Viltrox’s New 16mm f/1.8 Sony Lens Features Autofocus and a Large LCD

Viltrox has announced a new 16mm f/1.8 autofocus lens for full-frame Sony E-mount that features a large LCD screen for displaying current lens settings.

While the company hasn’t published any information on availability of the lens through its official channels, Pergear has listed the new AF 16mm f/1.8 Lens on its online store.

It is described as a full-frame wide-angle lens with a large aperture which still promises “excellent” autofocus performance.

The Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 lens is constructed of 15 elements arranged into 12 groups, which includes three aspherical elements and four extra-low dispersion elements that the company says combine to provide ultra-high resolution with effectively controlled dispersion, ghosting, and glare.

The lens features an aperture range of f/1.8 through f/22 via a nine-bladed diaphragm that is described as producing “beautiful bokeh” for a super wide-angle lens. That fast aperture also promises improved low-light performance.

Autofocus is driven by a stepping motor, which Viltrox says provides “high driving force” for precise autofocus that works with Sony tracking technology, including face and eye focus.

The most unusual aspect of the lens is the inclusion of a large color LCD on the “top” of the optic (top when viewing the lens when it is attached to a camera). Viltrox describes it as able to display lens information during shooting and is specifically an RGB IPS display with a resolution of 160 by 80 pixels. That isn’t terribly high resolution, but the LCD is much larger than any that are typically found on a lens and it rivals or exceeds the size of displays that are found on the top plate of some cameras.

The fact that it is capable of displaying full color is also unique, as top-mounted camera displays typically are black and white. Viltrox has not shared many photos of what this display looks like while active, with only one published to Twitter and a few published to the company’s Weibo.

In the examples, the display seems to generally show only black and white, but in a few examples, a red line can be seen highlighting the aperture’s setting, which would only be useful information if the physical aperture dial was set to Auto.

Speaking of the aperture, the lens has the ability to click and de-click the dial, making the lens useful for both photo and video applications.

The Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 Lens for Sony E-mount is available to pre-order for $549. It is expected to start shipping by May 26.

Image Credits: Viltrox