Viltrox has unveiled the second full-frame, large-aperture autofocus prime lens in their esteemed LAB series, the AF 35mm F1.2 LAB! This innovative lens incorporates Viltrox’s state-of-the-art optical technology, elevating both resolution and background blur performance of the F1.2 to unprecedented levels, while providing a tailored shooting experience with a professional lens control system and a custom colour display featuring startup animations. In Dave's latest TCSTV review, he shared his initial thoughts on the Viltrox AF 35mm F1.2 LAB and regards it as an outstanding lens! Whether you're capturing portraits, engaging in street photography, or shooting nightscapes, this lens delivers exceptional optical performance, capturing every nuance and unlocking boundless creative potential.
The Viltrox AF 35mm F1.2 LAB sets a new benchmark for high-resolution lenses, marking a significant advancement in optical performance. Engineered to cater to the needs of ultra-high-pixel sensors, it offers razor-sharp detail from the nearest focus point to the furthest edges. Even at its widest aperture, it maintains exceptional sharpness across the entire frame, ensuring uniform image quality. This ensures remarkable detail retention for post-cropping flexibility, providing an unmatched shooting experience and creative latitude.
The ultra-wide F1.2 aperture enables the lens to excel in low-light and nighttime conditions, producing stunning bokeh and enhancing light transmission to deliver sharp, noise-free images. The lens adapts effortlessly to challenging lighting situations, offering unparalleled clarity and purity in every shot. The F1.2 aperture produces a beautifully blurred background with smooth, delicate bokeh, while the advanced optical design ensures even light distribution, significantly reducing vignetting and creating a dreamy visual effect.
The Viltrox AF 35mm F1.2 LAB is composed of 15 elements arranged in 10 groups, including 5 Extra Low Dispersion (ED) lenses, 3 High Refractive Index lenses, and 2 Ultra-Large & Precision Aspherical (UA) lenses. The innovative design of the Viltrox UA lenses effectively minimizes onion-ring bokeh artifacts, achieving both high resolution and smooth bokeh rendering, resulting in exceptional imaging performance. A high-definition multi-layer nano coating effectively reduces flare and ghosting in backlit conditions, ensuring clear and sharp images. Additionally, the lens’s superior chromatic aberration control significantly reduces purple or green fringing in high-contrast scenes. The dual floating focus design greatly improves close-up image quality, ensuring excellent resolution while continuously optimizing aberrations throughout the focal range. With a minimum focusing distance of 0.34 meters, the AF 35mm F1.2 LAB adeptly captures intricate details in still-life photography or fleeting expressions in street photography with precision and clarity.
The lens aperture drive leverages the innovative Viltrox HyperVCM motor technology, which provides substantial focusing power and dramatically enhances autofocus speed and precision. This state-of-the-art system achieves a 150% faster autofocus speed when compared to traditional STM motors, offers micron-level positioning accuracy, and allows for rapid transitions between the closest and farthest focus points in just 100 milliseconds. As a result, the AF 35mm F1.2 LAB lens is capable of capturing every fleeting moment with remarkable ease. Additionally, the advanced Viltrox Quad HyperVCM motor technology eliminates the noise typically associated with traditional gear-driven motors, ensuring quieter focusing and more rapid autofocus tracking during video shoots. This lens excels in controlling focus breathing, guaranteeing smoother focus transitions and unlocking boundless creative opportunities for video production.
The Viltrox AF 35mm F1.2 LAB boasts a sophisticated professional control system, empowering photographers to make more efficient adjustments and explore creative possibilities. Its multi-functional control ring allows for swift changes to parameters such as aperture and focus, accommodating various shooting scenarios with ease. Two customizable Fn buttons enable users to assign shortcut functions tailored to their shooting needs, while additional configurations can be made via the Viltrox Lens App, further enhancing operational efficiency. Users can seamlessly switch between autofocus and manual focus modes to suit different shooting requirements, and effortlessly toggle between stepped and stepless aperture adjustments for unparalleled creative flexibility.
Moreover, the lens is equipped with a personalized colour display, which allows users to customize settings through the Viltrox Lens App. Features such as startup animations and parameter previews add a unique identity to the lens while providing a new level of control. In specialized shooting environments, the colour display can also show real-time information like lens aperture and object distance, enhancing both shooting precision and creative control at all times.
Constructed with a high-grade dust- and moisture-resistant design, the AF 35mm F1.2 LAB effectively prevents sand, dust, and water droplets from penetrating the lens interior, ensuring that its delicate internal components remain protected. The lens also features an aerospace-grade full-metal housing and a water- and stain-resistant coating on the front element, providing reliable durability against harsh conditions and challenging environments. Built to meet the rigorous demands of professional photographers, this lens guarantees dependable performance in any shooting scenario, ensuring it stands up to the test of time and the elements.
Curious to see how much fun Dave had shooting with the AF 35mm F1.2 LAB? Check out his first impressions TCSTV episode below!
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