Viltrox 50mm f/1.4 Pro Review: So Close to Excellent

Oct 18, 2025

Chris Niccolls

Many of us started our photographic journeys with a fixed 50mm lens. Arguments abound about what the best focal length is, but none can deny that a 50mm is the crossover point from wide angles to telephotos. It is a versatile focal length that can accommodate so many different kinds of photography if one is simply willing to move their legs.

Buy the Viltrox 50mm f/1.4 Pro new on B&H Buy the Viltrox 50mm f/1.4 Pro used on KEH.com

On the topic of getting my steps in, I had an amazing opportunity to explore the cities of Brisbane and Sydney, Australia, for the first time ever. So why not challenge myself to return to my roots and shoot all of my Sydney trip with the Viltrox 50mm f/1.4 Pro lens?

This affordable $550 lens should be able to handle almost any level of light. I also loved the character of the Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro and wanted to see if this new optic shared some of the same quirks. My trip turned out to be incredible, but how much of that could be attributed to the new Viltrox 50mm?

A Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.4 FE camera lens is standing upright on a grid-patterned surface, with a dark, out-of-focus background. The lens features a focus ring, aperture markings, and clearly visible branding. — The Viltrox 50mm Pro is a solid lens, but it does take up space in the camera bag.

Viltrox 50mm f/1.4 Pro Review: How It Feels

Having a fast f/1.4 aperture is always handy, but it does come at the cost of some bulk and weight. The Viltrox 50mm isn’t overly heavy, but I wouldn’t call it compact either. At 28.2 ounces (800 grams), it has a bit of heft to it, which I noticed while walking around town. The front is cut for 77mm filters as well, which is pretty big for a 50mm lens.

A black camera lens with a lens hood, labeled "PL-68A" and "AF 50/1.4 FE," stands upright on a grid-patterned surface against a dark background. — The supplied hood is petal-shaped for maximum protection.

Close-up of a professional camera lens showing a "Pro" label, focus mode switch with AF and MF options, and an aperture ring with numbers and an "A" marking. The lens appears black with textured and smooth surfaces. — The Pro series is made with excellent controls and good ergonomics.

I certainly appreciated the build quality, though, as it feaures nice metal construction and control rings. Everything feels premium, and there is a customizable button, as well as a properly indexed aperture ring. The aperture ring can also be switched over to smooth functionality, and both it and the the manual focusing feels good.

Close-up of a black Viltrox camera lens showing focus and aperture rings, labeled "AF 50/1 4 FE" with aperture values from 1.4 to 16, and a textured grip for adjustment. — The aperture ring is machined beautifully and indexed properly.

Close-up of a camera lens against a black background, showing the text "AF 50mm 1:1.4 VCM ASPH ED IF" around the front rim. — The fast f/1.4 aperture lets in lots of light and provides a shallow depth of field.

The lens can also handle some inclement weather with some level of weather sealing, although I did not have an opportunity to really test this as my time in Australia was nothing but sun and heat. There is a rubber gasket around the lens mount to keep out dust and moisture, and a USB-C port in the mount to facilitate firmware updates. The lens hood is a fairly standard plastic arrangement which bayonets into place.

Close-up of a camera lens mount with gold electronic contacts, a red ring around the edge, and reflections visible on the lens glass against a dark background. — There is a rubber gasket around the lens mount.

Close-up of a camera lens with "AF 50mm 1:1.4 VCM ASPH ED IF" labeled on the front, placed on a grid-patterned surface against a dark, blurred background. — The Viltrox takes 77mm filters, which is rather large for a lens like this.

Viltrox 50mm f/1.4 Pro Review: How It Shoots

The build quality is good, but when we start looking at the optical performance, we start to see those quirks that I was talking about. Flare is a good example, where the look at f/1.4 is very different from the other apertures. I noticed a fair amount of ghosting at f/1.4, but even more so an obvious rainbow ring right in the middle of the lens. This can look cool in some situations, but it can look even more distracting in others.

Three side-by-side photos of a tree trunk taken at different apertures (f/1.4, f/5.6, f/13), showing how lens flare changes shape and intensity with aperture settings. — The flare characteristics on this lens are hard to control. It could be fun to manipulate, but it will often be distracting.

Stopping the lens down did reduce the glare and ghosting a fair amount and the rainbow ring went away. However, going to an even tighter aperture around f/11 or so causes the ghosting to become more stark and defined. However you slice it, the Viltrox 50mm Pro is going to have some flare issues that require some managing.

A photographer takes a photo of a woman posing against a jewelry store's window display. The woman is wearing a black top and white pants with hands in pockets, while the photographer is crouched and aiming his camera at her. — A 50mm is a versatile lens to travel with and can be pressed into service for many situations.

Bokeh results are very clean, giving the Viltrox 50mm a beautiful rendition of the out-of-focus areas. This is largely thanks to the very clean specular highlights, which are devoid of any onion ring or soap bubble effects. I loved the way that focus would fall off into the distance. The Viltrox seems to reduce the longitudinal chromatic aberrations, or LoCA, quite well, which causes a color shift in the areas of soft focus. There is some present at f/1.4, but for the most part, the issue is minor.

A woman with long wavy hair wearing a black top and a cross necklace stands indoors near a reflective glass surface, showing her face and her reflection, with a soft, blurred background. — The Viltrox 50mm f/1.4 is perfect for interior shooting, and rendering soft backgrounds.

A couple sits closely together on a wooden bench, facing a tranquil pond surrounded by lush greenery in a park. The scene is peaceful and serene.

A close-up of a hand with two large rings—one shaped like a skull—holding a cigarette. The forearm shows a star tattoo. The background is blurred grass. The image is in black and white.

A black and white photo of a statue on a pedestal in the middle of a pond, surrounded by trees and tall grass, with birds perched on the statue and reflected in the water.

Like many modern lenses, the Viltrox uses a voice coil motor to focus with. These VCM motors tend to be quiet and very smooth. I was also pleased with the speed at which the motor can drive the lens elements and had zero issues when shooting street photography with it. I also noticed almost no lens breathing at all. This shift in the field of view when focusing the lens is effectively non-existent. Coupled with the smooth manual focus experience, this Viltrox is excellent for a videographer’s pursuits as well.

A man in black athletic clothes jogs through open iron gates in a park surrounded by green trees and signs, on a paved path with a pedestrian symbol painted on the ground. — The Viltrox focused fast enough to catch moving subjects at f/1.4.

A person in a blue and yellow jacket, gray sweatpants, and a black cap walks on a city sidewalk while looking at their phone. Behind them is a building with the number 88 in yellow above the doorway.

A man in a gray suit walks down a curved staircase with a green wall and a closed, dark-colored door in the background. The lighting is warm and soft, casting gentle shadows on the steps.

A person with a backpack walks on a city sidewalk, passing under a one-way street sign and in front of posters showing colorful smoke. Shadows and sunlight create dramatic contrasts on the scene.

I wanted to save sharpness for last because another quirk appears at the widest f/1.4 aperture. The overall detail of the lens is quite soft and dreamy-looking at f/1.4, both in the center and corners of the image. There is a noticeable amount of vignetting as well when shooting wide open. However, this effect completely reverses when stopped down even one stop, and contrast becomes excellent across the frame. I’ve seen this in other lenses before, and to some degree, the effect can be useful for backlit shots and portraits. I far prefer a lens that is good at f/1.4 rather than one with a softer-focus effect, because I can always make a sharp image soft later on, if desired.

Side-by-side comparison of camera test charts with currency details, labeled "f/1.4" on the left and "f/2.8" on the right, showing differences in sharpness and detail between the two aperture settings. — Sharpness is good stopped down, but low contrast at f/1.4 is apparent.

A man wearing a tropical print shirt and a beige cap with a patch sits outdoors, holding a rolled cigarette or joint to his mouth. He has long hair, a mustache, and tattoos on his arm. Greenery is blurred in the background. — The lens is sharp when stopped down even slightly and delivers pleasing results.

A person in a brown jacket walks up the steps toward the Sydney Opera House, with its iconic pointed roof and glass windows visible under a clear blue sky.

A person wearing a hat and backpack rides an escalator, reaching toward a mirrored wall reflecting their image in black and white, creating a surreal effect.

A woman stands with her back to the camera, facing a reflecting pool and a large stone monument, surrounded by tall buildings in an urban setting. The image is in black and white.

Regardless of all the quirks involved, I did really enjoy my time in Sydney. I feel like the images I get with the Viltrox lenses I’ve tested are always pleasing to me. There is some character which can be used for creative effect, and the build quality and optical performance are very high. At $550, the 50mm Pro also makes for an affordable experience.

A person sits on the steps in front of the Sydney Opera House, with the building’s iconic sail-like roofs in the background under a clear sky. The photo is in black and white.

A person and a child walk across an elaborate, geometric tiled floor in a shopping mall, viewed from above near an escalator. The scene is in black and white.

A person wearing a reflective vest and hat stands on a city sidewalk with hands behind their back; in the background, another person walks away near a tram stop on a sunny day.

A person in a long dress stands on rocky shore with arms raised, facing the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge across the water under a partly cloudy sky. Black and white photo.

Not Quite Perfect, but Still a Bargain

Where the Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro gave incredibly sharp results with quirky-looking bokeh wide open, this 50mm instead has almost flawless bokeh, with its own level of quirky-looking sharpness and flare wide open. Both perform admirably with even a slightly adjusted aperture. Still, I did find myself a little frustrated having to constantly remind myself to avoid f/1.4 in situations where I would normally just fire away.

That said, it’s hard not see see the value that Viltrox is offering here. For $550, the lens construction is high quality and it can produce spectacular results. You just have to be aware of its limitations.

A middle-aged man with gray hair and a beard, wearing a white button-up shirt, stands against a dark background, softly lit from the side. — Clinton Harn is an accomplished photographer and cinematographer but he also made for a damn good tour guide in Sydney.

Two people sit on a stone ledge by the water at sunset, with the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge visible in the background against a colorful sky.

Tall modern skyscrapers rise above lush green trees and a reflective pond, with benches and people near the water in an urban park, under a cloudy sky.

A man standing on an escalator.

Are There Alternatives?

The Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.4 is a great little lens and slightly more affordable than the Viltrox. It has good bokeh, is sharp at f/1.4, and is much more compact. It is quite basic, though, and feels a little plasticky.

Buy the Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.4 new on B&H Buy the Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.4 used on KEH.com

In the Sony E-mount, you have both the Sony G Master 50mm f/1.4 and the Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4. Both of these lenses are much better at f/1.4 and are excellent across the board, but both are also far more expensive.

Buy the Sony G Master 50mm f/1.4 new on B&H Buy the Sony G Master 50mm f/1.4 used on KEH.com

Buy the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art new on B&H Buy the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art used on KEH.com