Viltrox AF 14mm f/4.0 Air – Drama on a budget with the new full frame, autofocus lens

I got pretty excited when Viltrox agreed to send me a copy of their new, full frame 14mm auto focus lens, the Viltrox AF 14mm f/4.0 Air. As you might be able to tell from the name, the new lens is part of their “Air” series. I have been using their APS-C versions on my crop-framed Nikon Zfc. Air lenses are noted for being small, light and sharp, and especially in the compact APS-C versions, make terrific traveling companions. I had a trip to Budapest planned and figured the 14mm would be perfect for the interiors and exteriors of the exceptional architecture of the old city, as well as sweeping views of the Danube river.

Of course, it arrived the day after I left, so instead of testing it along the banks of the historic blue Danube, I’d have to give it a shot along the somewhat less impressive banks of the Red river and Lake Texoma here in northern Texas.  Regardless, I was excited to give my first full frame Air lens a try.

The specific lens I would be using is the Viltrox AF 14mm f/4.0 FE (Sony full frame E mount). Just to note, instead of testing the lens on my aging Sony A7s, I decided to use the Viltrox E-Z mount adaptor and test the lens using my much more modern Nikon Z8.

The Viltrox AF 14mm f/4.0 comes nicely boxed and includes a snap on, plastic lens hood and a cloth pouch. You might expect it to be slightly larger and heavier than its APS-C cousins, but the difference is marginal in handling the lens.  Frankly, when mounted on the Z8, even accounting for the relatively thin adaptor, the lens is almost imperceptible, and although performance is the same, aesthetically it looks more comfortable mounted directly to a Sony A7 series camera or even a original Z7. The 14mm lens weighs in at a svelte 170 grams in a Sony mount, with the Z version expected to be marginally heavier.  It holds 12 elements arranged in 9 groups, including 4 ED, 2 HR and 2 aspherical elements. Auto focus is driven by and STM motor and the lens uses a 7 bladed aperture.

The Viltrox AF 14mm f/4.0 is built primarily of high tech plastic, but includes a metal bayonet mount.  Embedded in the mount is a port for software updates, a critical feature for third party lens manufacturers trying to keep up with new or updated camera models.  You’ll find very few other frills: there is a focus ring, lens hood, and white lettering denoting the lens type.  That’s about it.  Viltrox does not advertise weather sealing for the Air series, and none is visibly apparent.  Having said that, the lens does not feel cheaply built in any way.  The only issue I had with build came from the E-Z adaptor, where the registration pin didn’t seem to extend far enough into the lens.  With enough of a push, the lens could be removed unintentionally.  Mounted on an actual Sony body, this wasn’t an issue, The friction was just right and the lens snapped into place with a satisfying click.

At this price point I wasn’t expecting a lot of bells and whistles. Based on my experience with other Viltrox products what I was expecting, or at least hoping for, was good to excellent sharpness without any noticeable flaws.  With that in mind, lets go take a look at the results and how this lens might fit into what you shoot.

A 14mm lens on a full frame camera falls into the ultra-wide category.  I mean, this is a really, really wide perspective, and I imagine most folks will use this for landscapes and architecture, both inside and out.  Just north of where I live, the Red river divides our great state of Texas from the red dirt that is Oklahoma.  Just north of Highway 75 lies lake Texoma, one of the biggest reservoirs in the country, where the dam holds back two and half million-acre feet of water.  The water in both the lake and river has a high salt content from flowing over ancient salt deposits, which makes it one of the only lakes suitable for sustaining a population of striped bass (normally a saltwater fish), and this makes it a fishing destination for anglers from both states.

The wide-open lake provided a good opportunity to check for any hints of mustache, barrel or pincushion distortion.  Although the lake doesn’t have a true water horizon (there is low lying land in the distance) it gets close.  And the structures for the water intake that serves the power station below the dam also gave me a chance to test long horizontal lines.  Oddly, unlike some other Viltrox lenses I own, Lightroom did not recognize this lens yet, but all in all I didn’t find I needed to do any corrections on these images.

Shooting outdoors at 14mm, you will find yourself including a lot of sky, and during the late summer in Texas it can get awfully bright.  I’ve used Lightroom’s sky filter on these shots to try and bring back some contrast, and with the filter on you can start to see when and where vignetting may creep in. But again, it’s fairly minimal for these conditions.  Choosing a maximum aperture of f 4.0 can mitigate a whole host of design challenges that might crop up at larger f stops.

Two other lens characteristics you might look for in a review, bokeh and autofocus speed, are only minor players for this lens.  Get your subject close enough and you will get some out of focus background, but boy do you have to get close.  And AF?  It works fine, but doesn’t have to work very hard because of the natural depth of field.  At the end of the day, the Viltrox AF 14mm f/4.0 is just what I’ve come to expect from the Air series.  It’s small, lightweight, very sharp, and doesn’t have any regrettable flaws.

So who is this lens for?  I like ultra-wide angle lenses, but even as a fan recognize that it’s a niche category.  In many ways, that makes finding a lens like this at such a reasonable price even more attractive.  The people who will be most attracted to this lens (or others in the Air series) will be those of us who carry our cameras around all day;  travelers, hikers, backpackers, bikers and more.  On a Sony A7c or Nikon Zf this would be a great, small, lightweight option.  If you are up to the ultra-wide challenge, the Viltrox AF 14mm f/4.0 is definitely recommended.

The Sony version will be available on September 19, 2025 with a Z version to follow shortly. Cost in the US is a very reasonable $199, slightly more in Europe at 229 Euros. Viltrox will often add discounts at release, so if you are interested, check their site here

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