Viltrox 40mm f/2.5 FE 40mm

Viltrox 40mm f/2.5 FE 40mm

Viltrox
86 Overall Score
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony
90 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Viltrox 40mm f/2.5 FE 40mm

85 out of 100 medium confidence 13 reviews

The Viltrox AF 40mm f/2.5 lens is widely praised as an exceptional value, delivering sharp images, good color rendition, and solid autofocus at a fraction of the cost of Sony alternatives. Users highlight its lightweight, compact design, making it ideal for travel and everyday carry. While some note it lacks weather sealing and the maximum aperture is f/2.5 rather than f/2, most find the optical quality and performance far exceed expectations for the price. A few mention it may require some post-processing, but overall sentiment is overwhelmingly positive.

Pros
  • Excellent value for money
  • Sharp image quality
  • Lightweight and compact
  • Good autofocus performance
  • Pleasant color rendition
Cons
  • No weather sealing
  • Maximum aperture f/2.5 (not f/2)
  • Plastic build (except mount)
  • May require post-processing
  • Manual focus not linear
👍 Value for money 8
👍 Image quality 7
🤔 Build quality 5
👍 Autofocus performance 5
👍 Size and weight 6
👎 Weather sealing 2

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

82 out of 100 high confidence 117 reviews

The Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens is widely praised as an excellent all-in-one travel and walkaround lens for APS-C E-mount cameras. Users consistently highlight its sharpness, compact size, light weight, and versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range. While many note it is not ideal for low light and some report significant vignetting at the wide end, the overall sentiment is very positive, with most considering it a great value kit lens upgrade.

Pros
  • Sharp image quality
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range
  • Effective optical image stabilization
  • Fast and accurate autofocus
Cons
  • Significant vignetting at 18mm wide end
  • Not ideal for low light photography
  • Variable aperture limits brightness at telephoto
  • Some copies may have quality control issues
  • Slight autofocus lag compared to premium lenses
👍 Image quality 35
👍 Build quality 12
👍 Value for money 18
👎 Vignetting 6
👎 Low light performance 10
👍 Zoom range 25

Scores

Budget
Viltrox
82
Sony
100
Street
Viltrox
91
Sony
87
Portrait
Viltrox
87
Sony
86
Travel
Viltrox
66
Sony
85
Wildlife Sports
Viltrox
67
Sony
84
Video Cinema
Viltrox
78
Sony
83
Landscape
Viltrox
58
Sony
76
Professional
Viltrox
68
Sony
73
Macro
Viltrox
66
Sony
68

Specifications

Viltrox 40mm f/2.5 FE 40mmSony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Optics
Typeprimezoom
Focal Length Min40 mm18 mm
Focal Length Max40 mm135 mm
Elements1016
Groups612
Aspherical Elements11
ED Elements12★
Coatinghigh-definition nano multi-layer coating—
Aperture
Max Aperturef/2.5f/3.5
Min Aperturef/2.53.5-5.6
Constant✗✗
Diaphragm Blades77
Build
MountSony ESony E
Formatfull-frame★APS-C
Weather Sealed✗✗
Weight0.17 kg★0.33 kg
Filter Thread52 mm55 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeSTMLinear motor★
Stabilization✓✓
Focus
Min Focus Distance340 mm★450 mm
Max Magnification0.34m-∞★0.29x

Pros & Cons

Viltrox 40mm f/2.5 FE 40mm

  • Strong social proof (91st percentile)91st %ile
  • Strong aperture (90th percentile)90th %ile
  • Strong build (88th percentile)88th %ile
  • Strong bokeh (87th percentile)87th %ile
  • Below average versatility (34th percentile)

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

  • Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong versatility (96th percentile)96th %ile
  • Strong social proof (91st percentile)91st %ile
  • Strong stabilization (80th percentile)80th %ile

Pricing

Viltrox 40mm f/2.5 FE 40mm

No current pricing available

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Verdict

★ Winner: Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Scores 90 overall, wins 6 of 9 usage categories and 2 of 21 specs.

Viltrox 40mm f/2.5 FE 40mm Better at:

Street

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Better at:

BudgetTravelLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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