Viltrox has announced the Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 XF APS-C lens (buy here) for the Fujifilm X mount camera system. With a 56mm focal length on APS-C, you’re getting a similar field of view to an 85mm lens on full-frame, ideal for portraits.
The compact new lens is also lightweight, coming in at only 171g. And while it’s primarily geared towards portraits, its 55cm (~1.8 feet) minimum focus distance lets you shoot smaller subjects close, too.
Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 XF – Their 10th Fuji AF lens
The new Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 XF is an autofocus lens designed for Fujifilm X mount cameras. It joins a growing lineup of third-party lenses for Fuji’s X mount since they opened up the system. Viltrox seems to have been going all-in on Fuji X mount AF lenses, as this is their 10th to be released.
Fuji’s not the only system Viltrox is making their AF lenses for. The Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.4 (buy here), for example, is available on Fuji X, Canon EF-M, Nikon Z and Sony E mounts. I expect this lens will also become available in at least Nikon Z and Sony E mounts.
The Canon situation is a little different. There certainly won’t be a Canon RF version, after Canon ordered them to stop making RF mount AF lenses. Whether we’ll see an EF-M version depends on whether Viltrox thinks it’s worth the effort to keep supporting a dead system.
Designed for lower budgets
The Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 is a little slower than the Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.4, but it’s significantly cheaper. If you’re willing to lose about half a stop of light, that cuts the cost to less than half. The f/1.4 lens sells for around $280-300, while the new Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 sells for $139.
That’s a pretty good deal if you’re on a budget and just starting to build your lens collection. Of course, you’re likely to get better results with more expensive lenses. And not just the more expensive Viltrox 56mm f/1.4 lens, but lenses from your camera manufacturer or longer established third parties such as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina.
That being said, when you’re just starting out, and even when you’re not, you don’t always need perfect. So, the lower budget lenses can make for an excellent option, especially if you don’t need to use the lens wide open.
Now, I haven’t tested the Viltrox 56mm f/1.7 AF, so I’m not sure how it performs wide open. But low-budget lenses like this typically aren’t great at maximum aperture. Stopped down to between f/5.6-8, though, they usually perform just as well as the more expensive options.
Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 Specs
Focal Length56mm
Max aperturef/1.7
Min apertureUnspecified
Optics11 elements in 9 groups
35mm FOV equivalent85mm
Angle of view~28°
Aperture bladesUnspecified
Aperture controlIn-body
Minimum focus distance55cm
Filter diameter52mm
DimensionsUnspecified
Weight171g
Price and Availability
The Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 for Fuji X mount is available to pre-order now for $139 from B&H and Amazon.
