Viltrox’s Refined AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB N Lens Ditches the Display
Viltrox has announced a “new” 35mm prime lens, the AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB N FE. Viltrox describes the lens as a refinement of its original AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB released last year.
The biggest difference between the new AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB N FE and the other AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB lens is that Viltrox has removed the information display from the lens. The “N” in the model name stands for “Non-Display Version.” Viltrox describes this move as creating a “cleaner, more unified design.”
The other notable change on offer is that a stepped aperture control ring has replaced the multi-function control ring. On the original AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB lens, users could customize this ring to perform different functions. Viltrox says the move to a dedicated aperture control ring better caters to user demand and delivers “precise [aperture] adjustments.”
Otherwise, the new lens is the same as before. Its optical construction, including its 15-element, 10-group design, has not changed. The lens still features Viltrox’s Quad Hyper Voice Coil Motor (VCM) autofocus system that promises quick, quiet, and precise focusing. Even the lens’s weight hasn’t changed despite the removal of the screen, it’s still 910 grams (two pounds) in E-Mount.
Speaking of the mounts, as of yet, Viltrox has only announced the new AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB N lens for Sony E-mount, while Nikon Z-mount owners still have just the display version available. It is a safe bet a non-display Z-mount version is on its way, pending the outcome of Nikon and Viltrox’s legal battle in China, of course. It also remains to be seen whether the Viltrox AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens, available for both Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount, will receive a similarly refined “N” version later.
When PetaPixel reviewed the AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB lens last year, calling it “another budget winner” and an overall excellent lens, Chris Niccolls knocked the lens’s control ring.
“[It] is still a serious source of frustration for me. It can be set to both clickable or smooth functionality but the click-stops are obnoxiously noisy and do not line up properly with third or half-stop increments,” Niccolls explained. Hopefully, the new aperture control ring will deliver a more pleasant user experience. Viltrox believes it will.
Niccolls won’t miss the LCD, either.
“Furthermore, Viltrox opts to use a digital LCD on top of the lens which certainly adds an air of prestige but is hard to view in practice. The focusing distance is nice to see but the aperture values are small and awkward to view. This same issue is shared by the 135mm LAB lens and I feel is a real misstep. I would far prefer traditional engraved and painted values right on the lens housing,” he wrote.
Pricing and Availability
Although it would have been nice if removing the LCD came with a commensurate price drop, it is not to be. The Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.2 LAB N FE retains the same $999 price of its screen-equipped sibling. However, speaking of the version with the display, that is currently 15 percent off until the end of the day on April 26, bringing its price down to $849.15. This is also true for the Nikon Z-mount version, despite it not yet having the new “N” variant.
Image credits: Viltrox
