Just got the lens. When I first mounted it, the viewfinder was fairly dim, so I unmounted and remounted it. The viewfinder looked fine the second time, but the camera didn’t detect the aperture—it just displayed “F--.” I toggled a few settings back and forth (including the aperture dial), and suddenly the F‑number started working.
I’ve never experienced this kind of weird behavior with any of my other lenses, so it’s not a great start. If the problem shows up again this weekend, I’ll be sending it back to Viltrox.
Also, the IQ of the lens—based on this thread—might be close enough to $1,000+ lenses, but the build quality is clearly that of a sub $200 lens.
Yes, it is very sharp but it appears to be a plastic lens except for the lens mount, but for $159 but would it be. If I am careful with it, it will last quite a while and the light weight is great for handheld shots. I have no complaints. I can throw it my bag and not notice it is there. My favorite WA is still my Sony 20 1.8, BUT the Viltrox has its place.
jdcoletv wrote:
Yes, it is very sharp but it appears to be a plastic lens except for the lens mount, but for $159 but would it be. If I am careful with it, it will last quite a while and the light weight is great for handheld shots. I have no complaints. I can throw it my bag and not notice it is there. My favorite WA is still my Sony 20 1.8, BUT the Viltrox has its place.
Yeah. I am just pointing out that build quality is firmly in the budget category. If I don’t run into camera not detecting the aperture issue again, I will keep the lens.
20G is such a great lens, but I am hoping to replace it with 20-70G. I can’t seem to think compositions in UWA sense and struggle with using my 20G. I would keep it if it was a budget lens like Viltrox, but it is not so hoping that 20-70 will give me better usage on my investment.
Edit: I used this lens a bit today and not seeing the aperture issue now, but the camera’s screen is not going to sleep when this lens is mounted, and as a result the battery is getting drained faster than normal. I don't have these issues on any of my other lenses. There is something not quite right about this lens.
Edit 2: The sleep issue wasn’t related to the lens. I recently picked up a wireless remote for the camera, and it turns out that if both Wireless Remote and Bluetooth are enabled, the camera refuses to go to sleep—even when the remote isn’t connected. It baffles me how companies overlook such basic functionality in advanced, pro‑level cameras. Features like this are second nature on smartphones these days. The lens is working fine. We got about 10 inches of snow this weekend, so I didn't get to try it out much.
I used mine with Kolari Vision's IR Chrome internal filter. I quiet like it. The flare effect is pretty interesting in this configuration as well. These are shot on a modified A7S
Just received this lens before my trip to Hawaii. Fell in love and learning with it
Might be the most fun lens I have owned, really an outstanding value, love the color and perspective, what a deal @ $159!!
Karl Witt 2025
Karl Witt 2025
Karl Witt 2025
Karl Witt 2025
Karl Witt 2025
Karl Witt 2025
Karl Witt 2025
Karl Witt 2025
Karl Witt 2025
earlbetts.com Met him at a craft show, volcano photographer worth a look!
