Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 Air Review: Performance Without Price

A Sony camera is placed on a stone surface in the foreground, with a leather strap attached. In the background, a person in a grey beanie and black jacket is leaning on the surface, slightly out of focus. The overlay text reads "PetaPixel Reviews.

Viltrox is steadily expanding its line of lenses and I’ve committed to making 2025 the year that I review more of them. Viltrox lenses have earned a glowing reputation and I very much enjoyed the 135mm f/1.8. But the latest 25mm f/1.7 comes in at an incredibly low price of $179. Can a lens this affordable make a favorable impression or is it too good to be true?

A person holding a Sony Alpha camera in one hand and a large camera lens in the other. Various camera accessories, including adapters and rings, are spread out on a wooden surface.

You Can Create an Affordable and Wacky Portrait Prime Using Vintage Projector Lenses

Many photographers over the years have toyed with adapting old cinema projector lenses to their modern cameras. Projector lenses encourage creative experimentation because they are plentiful online, relatively cheap (some can be found for around $50 and sometimes even less), and produce interesting images full of character. James Warner, who goes by Snappiness, created a new video explaining how photographers can create their own "amazing portrait lens" using projector lenses.