Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 AIR (XF) Review: The Perfect Travel-Friendly Budget Prime
The Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 Air is not trying to be fancy, and that is exactly why I like it. It is small, light, and sharp where it counts. This lens does not need a hype squad. I have thrown it on my Fujifilm XT-5, tossed the camera in my camera bag and sometimes in my coat pocket (I know), and walked out the door without a second thought.
The story behind this lens: My friend lent me his copy for a few weeks of travel, he claimed it was a “must-have” for a trip to Europe, so I tossed it in my camera bag and scurried off to Spain to eat tapas, drink sangria, and ingest more Jamon Iberico than should ever be consumed by any human in an entire lifetime. Side note: Spain, are you OK? Do you guys know that chickens are a thing? And that they’re edible? I digress.
Back to the review:
It’s not enough to say that I was floored with how good this lens was. Yes, floored by the lens, not the pitchers of Sangria we kept ordering, but that’s another story. It was so sharp, the Auto Focus was snappy, and the rendering of Fuji’s colors so crisp that I ordered my own copy from Amazon while I was traveling. Viltrox has really stepped it up in the past few years, and this new series of AIR lenses are some of their best work.
This Is Not A Sponsored Review
Why should you care what I have to say? Well, I bought this lens with my own money and Viltrox doesn’t know I exist. So you can be confident that my opinions are only influenced by my experiences working and traveling with this lens.Build and Handling
“Plastic Fantastic?” Yep. Come at me.
At 170 grams, this lens barely exists on your camera. The body is plastic, there is no aperture ring, no weather sealing, the lens hood is also plastic, but that is the reason it is so light. People love to complain about materials until they have to carry something all day. Then they get quieter than the current administration when asked about the Epstein files. It is not a premium build, but the price is also less than $175 at the time of writing. Like my therapist says - you need to learn to compromise.
Field of View
Wide Enough for the Streets, Tight Enough for the Face
The 25mm gives you a 37 millimeter equivalent view, street shots look natural, portraits look flattering, and it never feels awkward. This focal length lends itself well to travel, and portraits, and even some landscapes. This lens surprised me, and in a good way. I didn’t know it would become my favorite travel prime.
Image Quality
Sharp Enough to Shut People Up
At f/1.7 the center sharpness is strong and the background blur looks smooth. Corners get a little soft, sure, but when you are traveling, who cares what the corner bricks of a building look like. The story is in the subject, not the pixels at the edge. Now, the sample photos below are travel photos, they are not professional work, but you get the idea. You be the judge. Also, yes, I know my wife is beautiful, thank you.
Autofocus
If You Miss, That’s On You (mostly)
Autofocus is fast, quiet, and reliable. Eye detection works just fine on my XT-5 with the latest firmware update, so if your subject is out of focus, you could (maybe) blame your timing. In all seriousness, I had no issues. Will you use it for wedding photography? Probably not, but if you’re shooting weddings, you already know what kind of lenses you need.
Price and Value
Costs Less Than a Weekend Trip
At around $176 dollars, the Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 AIR lens is cheaper than most hotel stays. For that price you get a lens that works for portraits, street photography, food, and casual landscapes. Beginners will love it. Pros will respect it (maybe). Will you regret it? No, but you’re also reading this on the toilet so…
Final Thoughts
A surprisingly good showing from Viltrox
This is genuinely one of the best budget lenses for Fujifilm at the moment, especially if you like to travel with a featherweight prime lens that’s going to give you good low-light performance and crisp, sharp, color-accurate images.
If you’ve been convinced to purchase this lens, please use one of my affiliate links so I can continue to create ad-free reviews on Fujifilm gear in the future. Thanks!