TechRadar Verdict
The Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 lens might just be the smallest autofocus lens I’ve played with in over 15 years of testing camera gear, and I really like it. It’s a playful optic with surprising central sharpness, pronounced vignetting that directs your attention to centrally placed subjects, and characterful flare, which can be a little too exaggerated in bright light. I don’t mind it’s the lack of weather sealing and the fixed f/4.5 aperture – this is a sub-$100 lens that’s only 15mm in length and weighs only 60g, after all – but I would have liked to have had the manual focus option. Of course, it won’t replace larger premium lenses, but the 28mm f/4.5 is a true hooded lens that can live on your camera, its distinct images a huge creative bonus.
Benefits
- +
Incredibly small autofocus lens
- +
Incredibly low cost
- +
Central sharpness, characteristic lens distortions
Disadvantages
- –
No manual focus
- –
Limit concentration
- –
Not weatherproof
- –
Fixed aperture f/4.5
- –
No filter wire
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Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5: one minute review
I mean, the pictures don’t do justice to the incredibly small size of the Viltrox AF 28mm f4.5 lens. This is a true hooded lens, meaning you can have it on your Sony, Nikon or Fujifilm mirrorless camera at all times, with no real imprint, ready to go for quick wide-angle shots.
Yet despite the Viltrox AF 28mm f4.5’s tiny proportions – it’s just 15.3mm long and weighs 60g – it has autofocus and a respectable f/4.5 fixed aperture. This is much faster than other cap/pancake lenses I’ve tried, like the Panasonic 26mm f/8.
Oh, and did I mention that the central details are surprisingly sharp? These will be the 6 lens elements in 6 groups crammed inside, two of which are ED and two others are aspherical optics.
The quality drops somewhat in the corners and reflections are noticeable. So, if you are looking for technical perfection and supreme versatility, then the Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 Fixed Focus and Fixed Aperture is not for you. What it is, though, is a memorable lens that I’m sure you’ll love, and boy is it cheap.
Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5: price and availability
- Available in Sony E, Nikon Z and Fujifilm X mounts
- It costs $99 / £90 / AU$169, but Viltrox regularly cuts its targets by 15%
- There is currently no indication on Canon RF or L-mount versions
The Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 first appeared for the Sony E-mount in September 2024, and has since been released in the Nikon Z and Fujifilm X-mount versions. I wouldn’t expect a Canon version since the camera giant has been suing Viltrox and those bridges seem burned (Nikon is next). Viltrox has joined the L-mount alliance though, so there could be an L-mount version for Panasonic, Leica and Sigma cameras – this could be a great pairing with the Lumix S9, for example.
List price in the Viltrox store and trusted retailers is $99 / £90 / AU$169 (see best price links below). The 28mm f/4.5 offers excellent value at full price, although I regularly see Viltrox offering discounts on their lenses sitewide, usually around 15%. I saw the lens for even cheaper in cheap Chinese import online stores.
I usually include a Also Consider section in my reviews, but being available in three mediums, there are too many alternatives to present them wisely individually. For Nikon cameras, the Z 26mm f/2.8 is possible, but it costs 5 times the price, while the 24mm f/1.7 DX (for APS-C) costs about 2.5 times the price – both are larger than the Viltrox lens.
Fujifilm has its own XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR, which again costs significantly more than the Viltrox, as well as the wider XF 23mm f/2.8 which was announced alongside the X-E5.
Sony makes a wide-angle 20mm f/2.8 lens, while other third parties include TT Artisans with its AF 27mm f/2.8, which looks a lot like Fujifilm’s aforementioned 27mm lens for a much lower price.
For more options, check out my best Sony lenses and my best Nikon lens guides. Let me know in the comments below if you would be interested in a guide to the best Fujifilm lenses.
Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5: specifications
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Type: | Wide angle lens |
To go up: | Sony E, Nikon Z, Fujifilm |
Sensor: | Full frame |
Focal length: | 28mm (or 42mm effective on Sony, Nikon and Fujifilm APS-C cameras) |
Maximum opening: | f/4.5 |
Minimum focus: | 0.32 m, 0.11x magnification |
Filter size: | N / A |
Dimensions: | 60.3 x 15.3mm |
Weight: | From 2.1 oz / 60 g |
Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5: design
This is a fun lens, with many quirks that won me over, one being the sliding lens cap, which protects the otherwise non-sealed lens from damage. It’s just as well that the lens cap is integrated, because a removable lens cap would be the smallest of all, no bigger than a dime. I would give myself less than a week before losing something like that.
And anyway, there’s nowhere to click on a lens cap – there’s no thread for lens filters, which is normally where a snap-on lens cap is. No, it’s just the nice sliding lens cap, which is what I care about.
Honestly, I was surprised that Viltrox was able to install such a small, but more economical lens with autofocus. Next to these electronic contacts (which provide full communication between the camera and lens for autofocus, as well as metadata) is a USB-C port, which makes future firmware updates possible.
When it comes to focusing, there’s another surprise: there’s no manual focus option. No, it’s an autofocus lens only – so you rely on your camera’s autofocus skills.
Fortunately, I found autofocus performance with my mid-range Nikon full-frame camera to be fast with the lens – but that’s no surprise considering how lightweight the 6 tiny lens elements are.
I suppose adding a focus ring for manual focus would increase the mass of the lens and dilute its charm, but this is the feature I missed the most, as autofocus can sometimes miss the target. It helps to take control at such times.
The minimum focus is 1.05ft/0.32m, giving a maximum magnification of 0.11x. In short, the lens’ close focusing capabilities are quite limited for such a wide-angle lens. The ability to focus closer is second on my wish list for this lens.
However, I don’t mind the fixed aperture of f/4.5 – it’s true, you can’t stop down to increase the depth of field. For me, f/4.5 is a decent all-around aperture with a full-frame camera: it’s shallow enough to blur backgrounds (when your subject/focus distance is close) and deep enough for sharp details when your focus distance is further. However, what it’s less ideal for is low-light photography.
As you can see in the product photo above, the Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 lens fits perfectly on a full-frame camera. In fact, the grip of the Z6 II camera I was using for this test is deeper than that of the lens.
To me, Viltrox’s cap-style lens makes more sense when paired with a smaller camera than the mid-range model above, and makes even more sense with an APS-C model rather than a full-frame model. I’ll explain why in a moment.
It’s currently designed for the Sony E, Nikon Z, and Fujifilm X-mount versions, so thin camera types that would fit the lens include the Sony ZV-E10 II/A6700, Fujifilm Lumix users will surely be hoping that an L-mount version becomes available, especially since Viltrox joined the L-mount alliance last year.
Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5: performance
As for the image quality, I was pleasantly surprised. The details are nice and crisp in the center. You’ll find plenty of other premium primes that are even sharper, but with a little extra sharpening applied in Adobe Camera Raw, I’m not complaining at all here. On the contrary, I am impressed.
Sharpness diminishes somewhat in the corners, and there is significant vignetting in the corners, which again benefit from post corrections. That said, these two noticeable lens distortions direct the eye to the center of images and can add character. As such, I avoided heavy lens corrections and leaned into this style with my sample images.
It is these corner lens distortions that also make a strong argument for using the Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 lens with an APS-C camera, as most of its image quality weaknesses (technically speaking nt) are outside the effective frame of 42 mm.
I haven’t used the lens with an APS-C camera, but if that was all I did, I would be even more impressed with the optical quality because those larger distortions would be outside the frame. And this closer perspective with APS-C makes it a compelling everyday lens: you’ll never need to take it off the camera.
The same feeling about corner quality can be expressed regarding reflections. Viltrox himself considers the starburst effect to be an appeal for this lens – it’s sometimes pronounced and a bit exaggerated, but again, I file this under character rather than ugly.
I was also able to experience some light leak effects when shooting towards the sun. These are the kinds of effects that could work well in 2026 and beyond, where authentic, lo-fi images tend to take over technically perfect ones.
The “flaws” I’ve highlighted in this review are worth noting, but take them in context; this is a small lens at under $100. The design drawbacks and optical quirks only add to the charm of a lens I really like.
Should I buy the Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5?
Buy it if…
- Viltrox sent me the Z-mount version of the lens
- I paired it with a full frame Nikon Z6 II
- I tested the lens for a few months, in a wide range of scenarios
I had plenty of time to use the Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 lens – at least two months. I’ve paired it with a full-frame Nikon camera, but haven’t used it with an APS-C model.
Being a fixed focal length, fixed aperture lens, my testing didn’t get bogged down in comparisons of aperture and distortion at different focal lengths – I was free to use this lens in a very real way.
I’ve photographed everything from portraits to landscapes and everyday observations. I used the lens in good and poor lighting, and took photos toward and around the sun/strong light sources to check for flare characteristics.
First revision in February 2026
Tim is the Camera Editor at TechRadar. He has spent more than 15 years in the photo and video industry, most of them in the world of technology journalism. During his tenure as Assistant Technical Editor at Amateur Photographer, as a freelancer and subsequently editor at Tech Radar, Tim developed extensive technical knowledge and hands-on experience with cameras, educating others through news, reviews and features. He has also worked in video production for Studio 44 with clients such as Canon, and spends his free time consulting with a diverse non-profit story team based in Nairobi. Tim is curious, a keen, creative and passionate footballer and runner, and a moderate flat white drinker who has lived in Kenya and believes we have much to appreciate and learn from each other.
