If you want one prime lens that’s wide enough for a gimbal but still tight enough for close-ups of people, the Viltrox 35mm F1.4 Pro is a real winner. It’s built like a pro lens, the autofocus didn’t hunt once whenever I tested it at twilight, and it has hardly any focus breathing at all, which is more than I can say for the Sony 35mm GM. The one real con is the weight, and for the price, I think it’s easy to live with.
For the sake of ethics, this video is sponsored by Viltrox, which makes it more of a showcase than a review.
Why A PRIME Lens Guy Said Yes
I’m a prime lens guy. I’ve been a prime lens guy ever since I dropped my zoom lens on concrete and snapped it in half. True story! So whenever Viltrox asked if I wanted to show off their new 35mm F1.4 Pro, I said of course.
I’ve been filming weddings for over 15 years now, and if you’re trying to figure out which lenses actually deserve a spot in your camera bag, I made a free Filmmaker Gear Guide with all the gear I use and recommend.
The ONE Lens If You Can Only Buy One
If you’ve seen my favorite lenses for wedding filmmaking, you know I usually reach for a 24mm or a 50mm prime. But if you don’t have the budget for two lenses, and you want something wide enough to use on a gimbal but tight enough to still film close-ups of people, a 35mm is the one to get, and this Viltrox is a really good one.
Build Quality: It Really Feels PRO
Viltrox calls it “Pro” in the name, and it really does feel like something made for pros. I’d put the build quality slightly below what you get from Sony, but for the price that is very easy to overlook. It’s still very solidly built, with a lot of the features that come on much higher-end Sony GM lenses:
- A very common 77mm filter thread
- An autofocus/manual focus switch
- A customizable button on the lens
- And most impressively, an aperture ring that can be made clickless with a switch on the side, just like on a Sony GM lens
This is a very full-featured lens!
The ONLY Con: It’s Heavy
The only con I can really find from a build standpoint is the weight. The Viltrox comes in at 780 grams, which is definitely a step up over the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM at only 524 grams. Keep the price in mind though, because I still think it’s worth it.
That Rattle Is NORMAL
You may also notice that whenever you’re holding your camera with this lens, it makes a sound if you move it. That’s just the glass elements moving back and forth. Your lens isn’t broken. I’ve had this happen with other lenses as well.
Image Quality: Plenty SHARP For 4K
With any lens, there are usually three things that decide whether it’s good or not: the overall image quality, the autofocus performance, and the amount of focus breathing.
As far as image quality goes, I think it’s quite good. Unfortunately I didn’t have a Sony 35mm F1.4 GM next to it to test and pixel peep, but in my testing this lens is plenty sharp, even at F1.4. If you’re using it for filmmaking in 4K, like I did with the Sony FX3 and the Sony a7S III, I think you’re gonna be really happy with it.
That said, if you put it on a Sony a7R VI, capturing almost 67 megapixel stills and zooming way in, I’m betting you probably will see a difference between this lens and a Sony GM. (If you’re curious about that camera, here’s my full Sony a7R VI review.) But for video, especially in 4K, this lens is great, and I was really happy with the footage I got out of it.
Autofocus: Does It HUNT In Low Light?
This is the area I was a bit concerned about, because I’d read reviews of other Viltrox lenses in this lineup where reviewers said they would hunt for focus sometimes, especially in lower light.
So I actually tested it whenever I filmed an event with my church at twilight, and I’m happy to tell you that I did not experience any focus hunting with this lens. It worked very well, and in every scenario I’ve tested it in, the autofocus has been quick and responsive. If you’re on an FX3 or a7S III, pair it with the autofocus settings I change on every FX3 and a7S III.
Focus Breathing: Where It Gets INTERESTING
I want you to remember that with the Sony 35mm F1.4 GM, focus breathing was a very contentious topic. That lens had a significant amount of it, enough that a lot of filmmakers complained (I got into it in my Sony 35mm GM review for filmmakers). Soon after, Sony released their Breathing Compensation feature for their cameras, which virtually eliminates the issue.
Unfortunately, Breathing Compensation only works with Sony-branded lenses, not third-party lenses like this Viltrox. But here’s where things get really interesting: whenever I tested this 35mm, it had a very minimal amount of focus breathing, hardly any at all. It’s really impressive! So if you were worried about focus breathing with this lens, I wouldn’t be.
So, Should You BUY The Viltrox 35mm F1.4 Pro?
Viltrox told me this lens would be priced at $829, and at the time I’m writing this, Amazon already has it listed for less than that, so check the current price before you decide.
For context, at the time we recorded the video, the Viltrox 85mm F1.4 Pro was about $600, so the 35mm is definitely a step up from that. But it’s noticeably cheaper than the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art, which was $1,050. And the Sony 35mm GM was $1,500 brand new, or $1,140 used at B&H, which is still a pretty healthy price increase over the Viltrox.
So if you’re looking for a well-built 35mm lens with solid autofocus and minimal focus breathing, I think you’re gonna be really happy with the Viltrox 35mm F1.4 Pro. I think it’s a good deal!
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