My Favorite Bit Of Kit For 2025: Viltrox AF 85mm f/2 EVO.
Subtitle: Greatness need not break the bank.
When reviewing my purchases over the last year, one bit of gear immediately comes to mind as my favorite. No surprise here, since it is named in the title of this blog.
But what is surprising is how good this lens is. Why?
I am glad I imagined that you asked. welp.
- It is made by Viltrox.
- No shade throwing meant, but I have owned a Viltrox portrait lens before (link below), and this lens is next level.
- It is excellent.
- IQ, AF, build, switchgear, etc. On par with much more expensive glass. But…
- It has a fantastic price.
- Priced like a used or manual focus lens.
This is not a “for the price” proposition. Do not tell Viltrox this, but increase the price and I would still choose this lens over the short tele portrait AF Sony FE lenses I have owned in the past. And there have been many. Below I compare it to a sampling.
Compared to the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8.
…ok. I must admit that I have no idea why this lens did not work for me.
AF is quick.
IQ is great.
Even managed a published portrait when I took a photo of a long-time friend I met up with for lunch.
It is a lens I recommend to others.
Why didn’t I keep it? I cannot put a finger on it.
It is a solid value in its own right, performs well, and takes a fine image.
But a portrait lens needs to <my own eyes start to roll as I type this> speak to me <wretch>. A solid picture is not enough.
The images produced were technically great, but after a side by side comparison…
…I pivoted to…
Compared to the Rokinon/Samyang FE 85mm f/1.4.
Note: Technically, the lens I had was an OG version II, and the one in the comparison is the version II, but from what I have read little has changed other than the color of the trim and materials. So I stand by my assertions below.
- AF is… unfortunate.
- Not awful. Far from great.
- A bit of a bus.
- Not offensively large or heavy, but enough to prevent me from bringing it along “just in case” while the EVO comes with, as it easily fits in a cargo pant ot jacket pocket.
Yes. It does go to f/1.4 and produces impressive background blur…
…overall, I preferred the IQ of the lens I went to next…
Compared to the Rokinon/Samyang 75mm f/1.8 FE.
Another fine lens. Also could have been it… If I were a rational man. Which I am not. It did a fine job during a Harlem stranger portrait session during a NYC photo walk day.
Was even swift enough for candid grabs.
So what gives? Why didn’t this lens do it for me?
Unlike the Sony above, I know why. It is just a silly reason.
I do not like the way it feels.
Shiny, cheap plastics, lack of features, and light weight just did not do it for me. Does this make any sense?
No.
But I much preferred the build and feel of another lens I picked up recently.
A fine looking lens that offered… ok IQ. I say ok not because it is not capable of a solid image. It is.
But I quickly realized it required good conditions. It does great then.
But ghosting in a heavily backlit portrait pretty much spelled its end. Especially once the Viltrox EVO 85mm f/2 was announced.
I had already been primed… oof. My awful accidental puns… anyhoo. I was already smitten with Viltrox’s recent Air line of lenses.
Three lenses that all offer strong AF and IQ performance with both a small size and price.
And of the EVO had not come along, the lens that would have been my favorite of 2025 is the Air 50mm f/2. Not only is it the perfect size and price for a nifty fifty,…
…but it also offers apology-free image quality and AF.
It has brought something to Sony that I had given up on. An FE lens comparable to the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8…
…I longed for so much that I bought a Canon EOS RP… Twice,
A fine camera system. But, eventually, I let the RP gear go. Canon third party lens policies meant no RP mount Tamron 35-150m f/2-2.8 and that is an automatic no from me. Two mounts to feed will not work.
And while I was at it, I had also fallen for the Canon RP STM 85mm f/2.
A lens I prefer over the Sony and Rokinon/Samyang lenses mentioned above. But another fine lens undone by Canon’s third-party lens policy. Now that I think about it, take out the macro bit, and these lenses line up focal length and aperture wise.
I really liked the Canon lens’ rendering, and I am happy to report that the Viltrox offers a similarly pleasing optical performance, but the Viltrox…
- Is smaller and lighter.
- Is built at least as well, if not better.
- Has better AF.
- Not sure is that is owed to the lens, camera, or both but it is better.
- May also have to do with the Viltrox not having to negotiate an extended focus range courtesy of the 1:2 macro capabilities of the RP lens with no focus limiter.
- Is equipped with a declickable aperture ring, AF/MF switch, and a focus hold button.
- Has a much lower price.
Up until Viltrox releases these lenses I had Canon RP STM prime envy.
No longer.
And the 20mm f/2.8 Air has been added to the roster since that picture.
Prior to the 85mm EVO announcement, I was looking at the APS-C 56mm f/1.7 Air lens with a bit of envy.
Had thought Viltrox would release an Air portrait lens. But instead, they gave us this beauty.
This was better than I could have expected. A whole new tier of Viltrox lens.
- Better build, closer to their Pro line.
- Declickable aperture dial like their Pro line.
- AF/MF switch like their Pro line.
- Only a bit larger than their Air line.
- Only a bit more expensive than the Air line.
Nice.
And since arrival, I can add something I cannot say about many lenses.
This is a lens that seems incapable of taking a bad image.
- Focus is very fast and accurate, even in low light.
- So it is not a portrait, one-trick pony.
- Colors are some of the best and true to life that I have seen with any lens for any mount at any price point.
- Sharp. Sharpity sharp, sharp.
- Bokeh so good that it seemingly contradicts its humble aperture spec.
- And, while having nothing to do with IQ, it feels wonderful in hand and looks fantastic on a Sony body.
- Many portrait lenses dwarf the Sony bodies.
Here are some non portrait pics.
Candid pics.
And for portraits? Sweet merciful Minerva, this lens is fantastic. And again, not a “for the price” situation. Regardless of brand name, spec, price point, pedigree, sensor size, etc. I will put this lens up against any lens for any system.
If you get a better portrait with something else, chalk it up to the photographer, the subject, the environment, serendipity, or something else because it was not the lens. It has already become my portrait session standard. Here are some samples.
From a headshot session for my chorus.
Katherine and Maddy at the local camera shop.
A family portrait session.
My cousin and wife at their baby shower.
It is criminal that I do not use this lens more.
And that is only because I get distracted by odd and fancy bits. A personal thing.
If my interest were only in capturing pleasing images? In making sure I got the shot? This is all that I would use.
And that all of this can be had for less than $300?
Thank you, Viltrox.
I close with some product images.
To put a fine point on it I recommend this lens.
If you have a Sony FE or Nikon Z camera (Hamish and I share an appreciation for this lens, and his review is at this link.), this lens is a gift.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 