Review: Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE lens

By Mike O'Connor | 24 June 2025

I've always had a soft spot for the nifty fifty 50mm lens.

A 50mm f1.4 was the first 'serious' lens I bought when I started to get into photography, and I have many fond memories of using that lens on a succession of early Canon SLRs when travelling as a young aspiring travel photographer.

In fact, I only sold that Canon lens about a year ago, a long time after moving to mirrorless cameras - I liked it that much.

At the same time, I'm always interested in an affordable camera lens - especially so as gear has got more expensive in recent years.

In that sense then, Viltrox's 50mm F2.0 FE lens definitely ticks the box: it retails for $200 USD ($300 AUD), yet still offers a relatively fast f2 aperture.

Before we go on, it's worth mentioning that there is a fair amount of competition in the 50mm space for Sony's FE mount.

At the lower end, Sony's E-Mount 50mm f/1.8 lens will set you back about $380, its FE 50mm F2.5 G is about $800, and then there's the FE 50mm f/1.2 GM Prime which comes in at a hefty $2,200.

And that's not to mention countless other third party 50mm lenses from TTartisan, 7artisans, Sigma and others that are also available.

All this means that there's plenty of choice in the 50mm focal length. So should Viltrox's option be your pick?

Build quality

While this doesn't quite feel like a premium lens, the Viltrox isn't bad, with a utilitarian matte black build in polycarbonate that matches quite nicely to my Sony A7 IV.

The other sign that this is a more budget build is the fact that there's no buttons on the lens - and while those who are used to the luxury of things like an AF/MF toggle, dedicated aperture rings and user assignable buttons will probably be a bit disappointed, there's something quite nice and stripped back about the design here.

It's simple, and features a plastic focus ring that's nicely dampened and a basic lens hood, and that's about it.

Size wise, the lens is 65mm in diameter and 56.5mm in length, and it weighs 205g, a tad heavier than the Sony FE 50mm F1.8 (186g).

Unfortunately, Viltrox’ more expensive lens series offer weather sealing, but the budget AIR series, of which this is a member, does not.

Image quality

One of the most unexpected strengths of the Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE is its sharpness. Given the lens's budget-friendly price, the level of detail it delivers is genuinely impressive.

While it doesn’t quite match the resolving power of higher-end optics, the difference is subtle. Across the frame—including the corners—sharpness holds up very well in most situations.

As expected, sharpness tapers off slightly at the widest and narrowest apertures, but between f/4 and f/11, performance is consistently strong. This is the lens’s sweet spot, and in that range, most users will be satisfied with the results.

Sony A7IV, Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE. 1/160s @ f5.6, ISO 200.

Sony A7IV, Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE. 1/1600s @ f7.1, ISO 200.

Detail retention is also solid when zooming into images, with little evidence of chromatic aberration or fringing. Colour reproduction leans toward a neutral and accurate profile, with slightly subdued saturation that left room for editing adjustments.

Sony A7IV, Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE. 1/50s @ f4, ISO 250.

Sony A7IV, Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE. 1/800s @ f8, ISO 200.

Flare is one area where the lens does show its limitations. Shooting directly into bright light sources, such as the sun, can introduce minor highlight blooming and shadow loss.

Still, these are tough conditions for any lens, and considering the price point, the Viltrox handles them reasonably well.

I did find the lens struggled with flare when shooting directly into the sun at times.

Sony A7IV, Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE. 1/200s @ f8, ISO 200.

Autofocus

Viltrox uses a stepping motor (STM) for its autofocus system, which delivers quiet and reasonably quick focus transitions. In practical use, autofocus was generally reliable, even in low light or low contrast situations.

I rarely encountered noticeable hunting, and focus adjustments were smooth enough that I didn’t need to give them much attention. It’s a solid, unobtrusive system that handles most scenarios without issue.

Sony A7IV, Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE. 1/8000s @ f2.8, ISO 200.

The wrap-up

The fact that you can buy a 50mm lens with a nice compact build for about $300 is notable enough, but when you combine it with the fact that this one also offers solid image quality, decent autofocus and a relatively robust build, it makes the Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE lens a very compelling package - especially if you like the idea of a lens for travel that won't cost you a fortune to replace.