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Viltrox AF 50mm F2.0 Air
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Viltrox · 50 mm · f/2 · Nikon Z mount

Viltrox AF 50mm F2.0 Air

From $199 — 1 offer
KEY FACTS
BrandViltrox
Announcement dateApr 2025
Released2025
Production started2025
Production statusIn Production
What We Like
+Exceptional sharpness across aperture range with excellent corner-to-edge clarity from f/2
+Extremely compact and lightweight at 205g, ideal for travel and everyday carry
+Outstanding value at $199 USD with optical quality comparable to much more expensive lenses
+Fast, quiet, and reliable STM autofocus with eye/face detection support
+Very low distortion (0.5%) and minimal focus breathing for excellent video performance
+Nine-blade aperture provides pleasant, circular bokeh even when stopped down
Worth Knowing
−Significant vignetting at wide apertures that requires post-processing correction at f/2
−Longer minimum focus distance (0.51m) limits macro capability with maximum magnification of only 0.11x
−No weather sealing despite plastic construction, limiting durability in challenging conditions
−Notable axial chromatic aberration at f/2, though resolves by f/4

General

Brand
Viltrox
Announcement date
ⓘ
Refers to the date the manufacturer publicly announced the upcoming release and general specs of this camera.
Apr 2025
Released
ⓘ
Refers to the year this camera was officially made available for sale.
2025
Production started
2025
Production status
ⓘ
Current status of lens manufacturing (e.g., in production, discontinued).
In Production
Read our notes on general
The Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 FE is not only very consistent but also very sharp across the relevant aperture range, with center quality excellent straight from f/2 and outer image field easily very good. The lens is a full-frame normal lens, designed to be compact and lightweight at just 205g. It carries a price tag of $199 USD so it undercuts its main competitor – the Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 – by a slight margin. The Viltrox AF 50mm F2 AIR is easily the best performer yet in the series, and is very possibly the sharpest "nifty-fifty" style lens that has even been made.

Optics

Minimum Aperture
f/16
Optical Formula
13 elements in 9 groups
Special Elements
3 ED lenses, 4 high-refractive lenses, 1 aspherical lens
Lens Hood
Removable cylindrical shaped
Min focal length
50 mm
Max focal length
50 mm
Focal range
ⓘ
Shortest to longest focal length of the lens (zoom range start - end )
50 mm
Zoom lens
ⓘ
Zoom allows you to vary the focal length, change between long shots and close-ups
No
Max aperture wide
2
Max aperture zoom
2
Autofocus mode
Yes
Closest focusing distance
ⓘ
Minimum distance for a subject to be in focus.
51 cm01500
Blades
ⓘ
Number of diaphragm blades in aperture
9020

Autofocus

Special Features
Eye/Face Detection AF, silent autofocus
Manual Focus
Focus by wire

Physical

Construction
Plastic barrel with metal mount
Color
Black
Lens weight
205 g
Lens length
ⓘ
How long the lens is from front to back.
56.5 mm
Lens diameter
ⓘ
Width of the lens at its widest point
65 mm
Front filter size
ⓘ
Diameter of attachable filters.
58 mm
Lens mount
ⓘ
The lens mount will tell you what type of lens range you can fit onto the camera body. Often the same camera company will have different lens ranges for different cameras.
Nikon Z

Performance

Maximum Magnification
0.11x
Angle of View
47.4°
Distortion
0.5% in RAW files
Vignetting at f/2
2.6 EV

Video stabilization

Focus Breathing
Minimal
Stabilization
No optical IS; supports in-body stabilization
Video Capable
Yes

Build quality

Front Element Coating
HD Nano multilayer coating with water-resistant and antifouling coating
Additional Features
USB-C port for firmware updates, EXIF data transmission

Features

Weather sealing
ⓘ
Weather sealing capabilities will give you more confidence when shooting in unfavourable conditions.
No