Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm

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

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

Sony
91 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm

80 out of 100 high confidence 76 reviews

The Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 lens is widely praised for its excellent image quality, solid build, and outstanding value for money. Many users find it sharp, fast, and versatile for landscapes, astrophotography, and video. However, a few have reported autofocus inconsistencies, occasional bricking after months of use, and some limitations like unchangeable display units and manual-only aperture on certain mounts.

Pros
  • Excellent image sharpness
  • Great value for money
  • Solid metal build quality
  • Fast and quiet autofocus
  • Bright f/1.8 aperture
Cons
  • Autofocus can be unreliable
  • Lens hood does not snap tightly
  • Some copies brick after months
  • Display only shows meters, not feet
  • Aperture control manual only on some mounts
👍 Image quality 25
👍 Value for money 20
👍 Build quality 18
🤔 Autofocus performance 15
👍 Low light performance 10
👎 Lens hood 3

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
61
Sony
100
Portrait
Viltrox
48
Sony
88
Street
Viltrox
55
Sony
87
Travel
Viltrox
50
Sony
85
Wildlife Sports
Viltrox
57
Sony
84
Video Cinema
Viltrox
58
Sony
83
Professional
Viltrox
67
Sony
73
Landscape
Viltrox
66
Sony
73
Macro
Viltrox
72
Sony
68

Specifications

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mmSony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Optics
Typewide-anglezoom
Focal Length Min16 mm18 mm
Focal Length Max16 mm135 mm
Elements1516
Groups1212
Aspherical Elements3★1
ED Elements4★2
CoatingHD Nano Multilayer Coating—
Aperture
Max Aperturef/22f/3.5
Min Aperturef/1.83.5-5.6
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades9★7
Build
MountSony ESony E
Formatfull-frame★APS-C
Weather Sealed✓★✗
Weight0.55 kg0.33 kg★
Filter Thread77 mm55 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeSTMLinear motor★
Stabilization✗✓★
Focus
Min Focus Distance270 mm★450 mm
Max Magnification1:10★0.29x

Pros & Cons

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm

  • Strong optical (94th percentile)94th %ile
  • Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile
  • Strong social proof (81st percentile)81st %ile
  • Strong macro (75th percentile)
  • Below average aperture (22nd percentile)
  • Below average bokeh (24th percentile)
  • 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 (81st percentile)81st %ile

Pricing

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm is MX$3,518 cheaper (1.3x less).

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm0.006score per dollar
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS0.007score per dollar

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS offers 1.2x better value for money

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm

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

Verdict

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

Scores 91 overall, wins 8 of 9 usage categories and 3 of 21 specs.

Viltrox AF 16/1.8 FE 16mm Better at:

Macro

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

BudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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