Viltrox has announced the release of its full-frame 26mm autofocus (AF) Evo pancake lens for Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount cameras. This pancake prime brings the sophistication of longer-barreled telephoto lenses that, until now, we've had yet to see.
The Viltrox AF 26mm f/2.8 Evo is the first full-frame AF pancake lens to feature not only a dedicated aperture ring, but a focus ring too. On an APS-C body, it has an equivalent focal length of 39mm.
This latest addition to Viltrox's apochromatic-dedicated Evo lineup could become a new favorite among photographers wanting a pocket-friendly lens with solid aberration-busting abilities, but that also features a high level of built-in tactile control.
With the dual control ring system, it seems like Viltrox is trying to corner the pancake corner of the lens market by out-sophisticating the competition (which includes its own, budget-friendly and even slimmer Viltrox AF 26mm f/4.5, which lacked any rings and had a fixed aperture).
While Sony and Nikon both produce equivalent native AF lenses, in the Sony FE 24mm f/2.8 G and Nikon Z 26mm f/2.8, the Sony model is not a true pancake lens at almost twice the thickness of the Viltrox – and the Nikon, which is ever so slightly thinner, features a single (albeit) programmable, control ring.
Like any true pancake lens, Viltrox has packed this tactile control into a lens that's incredibly thin. Yet despite being just 23.8mm thick, it houses an optical design of 8 elements in 6 groups (including a high-refractive and a pair of aspherical elements) with a minimum focusing distance of 0.2m.
"To my mind, the 26mm Evo proves that the best things sometimes do come in small packages," said my colleague Matthew in his Viltrox AF 26mm f/2.8 Evo review.
"Despite its wide-angle perspective and reasonably fast f/2.8 aperture, the lens is less than an inch thick, quintessentially qualifying as a pancake prime. Even so, its image quality is impressively sharp and crisp, and the lens manages to pack both focus and aperture control rings.
"All in all, I love this lens as a travel companion and for everyday shooting, and it’s great value at the price."
The Viltrox AF 26mm f/2.8 Evo is available now, with an RRP of $299 USD / £279 / AU$579.
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