Viltrox has brought four of its compact Air primes to L-mount: a 14mm f/4, 20mm f/2.8, 40mm f/2.5 and 50mm f/2, all weighing around 200g or less and priced under US$200.
Viltrox has <a href="https://viltrox.com/blogs/new-in/carry-less-capture-more-meet-the-viltrox-air-series-for-l-mount” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>announced L-mount versions of four lenses from its Air series, giving Leica, Panasonic Lumix and Sigma full-frame users a set of small, light autofocus primes. The Air range was previously available for Sony E and Nikon Z.
The four lenses are the AF 14mm F4.0 Air L, AF 20mm F2.8 Air L, AF 40mm F2.5 Air L and AF 50mm F2.0 Air L.
Small, light and consistent
The appeal of the Air series is size. The lightest lens, the 20mm f/2.8, weighs just 159g, and even the heaviest, the 50mm f/2, is only 205g. All four are around 64-65mm in diameter and 52-55mm long, so they’re close to pancake territory and well suited to compact bodies such as the Lumix S9 and S5 II.
Every lens uses an STM stepping motor with a lead screw for autofocus, and each has a front element coating that repels water and dust. Filter threads are 52mm on the 20mm and 40mm, and 58mm on the 14mm and 50mm.
The 14mm f/4 is the stand-out for landscape and interior work, with a 0.13m minimum focus distance and 12 elements in 9 groups. The 50mm f/2 gets nine aperture blades rather than seven, which should give rounder out-of-focus highlights.
Why it matters
L-mount has plenty of excellent lenses, but many are big and expensive. Affordable, compact primes have been a gap, particularly for Lumix S9 owners who bought the camera for its size. A matched set of four small primes at under US$200 each makes a lightweight travel kit a lot more attainable.
Viltrox Air L-mount specifications
- AF 14mm F4.0 Air L: 12 elements/9 groups, 7 blades, 0.13m MFD, 58mm filter, 65.1 x 54.4mm, approx. 172g
- AF 20mm F2.8 Air L: 10 elements/8 groups, 7 blades, 0.19m MFD, 52mm filter, 64 x 52.3mm, approx. 159g
- AF 40mm F2.5 Air L: 10 elements/6 groups, 7 blades, 0.34m MFD, 52mm filter, 64 x 52.5mm, approx. 169g
- AF 50mm F2.0 Air L: 13 elements/9 groups, 9 blades, 0.51m MFD, 58mm filter, 65.1 x 54.4mm, approx. 205g
- All: STM + lead screw AF, water- and dust-repellent front coating
Viltrox Air L-mount price and availability
All four lenses are available now from the Viltrox store. US prices are: AF 14mm F4.0 Air L US$199, AF 20mm F2.8 Air L US$176, AF 40mm F2.5 Air L US$168 and AF 50mm F2.0 Air L US$199. UK pricing hasn’t been confirmed.
