Viltrox AF 56mm 1.7 Air APS-C für Sony E

The Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 X is a rather surprising performer. Honestly, we didn't expect much from a $169 USD lens, but the lens didn't really show any showstoppers neither optically nor mechanically. The lens is pretty sharp at f/1.7 and great at f/4. Image distortions are non-existent and CAs are negligible. Vignetting is on the high side at large aperture settings although not dramatically so. If you want to get rid of it you have to do so manually because there's no profile correction available. The quality of the bokeh is impressive as well. Highlights are nicely rendered and the background blur is very smooth. Even LoCAs are on the low side. A bit of a hiccup are focus shifts towards the rear when stopping down. At very close focus distances this might be an issue. It's worth noting that the lens isn't really aligned to close focus scenes anyway. The build quality is far better than the price tag may suggest. Sure, this isn't a professional grade lens. However, the plastic quality is decent and the focus feels pretty good. There is no weather sealing, but the internal focusing should help a bit against the elements at least. The AF isn't overly zippy, but it does the job just fine for its usual target applications. At this price point, the Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 X is clearly a value king. If you don't need the fastest aperture around and want to save a few bucks along the way, this may be just the right lens for you.