Viltrox 15mm F/1.7 Wide-Angle Lens Introduced to Air Series – Very Small and Very Fast

Viltrox has introduced a 15mm F/1.7 lens to their Air lineup for APS-C cameras, the first wide-angle in the series. It’s compact enough to fit in your pocket and priced at $239, which puts it firmly in the budget category. That might be enough reason to take notice, but it also raises a few questions, such as whether a lens this small and this fast can deliver the kind of quality most shooters expect, even from an entry-level lens. Let’s have a look.

Viltrox continues to expand their lineup across multiple fronts. Last month, they announced their first aerial lens, and at last year’s IBC 2024, they showed us the LUNA, a 42-420mm T5.6 cine zoom lens for large format cameras. The Viltrox Air series focuses on compact, affordable lenses for APS-C creators. That range, from entry-level autofocus primes to specialty cinema glass, shows how Viltrox is positioning itself as a brand with surprising breadth.

Small but mighty

What stands out most to me about the Viltrox 15mm F/1.7 Air lens is its combination of speed, size, and price. Most other wide-angle lenses that are this small either stop at f/2 or f/2.8, or they get bigger and pricier if they’re faster. The Viltrox weighs only 180g/6.34 oz to 195g/6.9 oz (varies slightly by mount), and is about 56mm (2.2in) in length, truly small enough to fit in your pocket. Like other lenses in the Air series, this one is also minimal in weight and size without sacrificing too much in terms of aperture or everyday usability. In addition, the lens supports Exif data transmission and firmware updates via USB-C.

Now for image quality

For a lens this small, the Viltrox 15mm F/1.7 Air has a surprising amount of optical design. There are 12 elements in 10 groups, including three extra-low dispersion elements to reduce chromatic aberration and three high-refractive elements that help maintain sharpness toward the edges. Two aspherical elements should keep distortion under control, plus the lens has a water and dust-resistant coating. It’s the kind of design you might expect from a more expensive lens, and it suggests that Viltrox isn’t cutting corners when it comes to image quality.

Auto-focus and close focus

Viltrox has fitted the lens with a stepping motor (STM) that handles both autofocus and manual focus. According to the company, it’s designed to be fast and quiet, so well-suited for video. While it may not keep up with premium systems in terms of tracking or speed, it should hold its own for most everyday shooting. The lens focuses as close as 0.23 m (9.1 in), with a maximum magnification of 0.1x, so it’s not meant for macro work, but is still useful for capturing details within a wide field of view.

What not to expect

At this price point, a few trade-offs are to be expected. The lens has minimal controls, doesn’t include weather sealing, and while the body isn’t metal (although the bayonet is hardened aluminum-alloy), its lightweight construction is part of what makes it so portable. And as mentioned above, the autofocus is driven by a stepping motor, which may not offer the same tracking performance as higher-end systems. Still, for everyday shooting with a bright F/1.7 aperture in such a compact form, the compromises seem well-balanced.

Specifications

• Lens Mount: E, Z, XF
• Lens Elements: 12/10
• Focal Length: 15mm
• Viewing Angle: 84.9°
• Aperture: F1.7-F16
• Number of Aperture Blades: 9
• Shooting Distance: 0.23m-∞
• Focus Mechanism: Internal focus
• Focus Motor: STM
• Focus Mode: MF, AF
• Max. magnification: 0.1x
• Lens Size: ø: 2.6 x L: 2.2″ / ø: 65 x L: 56.4 mm
  Weight: ≈180g (bare lens)
• Filter Size: Φ58mm

Price and availability

The 15mm F/1.7 joins Viltrox’s Air series, an expanding line of small, lightweight autofocus primes designed for APS-C mirrorless systems. The lens is available now from Amazon and other retailers, with a listed price of around $239. For more information, head over to the Viltrox website.

Do you own one of Viltrox’s Air lenses? How does the price-to-performance stack up for you? Share your thoughts in the comments.