Yes. While I might have questioned the 20mm equivalent focal length at the beginning, it is quite clear that — while maybe not as popular as other focal lengths — there is a market. The lens adds a focal length option that isn’t available in Fujifilm’s first-party lineup and what Viltrox has made here works well, especially for the price.

There is no lens stabilization, which means you have to rely on your camera's own IBIS for handheld shots or filming. This is not a bad thing, however, as most cameras nowadays have IBIS. This also keeps the price of the lens down and competitive. Performance As you can see from the lineup, the Fujifilm 27mm is a svelte pancake lens that really suits the ergonomics of a street camera; the Viltrox 23mm and 56mm look positively DSLR-like in origin by comparison. The 13mm is a step above those in both size and weight. It’s ideally suited to vlogging where you want that sense of breadth, space, and intimacy. Likewise, it would find a home in many stills shooters’ bags where it would excel in landscape, architecture, and astrophotography. If you haven’t shot with a 20mm equivalent lens — regardless of system — then give it a try. You may just find it fits a niche that you had been looking for. Viltrox has also covered a lot of bases here from the quality construction, fast AF, and well-controlled images.You can see the low levels of distortion in the lines of the room. This will be a nice lens for those that want to do real estate video or photos.

It’s not perfect, inevitably suffering from flare when stopped down and soft corners, particularly at wider apertures. Its sweet spot is around f/8.0 where you can expect to routinely capture quality images. However that f/1.4 maximum aperture will appeal to those in search of light — think to mosh pit or starry sky — while also offering bokeh potential at a wide angle. The lens is constructed of 14 elements in 11 groups, which includes four ED and two aspheric elements and a multi-layer coated, waterproof, front optic. It has a nine-blade aperture, weighs 420 grams, and takes a larger 67mm filter. As it is a fly-by-wire design, it comes with a micro-USB port that allows firmware upgrades which Viltrox has be forthcoming with. Out of the box, there are front and rear lens caps, a cloth case, and a lens hood.

Great Lens, Great Price

I also found that the transitions from my face to my hand during my tests were smooth and confident, with focus immediately returning to my eyes when the obstruction was removed. Focus breathing is also minimal, making this a nice lens for video or vlogging (due to the excellent focal length for this task). Of course there are, although perhaps unusually nothing that is directly comparable in terms of focal length and aperture. Fujifilm has a plethora of lenses, although the closest is the XF 14 mm f/2.8 R— along with 16mm and 18mm variants — while Sigma has also recently released its 16mm f/1.4 for X-mount. That places the Viltrox 13mm in a class of its own, and perhaps that was the intent. Should You Buy It? Thanks to Viltrox for sending me an evaluation copy of the 13mm F1.4. As always, this is a completely independent review. Viltrox AF13 Build and Handling One final point — and it’s a small thing — there is a red circle to mark lens orientation for attaching to the camera body. This is white on earlier lenses, but strangely I find it much easier to locate! Image Quality and Performance