Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.4 Pro Prime Promises Excellent Image Quality for Just $549

Oct 16, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A black Sigma camera lens with white text markings, placed on a plain white surface, positioned at an angle to show the glass element and focus ring.

Viltrox has announced the AF 50mm f/1.4 Pro lens for Sony E and Nikon Z full-frame mirrorless cameras. The new fast prime lens promises excellent image quality, soft bokeh, and a budget-friendly price tag.

Viltrox says its new prime lens delivers professional-grade image quality thanks to its 15/11 optical structure, which includes eight pieces of high-refractive index (HR) glass among its 15 total elements, three extra-low dispersion lenses, and one ultra-precision aspherical lens. Further, “advanced HD nano coating” helps suppress chromatic aberration and comatic aberrations. Viltrox also says the lens controls flare and ghosting well, and offers clean bokeh free from onion rings.

A black Sony mirrorless digital camera with a large detachable lens, displayed against a dark, seamless background. The camera is angled slightly to show its controls and textured grip.

Speaking of bokeh, the lens features an 11-bladed aperture diaphragm, and Viltrox describes the new lens’s out-of-focus rendering as “pure” and “dreamy.” Real-world testing is required to test all these image quality claims, and PetaPixel will publish its Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.4 soon. However, in the meantime, Viltrox has shared many sample images, seen below, and they look promising. Viltrox has also been on a bit of a hot streak when it comes to new lenses being very good.

A close-up photo of a black camera lens attached to a camera body, set against a dark gray background. The lens details, such as focal length markings, are visible on the rim.

Close-up of a black 50mm f/1.4 camera lens attached to a camera body, showing detailed focus and aperture markings, with a matte finish and textured grip on a dark background.

The new lens features an autofocus system powered by Viltrox’s HyperVCM motor, a voice coil motor system. It promises fast, silent, and accurate autofocus performance. The lens can focus as close as 0.45 meters (1.5 feet), which is a maximum magnification of 0.145x. This is not near macro territory, but should be plenty good enough for close-up portraits and still life photography.

Close-up of a black camera lens showing buttons and switches for autofocus/manual focus, a ring with textured grip, and a “CLICK OFF/ON” switch, against a dark background.

From a design perspective, the Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.4 Pro looks familiar to other recent Viltrox lenses. It includes a large focus ring, a de-clickable aperture control ring, an AF/MF switch, and a customizable function button. The lens is 111 millimeters (4.4 inches) on E mount and 113 millimeters for Nikon Z. In both cases, the lens has a maximum diameter of 84.5 millimeters (3.3 inches) and accepts 77mm filters. The E-mount lens weighs 800 grams (28.2 ounces), and the Z-mount one is 830 grams (29.3 ounces).

Sample Images

A woman in a black, embroidered cheongsam stands by a wooden door with Chinese calligraphy, holding a round fan. She has sleek, styled hair and wears red earrings, gazing thoughtfully into the distance.

A woman in a traditional black dress and large straw hat draped with a red lace veil poses outdoors amidst greenery, looking pensively to the side.

A traditional white building with open black-framed windows overlooks a lush green garden with dense trees. An old, curved tiled roof runs beneath the windows. Soft light filters through the foliage outside.

A woman with dark hair in a low bun, wearing a black velvet sleeveless dress with floral embroidery and red earrings, stands by a window looking thoughtfully outside.

A woman in a sleeveless black velvet dress poses indoors, holding a round embroidered fan near her face. She has sleek, dark hair pulled back and wears red and black earrings, with greenery visible through the window behind her.

A woman with dark hair leans on a balcony railing, gazing thoughtfully into the distance. She holds a red decorative flower and wears elegant earrings, with greenery blurred in the background.

A woman with short dark hair, wearing a white shirt and beige pants, stands by a railing on a city street with neon signs, blurred cars, and people in the background.

A woman in a long, loose white dress stands against a textured, sunlit wall with peeling paint. She looks to the side, partially in shadow, with large earrings and her dark hair tied back.

A woman in a white dress stands by a window, looking outside with soft sunlight on her face. Her reflection appears in the glass, and green leaves are visible through the window.

A young woman with short dark hair, wearing a white shirt, sits alone on a bus. The city is visible through the window, and the bus interior is softly lit in the evening. She gazes directly at the camera.

A silhouette of a person with short hair, facing sideways, stands against a glowing yellow-orange background. Their features are mostly in shadow, emphasizing the contrast between figure and light.

Pricing and Availability

The Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.4 Pro lens for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts is available now for just $549, which puts it well below the price of Sony’s 50mm f/1.4 G Master lens ($1,448) and actually about the same price as Nikon’s surprisingly affordable Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.4 lens (currently on sale for just under $500). However, Nikon’s premier 50mm prime, the Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S, is $2,046.95 at current market prices.

Buy the Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.4 Pro new on Amazon.com Buy the Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.4 Pro used on KEH.com

Image credits: Viltrox