Viltrox AF lens · announced July 1, 2020
Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 II XF review
85 mm · f/1.8 · 484 g · 10 elements in 7 groups
Verdict
Not a portrait lens on APS-C but a 127.5 mm-equivalent short telephoto, and the cheapest way to get hard background separation on X mount. 484g, 0.80 m minimum focus, and no room for it indoors.
Photographers who need reach and separation cheaply — candid portraits at a distance, stage work, and details across a street — on a body with a grip and ideally IBIS.
In detail
The Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 II XF is the odd one out in Viltrox's X-mount line, because 85 mm on APS-C is not a portrait lens — it is a 127.5 mm-equivalent short telephoto. It was released July 1, 2020 as a second-generation design, slimmer and lighter than the original, at around 329 dollars.
The optics are ten elements in seven groups with one ED element, one aspherical element, and four elements of highly transparent glass, behind an HD Nano multi-layer coating. The diaphragm has nine rounded blades, the filter thread is 72 mm, and the barrel is 80 x 92 mm and 484g — by some distance the largest lens in this group. Minimum focus is 0.80 m for a 0.13x ratio.
At 127.5 mm-equivalent the lens compresses hard. Backgrounds go to mush at f/1.8 and subjects separate almost regardless of what is behind them, which makes it a strong lens for isolating a face in a crowded scene or pulling a detail out of a busy street from across the road. Our own published frames with it are exactly that kind of work, shot on the X-T3.
Autofocus is a stepping motor, quick and quiet, with the usual caveat that it acquires well and tracks unremarkably.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Separation at 127.5 mm-equivalent and f/1.8 that a 56mm at f/1.4 cannot match.
- The strongest optics of the Viltrox X-mount primes — ED plus aspherical control fringing well.
- Nine rounded blades keep compressed backgrounds smooth rather than busy.
- Better-damped barrel and metal mount, with the same USB firmware port.
The subject isolation is the reason to own it. 127.5 mm-equivalent at f/1.8 on APS-C produces separation that a 56 mm at f/1.4 cannot match, and the nine rounded blades keep the out-of-focus background smooth rather than busy. For candid portraits at a distance and for detail work across a street, nothing else in this price range comes close.
Optically it is the strongest of the three Viltrox primes. The ED and aspherical elements between them keep colour fringing under control at an aperture and focal length where it is usually obvious, and centre sharpness at f/1.8 is high enough that stopping down is a depth-of-field decision rather than a sharpness one.
Build quality is a step up from the smaller Viltrox primes — a heavier, better-damped barrel with a proper metal mount, and the same USB firmware port.
Trade-offs
- 484g and 92 mm long — front-heavy on an X-E or X-M body.
- 0.80 m minimum focus at this reach means it rarely fits indoors.
- No stabilization, which matters most at exactly this focal length.
- No weather sealing, 72 mm filters shared with nothing else in a typical kit.
484g and 92 mm long is a lot of lens for a small Fuji body. On an X-E4 it is front-heavy to the point of being awkward; on an X-T3 or larger it is fine. The 72 mm filter thread also means it shares nothing with the rest of a typical X-mount kit.
0.80 m minimum focus at 127.5 mm-equivalent is restrictive. You need real distance to use the lens at all, and indoors it frequently cannot back up far enough — this is an outdoor and large-room lens by geometry, not by preference.
There is no weather sealing and no stabilization, which at this focal length is the more serious omission: on a body without IBIS you are holding 127.5 mm-equivalent steady on shutter speed alone. Autofocus is stepping-motor and single-shot oriented, and the standing Viltrox caveat about X-mount support applies here too.
Who is this for
The Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 II XF is for photographers who want reach and separation cheaply. Candid portraits from a distance, details across a street, performers on a stage, and anything where getting closer is not an option and a zoom would be too slow.
It suits larger bodies with a grip and, ideally, in-body stabilization. On an X-T5, X-H2 or X-S20 it is a comfortable, capable short telephoto; on an X-E or X-M body it is a lens you tolerate for the results.
It is the wrong choice for indoor portraits in normal rooms, for travel where weight matters, and for weather. If you want a portrait prime you can use in a living room, the Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.4 XF or Fujifilm's XF 56mm F1.2 R is the lens; this one is for when the subject is further away than that.
Photos shot on the Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 II
We shot and published 5 frames on the Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 II, July 2022. Click any thumbnail for the full-size file and its settings on masnun.photos. Every frame is edited, so read them as a record of how the lens renders in use rather than as a resolution test.
Full specifications
| Focal length | 85 mm |
|---|---|
| 35mm equivalent | 127.5 mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/1.8 |
| Minimum aperture | f/16 |
| Optical construction | 10 elements in 7 groups |
| Special elements | 1 ED element, 1 aspherical element, 4 high-transparency elements, HD Nano coating |
| Min. focus distance | 0.80 m |
| Max. magnification | 0.13× |
| Aperture blades | 9 |
| Filter thread | 72 mm |
| Diameter × length | 80 × 92 mm |
| Weight | 484g |
| Weather sealing | No |
| Min. operating temp | — |
| Focus drive | Stepping motor |
| Optical stabilization | No |
| Announced | July 1, 2020 |
Rating breakdown
| Dimension | Score |
|---|---|
| Image quality | 9 / 10 |
| Autofocus | 7 / 10 |
| Handling | 6 / 10 |
| Value | 9 / 10 |
Where to buy
The link below runs an Amazon search for this lens rather than pointing at one listing, because stock and sellers move around. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you.
Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 IIAmazon · search resultsCompare head-to-head
Sources and further reading
Specs come from the manufacturer. Measured optical behaviour and owner reports are attributed to the people who did the work:
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