Viltrox 55mm f/1.8 EVO Addendum: The G.A.S. antidote.
Had some additional thoughts after I finished this post.
For me this is a disruptor lens. It is so good that it shows me what I do not need by giving me everything I really want.
Personal opinion ahead that might upset some. Not my problem. You have your opinions and preferences and I have mine. I am beyond pretending someone else having issues with this simple concept is somehow my problem. Moving on.
I do not need Leica glass or gear.
I had and very much enjoyed a Leica M 240 for a good while.
I had a great time. But after the Leica pixie dust cleared I pivoted to another look and feel darling.
Not only do I enjoy using it, it offers AF and a medium format sensor, and I prefer the images it produces.
What does this have to do with the Viltrox 55mm f/1.8 EVO?
I am glad I imagined that you asked.
Other than the medium format bit everything I said above applies to this EVO lens when combined with the A7C II in its spiffy new Smallrig outfit.
And courtesy of the AF/MF switch and electronic contacts triggering a zoom in focus aid I actually do not mind using manual focus. Looks good and feels good in hand and most importantly I love the image quality of this lens.
I do not need an f/1.4 or f/1.2 aperture.
For a fast aperture there are two paths.
Compact and rangefinder.
AF and a bus of a lens.
As mentioned in this post…
…once I set aside emotional factors my faster than f/1.8 aperture obsession comes down to two technical advantages on paper.
- Light gathering/low light.
- Nearly moot with modern sensors producing usable images with sky high ISOs.
- Add in Lightroom denoise AI with even higher ISOs.
- Subject isolation.
That second one. I do not know what I was on about. I do not need more subject isolation than this EVO 55mm.
All with a nice compromise size and design wise for an AF lens.
Why is this surprising?
I was once so indecisive regarding a Sony FE AF 50mm-ish prime lens solution that I bought many options.
None resonated with me when the dust settled. I have none of them. I do not miss any of them. Nor do I miss the lenses I have tried since.
But Viltrox did it. They created the lens I did not know I wanted.
Not f/1.2. Not f/1.4. Not a fancy pants brand. With good AF and great IQ all for a reasonable price.
A bit of a revelation for yours truly.
Thank you Viltrox.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
