Viltrox Lens Quality Long Term Use

[Photodude]

Hello ;D,

Need a bit of advice from friends here, who have been using the Viltrox Series of Lenses for some time now (more than 1-1.5 years). I have heard that Viltrox uses budget quality lens coating which fails in Indian weather and this causes the lens to malfunction in terms of losing focus or fucus hunting etc. Also, heard the Viltrox lenses aren't reliable. Please let me know if what I have heard makes any sense or aren't facts at all.

Please advise as I wish to purchase the 13mm and 27mm pro versions for my full frame mirrorless.

Regards,

Krishnendu

[Nishit Dave]

It does not make sense. Deterioration of coatings will not make the lens hunt or lose focus. It may give rise to lens flares, ghosts, or chromatic aberrations.

Focusing is done by the camera. For some unknown reason, people keep attributing focusing problems to the lens. It only makes sense if there is some mechanical or electronic issue that makes the lens disobey commands from the camera.

[DeepakS]

A simple google search using these two phrases (below) threw up a mixed bag of opinions. None of them however, refer to lens coating related problems. You need to sift through them, see actual pictures posted by owners/reviewers and decide if the purchases you are considering, are worth it

Viltrox 13mm Focus issues
Viltrox 27mm Focus Issues

[Thad E Ginathom]

Focusing is done by the camera. For some unknown reason, people keep attributing focusing problems to the lens. ...

I think the same. But then, in my Sony ecosystem, I hear of lenses that wont do AF because they don't work with PDAF. I thought that, contrast or phase detect, the work is done in the camera, and the lens machinery just obeys orders. But it looks like I'm wrong.

I wonder if I'd understand the explanation.

offtopic: I have no experience of Viltrox.

[Bharat Varma]

With mirrorless bodies using contrast detect AF, if a lens aperture gets stuck for some reason, the lenses cannot focus.

I think the lenses start with a closed down aperture, open up to maximum opening (minimum aperture number) just for AF, and then drop down to whatever aperture they've been set at via aperture control or auto aperture mode.


There's no reason that loss of coating should affect AF.

[Nishit Dave]

Focusing is done by the camera. For some unknown reason, people keep attributing focusing problems to the lens. ...

I think the same. But then, in my Sony ecosystem, I hear of lenses that wont do AF because they don't work with PDAF.

I have three of those Sigma f/2.8 lenses. It's curious how they only support the centre PDAF point and CDAF everywhere else across the frame. It's not also as if they have focus field curvature, because the 30mm and 60mm are especially known for a flat field. However, for stationary objects, CDAF will give you a slower but more accurate focus.

[Photodude]

Thank you everyone for the detailed explanations! They helped. Currently, I am refraining from the purchase of Viltrox Lenses.

Krish