Zeiss Milvus 18mm f/2.8 ZE 18mm
Viltrox Air AF 15/1.7 XF 15mm
What Buyers Say
Zeiss Milvus 18mm f/2.8 ZE 18mm
The Zeiss Milvus 18mm f/2.8 is widely praised for its exceptional sharpness, minimal distortion, and superb build quality, making it a top choice for landscape and astrophotography. Users highlight its excellent micro-contrast and flat field, though some note sample variation issues and vignetting wide open. A few concerns about weather sealing and fungus development were raised, but overall it is considered a high-performance manual focus lens.
Pros
- Exceptional sharpness
- Minimal distortion and CA
- Superb build quality
- Excellent micro-contrast
- Flat field
Cons
- Sample variation issues
- Vignetting wide open
- Weather sealing concerns
- Fungus development reported
- Expensive
Viltrox Air AF 15/1.7 XF 15mm
This Viltrox lens range receives overwhelmingly positive feedback for its exceptional value, sharpness, and fast apertures. Users consistently praise the image quality and build, noting it punches far above its price point. A minority report issues with chromatic aberration, noisy autofocus in video, firmware updates, and occasional defective units, but the general sentiment is that these are excellent budget primes.
Pros
- Excellent sharpness
- Fast aperture (f/1.2, f/1.7, f/1.8)
- Great value for money
- Solid build quality
- Fast and accurate autofocus
Cons
- Chromatic aberration in high contrast scenes
- Noisy autofocus in video
- Aperture ring moves too easily
- Firmware update process is cumbersome
- Occasional defective units
Scores
Specifications
| Zeiss Milvus 18mm f/2.8 ZE 18mm | Viltrox Air AF 15/1.7 XF 15mm | |
|---|---|---|
| Optics | ||
| Type | prime | prime |
| Focal Length Min | 18 mm | 15 mm |
| Focal Length Max | 18 mm | 15 mm |
| Elements | 14 | 12 |
| Groups | 12 | 10 |
| Aspherical Elements | 2 | 2 |
| ED Elements | 4★ | 3 |
| Coating | ZEISS T anti-reflective coating | Nano multilayer coating |
| Aperture | ||
| Max Aperture | f/22 | f/16 |
| Min Aperture | f/2.8 | f/1.7 |
| Constant | ✓★ | ✗ |
| Diaphragm Blades | — | 9★ |
| Build | ||
| Mount | Canon EF | Nikon Z |
| Format | full-frame★ | APS-C |
| Weather Sealed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weight | 0.72 kg | 0.18 kg★ |
| Filter Thread | 77 mm | 58 mm |
| AF & Stabilization | ||
| AF Type | manual focus only | STM★ |
| Stabilization | ✗ | ✗ |
| Focus | ||
| Min Focus Distance | 250 mm | 229 mm★ |
| Max Magnification | 1:7 | 1:10 |
Pros & Cons
Zeiss Milvus 18mm f/2.8 ZE 18mm
- Strong optical (89th percentile)89th %ile
- Strong macro (77th percentile)
- Below average bokeh (14th percentile)14th %ile
- Below average af (15th percentile)15th %ile
- Below average aperture (22nd percentile)
- Below average versatility (34th percentile)
Viltrox Air AF 15/1.7 XF 15mm
- Strong build (94th percentile)94th %ile
- Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile
- Strong social proof (82nd percentile)82nd %ile
- Strong optical (81st percentile)81st %ile
- Below average user sentiment (30th percentile)
- Below average versatility (34th percentile)
- Below average stabilization (35th percentile)
Verdict
Scores 69 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 4 of 21 specs.