In this blog, I will share my thoughts about the Viltrox 35mm F1.7 Air. Viltrox released it on December 18, 2024.

This is the newest Viltrox 35mm F1.7 Air lens that I had a pleasure to test. For disclosure, Viltrox sent me this lens for testing. However, they didn't review either the YouTube video or this blog before I published them. This is my personal opinion only.

Build quality and ergonomics

The quality of the build is at a really good level. The body is, of course, made of plastic, but it is very solid and indicates being durable. The great price fully justifies the use of materials like this. The only metal part visible from the outside is, of course, the mount. And it also hides a USB-C port which you can use for any future firmware updates.

The use of lightweight components guarantees the lightness of the whole construction. This is also a big plus and will certainly be appreciated during long photo walks.

My main test took place during a really big snow blizzard. I didn't have any problems with the performance of the lens. Despite the fact there is no weather sealing.

The lens weighs less than 180 grams and will not take up much space in your backpack. It is minimally larger than the excellent Viltrox 20mm F2.8 and similar to the TTArtisan 35mm.

Image quality

The Viltrox 35mm F1.7 Air presents a really good image quality. Noteworthy are the sharpness and slickness of the images. Colors seem to be accurate and well balanced. After checking about 300 photos, I can say that at F1.7 it is a really fine image.

I haven't had a chance to test it during the day yet, but I'm sure there will be no surprises. If you raise the F slightly, you'll get a sharp image across the board.

Autofocus and accurancy

After the great success of the Viltrox 20mm F2.8 for full frame, I didn't expect a different result. Autofocus is fast and works very precisely.

During my snowy photo walk, the autofocus didn't get lost once. Even in locations with less light.

As you know, the Sony A6000 also has its years. However, this hasn't prevented them from cooperating. I also used it with the Sony A7SIII to record a reel and the vignetting wasn't as drastic as with other lenses from competing brands.

Viltrox 35mm F1.7 Air summary

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the price. Taking all these aspects into account this lens really deserves awards. The lens currently costs under $179 which is a huge advantage to begin with.

Comparing it to a Sony 35mm F1.8, we have a difference of about $250. This is a huge amount looking at the very similar specifications and what both lenses offer. The difference in price is, of course, among other things, image stabilization, but in my opinion most of the potential users won't feel the gap.

With this in mind and the price tag, we get a really impressive lens that will meet the requirements of most users. To summarise I recommend this lens to anyone on a limited budget expecting good performance for the price of $179.

Below is a selection of images taken on the Sony A6000. And below you will find a link to my YouTube video.