0 (one stop down) you get half the light
That's not actually correct. From F1.4 to F2 is a full stop, but from F1.2 to F1.4 is only one third stop (the full F-stop is F1.0): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-number
Great review Dustin - thanks very much for this!! I'm really undecided as to which lens to get out of these 2. I've recently moved over to Fuji after carting a Canon 7dmk2 and Sigma 18-35 1.8, so the size difference doesn't bother me so much. The Viltrox going to 1.2 and how it renders out of focus areas is great but, the colours just seem to pop a little more on the Sigma. I hadn't really noticed it on any other review but, when you put the images side by side, the Viltrox looks almost dull. Tough choice, but I think I'm leaning a little more towards the Sigma at the mo.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I went with the Viltrox in the end - the WR and bokeh can't be replicated by the Sigma, but colours can be sorted in post or with recipes/simulations. Thanks for taking the time to reply and for all of your vids, your channel is a great one!
Great job! If I may offer a suggestion, could you please conduct additional testing for light transmission under the same parameters and lighting conditions? Through your tests, it seems I have discovered that Sigma's aperture is slightly smaller than the specified f/1.4, which might explain why the light spot is smaller. Additionally, it appears that Vil's light transmission is also smaller than its aperture value.
I don't have the equipment to scientifically test light transmission, unfortunately. What I have found, however, is that a lens with a larger maximum aperture always has a larger, softer specular highlights when compared to lens with a smaller maximum aperture even if you shoot them at the same aperture.
Excellent and timely video for me. Would you more broadly apply your conclusions to the rest of the sigma contemporary trio (now quad) vs the 2 recent viltrox pro AF models? Or is it more lens by lens? I'm looking at the sigma 56 and viltrox 75 for Sony e
for general people photography and colour richness , which one will be your choice ? viltrox 27 1. 2 or fujifilm 33mm f1.4 or fujifilm 35mm f1.4 ...thanks
I do have a request in for that, but Canon has been somewhat difficult to work with here in Canada. It's very strange to me when so many other companies aggressively work at getting me loaners for review.
i have one 75mm f1.2 viltrox and one 35mm f1.4 sigma and i just want to say the autofocus is much much much better on the sigma, you can use the viltrox autofocus absolutly although it is slow and miss sometimes its just the sigma one has great af
I'm a little confused. There isn't a Sigma 35mm F1.4 on Fuji, and so I'm assuming you are talking about on Sony E-mount, though even there you are comparing a full frame and APS-C lens. If you are talking about the E-mount version of the Viltrox 75mm, the autofocus is brilliant (as I demonstrate in my review). I could easily capture birds in rapid flight even at F1.2.
@@DustinAbbottTWI i shoot fuji so 75 viltrox is in x mount and the 35mm sigma is in x mount too. both are apsc lenses not full frame. i don't know about sony but my villtrox lense af is not great, its sill usable. but compared to sigma it is a night and day difference. but after i changed the af setting ( i never needed to do it when using fuji or sigma lenses) it got better but still worse than sigma 35mm.
I love the sigma lenses and have the “trio”! Viltrox is making the distinction between full frame and APSC less dominant. The Bokeh on the viltrox is very nice! We are pretty spoiled indeed! You do a great job on these reviews, Rev!!
Thanks for the lovely comparison. Keep up the great work. The better background rendering is both a function of the lens characteristics and the focal length. I have the sigma 18-50 f2.8 and tested the bokeh at 23mm, 27mm and 30mm. Framing was similar. I was surprised by how much difference there was among focal lengths, all shot at f2.8. I guess that is why some reviewers say they love the 40mm focal length, because its rendering is closer to a 50mm while the field of view is almost as flexible as a 35mm.
What's interesting is that a lens with a larger maximum aperture continues to have larger, softer bokeh highlights even when stopped down to the same aperture value as a lens with a smaller maximum aperture.
@@DustinAbbottTWI . Just a quick off topic question. After owning the Sigma 85 DN DG f1.4 and reviewed the Viltrox 75mm f1.2, do you think an APS-C shooter , like myself, should invest in the Sigma or is the Viltrox good enough.
Great review, thanks! This made me I will wait for viltrox on sony E mount, sigma 23mm feels a bit overpriced, at least in my country, it cost 50-60% more than sigma 30mm.
Thank you for the video. I’m hopping this comparison is applicable to the Sony E mount versions of these lenses whenever the Viltrox becomes available. Will see if the Viltrox has any additional features on Sony like the 75mm f/1.2 version di did.
I used to have the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and I absolutely hated it. Chromatic aberrations were so bad, you basically couldnt use it at f/1.4 if there was anything bright in the frame. Seems like the 23mm is doing better in that regard, but I'd get the viltrox od Fuji lens instead. I now have trust issues with Sigma. 😅
The 23mm is definitely better than that older 30mm lens (I've owned that lens in the past). The Viltrox is better still - nearly apochromatic in design.
A threeway between the new Fuji 23 1.4. and 33 1.4 with the Vilteox would be really good. While they are more expensive new, they come in around the same price used amd should also be on the radar for anyone considering this focal length. I have both and would consider the Viktrox to replace the 33 which I've never been fully sold on (FL, corner to corner rendering and ghosting). Don't think I could part with the 23... but it's bokeh and rendering for portraits hold it back (for me).
Awesome comparison. I might prefer the overall weight and size of the sigma, but there’s no denying the optical quality of the viltrox. Any chance the new voigtlander 27mm f2 ultron for Fuji could receive the DA review treatment? ;)
great ! what about the fuji 23 mk2 in this comparaison ? and the sigma 30 + fuji 33 ? especially fuji 23 vs viltrox 27, in terms of image quality (letting the price aside)
Yes, the challenge is having all the lenses at the same time. I can try to recreate certain comparison shots, but the challenge is that lighting and composition can subtly change and influence the results.
trust me guys buy SIGMA instead ! I had this lens viltrox and got fungus after 2 months, lens with weather shield but it gets moldy easily, bad focus, I really regret why I didn't choose sigma which is more popular and the autofocus is amazing , in indonesia viltrox waranty is totaly bad ! .. SIGMA Made in JAPAN Good Quality and control
A somewhat strange test. First you showed that Wiltrox has significantly less distortion and vignette, while later it turns out that it is darker and blurrier at the edges. How is this possible?
The Fuji correction profiles are more aggressive. Fuji does a great job of masking its lenses shortcomings with vignette and distortion through good profiles.
I think the comparison @12:21 shows a problem with comparing primes of different focal lengths: different FOV and DOF mean that two images taken from the same point (the same body on the same tripod) are very different. In this comparison image the Sigma resolves the dirt on the window but has the sofa arm out of focus, while the Viltrox shows the grain texture on the sofa but has the window dirt blurred. Would it be a more useful real-usage comparison to try to take the "same image" -- or as close as is possible -- in the same conditions using each lens? e.g. same camera body, same lighting, same SS, same f-stop, and moving the camera/lens combo forward or backward on a line to achieve the same FOV? AFAIK achieving _exactly_ the same photographic composition using lenses with different focal lengths is technically impossible -- since moving the camera changes the ratios of distances between the camera to foreground object and camera to background object, causing the objects to appear in slightly different positions in the resulting images. OTOH, compensating for different focal lengths of prime lenses by moving your feet would more closely approximate the choices that photographers make in real-world usage. This would make more work for you when taking your sample images -- since you'd have to move the tripod each time you changed the lens -- but there ought to be a relatively easy way to do this for your Chart Tests. It is _also_ possible that I just don't understand any of this, and need both more learning and more sleep.
I have done that in many cases in these comparisons, but here's the interesting thing about lenses with a larger maximum aperture - even when all other things are equalized, the lens with the larger maximum aperture will always have a softer background with larger bokeh balls.
Recording to the reviews of Mr. Christopher Frost, the Viltrox seems to be sharper and having better contrast than the Sigma in the image corners. Maybe sample variations?
I don’t want to support Chinese companies. Made in China is really good at cutting corners where you don’t see it. Made in Japan all the way as they stand for their products.
I had no idea the Viltrox was coming, and after ~months~ of deliberation I settled on the Sigma 23mm for an upcoming trip. On the day I was going to order it, your first review for the Viltrox dropped. It was the perfect lens for me - 27mm, fast, weather sealed, and a strong vignette (I love a vignette!). I was unsure about the size/weight, but took the chance and ordered it.
It was definitely the right call. This thing is incredible, and I feel even better about my decision after this video!
Don't get me wrong, the Sigmas are great and I love my 56mm, but this Viltrox is just in a different league.
I hope we see more of this niche - It seems most lens manufacturers try to balance size, optics, AF vs MF, and price. They'll often compromise on one of them, like going MF only to keep price down (7artisans), or quirky optics with colour fringing (regular Viltrox), or top quality but high price (Fuji somewhat, Voigtlander). Until now though, it seems nobody has said "If size wasn't an issue, what could we do?". That's what this lens feels like. I appreciate not everyone will want a huge heavy lens, but at the same time not everyone want's a cheap lens with colour fringing, or a small lens that costs an arm and a leg. It's good to have the option.
One of the big things I keep hearing when this lens is mentioned is "It's the size of a full frame lens, why don't you just get a full frame setup?". Well, because it's an option. If I'm so inclined, I can take this off, attach a 35mm f2 and suddenly the setup fits in my pocket.
It really is a great lens. It stands as one of my favorite lenses on the Fuji platform...period.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I agree. Wonderful lens particularly matched with the Fuji X T5. Portraits, candids, and landscapes get wonderful images from .jpg and the Fuji engine. Great price too as about $750 Can. $. Just have to develop a good procedure in holding the camera to adjust for weight of the body + lens + Godox V1 + large diffusion device. Whew, for an old guy this was a challenge.
Would love to see Viltrox do a 16-80mm lens and would hope it is sharper than the Fuji version and for a better price.
I have the Viltrox 27mm and I pretty much have or have had the best of the Fujifilm lenses. The Viltrox is at the top tier for bokeh and tack tack tack sharpness. Honestly it doesn't get better than this Viltrox. The same goes for the 75mm f1.2. No wonder Canon doesn't want companies like Viltrox to make lenses for their platform. I was blown away by the Viltrox 27mm. I've already sold my 16mm f2.8 23mm f2 and 35mm f2 because of this Viltrox. Never selling the 35mm f1.4 lol
It's true that these lenses provide a lot of pressure on the first party options, but think of how many people are avoiding buying Canon because there are no third party options.
The 75mm is imo a bit disappointing at minimal focus distance, which at roughly 90cm isn’t exactly close focusing.
The 27mm seems to be more impressive.
35mm f1.4 is a Gem I am keeping with me forever :)
35mm f1.4 is the goat
Glad to hear I'm not alone on the 35mm f1.4 lol, the rest can come and go but I'm never letting go of this one
Absolutely love my Viltrox 27mm and 75mm f/1.2 lenses on my A6700 and A6600! They deliver tack-sharp images with amazing micro contrast and creamy bokeh. The only lens that tops them on bokeh for outdoor event photography is my Sony 200-600. Highly recommend!
Typo: Title should read Viltrox 27mm F1.2, not Viltrox 27mm F1.4
You're right - corrected!
I’ve got the Viltrox and optically, it’s unbeatable. Sharp as hell. Super bright. Gorgeous results. But man, this thing is a chunky beast. After shooting with it for a bit, you kinda wanna just toss it-it’s that heavy. Been trying to sell it on Marketplace for months, trade it in at different spots, and nobody’s interested. The places that usually do decent trade-ins are only offering like $100-200, which is crazy for a lens that’s less than a year old and in perfect shape. Just goes to show, unlike Fujifilm, Viltrox lenses don’t hold their value over time. Something to keep in mind.
That is a very valid point. It's going to take a while for some of these third party brands to develop enough of a reputation to have demand on the used market. Sigma and Tamron have reached that place, now, but it does take time.
If the Viltrox 27mm had equal or better Continuous mode autofocusing than my Fuji 33m f1.4, I'd strongly consider switching over to it. But that stepping focus motor is offputting. I could probably cope with carrying the 27mm's weight in my hand during street roaming, as I spent all summer carrying the 95g heavier Fuji 16-55mm. I do worry that 27mm is just a tiny bit too wide to give the most attractive portraits, though.
In any case, I'm using 33mm because I want to hone my skill at using PARTS the background rather than the WIDER background. So I'll stick with it - even though I found thing getting compositions much easier (lazier!) with my 16-55mm. I've always loved simple vignettes in model making, comic panels etc and I have the idea that the 33mm could help me simplify scenes in that way.
Both lenses have their strengths. It’s nice to have some choices on Fuji!
Have you tried to take fast action photos with the 23mm sigma? For example dog running towards the camera, how does the autofocus perform?
As a surprise I like Sigma's background more as Viltrox is way too soft
Viltrox is doing a great job, they just need to get their glass consistent. Very irregular plane of focus in many of their lenses, even noticeable on their wide ones like the 13 1.4
I have found the three most recent lenses (27mm F1.2, 75mm F1.2, and 16mm F1.8 full frame) to be much improved in this regard. I think they have retooled their whole manufacturing.
Currently thinking about a return to APS-C, and these two would be the primes I would consider for Sony E. However, I'm leaning a lot towards the Viltrox. It is quite big and heavy for APS-C, but the whole build, the optics, everything I have seen and heard about it until now is very convincing. That's one of these lenses you want to have with you all the time while nevertheless slightly complaining "If it were a bit smaller only..." :D
Compared to 1.4 or 1.2 lenses for full frame, it's a lot cheaper and helps to keep ISO lower on APS-C. Definitely a package that sounds very reasonable to me.
I definitely like to reach for this lens. It's very useful.
Nice video. I don’t want to be a pain in the ass, but I think that stepping up from f1.4 to f1.2 is a full stop, we get double the light (not a third of a stop like mentioned in the video). And when you step from f1.4 to f2.0 (one stop down) you get half the light
That's not actually correct. From F1.4 to F2 is a full stop, but from F1.2 to F1.4 is only one third stop (the full F-stop is F1.0): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-number
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you for the repley and clarification.
Ahh getting a a6700 and the viltrox 27mm as my first lens! Chinese lens manufacturers have done an amazing job.
The Viltrox 27mm is a GREAT lens!
We need to see a videa abbout viltrox 27mm 1.2 vs sigma 30mm 1.4 !❤❤
Unfortunately I have a backlog of months of reviews, so it is unlikely that I'll do that video.
Great review Dustin - thanks very much for this!! I'm really undecided as to which lens to get out of these 2. I've recently moved over to Fuji after carting a Canon 7dmk2 and Sigma 18-35 1.8, so the size difference doesn't bother me so much. The Viltrox going to 1.2 and how it renders out of focus areas is great but, the colours just seem to pop a little more on the Sigma. I hadn't really noticed it on any other review but, when you put the images side by side, the Viltrox looks almost dull. Tough choice, but I think I'm leaning a little more towards the Sigma at the mo.
Both lenses are good, so if you like the look of the Sigma, go for it.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I went with the Viltrox in the end - the WR and bokeh can't be replicated by the Sigma, but colours can be sorted in post or with recipes/simulations. Thanks for taking the time to reply and for all of your vids, your channel is a great one!
Nice! Video that I've been waiting for!
Glad you liked it!
Hi Dustin, do you know if the Sigma 30mm 1.4 for sony have the same problem with busy bokeh?
Not really, though it also isn't nearly as sharp as this lens.
Great job! If I may offer a suggestion, could you please conduct additional testing for light transmission under the same parameters and lighting conditions? Through your tests, it seems I have discovered that Sigma's aperture is slightly smaller than the specified f/1.4, which might explain why the light spot is smaller. Additionally, it appears that Vil's light transmission is also smaller than its aperture value.
I don't have the equipment to scientifically test light transmission, unfortunately. What I have found, however, is that a lens with a larger maximum aperture always has a larger, softer specular highlights when compared to lens with a smaller maximum aperture even if you shoot them at the same aperture.
@@DustinAbbottTWI thanks for your experience and sharing.
Very informative and useful. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Great review! Thank you! Please make video viltrox 27mm vs fuji wr lm 23mm!
The challenge is that I had the Viltrox and Sigma at the same time, but I no longer have the Fuji lens here.
Excellent and timely video for me. Would you more broadly apply your conclusions to the rest of the sigma contemporary trio (now quad) vs the 2 recent viltrox pro AF models? Or is it more lens by lens?
I'm looking at the sigma 56 and viltrox 75 for Sony e
A lot of the same things hold true. Both lenses are extremely sharp, but the Viltrox definitely has the nicer bokeh and more nuanced rendering.
for general people photography and colour richness , which one will be your choice ? viltrox 27 1. 2 or fujifilm 33mm f1.4 or fujifilm 35mm f1.4 ...thanks
It would be between the Fuji 33mm and the Viltrox 27mm. Both are very nice.
I like this review format. 🙂
Thanks - though it only works well with this type of comparison.
Viltrox is lacking the contrast pop. I wonder what's the contrast value to match Sigma's
Hmmm, I disagree. The Viltrox has nicer pop to the overall images in a richer, more nuanced way.
Hello Dustin, we miss your Canon reviews 😢 was hoping for your review of the new pancake 28mm.
I do have a request in for that, but Canon has been somewhat difficult to work with here in Canada. It's very strange to me when so many other companies aggressively work at getting me loaners for review.
@DustinAbbottTWI Just Canon being Canon I guess 😅 I hope the issues get quickly sorted out for you
This is the one I've been waiting for! #GettingThePopcorn 🍿😁
Hope you enjoyed it!
Why isn't anyone comparing this 27mm viltrox to 30mm sigma? I think that would be a much better comparison.
That Sigma lens is pretty old at this point, and just isn't in the same class either optically or with the AF.
Hoew about a few Reviews on Nikon S Lenses
I'm afraid I don't own any Nikon equipment.
Im here a second time! it's a great vid thanks!
That's great to hear!
I've been ultra impressed with the Viltrox 75mm f1.2, I shall buy the 27mm when I can get one.
i have one 75mm f1.2 viltrox and one 35mm f1.4 sigma and i just want to say the autofocus is much much much better on the sigma, you can use the viltrox autofocus absolutly although it is slow and miss sometimes its just the sigma one has great af
I'm a little confused. There isn't a Sigma 35mm F1.4 on Fuji, and so I'm assuming you are talking about on Sony E-mount, though even there you are comparing a full frame and APS-C lens. If you are talking about the E-mount version of the Viltrox 75mm, the autofocus is brilliant (as I demonstrate in my review). I could easily capture birds in rapid flight even at F1.2.
@@DustinAbbottTWI i shoot fuji so 75 viltrox is in x mount and the 35mm sigma is in x mount too. both are apsc lenses not full frame. i don't know about sony but my villtrox lense af is not great, its sill usable. but compared to sigma it is a night and day difference. but after i changed the af setting ( i never needed to do it when using fuji or sigma lenses) it got better but still worse than sigma 35mm.
@@DustinAbbottTWI sorry the sigma is 50mm equivalent prabably a 33mm or 32mm🥲 my mistake
@@GregoryDai There's a Sigma 30mm F1.4. Is that the one you're talking about?
@@Elgsdyr yeah that is the one
I love the sigma lenses and have the “trio”! Viltrox is making the distinction between full frame and APSC less dominant. The Bokeh on the viltrox is very nice! We are pretty spoiled indeed! You do a great job on these reviews, Rev!!
There's a lot of truth to what you say.
Thanks for the lovely comparison. Keep up the great work. The better background rendering is both a function of the lens characteristics and the focal length. I have the sigma 18-50 f2.8 and tested the bokeh at 23mm, 27mm and 30mm. Framing was similar. I was surprised by how much difference there was among focal lengths, all shot at f2.8. I guess that is why some reviewers say they love the 40mm focal length, because its rendering is closer to a 50mm while the field of view is almost as flexible as a 35mm.
What's interesting is that a lens with a larger maximum aperture continues to have larger, softer bokeh highlights even when stopped down to the same aperture value as a lens with a smaller maximum aperture.
@@DustinAbbottTWI . Just a quick off topic question. After owning the Sigma 85 DN DG f1.4 and reviewed the Viltrox 75mm f1.2, do you think an APS-C shooter , like myself, should invest in the Sigma or is the Viltrox good enough.
Great review, thanks! This made me I will wait for viltrox on sony E mount, sigma 23mm feels a bit overpriced, at least in my country, it cost 50-60% more than sigma 30mm.
Fair enough.
Thank you for the video. I’m hopping this comparison is applicable to the Sony E mount versions of these lenses whenever the Viltrox becomes available. Will see if the Viltrox has any additional features on Sony like the 75mm f/1.2 version di did.
I suspect that it will...and that will make the gap between the two lenses a bit wider.
I used to have the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and I absolutely hated it. Chromatic aberrations were so bad, you basically couldnt use it at f/1.4 if there was anything bright in the frame. Seems like the 23mm is doing better in that regard, but I'd get the viltrox od Fuji lens instead. I now have trust issues with Sigma. 😅
The 23mm is definitely better than that older 30mm lens (I've owned that lens in the past). The Viltrox is better still - nearly apochromatic in design.
Had same experience, loved that focal, but hated the weird rendering by sigma 30mm, especially aberration and bokeh weird separation
A threeway between the new Fuji 23 1.4. and 33 1.4 with the Vilteox would be really good.
While they are more expensive new, they come in around the same price used amd should also be on the radar for anyone considering this focal length.
I have both and would consider the Viktrox to replace the 33 which I've never been fully sold on (FL, corner to corner rendering and ghosting). Don't think I could part with the 23... but it's bokeh and rendering for portraits hold it back (for me).
It's still hard to believe that another manufacturer than Tamron has beaten Sigma.
Great comparison Dustin! God bless.
Vitrox is going to be a very serious player on the market.
Always glad to see a video by you pop in my feed. Thanks for the effort!
My pleasure!
Awesome comparison. I might prefer the overall weight and size of the sigma, but there’s no denying the optical quality of the viltrox.
Any chance the new voigtlander 27mm f2 ultron for Fuji could receive the DA review treatment? ;)
I've had a hard time getting Voigt loaners in the past few years. They don't have Canadian distribution.
great ! what about the fuji 23 mk2 in this comparaison ? and the sigma 30 + fuji 33 ? especially fuji 23 vs viltrox 27, in terms of image quality (letting the price aside)
Yes, the challenge is having all the lenses at the same time. I can try to recreate certain comparison shots, but the challenge is that lighting and composition can subtly change and influence the results.
Here in Japan, the viltrox 27mm is a much more expensive lens than the sigma 23mm😂
That's interesting. It could be tariffs, as one is made in China (Viltrox) while the Sigma is made there in Japan.
trust me guys buy SIGMA instead ! I had this lens viltrox and got fungus after 2 months, lens with weather shield but it gets moldy easily, bad focus, I really regret why I didn't choose sigma which is more popular and the autofocus is amazing , in indonesia viltrox waranty is totaly bad ! ..
SIGMA Made in JAPAN Good Quality and control
I have never heard of this before. I've had the Viltrox ever since it released, and have not seen any issue with it.
THE VILTROX HAS excellent rendering, but I still rather have the Sigma. It's still plenty with more than good enough rendering.
Is that because of the size difference? Typically the argument isn't that the rendering is "good enough" when the lenses have the same price tag.
@@DustinAbbottTWIyes, I prefer the size of the Sigma.
I see a Dustin Abbott video, I click like
I need about a million more like you!
16:08 Viltrox produces much darker whites its almost grey really and overall picture is darker
I hope Viltrox launches 8mm f2 pro
Look at the aperture. picture the aperture the viltrox was 1/600 & the sigma was 1/750 they were not the same that was a lie… !!
They don't necessarily have the same light transmission.
A somewhat strange test. First you showed that Wiltrox has significantly less distortion and vignette, while later it turns out that it is darker and blurrier at the edges. How is this possible?
The Fuji correction profiles are more aggressive. Fuji does a great job of masking its lenses shortcomings with vignette and distortion through good profiles.
Have the 33,
Doubting to get a 23 or trade the 33 in for the 27.
Stil doubting :p
Love the 33, dont want to many lenses though
The 27mm is a nice compromise between the two.
I think the comparison @12:21 shows a problem with comparing primes of different focal lengths: different FOV and DOF mean that two images taken from the same point (the same body on the same tripod) are very different. In this comparison image the Sigma resolves the dirt on the window but has the sofa arm out of focus, while the Viltrox shows the grain texture on the sofa but has the window dirt blurred.
Would it be a more useful real-usage comparison to try to take the "same image" -- or as close as is possible -- in the same conditions using each lens?
e.g. same camera body, same lighting, same SS, same f-stop, and moving the camera/lens combo forward or backward on a line to achieve the same FOV?
AFAIK achieving _exactly_ the same photographic composition using lenses with different focal lengths is technically impossible -- since moving the camera changes the ratios of distances between the camera to foreground object and camera to background object, causing the objects to appear in slightly different positions in the resulting images. OTOH, compensating for different focal lengths of prime lenses by moving your feet would more closely approximate the choices that photographers make in real-world usage. This would make more work for you when taking your sample images -- since you'd have to move the tripod each time you changed the lens -- but there ought to be a relatively easy way to do this for your Chart Tests.
It is _also_ possible that I just don't understand any of this, and need both more learning and more sleep.
I have done that in many cases in these comparisons, but here's the interesting thing about lenses with a larger maximum aperture - even when all other things are equalized, the lens with the larger maximum aperture will always have a softer background with larger bokeh balls.
Sections of the video are mislabeled. Image quality section starts during "autofocus" and goes through all of "video" for instance.
That hadn't been updated - it has now.
I prefer the colours coming from the Viltrox, little bit richer
The Viltrox has very nice optical glass, which is huge, as that wasn't the case initially for the brand.
Recording to the reviews of Mr. Christopher Frost, the Viltrox seems to be sharper and having better contrast than the Sigma in the image corners. Maybe sample variations?
It's possible. What was the resolution of the camera he tested them on?
Xt-3
I don’t want to support Chinese companies. Made in China is really good at cutting corners where you don’t see it. Made in Japan all the way as they stand for their products.