Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 XF 28mm

Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 XF 28mm

Viltrox
58 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 AF 28mm F4.5 XF 28mm

72 out of 100 medium confidence 20 reviews

The Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 pancake lens is widely praised for its ultra-compact size, lightweight design, and excellent value, making it a favorite for street photography and travel. Users note it turns a full-frame camera into a highly portable setup, though the fixed f/4.5 aperture and lack of manual focus ring are limiting for some. Image quality is considered good for the price, but low-light performance and autofocus in dim conditions are common drawbacks. A few users reported a stuck rear lens cap or battery drain on certain Sony models, but overall sentiment is positive for its intended casual use.

Pros
  • Ultra-compact and lightweight design
  • Excellent value for the price
  • Great for street photography and travel
  • Sharp image quality for its class
  • Built-in lens cover
Cons
  • Fixed f/4.5 aperture
  • No manual focus ring
  • Poor low-light autofocus
  • Battery drain on Sony A5100
  • Stuck rear lens cap issue
👍 Portability 12
👍 Value for money 10
🤔 Image quality 8
👎 Fixed aperture 5
🤔 Autofocus performance 5
👎 Low light performance 4

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
59
Sony
100
Street
Viltrox
70
Sony
87
Portrait
Viltrox
62
Sony
87
Travel
Viltrox
64
Sony
85
Wildlife Sports
Viltrox
60
Sony
84
Video Cinema
Viltrox
69
Sony
83
Professional
Viltrox
70
Sony
73
Landscape
Viltrox
57
Sony
73
Macro
Viltrox
50
Sony
68

Specifications

Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 XF 28mmSony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Optics
Typeprimezoom
Focal Length Min28 mm18 mm
Focal Length Max28 mm135 mm
Elements616
Groups612
Aspherical Elements2★1
ED Elements3★2
CoatingHD Nano Coating—
Aperture
Max Aperturef/4.5f/3.5
Min Aperturef/4.53.5-5.6
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades67★
Build
MountFujifilm XSony E
FormatAPS-CAPS-C
Weather Sealed✓★✗
Weight0.06 kg★0.33 kg
Filter Thread—55 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeVCMLinear motor★
Stabilization✓✓
Focus
Min Focus Distance340 mm★450 mm
Max Magnification0.1x0.29x★

Pros & Cons

Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 XF 28mm

  • Strong build (100th percentile)100th %ile
  • Strong stabilization (80th percentile)80th %ile
  • Below average user sentiment (16th percentile)16th %ile
  • Below average macro (31st 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 (90th percentile)90th %ile
  • Strong stabilization (80th percentile)80th %ile

Pricing

Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 XF 28mm is $699 cheaper (8.1x less).

Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 XF 28mm0.581score per dollar
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS0.113score per dollar

Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 XF 28mm offers 5.1x better value for money

Verdict

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

Scores 90 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 3 of 21 specs.

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

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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