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Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air: one-minute review

This isn’t my first Viltrox lens review, and nor it will it be my last, because the Chinese lens maker is on a roll, producing a string of excellent optics for users of all skill levels and budgets. Coming in at the opposite end of a recent cinema lens that could cost up to $200,000, the 50mm f/2 Air costs less than $200 / £200 / AU$320, and offers excellent value for money.

It’s a tiny and lightweight prime that’s available for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts – I had the latter for this review – with a decent maximum f/2 aperture for defocusing backgrounds. You don’t get the sharpest detail or creamiest bokeh I’ve ever seen – for those you’ll want to check out the excellent Viltrox 135mm f/1.8 LAB – but the Viltrox 50mm f/2 is an excellent casual lens for enthusiasts, especially for portrait photography, and an ideal foil to a standard zoom.

I’d have preferred the lens’s minimum focus distance to be a little closer, which would bolster its everyday photography credentials, while a couple of external controls to speed up changing settings, such as an AF / MF switch, would be welcome. However, the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air delivers performance and image quality that belie its price – and the fact it squeezes proprietary camera-brand alternatives with its aggressive pricing is the cherry on the cake.

Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air specs

Swipe to scroll horizontallyViltrox AF 50mm F2 Air specs

Type:

Standard prime

Mount:

Nikon Z-mount / Sony E-mount

Sensor:

Full-frame

Focal length:

50mm

Max aperture:

f/2

Minimum focus:

1.67ft / 0.51m

Filter size:

58mm

Dimensions:

Φ68 x 58.6mm

Weight:

7.8oz / 220g

Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air: Price and availability

Available for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts
$199 / £229 / AU$319 list price, but it usually can be found for less

Hovering around the $200 / £200 / AU$320 mark and often available for a little less, the Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air is an excellent value prime lens, especially when you considering its build quality and optical performance.

Price-wise, it reminds me of the old Canon EF and Nikon F-mount cheap nifty fifties for DSLRs, being an affordable first prime for enthusiasts. There’s bad news for some though – Viltrox’s lens is only available for Sony E and Nikon Z lens mounts.

Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air: Design

Weighs just 7.8oz / 220g
No external buttons or controls
Available for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts

The 50mm f/2 Air lens is, as the name suggests, designed with an emphasis on light weight over absolute performance – it’s positively featherweight, especially compared to alternatives such as Nikon’s own Z 50mm f/1.4.

It’s a small lens, too. I paired the 50mm f/2 Air with a Nikon Z6 II, and I could barely feel the lens. It’s not often that I’d describe a camera / lens pairing as rear-heavy, but that’s the case here.

This is also excellent value, with a sale price often dipping under $200 / £200 /AU$319, and the list price only a little more. For context, the Nikon-own f/1.4 lens is double the price (and double the weight), while Nikon’s Z 50mm f/1.8 is four times the price.

Image 1 of 4

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Viltrox’s lens well made too – a rugged metal barrel and rear mount instil confidence, even though there’s no proper weather-sealing to speak of (such are the compromises with such a low-cost lens).

There’s a generously sized focus ring with smooth and easy rotation, and that’s it for controls. No AF / MF switch, no optical stabilization, no focus distance limiter – this is a simple bit of gear.

The lack of controls could, depending on which camera you pair the lens with, make changes to camera settings a little fussy. My camera doesn’t have an AF / MF switch, and because the lens doesn’t either I need to dive into a menu to switch between the two focusing methods, which can be frustrating.

Otherwise, there’s little to talk about regarding design – this is a simple and lightweight optic that accepts 58mm threaded filters and comes supplied with a decent lens hood.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air: Performance

Bright maximum f/2 aperture ideal for portraiture
Fairly limited close-focusing capabilities
Snappy autofocus speed

This is no pro-quality lens, but for beginners and enthusiasts the optical quality and performance of the Viltrox 50mm f/2 Air are perfectly sufficient.

The bright, zoom lens-beating maximum f/2 aperture ensures plenty of light intake and makes this lens great for low-light photography, as well as for defocusing backgrounds for dreamy portraits. Bokeh is smooth enough – I didn’t really spot the ugly ‘onion ring’ effect that can be evident in cheap optics.

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Optical clarity is perfectly acceptable, even if this isn’t the sharpest 50mm lens I’ve used. With a little extra sharpening in post, most users should be perfectly happy with the results.

I shot all images in JPEG and uncompressed raw, and with lens corrections switched off there are slight signs of chromatic aberration, but the Viltrox has a reasonable handle on such distortions.

Image 1 of 3

Note the minor lens flare in the bottom middle of the frame when shooting straight towards sunlight(Image credit: Tim Coleman)For head and should portraits, bokeh is generally big, smooth and round, with a little cat’s eye shaping the corners(Image credit: Tim Coleman)There’s little sign of bokeh fringing either (technically known as longitudinal chromatic aberration)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

I found the 1.67ft / 0.51m minimum focus distance a little limiting for close-up shots – the maximum magnification is a modest 0.11x. This isn’t really a macro lens in any way, and perhaps even less of an everyday lens, with portraiture being its strongest suit.

With such a small and lightweight collection of ashperical (ASPH), ED and IF lens elements, the 50mm f/2’s STM autofocus motor has an easy job – those lens elements are moved with ease for quick and precise autofocus. Not once did I perceive sluggish autofocus on account of the lens rather than the camera.

Image 1 of 4

Shot using the maximum f/2 aperture, vignetting is evident in this bright scene(Image credit: Tim Coleman)I stopped the aperture down to f/5 at which point vignetting is pretty much gone(Image credit: Tim Coleman)Using the f/2 aperture helped to isolate the tree in the foreground. Chromatic aberration is well controlled, but vignetted means the corners are a little dark. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)Stopped down to f/5, brightness is more consistent throughout the frame. (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Overall, the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air is a capable performer, especially when you consider its compact size, low price and bright maximum aperture. For users on a budget who are looking to step up from a standard-zoom kit lens, this is an ideal choice.

Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air sample gallery

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(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

Should you buy the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

(Image credit: Tim Coleman)

How I tested the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air

I’ve used it over a loan period of several months
I paired the lens with a Nikon Z6 II
I’ve used it in a range of scenarios, generally in fair weather, and checked image quality at the various aperture settings

I paired a Z-mount version of the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air with a Nikon Z6 II for several months, during which time it has seen moderate use, generally in fair weather. Size-wise, the camera and lens are perfectly balanced, with no hint of wrist strain due to front-heaviness.

To test optical quality I’ve snapped portraits with the aperture wide open at f/2, and also taken series of images at each aperture setting to compare sharpness and check for lens distortions.

Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air: Price Comparison

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The best mirrorless camera for you depends on what you want to do with it. Ultimately, there is no such thing as the perfect camera. Each has its own limitations, and part of the magic of photography is learning how to get around them. What you want to find is the camera best suited to the type of photos you like to take. This can be a complicated process so we put together an entire guide to choosing the right camera, which walks you through all the jargon, acronyms, sensor options, and extra features to help you figure out the best options for you.

Here are some features to keep in mind, depending on the type of images you are interested in making. While all the cameras below have these features, performance varies and some are better at, for instance, low light photography than others.

Sensor size: Yes, I said it doesn’t matter and it doesn’t, but you do need to understand it. For example, if you’re interested in shooting wildlife, a higher resolution sensor, like Sony’s 60 MP sensor in the A7R V, will allow you to crop in on images more than a 24 MP sensor. On the other hand, there’s not much reason to spend extra for more megapixels if you aren’t going to use them.

Autofocus: When I first picked up a camera in the 1980s, autofocus was a brand-new thing. The Minolta Maxxum 7000 was the first SLR camera with an integrated autofocus system and completely changed the way photography worked. The flip side to this is that every single image made before the early ’80s was manually focused, so no, you don’t need autofocus to make a great image. Every camera below has insanely fast autofocus. However, the accuracy varies, so if this feature is important to you, pay attention to those notes.

In-body image stabilization: Often referred to as IBIS, stabilization in the camera body helps eliminate hand shake, allowing you to shoot at slower shutter speeds and still get a sharp image. This one is especially important for anyone wanting to shoot in low light conditions.

Electronic viewfinder: Often abbreviated EVF, the viewfinder is what you use to compose your shots and there is perhaps more variation here between cameras than any other features. The viewfinder has a huge impact on how much you’ll enjoy using a camera. This is one place I suggest heading to your local camera shop to try out the viewfinder in person and make sure it works for you, especially if, like me, you wear glasses.

Weather sealing: An often overlooked feature that’s important if you want to shoot in adverse conditions. This one is important for landscape photographers. A related feature to look for is a sensor cover that protects the sensor from dust and dirt when changing lenses.

Battery life: Battery life is pretty good across camera bodies these days, but there are still some that are better than others. For example, my Sony A7RII chews through batteries and I seldom head out with fewer than 2 backups, which is a pain.

In-camera JPEG quality: All the cameras here can save your images as RAW files, JPEG files, or both at the same time. However, some cameras produce better JPEGs than others. Fujifilm is especially noted for the amount of control it offers to fine-tune in-camera JPEGs, though Panasonic’s Lumix line has recently added the ability to apply LUTs in-camera, which is also very nice.

Once you’ve got your camera, read the manual and learn what it can and cannot do, and then use it over and over until it is an effortless extension of your mind. Once you have the comfort level, the gear fades into the background where it belongs, and you can focus on making the images you’ve always dreamed of creating.

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Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air review: a true nifty fifty for mirrorless cameras

Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air: one-minute review

Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air specs

Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air: Price and availability

Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air: Design

Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air: Performance

Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air sample gallery

Should you buy the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

How I tested the Viltrox AF 50mm F2 Air

Best Mirrorless Cameras (2025): Full-Frame, APS-C, and More