The Viltrox AF 15mm f/1.7 Air lens offers a bright, wide angle view in a compact, lightweight body. At 0.4 lbs and just over 2 inches long, it’s easy to keep on your camera without adding bulk. For travel, architecture, or tight interior spaces, having a fast 15mm that fits in a small bag makes a difference in how often you actually bring it along.
Coming to you from Jacek Sopotnicki, this detailed video takes a close look at the Viltrox AF 15mm f/1.7 Air lens. It’s available for Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, and Sony E mounts, covering APS-C sensors with a 22.5mm full frame equivalent field of view. Sopotnicki notes that the build is mostly plastic but with a metal mount, and the focus ring feels smooth. There’s a USB-C port for firmware updates, but no weather-sealing. Wide open at f/1.7, sharpness in the center is already good, with corner performance improving noticeably by f/2.8. The lens shows minimal distortion, though a faint mustache pattern is visible if you look for it.
Vignetting is the most noticeable flaw here, particularly at f/1.7, where it’s strong and remains visible until around f/4. That can be fixed in post, but it’s worth noting if you shoot a lot of flat-lit scenes or want clean skies straight out of camera. Against strong light, the lens performs about as expected, with some flare and smudging but no major loss of contrast. Night shots benefit from well-controlled coma and a pleasing starburst at f/11. Autofocus is quick and accurate, with only a slight audible noise.
Key Specs
-
Focal Length: 15mm (35mm Equivalent: 22.5mm)
-
Aperture: Maximum f/1.7, Minimum f/16
-
Lens Mount: Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, Sony E
-
Format Coverage: APS-C
-
Minimum Focus Distance: 9 in / 22.9 cm
-
Magnification: 0.1x (1:10)
-
Optical Design: 12 Elements in 10 Groups
-
Aperture Blades: 9
-
Focus Type: Autofocus
-
Image Stabilization: No
-
Filter Size: 58 mm
-
Dimensions: 2.6 x 2.2 in / 65 x 56.4 mm
-
Weight: 0.4 lbs / 180 g
If you like to shoot close-ups, the lens maintains good sharpness near its minimum focus distance, though stopping down to f/2.8 gives the best results. There is noticeable focus breathing, which might bother you if you shoot video and need consistent framing during focus pulls. For stills, it’s not much of an issue. Sopotnicki points out that, despite being designed for APS-C, the lens can work in certain cropped 4K modes on some full frame bodies with minimal vignetting. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Sopotnicki.
