How are Viltrox lenses these days?

AKA Wayne said:

Just had my first outing with the 75mm. It's a monster so far.



All SOOC jpeg.

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Love the colors on this one!

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"The present is the only point where time touches eternity" C.S. Lewis

bastibe said:

Rightsaidfred said:

Maybe someone can tell us how about in camera correction with Tokina's X-mount lenses. I am still not sure.

Tokina have the 23, 33, and 56/1.4 as parallel lenses to Viltrox. According to the Fujifilm interview that I cited above in this thread, Tokina seem to have officially licensed the Fujifilm specs.

Regards,

Martin

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Good point. If that's the difference between Tokina and Viltrox, it might actually be worth the price difference to me.

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Tokina does not have the amazing 75 f/1.2 though. I have even been using it for low-light stage work tracking dancers, and it does remarkably well.

My 75mm has faster AF then my 33mm so I am eagerly awaiting that 27mm Pro, I will sell the 33mm after it.

I get it that a couple of Viltrox lenses - viewed in isolation - have proven to be amazingly good value optics given the pricing.

I also have the Viltox EF-FX2 speed booster / focal reducer that is optically very good. Fortunately, I've been able to find and tinker with various firmware offerings to get to the best-possible overall AF capabilities (FW 2.26), but there is no easy way to obtain older FW downloads from the company. Still, the adapted lenses are not named properly nor is IBIS properly supported (you get source lens focal length resulting in over-correction); these apparent hurdles became too much and firmware support improvements were soon abandoned - barely a year after release of the booster.

To the extent Viltrox provides software support to their lenses, it isn't adequate or competent. Just take a look at the company website - shambles.

With other third parties, such as Tokina (which is the source for some of what Viltrox puts out), at least you'll get proper support and often superior coatings and/or build. With Fuji lenses, you tend to get consistency in quality control, coatings, coloration and full support for new body features.

If you actually depend on your equipment to perform and expect proper support into the future, stay clear of Viltrox until the company takes key responsibilities beyond lens hardware production (and rebranding) more seriously.

Viltrox lenses has been continually updated and improved though. Perhaps they've decided it is no longer financially beneficial to still update a DSLR lens adapter for a mount that Canon has already abandoned.

JNR said:

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To the extent Viltrox provides software support to their lenses, it isn't adequate or competent. Just take a look at the company website - shambles.

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I did not check your booster - but as far as lenses are concerned, they actually provide updates. Their firmware update website is a bit difficult to find.

It's https://viltrox.com/xzzx

Regards,

Martin

Very happy with the 75mm & 13mm for my Fuji camera

Enshong said:

Viltrox lenses has been continually updated and improved though. Perhaps they've decided it is no longer financially beneficial to still update a DSLR lens adapter for a mount that Canon has already abandoned.

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Wow, you should be writing PR for Viltrox.

Again, the adapter was updated to the still-current offering less than two years before firmware was abandoned, and the functional versions hidden. You might not like EF lenses, but most pro photographers would take the mount and its many quality lenses over Fuji X every day of the week (not me, but most others favor it).

Agreed that Viltrox appears to have chosen a route of abandonment based on immediate financial priorities. That kind of thinking (far less likely among the Japanese-based manufacturers) might not work well in the long run.

Rightsaidfred said:

JNR said:

...

To the extent Viltrox provides software support to their lenses, it isn't adequate or competent. Just take a look at the company website - shambles.

Click to expand...

I did not check your booster - but as far as lenses are concerned, they actually provide updates. Their firmware update website is a bit difficult to find.

It's https://viltrox.com/xzzx

Regards,

Martin

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Yes, they have the most recent firmware listed (2.29) as it has been there for a couple of years now. I've checked back to the site regularly, and noticed the various states of website construction and disfunction.

The current firmware version is the worst of the various options that have been offered (well reported in several threads on this forum), but it does do a better job of correctly naming attached lenses - AF does not lock on most bodies. Viltrox refuses to make available the prior versions, or post improved versions. This is current product, but essentially abandoned.

Maybe I just got a great copy of the 75 f/1.2. From what I can tell, using it for paid editorial work, it is optically in the same boat as any short tele I have used, Including Tamron, Sigma, Nikon, etc. My Zeiss 100mm macro is still in a league of it's own, but it is several stops slower, and manual focus. Build quality seems to easily be on par with Fuji. It's sort of a unicorn lens, in that nobody else makes anything comparable for Fuji, and if they did, if would cost twice as much.

JNR said:

Enshong said:

Viltrox lenses has been continually updated and improved though. Perhaps they've decided it is no longer financially beneficial to still update a DSLR lens adapter for a mount that Canon has already abandoned.

Click to expand...

Wow, you should be writing PR for Viltrox.

Again, the adapter was updated to the still-current offering less than two years before firmware was abandoned, and the functional versions hidden. You might not like EF lenses, but most pro photographers would take the mount and its many quality lenses over Fuji X every day of the week (not me, but most others favor it).

Agreed that Viltrox appears to have chosen a route of abandonment based on immediate financial priorities. That kind of thinking (far less likely among the Japanese-based manufacturers) might not work well in the long run.

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Then buy a Fringer adapter if you want your old abandoned lenses to work?

Enshong said:

JNR said:

Enshong said:

Viltrox lenses has been continually updated and improved though. Perhaps they've decided it is no longer financially beneficial to still update a DSLR lens adapter for a mount that Canon has already abandoned.

Click to expand...

Wow, you should be writing PR for Viltrox.

Again, the adapter was updated to the still-current offering less than two years before firmware was abandoned, and the functional versions hidden. You might not like EF lenses, but most pro photographers would take the mount and its many quality lenses over Fuji X every day of the week (not me, but most others favor it).

Agreed that Viltrox appears to have chosen a route of abandonment based on immediate financial priorities. That kind of thinking (far less likely among the Japanese-based manufacturers) might not work well in the long run.

Click to expand...

Then buy a Fringer adapter if you want your old abandoned lenses to work?

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Yep, Fringer works fine... and the Viltrox is OK too, except for the firmware problems. EF 100/2 becomes a lovely 72/1.4 that is still small and light. Perfect for portraits.

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JNR

If the 27mm 1.2 is as good optiacally as the 75mm I might sell my 23mm 1.4 WR.