One feature of the Viltrox that most reviewers overlooked is that the manual focus is internally "mapped", that means the focus points will be the same, no matter how fast you move the focus ring... this is fantastic for manual focus pulling or using a motorized follow focus system, particularly in a focus-by-wire lens... I think the Viltrox is an amazing value for the price! :)
Viltrox lenses are definitely something to consider, especially for people starting out or for those who are fully switching over to mirrorless with Viltrox ones being much less expensive (especially when you put it against the 23mm 1.4 Fuji price tag...) but still performing pretty decent.
Even if the price was the same, the Viltrox lenses focus quicker and more reliably in video, not to mention more silently, so they seem to be a better choice for video.
Well balanced review. I have both. I am a stills photographer only, I will never use any of the video capabilites of my Fujifilm X-T3. I am a little distressed about your point on flare problems. I do a lot of post production on my stills. Chromic aberation, which can be a problem with the Viltrox in certain situation is of no concern to me as it is so easy to correct in post. The same is true of the slight warm tone deficit that you pointed out. But, flare is something that is diifficult to deal with in post. On the bright side, 50% of the time, flare can be seen as "character" actually adding to the shot.
I have the 18mm and the viltrox 56 1.4 and it’s nice sharing filters. Gonna pick up the 23mm viltrox and waiting for an updated 33mm and the rumored 13mm too.
Really good comparison! Interesting point with the video autofocus, in TheHybridShooter's review of the Viltrox it had some of the smoothest and nicest looking autofocus transitions I've ever seen on an X-mount lens, could just be a difference in camera or in firmware
This is likely, updating both the Viltrox lens firmware and camera firmware makes a HUGE difference, it changed my Viltrox 33mm from being unusable in video, to being far superior to the Fuji 35mm F2 in video autofocus.
Keep up the good work Sonder. I accept that the Viltrox is probably a better lens. However I am about to buy an X-E4 and for me, I like the idea of the smaller Fuji lens. My photography will not suffer.
Viltrox auto focus is better than any Fuji lense after firmware update from Viltrox. Please setup tracking sensitivity to 0 and speed to -5 for smoother transition between subject. You should see magic. Tried on Fuji xt-4 works great!!
Great review. You've covered areas that other reviewers haven't around the focus characteristics, which don't affect me really, but still useful to know. Thanks.
Excellent explanation! Appreciate it! This "photographer" is going to try to Viltrox. I have their 16 1.8 fullframe and the 13 1.4 for my Fuji. They really are putting out some amazing glass. I'd get the 27 1.2 but I have more of a need for 23 (35 mm) focal length.
Thans for the review. I am debating, but I will probably go with Viltrox. I usually prefer Fuji lens, but if F2 is this sharp and needs to step down to 2.8 or so, I can simply use my 18-55 kit lens.
Great review. I have both and think the only advantage the Fuji has is size/weight. I might sell mine as I now also have the Voigtlander 23mm f/1.2 that checks off the small size requirement.
Hi 👋 loved your honest reviews and amazing way of explaining. Question, I am new to fujifilm please advise which lens would be better performer overall TOKINA 23mm OR VILTROX 23mm. Thanks alot
Good review, but I would have wanted to see more an same aperture comparisons. The fuji 23 f2's main limitation is basically it is soft at f2 shooting close at about a meter or less from the subject. So head and shoulder portrait shots would be a weakness when shot at f2 stepping down to 2.8 will help and it is really sharp when you get to f4 but of course you will lose background softness by then. Other than that it does pretty well focusing is also faster and quiet when compared to fuji 23f1.4. Also field of view on the fuji 23f2 is wider than the fuji 23f1.4. I do not know if it the same when compared to the viltrox. I actually have both fuji 23mms (35mm FF). The 23f2 is for travel as it is small and a wr lens. But when with family and when I do environmental portraits I just love the old 23f1.4. Happy there are now much cheaper 3rd party lenses.
Thanks so much for putting together such a helpful video. This is one of the only comparisons I could find between these two lenses online. I know you mentioned the flaring issue with the Viltrox lens with photography, but for an indoor event where there aren't super bright lights or sunlight, like a business conference where you are trying to capture images of the speaker at the front of a medium sized room with the audience in the foreground, would you say that the Viltrox is the better choice?
Thank you :). I think the Viltrox is a better lens in most scenarios. I wouldn’t personally use the flaring issue as a deciding factor. I would pick the viltrox over the Fuji for photography but not if I’m filming.
Thanks for the great review! With respect to the snappy autofocus during video for the Viltrox... I saw someone else doing a video review and they were getting beautifully smooth autofocus, so I think it might just be your settings for this. Just bought the lens myself so I will see if I can replicate this.
Thank you for watching, much appreciated. On the Fuji we tried all focus speed settings and there was no change. It’s mentioned in the video about what speed setting we used in the demonstration. Thanks again :).
I might have missed it, but I didn’t hear mention of the WR on the Fuji lens. I’d take a slightly used Fuji 23 for roughly the same price as a new Viltrox 23 for that reason alone. I do like Viltrox lenses otherwise though. I enjoy using the 56mm quite a bit.
You can control the focus speed in the settings of the XT-4. So you can slow down the speed of the Viltrox, so you can have a smooth focus transition on Viltrox for Video as well 😊
Was on the fence until I saw a few shallow dof images on Flickr from the Viltrox, ordered a used one from B&H straight away. I’ll add the 35mm f2 WR and the original 56mm f1.2. Bam, the budget trinity. ;)
If you go for Fuji as your system you clearly value color over anything. At 4:25 I think it is clear that only the Fuji lens can give you that signiture color science. I never realized how much lenses influence the color up until recently...
I can't speak to other Viltrox lenses but someone let me borrow their 85mm for a few days of testing and shooting. It was excellent. But of course big and heavy. I don't do much portraiture but if I did I would buy one.
Nice video, but you left out one variable that many of your viewers find important: autofocus noise! For people who are interested in the lens for interviews/vlogging/self-presentation, the noisiness of the autofocus during those moments can be make or break. As such, a real world talking-head comparison should should always be a part of a video like this. Indeed, I learned from another video (Reggie Ballesteros) that both the Viltrox and Fuji 23mm are probably too noisy for use in those situations.
I found both lenses to be pretty quiet if you’re using a lav mic or a dedicated shotgun mic. I haven’t found it to be audible in any clips taken with either of these lenses.
Hey mate! Which lens were you using in the conclusion? Looking to pick one of these up for my talking head shots, looking for something with some nice depth in a fairly small room. Cheers!
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Great review! I’m trying to decide on getting 2 primes or the 18-55 kit and Fuji 50mm f2 or Viltrox 56mm f1.4. Run and gun family photos. Leaning toward the Fuji kit lens and 50mm f2 as I do 50/50 photo and video. Thoughts? Coming from Sony a6400 and Sigma 16/30 mm f1.4 primes.
The Viltrox 56mm is a pretty brilliant lens, few quirks but very impressed with its performance so far. I'd say go with that over the 50mm but the Fuji lens does have a few advantages, mostly when it comes to video and flaring. Flaring does reduce image quality on the Viltrox uite a bit but that's only in certain tougher lighting conditions. Our comparison of the 56mm f1.4 is coming soon too :)
Disclaimer: I haven't used the Viltrox, but I think there are some depth of field considerations for candid family photos at 50mm on a crop sensor, seeing as your experience is mostly with 16/30mm primes. I'd go for the Fuji prime + the kit lens for video rather than two primes (especially as the kit is pretty cheap when bought with a camera)... the 50mm F2 wide open rendering looks great (modern, but not clinical/sterile) and at that aperture enough of your family's faces will be in focus, whereas at f1.4 on the Viltrox, you'll not have the full face in focus (think one eye out of focus in a 3/4 view of someone's face in a close portraite)... If you shoot both at F2, the Fuji will have smoother out of of focus area compared to the Viltrox (check photos on flickr of regular people using the lens). If you are shooting from 5 metres away, none of this is an issue. I used to use a 50mm for candide family photos and would shoot at 2.8mm mostly if up close, because anything with a wider aperture wouldn't really give me enough depth of field... At f2 for a tight headshot you'll get both eyes and the mouth in focus, but the ears will be out of focus... To be honest, you can't go wrong with either lens in terms of image quality. They render quite well, but I have manual 50mm & 58mm f1.4 lenses that give a old school rendering so for me the 50mm f2 makes more sense. However, you'll need to consider if f2 is enough light for the kind of shooting that you do for stills and if you want that 56mm f1.4 look, then that's what you want... You really can't go wrong with any of these choices.
@@mrenovatio3739 f/1.4 on Fuji is only f/2 on full frame. While sometimes the whole face wont be in focus, it's not that drastic of a difference. I think those only becomes a factor at f/1.4 or f/1.2 on full frame. f/2 on Fuji is about f/3.5. More than sufficient to keep the whole face in focus.
Nice, crisp review. I've been looking for this comparison, especially to decide which one works better for videos. BTW, noticed that you've used the Fuji 23mmF2 to shoot this video as well. Can you please confirm if that was the case for the visuals from your studio as well?
Last year I bought the Viltrox 23mm 1.4 and I hate the chromatic aberration, light around people faces is horrible and not fixable. The 1st example you showed with the lady and the light behind, Viltrox is a lot worse than you show, mine is way way worse. Really considering the new Fuji 23mm 1.4 WR
For me, this is a better comparison cause you are right. I am looking on lenses on the same price tag range. Great review, hopefully I chose the correct one for me. Thank you for this.
I get it and thank you for this video. But as a bushel of apples might cost that same as a gigantic pineapple; you still don't compare them, and they are two very different things. 1.4 vs 2.0 is a universe apart. Really appreciated the video being too snappy part . . . and the summation as you really made your case. TY!
Thank you for watching :). We disagree on this because it's just one stop of a difference. It's honestly not that much at all. Appreciate your thoughts though.
Totally appreciate your POV. But, all of my 1.4 capable lens are 3 stops between 1.4 and 2.0 (I have a couple 1.2s that once at 1.4, they go 1.4 -1.6 -1.8 and then 2.0). That's 3 stops. And that's a universe of difference. I submit that if were only 1-stop, it wouldn't be 2x the price. But 3-stops, it makes more sense - no?@@Sondercreative
@@raytbrown2 you’re describing third stops. Going from 1.4 to 2.0 is only a single stop. It’s only one stop of light. 1.4 to 1.6 is only 1/3 of a stop. 1.4 to 1.8 is 2/3 of a stop 1.4 to 2.0 is a full single stop. 1.4 to 1.6 is tiny and incremental.
I think you may have gotten a good batch for the viltrox. It has a quality control issues and I've personally known people who got a dud lens with flares and purple fringing aplenty. Good for its price, but pretty stressful when in bright light
It depends on your camera more so than the lens. I mean the lens makes a differences however if you’re shooting in low light cameras like the XT4 will do a better job than the XT2.
Was the same even at the slowest settings. I’ve been told there is a firmware update though so that could be better but we haven’t had a chance to try it
@@kevinsturm5306 I updated the firmware today and there wasn’t a significant difference. The focus is still very jarring and ineffective for video. For stills it’s very good and effective however for video even with the latest firmware released this month it’s far too snappy.
Depends on the kind of recording. If you’re doing lots of rack focusing and focusing from one subject to another then there might be other lenses or even other camera systems to consider. Having said that, both the fuji camera and the lens produce beautiful looking results and if you can bear in mind some of the limitations then I’m sure you’ll be able to produce beautiful looking results. Hope that helps.
if you buy the Fujinon 23mm used you almost get the same pricepoint as the Viltox. So I would defently prefere the Fujinon. But sure Viltrox is a good choice and I also bought the 85 from Viltrox because of the price point. Even used the pricedifference for the 90mm from Fujinon is still to big for me.
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Why the click-less aperture ring? come on. Fuji camera are all about user experience in my opinion, If Viltrox would have made a nice clicky aperture ring, I would have been interested.
It makes it far more effective for video. The downside is a tiny bump in user experience. The upside however is that it can properly be used for video. You can change apertures while filming without it affecting the footage. Its a big upside.
@@Sondercreative I understand what you're saying. I'm a videographer myself. But then Viltrox should probably market these as video lenses. As Rokinon/Samyung do. But then I should be fully manual then, for proper focus pulling. 😁
AAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHH..... I love the detail and the quality of the viltrox for stills but the autofocus..... GRAAAAAHHHH... I want to get into videography....
Not always I find. For example, a good 85mm f1.8 is about half the price of the 56mm f1.2. The 16-55mm f2.8 and various other faster aperture fuji lenses tend to be more expensive too. It does depend and fujifilm isn't the best when it comes to value for money in the lenses category.
@@Sondercreative Yeah one is f1.2 and other one f1.8. Not sure what you comparing or you making common statement and mistake by comparing DOF where aperture play far smaller roll. Other physical fact is that aps-c lens is more demanding to be made then FF lens. You have to put things in right perspective.
@@eagleeyephoto8715 so the key similarity between both the f1.2 on apsc and the f1.8 lens on full frame is that they essentially have the same sized entrance pupils and that's why you can compare the two on a level. The size of the entrance pupil is what makes the majority of the difference. Aperture isn't really that important in the grand scheme of things, it's the size of the entrance pupil that matters more. Therefore it doesn't matter that one is an f1.2 and the other is an f1.8
@@Sondercreative The exposure on 56 f1.2 is about 2 stops brighter then on f1.8. If you set some lenses against 56mm f1.2 at the equivalent settings the image and D.O.F match 85 f1.8 , but exposure on f1.2 is two stops brighter. According to some calculations and experiments Fuji 56 f1.2 lens projection circuit seems to be able to cover FF sensor (saw someone adapted lens mount to Sony FF). Now is the question where you can find FF equivalent lens at f1.2 for 850 euro? Anyway to me discussion about what is equivalent with what does not make a lot of sense since I'm aps-c and MF user, so at the certain point you just make your life easier if you stop comparing things with something that you don't use.Think you know what I'm talking about.Cheers.
@@eagleeyephoto8715 It's a brighter lens, no doubt but you have to apply crop factor to ISO performance too. Base ISO on an APSC camera isn't going to perform the same as a larger sensor from the same tech generation. Therefore, that point about it being an f/1.2 lens make little difference. It's an f/1.2 on a smaller format so it doesn't have the same impact. I mean a smartphone will be brighter at f/1.8 compared to its FF equivalent of around f/11 but noise performance and image quality isn't going to be same at respective base ISO. Also, the discussion isn't about exposure values because various other factors need to be considered if that's what you want to discuss. What's the T/stop of the 56mm it's probably not a T1.2. Also, I highly doubt the 56mm could cover a FF lens considering how much the vignette is when shot wide open. Finally, I shoot MF too and comparisons between formats are perfectly reasonable.
You're right, very sorry about that. It was actually on the list of things to compare but didn't make the edit. Basically they're pretty much identical in that regard.
i like the fact that there are more option to choose, but i rather save money for fuji len. For those thinking getting viltrox to use for a short time then dont buy it. at some point, you will have to upgrade to better len.
One feature of the Viltrox that most reviewers overlooked is that the manual focus is internally "mapped", that means the focus points will be the same, no matter how fast you move the focus ring... this is fantastic for manual focus pulling or using a motorized follow focus system, particularly in a focus-by-wire lens... I think the Viltrox is an amazing value for the price! :)
Viltrox lenses are definitely something to consider, especially for people starting out or for those who are fully switching over to mirrorless with Viltrox ones being much less expensive (especially when you put it against the 23mm 1.4 Fuji price tag...) but still performing pretty decent.
Even if the price was the same, the Viltrox lenses focus quicker and more reliably in video, not to mention more silently, so they seem to be a better choice for video.
Superbe comparaison, very usefull the comparaison between focus transition ! Thank you !
Well balanced review. I have both. I am a stills photographer only, I will never use any of the video capabilites of my Fujifilm X-T3. I am a little distressed about your point on flare problems. I do a lot of post production on my stills. Chromic aberation, which can be a problem with the Viltrox in certain situation is of no concern to me as it is so easy to correct in post. The same is true of the slight warm tone deficit that you pointed out. But, flare is something that is diifficult to deal with in post. On the bright side, 50% of the time, flare can be seen as "character" actually adding to the shot.
Note that the Fuji 15-45mm kit lens, the 18mm f2 and the 35mm f1.4 all use 52mm filters.
I have the 18mm and the viltrox 56 1.4 and it’s nice sharing filters. Gonna pick up the 23mm viltrox and waiting for an updated 33mm and the rumored 13mm too.
Really good comparison! Interesting point with the video autofocus, in TheHybridShooter's review of the Viltrox it had some of the smoothest and nicest looking autofocus transitions I've ever seen on an X-mount lens, could just be a difference in camera or in firmware
This is likely, updating both the Viltrox lens firmware and camera firmware makes a HUGE difference, it changed my Viltrox 33mm from being unusable in video, to being far superior to the Fuji 35mm F2 in video autofocus.
@@DigiDriftZone dang... I need to update my 33 viltrox
Keep up the good work Sonder.
I accept that the Viltrox is probably a better lens. However I am about to buy an X-E4 and for me, I like the idea of the smaller Fuji lens. My photography will not suffer.
Viltrox auto focus is better than any Fuji lense after firmware update from Viltrox. Please setup tracking sensitivity to 0 and speed to -5 for smoother transition between subject. You should see magic. Tried on Fuji xt-4 works great!!
Tried the tracking settings, discussed this in the video too and still no change.
Great review. You've covered areas that other reviewers haven't around the focus characteristics, which don't affect me really, but still useful to know. Thanks.
Much prefer the snappy focus and the viltrox photo quality looks so much better. Pretty amazing for the price difference.
Excellent explanation! Appreciate it! This "photographer" is going to try to Viltrox. I have their 16 1.8 fullframe and the 13 1.4 for my Fuji. They really are putting out some amazing glass. I'd get the 27 1.2 but I have more of a need for 23 (35 mm) focal length.
Thans for the review. I am debating, but I will probably go with Viltrox. I usually prefer Fuji lens, but if F2 is this sharp and needs to step down to 2.8 or so, I can simply use my 18-55 kit lens.
Great review. I have both and think the only advantage the Fuji has is size/weight. I might sell mine as I now also have the Voigtlander 23mm f/1.2 that checks off the small size requirement.
Hi 👋 loved your honest reviews and amazing way of explaining.
Question, I am new to fujifilm please advise which lens would be better performer overall TOKINA 23mm OR VILTROX 23mm. Thanks alot
Thank you for watching. I haven't tried the Tokina lens so unfortunately, can't provide any thoughts on that lens yet.
@@Sondercreative oh ok fine so any idea about older xf23mm f1.4 vs viltrox 23mm f1.4... would love to know better image quality thanks
Good review, but I would have wanted to see more an same aperture comparisons. The fuji 23 f2's main limitation is basically it is soft at f2 shooting close at about a meter or less from the subject. So head and shoulder portrait shots would be a weakness when shot at f2 stepping down to 2.8 will help and it is really sharp when you get to f4 but of course you will lose background softness by then. Other than that it does pretty well focusing is also faster and quiet when compared to fuji 23f1.4. Also field of view on the fuji 23f2 is wider than the fuji 23f1.4. I do not know if it the same when compared to the viltrox. I actually have both fuji 23mms (35mm FF). The 23f2 is for travel as it is small and a wr lens. But when with family and when I do environmental portraits I just love the old 23f1.4. Happy there are now much cheaper 3rd party lenses.
the fuji has closer minimum focus distance though
@@bunmeng007 it does, but it's not sharp at that distance while at f2
Thanks so much for putting together such a helpful video. This is one of the only comparisons I could find between these two lenses online. I know you mentioned the flaring issue with the Viltrox lens with photography, but for an indoor event where there aren't super bright lights or sunlight, like a business conference where you are trying to capture images of the speaker at the front of a medium sized room with the audience in the foreground, would you say that the Viltrox is the better choice?
Thank you :). I think the Viltrox is a better lens in most scenarios. I wouldn’t personally use the flaring issue as a deciding factor. I would pick the viltrox over the Fuji for photography but not if I’m filming.
Thank you for your review. That really helps me a lot!
Great review and comparison. Thanks for covering
Great comparison, deciding between these two lenses right now 🙂
Focus transition in video works nice and smooth with X-T3 and X-T4 no problems. Guess they fixed it.
One of the most balanced review of the Viltrox vs Fuji. Great job!
For video manual focus is actually better with Viltrox cuz they have weirdly consistent/dependable focus by wire.
Thanks for the great review! With respect to the snappy autofocus during video for the Viltrox... I saw someone else doing a video review and they were getting beautifully smooth autofocus, so I think it might just be your settings for this. Just bought the lens myself so I will see if I can replicate this.
Thank you for watching, much appreciated. On the Fuji we tried all focus speed settings and there was no change. It’s mentioned in the video about what speed setting we used in the demonstration.
Thanks again :).
Great video comparison!! I must say you can adjust your autofocus settings to help with speed for focus racking.
I might have missed it, but I didn’t hear mention of the WR on the Fuji lens. I’d take a slightly used Fuji 23 for roughly the same price as a new Viltrox 23 for that reason alone. I do like Viltrox lenses otherwise though. I enjoy using the 56mm quite a bit.
Didn't mention it and that's a really useful feature. Agreed :).
Fair point on comparing similar lenses in the same price range.
You can control the focus speed in the settings of the XT-4. So you can slow down the speed of the Viltrox, so you can have a smooth focus transition on Viltrox for Video as well 😊
Tried, it didn’t work. Mentioned it in the video.
I shoot my 23mm 2.0 at 5.6, and it's incredible. You did a grear job here.
Excellent review
I bought the Viltrox 23mm and 13mm lenses. Incredible quality!
Thanks for the video. The camera guy definitely needs to lay of the coffee, though 😂
Very nice review! Good job!
Was on the fence until I saw a few shallow dof images on Flickr from the Viltrox, ordered a used one from B&H straight away. I’ll add the 35mm f2 WR and the original 56mm f1.2. Bam, the budget trinity. ;)
If you go for Fuji as your system you clearly value color over anything. At 4:25 I think it is clear that only the Fuji lens can give you that signiture color science. I never realized how much lenses influence the color up until recently...
I can't speak to other Viltrox lenses but someone let me borrow their 85mm for a few days of testing and shooting. It was excellent. But of course big and heavy. I don't do much portraiture but if I did I would buy one.
they came out with an updated version that's smaller as well
Nice video, but you left out one variable that many of your viewers find important: autofocus noise! For people who are interested in the lens for interviews/vlogging/self-presentation, the noisiness of the autofocus during those moments can be make or break. As such, a real world talking-head comparison should should always be a part of a video like this. Indeed, I learned from another video (Reggie Ballesteros) that both the Viltrox and Fuji 23mm are probably too noisy for use in those situations.
I found both lenses to be pretty quiet if you’re using a lav mic or a dedicated shotgun mic. I haven’t found it to be audible in any clips taken with either of these lenses.
@@Sondercreative thanks for answering that
Hey mate! Which lens were you using in the conclusion? Looking to pick one of these up for my talking head shots, looking for something with some nice depth in a fairly small room. Cheers!
Helpful video. Thanks man!
Thanks for this review, very useful.
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the latest update made the focusing smoother
We tried it recently and not much better for video. Still far too snappy.
Very very useful, thank you!
BTW very much appreciated this comparison!
Excellent and timely review for my Nikon zfc. Thanks so much
I’m happy you found it useful, thank you :)
Great review! I’m trying to decide on getting 2 primes or the 18-55 kit and Fuji 50mm f2 or Viltrox 56mm f1.4. Run and gun family photos. Leaning toward the Fuji kit lens and 50mm f2 as I do 50/50 photo and video. Thoughts?
Coming from Sony a6400 and Sigma 16/30 mm f1.4 primes.
Viltrox 56mm f1.4 is a fantastic lens, im in love with it!
The Viltrox 56mm is a pretty brilliant lens, few quirks but very impressed with its performance so far. I'd say go with that over the 50mm but the Fuji lens does have a few advantages, mostly when it comes to video and flaring. Flaring does reduce image quality on the Viltrox uite a bit but that's only in certain tougher lighting conditions.
Our comparison of the 56mm f1.4 is coming soon too :)
Disclaimer: I haven't used the Viltrox, but I think there are some depth of field considerations for candid family photos at 50mm on a crop sensor, seeing as your experience is mostly with 16/30mm primes.
I'd go for the Fuji prime + the kit lens for video rather than two primes (especially as the kit is pretty cheap when bought with a camera)... the 50mm F2 wide open rendering looks great (modern, but not clinical/sterile) and at that aperture enough of your family's faces will be in focus, whereas at f1.4 on the Viltrox, you'll not have the full face in focus (think one eye out of focus in a 3/4 view of someone's face in a close portraite)... If you shoot both at F2, the Fuji will have smoother out of of focus area compared to the Viltrox (check photos on flickr of regular people using the lens). If you are shooting from 5 metres away, none of this is an issue.
I used to use a 50mm for candide family photos and would shoot at 2.8mm mostly if up close, because anything with a wider aperture wouldn't really give me enough depth of field... At f2 for a tight headshot you'll get both eyes and the mouth in focus, but the ears will be out of focus...
To be honest, you can't go wrong with either lens in terms of image quality. They render quite well, but I have manual 50mm & 58mm f1.4 lenses that give a old school rendering so for me the 50mm f2 makes more sense.
However, you'll need to consider if f2 is enough light for the kind of shooting that you do for stills and if you want that 56mm f1.4 look, then that's what you want... You really can't go wrong with any of these choices.
@@mrenovatio3739 f/1.4 on Fuji is only f/2 on full frame. While sometimes the whole face wont be in focus, it's not that drastic of a difference. I think those only becomes a factor at f/1.4 or f/1.2 on full frame. f/2 on Fuji is about f/3.5. More than sufficient to keep the whole face in focus.
I would always go for faster glass.
Did you have the viltrox hood on the lens while experiencing that much flare?
No lens hoods were used for the tests.
Nice, crisp review. I've been looking for this comparison, especially to decide which one works better for videos. BTW, noticed that you've used the Fuji 23mmF2 to shoot this video as well. Can you please confirm if that was the case for the visuals from your studio as well?
Last year I bought the Viltrox 23mm 1.4 and I hate the chromatic aberration, light around people faces is horrible and not fixable. The 1st example you showed with the lady and the light behind, Viltrox is a lot worse than you show, mine is way way worse. Really considering the new Fuji 23mm 1.4 WR
For me, this is a better comparison cause you are right. I am looking on lenses on the same price tag range. Great review, hopefully I chose the correct one for me. Thank you for this.
Thank you for watching :) much appreciated.
Quality comparison. Thank you!
Did you test the V2-Version of the Viltrox 23 mm 1.4 or the older one?
This was the V2 :).
Just curious if you tried adjusting the tracking speed and sensitivity in the camera settings to see if autofocus preformed any better?
Tried the slowest setting on the viltrox and it made no difference unfortunately. I hope they can fix that with firmware.
I think the snappy focus is a result of making it on par with sony cameras' snappy focus.
Very informative! The lens that you used at 9:30 is the fujinon 23mm f2?
That’s the Sony Zeus 55mm f/1.8.
Thank you for watching :).
I get it and thank you for this video. But as a bushel of apples might cost that same as a gigantic pineapple; you still don't compare them, and they are two very different things. 1.4 vs 2.0 is a universe apart. Really appreciated the video being too snappy part . . . and the summation as you really made your case. TY!
Thank you for watching :). We disagree on this because it's just one stop of a difference. It's honestly not that much at all.
Appreciate your thoughts though.
Totally appreciate your POV. But, all of my 1.4 capable lens are 3 stops between 1.4 and 2.0 (I have a couple 1.2s that once at 1.4, they go 1.4 -1.6 -1.8 and then 2.0). That's 3 stops. And that's a universe of difference. I submit that if were only 1-stop, it wouldn't be 2x the price. But 3-stops, it makes more sense - no?@@Sondercreative
@@raytbrown2 you’re describing third stops. Going from 1.4 to 2.0 is only a single stop. It’s only one stop of light.
1.4 to 1.6 is only 1/3 of a stop.
1.4 to 1.8 is 2/3 of a stop
1.4 to 2.0 is a full single stop.
1.4 to 1.6 is tiny and incremental.
OK. Fair enough. @@Sondercreative
Can someone explain what is different in the “Verson 2” lens?
Can you please do a follow up with the Viltrox 1.1.2 firmware? - it fixes a lot of issues!
I think you may have gotten a good batch for the viltrox. It has a quality control issues and I've personally known people who got a dud lens with flares and purple fringing aplenty.
Good for its price, but pretty stressful when in bright light
I would guess that you tubers get the good ones for TH-cam reviews.
What about filming at night (parties). Does the 23mm Fuji does the job?
It depends on your camera more so than the lens. I mean the lens makes a differences however if you’re shooting in low light cameras like the XT4 will do a better job than the XT2.
@@Sondercreative Thnx! I have the X-S10. Bought it specially to film at night (coming from a dji pocket 2 lol)
which lens is better when shooting in available light?
Your question is really vague so I can’t answer properly, however, generally a wider aperture is better in available light.
Your colleague and model
What camera did you filmed it? It is loosing focus very often.
Probably a Fuji. Fuji has very bad video autofocus with nearly all of their lenses cos they were designed for photos.
Thanks for this video👏
Isn’t the focusi smoothness due to your focus speed settings in camera?
Was the same even at the slowest settings. I’ve been told there is a firmware update though so that could be better but we haven’t had a chance to try it
@@Sondercreative oh dang yeah that’s a good point
Could you tell us when you have been able to try it if there is indeed a difference that you noticed post-firmware
@@kevinsturm5306 I updated the firmware today and there wasn’t a significant difference. The focus is still very jarring and ineffective for video. For stills it’s very good and effective however for video even with the latest firmware released this month it’s far too snappy.
Which should i prefer for video?
I personally prefer the Fuji lens for video.
Hi would you recommend this viltrox lens for TH-cam videos recording?
Depends on the kind of recording.
If you’re doing lots of rack focusing and focusing from one subject to another then there might be other lenses or even other camera systems to consider.
Having said that, both the fuji camera and the lens produce beautiful looking results and if you can bear in mind some of the limitations then I’m sure you’ll be able to produce beautiful looking results.
Hope that helps.
@@Sondercreative thank you!
if you buy the Fujinon 23mm used you almost get the same pricepoint as the Viltox. So I would defently prefere the Fujinon. But sure Viltrox is a good choice and I also bought the 85 from Viltrox because of the price point. Even used the pricedifference for the 90mm from Fujinon is still to big for me.
Not anymore.. it’s twice the price of both are used
How does the size compare?
The fuji lens is smaller and lighter but to be fair both are pretty compact.
@@Sondercreative I'm debating selling my x100v for the Xt5 and thinking I'll go with the f2
excellent comparison and quality.
Great video 👌
thank for your video
wow, the sharpness of the viltrox is insane compared to the fuji
Is Viltrox also weather sealed?
Great intro 👌
Excellent, thank you very much. Viltrox on it's way :)
u convince me much! tq
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what did you get?
Why the click-less aperture ring? come on. Fuji camera are all about user experience in my opinion, If Viltrox would have made a nice clicky aperture ring, I would have been interested.
It makes it far more effective for video. The downside is a tiny bump in user experience. The upside however is that it can properly be used for video.
You can change apertures while filming without it affecting the footage. Its a big upside.
@@Sondercreative I understand what you're saying. I'm a videographer myself. But then Viltrox should probably market these as video lenses. As Rokinon/Samyung do. But then I should be fully manual then, for proper focus pulling. 😁
@@domtomas1178 hybrid cameras get hybrid lenses lol.
Nice job here.
Is this viltrox good for night shots?
I’d say so, yes. It does depend on what you’re shooting and what camera you’re using but with an X-T series camera it performs really well.
AAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHH..... I love the detail and the quality of the viltrox for stills but the autofocus..... GRAAAAAHHHH... I want to get into videography....
Where the Fuji scores better than the Viltrox is the WR feature.
And CA!
@@greggpedder CA is a non issue. Barely noticeable and when it is it takes to sec to take out.
but the viltrox bokeh doesn't look good, I don't know why, it makes my head dizzy lol
Equivalent lenses for FF. The FF lenses are more expensive.
Not always I find. For example, a good 85mm f1.8 is about half the price of the 56mm f1.2.
The 16-55mm f2.8 and various other faster aperture fuji lenses tend to be more expensive too. It does depend and fujifilm isn't the best when it comes to value for money in the lenses category.
@@Sondercreative Yeah one is f1.2 and other one f1.8. Not sure what you comparing or you making common statement and mistake by comparing DOF where aperture play far smaller roll. Other physical fact is that aps-c lens is more demanding to be made then FF lens. You have to put things in right perspective.
@@eagleeyephoto8715 so the key similarity between both the f1.2 on apsc and the f1.8 lens on full frame is that they essentially have the same sized entrance pupils and that's why you can compare the two on a level. The size of the entrance pupil is what makes the majority of the difference.
Aperture isn't really that important in the grand scheme of things, it's the size of the entrance pupil that matters more. Therefore it doesn't matter that one is an f1.2 and the other is an f1.8
@@Sondercreative The exposure on 56 f1.2 is about 2 stops brighter then on f1.8. If you set some lenses against 56mm f1.2 at the equivalent settings the image and D.O.F match 85 f1.8 , but exposure on f1.2 is two stops brighter. According to some calculations and experiments Fuji 56 f1.2 lens projection circuit seems to be able to cover FF sensor (saw someone adapted lens mount to Sony FF). Now is the question where you can find FF equivalent lens at f1.2 for 850 euro? Anyway to me discussion about what is equivalent with what does not make a lot of sense since I'm aps-c and MF user, so at the certain point you just make your life easier if you stop comparing things with something that you don't use.Think you know what I'm talking about.Cheers.
@@eagleeyephoto8715 It's a brighter lens, no doubt but you have to apply crop factor to ISO performance too. Base ISO on an APSC camera isn't going to perform the same as a larger sensor from the same tech generation. Therefore, that point about it being an f/1.2 lens make little difference. It's an f/1.2 on a smaller format so it doesn't have the same impact.
I mean a smartphone will be brighter at f/1.8 compared to its FF equivalent of around f/11 but noise performance and image quality isn't going to be same at respective base ISO.
Also, the discussion isn't about exposure values because various other factors need to be considered if that's what you want to discuss. What's the T/stop of the 56mm it's probably not a T1.2. Also, I highly doubt the 56mm could cover a FF lens considering how much the vignette is when shot wide open.
Finally, I shoot MF too and comparisons between formats are perfectly reasonable.
You forgot CA!
You're right, very sorry about that. It was actually on the list of things to compare but didn't make the edit. Basically they're pretty much identical in that regard.
i like the fact that there are more option to choose, but i rather save money for fuji len. For those thinking getting viltrox to use for a short time then dont buy it. at some point, you will have to upgrade to better len.
The only problem I have with the fuji is close up sharpness ,it's very bad so I would go with the viltrox.
I notice that these reviews seldom use overweight middle-aged men for their models. Wonder why? They don't know how to strike proper poses?
That's because he's the one that's presenting lol.
Nothing about low light ? :(
The Viltrox is a stop bright so it will be better in low light.
Should be comparing to Fuji 23mm f1.4, but anyway, nice video. The Viltrox 23mm f1.4 IMO is the best among their current Fuji X Mount AF lenses.
We explain in the video why we compared it to the f/2.0 version but thank you :).
Lose the music.
crap, such a good value!
Viltrox is not tropicalized!
The viltrox is garbage, CA and LOCA levels are simply unacceptable and in most cases impossible to correct in post
yawn
Yawn, wow that’s contagious.
Bruv, I’m not sure you are supposed to wear that sweater without an undershirt, or at all!