Viltrox 14mm f4 Air for FF and Viltrox 9 mm f2.8 Air for APS-C

[benmao]

Marc Alhadeff (sonyalphablog) and Dustin Abott both have reviewed the new Viltrox 14 mm f4 Air which has very good image quality and is lightweight. The equivalent 9 mm f/2.8 lense for APS-C looks identical (same length and nearly same weight).

This is very interesting for me because I am looking for a lightweight lense below my 24-50/2.8 for use with A7CR. With its excellent image quality in the center I could crop between the 14 mm and the 24 mm.

 

[Impulses]

Is Dustin's review on his Patreon or something? Not seeing it on the site, based on Marc's (which I take with a grain of salt but still) the 14/4 looks pretty interesting indeed. $200 for an UWA like that is wild, just 5 years ago that was kinda unthinkable (both price and size). Really nice/short MFD too.

Edit: Smaller and lighter than the CV 15/4.5 even, I'm sure the build isn't in the same league and the sunstars aren't as nice, but it's 1/3rd the price or less... I've said it before and I'll say it again, we're in a golden age for lenses, enjoy it! Try stuff out!

 

[benmao]

It seems he has removed it. I guess it was too early.

The link was:

https://dustinabbott.net/2025/09/viltrox-air-14mm-f4-fe-review/

 

[PWPhotography]

It seems he has removed it. I guess it was too early.

The link was:

https://dustinabbott.net/2025/09/viltrox-air-14mm-f4-fe-review/

The link is broken at the moment. But you can refer this review

https://sonyalpha.blog/2025/09/12/viltrox-14mm-f4-air/

It appears a very good lens, light/small and very affordable. I already owned Sony 14 GM for a few years, the lens I always carry with regardless in whatever trips. It's the best 14mm lens for me while Sigma 14/1.4 is too bulky in my perspective unless if dedicated in evening sky.

Sure, 14 GM heavier/bigger and much more expensive so not a choice for everyone. At 460 g (16.3 oz.) it's still manageable to me. It's very versatile to me from indoor hand-held to evening sky, as demo'ed in this DPR article.

https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/7326487804/gear-of-the-year-dale-s-choice-sony-14mm-f1-8-gm

Nevertheless Viltrox 14mm f4 Air is a good choice to many others, no doubt.

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/55485085@N04/albums

 

[benmao]

It seems he has removed it. I guess it was too early.

The link was:

https://dustinabbott.net/2025/09/viltrox-air-14mm-f4-fe-review/

The link is broken at the moment. But you can refer this review

https://sonyalpha.blog/2025/09/12/viltrox-14mm-f4-air/

It appears a very good lens, light/small and very affordable. I already owned Sony 14 GM for a few years, the lens I always carry with regardless in whatever trips. It's the best 14mm lens for me while Sigma 14/1.4 is too bulky in my perspective unless if dedicated in evening sky.

Sure, 14 GM heavier/bigger and much more expensive so not a choice for everyone. At 460 g (16.3 oz.) it's still manageable to me. It's very versatile to me from indoor hand-held to evening sky, as demo'ed in this DPR article.

https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/7326487804/gear-of-the-year-dale-s-choice-sony-14mm-f1-8-gm

Nevertheless Viltrox 14mm f4 Air is a good choice to many others, no doubt.

I will use it as ultrawide below the 24-50/2.8 instead of the 12-24/4G for travel because its weight is 170 g compared to 565 g of the G. Not sure if I will keep the 12-24 at all.

 

[PWPhotography]

It seems he has removed it. I guess it was too early.

The link was:

https://dustinabbott.net/2025/09/viltrox-air-14mm-f4-fe-review/

The link is broken at the moment. But you can refer this review

https://sonyalpha.blog/2025/09/12/viltrox-14mm-f4-air/

It appears a very good lens, light/small and very affordable. I already owned Sony 14 GM for a few years, the lens I always carry with regardless in whatever trips. It's the best 14mm lens for me while Sigma 14/1.4 is too bulky in my perspective unless if dedicated in evening sky.

Sure, 14 GM heavier/bigger and much more expensive so not a choice for everyone. At 460 g (16.3 oz.) it's still manageable to me. It's very versatile to me from indoor hand-held to evening sky, as demo'ed in this DPR article.

https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/7326487804/gear-of-the-year-dale-s-choice-sony-14mm-f1-8-gm

Nevertheless Viltrox 14mm f4 Air is a good choice to many others, no doubt.

I will use it as ultrawide below the 24-50/2.8 instead of the 12-24/4G for travel because its weight is 170 g compared to 565 g of the G. Not sure if I will keep the 12-24 at all.

Makes sense. I could live the gap between 14 and 20 or even 24/25mm, just crop a bit if necessary, not a big deal. 14 GM is a must to me as said, then complements with current 20-70 G (a bit heavy but excellent optical quality) at time being. I will watch closely in the new Sigma 20-200 and to be announced Tamron 25-200 and likely will pickup one of them for certain trips. I also have CV (Voigtlander) 15 but not used much as I usually carry CV 21/1.4 Nokton and Loxia 85 in especially city tours but basically only use them in evening on the top-grade sunstarts. After seeing a post above, I may carry CV 15 instead in forthcoming trip to two cities of Belgium (Brussels, Bruges) during the Columbus long weekend (Oct 11-13) from Lisbon where I live but I follow US working schedules. Why not as 15mm UWA will be handy in EU city streets and city squares I usually carry two bodies and zoom in daylight fast-pace tours. Then return hotel and switch to just one body and two above prime lenses, then shoot evening cityscapes on tripod in slow-pace.

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/55485085@N04/albums

 

[benmao]

Digitalcamerworld tested both;

Viltrox AF 14mm f/4 Air review: This slimline, featherweight contender delivers an immensely wide-angle perspective for full-frame cameras

If you’ve got a full-frame Nikon Z or Sony E mount full-frame camera, the Viltrox AF 14mm f/4 Air gives a massively ultra-wide-angle view from an unfeasibly compact and lightweight lens

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Viltrox AF 9mm f/2.8 Air review: ultra-wide meets super-skinny in this new APS-C format lens

The Viltrox AF 9mm f/2.8 Air is one of the latest additions to the ‘Air’ line-up, this one catering to APS-C format Fujifilm X, Nikon Z and Sony E mount mirrorless cameras

www.digitalcameraworld.com

Very good results.

I have just ordered the 14 mm.

 

[Impulses]

Digitalcamerworld tested both;

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/lenses/viltrox-af-14mm-f-4-air-review

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/lenses/viltrox-af-9mm-f-2-8-air-review

Very good results.

I have just ordered the 14 mm.

Oops, forgot you had started a thread too or I wouldn't have made a new one, my bad... Bastian at PhillipReeve and Dustin Abbott reviewed the 14/4 too, very very impressive.

https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-viltrox-af-14mm-4-0-fe/

https://dustinabbott.net/2025/09/viltrox-air-14mm-f4-fe-review/

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/68445769

It's like a Viltrox saw every larger/pricier/manual UWA that had come before and said "hold my beer". I'm getting one too, hype train full steam ahead.

Before seeing the reviews I would've been more tempted by the smaller Laowa 15/5 Cookie, but this Air is so much less compromised, it would easily sell for twice as much IMO. An UWA prime this good, this small, and this cheap is just wild. If Viltrox's future Air lenses handle flare as well as one, they're gonna be hard to compete with at their price point. I'd be curious to see how much of the frame the 9/2.8 covers on FF, could it be used as a 9mm at 1:1?

For me the 14/4 makes more sense, in crop mode it'll be a 21mm which is still an ideal wide pairing with normal primes, I'm excited to have that as an option.

 

[benmao]

I have just ordered the 14 mm.

I have received it. It is acceptable, but I am somewhat disappointed, as my Sony 12-24/4G is sharper and produces more saturated colors at every aperture and across the entire image frame.

The reviews say this lens is excellent. I’m wondering whether those were especially sharp samples, or if my Sony 12-24/4 is just clearly better. Given the price, that wouldn’t be surprising — but the Sony is a zoom and already 10 years old.

 

[neilt3]

I have just ordered the 14 mm.

I have received it. It is acceptable, but I am somewhat disappointed, as my Sony 12-24/4G is sharper and produces more saturated colors at every aperture and across the entire image frame.

The reviews say this lens is excellent. I’m wondering whether those were especially sharp samples, or if my Sony 12-24/4 is just clearly better. Given the price, that wouldn’t be surprising — but the Sony is a zoom and already 10 years old.

I ordered my 14mm last week on pre-order and paid when stock arrived on Friday.

Delivery is due to me tomorrow.

I don't have the Sony 12-24mm f/4 to compare it with , but I'd be very disappointed if a £1,260 lens wasn't superior to a £190 lens !

I'll be using mine for the occasion when I need wider than 20mm , and I'm expecting it to be superior to my adapted film era SLR's 17-35mm and Sigma 12-24mm lenses .

 

[benmao]

o compare it with , but I'd be very disappointed if a £1,260 lens wasn't superior to a £190 lens !

You have to take into account, that zoom lenses are more expensive - at least with same max. aperture. Used SEL1224 are here sold for already 700 to 800 EUR.

For just in case use, it is very good. Better this lense than no ultrawide at all.

Quality is very good for the price, but reviews suggested that it is even superior to the Sony 12-24/4.

 

[benmao]

I have received it. It is acceptable, but I am somewhat disappointed, as my Sony 12-24/4G is sharper and produces more saturated colors at every aperture and across the entire image frame.

You can see the difference with lower resolution. Both f/4, left hand side is Viltrox 14/4, right is Sony.

 

[benmao]

I have checked again. The Viltrox is sharper thant the Sony 12-24/4. The reason why a thought that the Sony is better was the lense module of DXO Photolab. There is no such module for the viltrox (yet). After switching off this optimisation, the viltrox yields sharper images (but with a bit less saturated colors).

 

[PWPhotography]

I have checked again. The Viltrox is sharper thant the Sony 12-24/4. The reason why a thought that the Sony is better was the lense module of DXO Photolab. There is no such module for the viltrox (yet). After switching off this optimisation, the viltrox yields sharper images (but with a bit less saturated colors).

What a surprise a prime is sharper than an old zoom? I'd not surprise it's as sharp as Sony 12-24/2.8 GM.