[Music] Hi I'm Dustin Abbott and I'm here today To give you my video review of the Newest lens from vro this is the Autofocusing 20 mm f2.8 SDM lens now This lens is really interesting to me For a number of reasons it is one of the Most inexpensive lenses if not the most Inexpensive lens that vroo has ever made Despite that however there is a lot of Very positive things going for this lens And I'm also interested in the fact that Whereas vro has primarily produced their Lenses in series in the past where They've utilized a common outer shell And basic Design This is shows a little Bit of a departure for them and that They're starting to kind of specially Design each individual lens and so we Have seen that they've gone to kind of The higher end of the spectrum with Their Pro Series or their uh 16 m f1.8 Which is an amazing lens those are Obviously trending up into more Professional grade lenses whereas this Lens kind of moves in the opposite Direction but it is very interesting for That reason as well because this is a Lens that has good autofocus has good Optics is extremely compact in Lightweight and only cost around $150 at MSRP it's a lot of lens for that money And so is it worth buying well that's Here what we're here to explore together
Today which we'll do right after a word From our sponsor today's episode is Brought to you by Phantom wallet the Minimalist modern wallet that is now Even better with the new Phantom X that Is crafted from aluminum right here in Canada it is 22% smaller and 35% lighter While still making it easy to access Your cards and money when you need them Thanks to their unique Fanning mechanism You could even customize your wallet due To its modular design with accessories Like a money clip cash holder ID display And even chipolo and air tag tracking Integration visit store. fanom Wallet.com to check out their unique Sizes Styles and finishes that span from Aluminum to Wood to carbon fiber and use Code Dustin 15 for 15% off when you're Ready to check Out so 20 mm is a really interesting Focal length it really hit lands right In the middle of the sweet spot for wide Angle work for a lot of things it's not Extreme wide angle and so so it's not Going to give you quite as dramatic or Dynamic images as a wider focal length Like 14 or 15 mm but it's much easier to Use and it's more practical for a lot of Different applications it's a 91.6 de Angle of view and this lens is coming to Market on Sony e-mount which is where I'm testing but also on Nikon Z along With Fuji X now the third is interesting
Because that is an apsc only um platform Now obviously on Sony e-mount and Nikon Z Mount you also have the options of Shooting with apsc cameras there and so This lens on apsc with a 1.5 times crop Is going to give you a 30 mm equivalent Angle of view still interesting maybe Not as interesting but certainly perhaps Very practical as a walk around type Lens but on full frame where I'm testing 20 mm is great for a lot of things it's Great for interiors for landscapes for Architecture it's a can be an Interesting walk around lens if you're Wanting a little bit WI angle of view And the ability on many cameras to be Able to crop in allows this lens to kind Of do even more things because you can Crop a fair bit and still have a Reasonable amount of resolution I will Also note that I had the opportunity to Do a lot of my test and a lot of the Images I'm going to share in this review On the new Sony a7c Mar II so this lens Is actually a really interesting pairing On those compact cameras because it Itself is very compact in lightweight it Is only 65 mm or 2.6 6 in in diameter it Is 59 1 12 mm or 2.3 in long and it Weighs in at only 157 G or 5.5 o so yeah That's really small and really Lightweight and of course with also a Very lightweight price point means that This is a lens that's easy to buy and
Add to your kit and bring along even if It's not your primary option for that Day or even if it's a not a focal length That you shoot op often the ability to Have that wider angle of view at such an Inexpensive price makes it an intriguing Kind of lens it is the smallest and Lightest of the 20mm options that I'm Aware of on any of these particular Platforms that is going to be sold for Up front we do have a 52mm uh filter Thread I would recommend using slim Filters there to avoid any additional Vignette from thicker filters it does Include the lens hood and then also a Little lens pouch the lens hood is made Of plastic nothing you know particularly Fancy or special here but it does do the Job I will note that I would prefer that It bayonet into place just a little bit Tighter it doesn't really lock when you Get to the proper point and so there's Just a little bit of friction there and So it's not hard to shift it away from That one minor complaint at least at That point of course the fact that both A lens hood and a little lens pouch even If it doesn't have a lot of protection Value the fact that those are included On $150 lens is impressive in and of Itself Now unlike some vr's recent lenses this Lens is essentially featureless on the Barrel the barrel itself is made out of
Uh polycarbonates or engineered Plastics But it doesn't feel cheap they feel like Quality Plastics here and even the Manual focus ring which is the only Thing that's on the lens Barrel there Are no switches no aperture ring just The manual focus ring but the manual Focus ring itself though it is ribbed And in plastic it actually has a Substantial feeling it has a nice Damping or weight to it um just not Heavy but firm enough to where it feels Like you're focusing with Precision There is a little bit of resistance There and I found that the actual manual Focus action was was very good I didn't See any kind of visible steps or Anything like that and all of the Typical manual focus AIDS are available Up to and including the ability on Sony Here to magnify the area that's being Focused and automatically and so anyway It's uh no complaints on that front However if you're looking for an ammf Switch or an aperture ring you're going To be disappointed here but then again This is a $150 lens inside we have seven Aperture blades and so not as high of a Blade count as we found on their lenses Where they're looking for in more Circular shape and as you can see stop Down a few stops the the aperture shape Is not completely circular the idea I Think is to get to um getting Sun Stars
Sunburst effect more quickly I'm not Completely blown away by the actual Sunburst look it's okay but there isn't That nice pointy definition to the Rays Coming off and so it's I've seen better Looking sunstars but you know it does The job here at this point like all vro Lenses this comes with a USB C port on The lens mount that allows you to do Firmware updates and while I've been Reviewing a pre-release copy here They've actually done three different Firmware updates already to get it ready For release I didn't actually notice any Of the issues that were supposedly being Corrected by that firmware but it's all I can say is that the lens has performed Flawlessly for me and autof folus is Very well which we'll talk about in just A moment nonetheless I'm very thankful To have that USBC Port there because it Makes firmware updates very very Simple now one area where vro has been Improving in in 2023 is that prior to That basically all of their lenses Sported a very low minimum Focus Distance or I should say a very poor Minimum Focus distance and very poor Maximum magnification they almost all Were just 0.10 times which is not a lot Of magnification in this case we can Focus a little bit closer down to 19 cm And we have a magnification figure of 0.17 times now that obviously is not
Going to compete with a lens like the Tamron 20 mm f2.8 that has a 1 to2 or a 0.50 times magnification but if you're Not looking for a pseudo macro lens and Just want to be able to get up close Maybe to blur out a background or when Shooting video to approach a subject uh Without worrying about autofocus all of A sudden not being able to focus anymore It does the job and I find that to be a Steady Improvement the vro is making the Lens does not come with any weather Sealing but it does have at least an HD U Nano multi-layer coating on the front Kind of serves something like a flooring Coating so it helps with a little bit of Moisture resistance on that and also Helps with fingerprints and things like That makes makes it easier to clean so You know again for $150 lens it's a nice Little additional feature so no there Aren't a lot of bells and whistles here But what is here is nicely made and the Biggest selling feature of course is the Fact that it is it is such a compact and Lightweight lens and still gives you Very adequately the 20 mm angle of view On full frame and for that reason I'm Willing to give a pass on some of the Missing features because again it's a Price point of 150 bucks and what you Actually get for that money is pretty Considerable now autofocus Here Comes Via an STM or a stepping motor and this
Is a very good execution of STM there is Basically no Focus sound unless I put The lens right up next to my ear in Focus and then I can hear a very light Woring but I heard nothing an actual Capture I can feel um if I'm you know Doing Focus tests back and forth back And forth I can feel a little bit of Inertia changing but I can't really hear Anything from the lens itself Focus Speed as you can see here is fairly Quick um it's not as instantaneous as Say some of the new GM lenses but it is Very fast and even faster in Outdoors Know the reality is is that there's less Major Focus changes taking with a lens That doesn't have a super shallow depth Of field and so focus is more than Adequate for just about any kind of Application I also had very good Focus Accuracy whether it was inanimate Subjects shooting even at slim depths of Field but also when I was tracking Animals or human subjects good Stickiness on the eye and good precise Focus in those settings I also have no Complaints when it comes to the video Side of things as you can see here Focus Pools are fast and confident it just Moves back and forth without any drama No visible steps anything like that you Can see that there is a minimal amount Of focus breathing but nothing Significant there I don't think it's
Going to be a deal breaker for anyone I Also found that when I did my hand test And you know remov my my hand that there Was good transition from the hand to the Eye and back and forth no settling or Pulsing no kind of a pause before it Actually started to make that Focus Transition so it is fairly reactive and Thus able to handle you know different Video act activities but at the same Time I didn't have any kind of issue With when I was for example tracking a Subject I didn't see any kind of jumping Around but it stayed locked on the eye And did a good job with that I will note That it also did a great job for Vlogging this is a an effective vlogging Focal length and it stayed easily locked On my eye as I moved around even when I Spun around uh Focus just stayed where It should so very good there and you can See from this shot that when I moved Around you know Manning the the camera And wanted to stay focused on the eye of My daughter-in-law that it did a great Job of just staying locked on without Any kind of hunting or anything like That this is obviously going to be a Great gimbal lens uh the fact that it's So lightweight that if you pair it with A camera camera like an a7c or an A7 C Mark II means that you can really get Down to quite small and inexpensive Lightweight gimbal systems whereas you
Know you just a larger heavier lens you Wouldn't be able to use it in that Application but it gives you some Versatility of using that and of course It's lightweight enough depending on Your rig that you could also shoot it From a drone and it could be an Interesting application for something Like that so overall autofocus Performance very very good nothing to Complain about on that front vro has Really matured very quickly when it Comes to their autofocus Designs so let's talk about the image Quality this is an optical design as you Can see from this diagram of 10 elements In eight groups and half of those are Exotic elements of one kind or another You can see that the MTF looks Moderately good but I will note that I Felt like real world results mostly feel Better there is one Quirk that we will Detail in our image quality breakdown But let's dive into that together and Just see how this little inexpensive Optic performs out in the real world Okay let's break down the performance of This little lens we'll start by taking a Look at vignette and Distortion so first Of all you can see that there is not a Significant amount of distortion in Terms of the quantity but you can also See very quickly that there is some Complexity to the Distortion so much so
In fact that you kind of have a an Option you can either try to get Straight lines inside or you can try to Get straight lines outside So if I try to correct for the lines Inside and this is obviously with the Manual correction at this point there Isn't a profile yet available I've been Reviewing a pre-release so I can get Nice stri straight lines inside here but You can see that actually exaggerates The Distortion in the corners the Alternative is to try to square things Up out here but as you can see that Actually creates a little bit of barrel Distortion and so in this case I'm Actually treating it as if it's pin Cushion Distortion and in this case Treating it as if it were or in this Case treating it as if it were Barrel Distortion so if I correct it as if it's Pin cushion that's a minus two and you Can see that in result and what it Creates not uh preferable really but if I go the other route and I correct Inside here you can see through a lot of The frame that does that looks pretty Good until you get to the corners that's Correcting as a plus n so obviously That's not great but to put it into Perspective if we take a look at the Tamron 20mm f2.8 you can see that there Is a massive amount of barrel Distortion A plus 42 in fact um and so if this is a
Plus n to correct that's a plus 42 it's Obviously a huge difference so it does Help to give some perspective on the Performance of the Tamron so without any Kind of Correction profile available Truth of the matter is that I mostly Just elected to not touch it at all and So you can see this uh shot here the Interior of a barn if you look at all The various lines nothing actually looks All that terrible and so I just left it As it was one of thing that we'll kind Of look back at later but as you see This light kind of creeping through the Slats here you can see that there's very Little color fringing there this is a Situation where color fringing could be Terrible and so that gives you a preview Of an area that is a stronger area of Performance here's another shot with a Lot of straight lines in it including Down here and so you can see there's Been no correction of anything here and Frankly it doesn't look too bad and so I Would just leave it uncorrected one Final shot here again with a lot of Various lines here and for most real World uses unless you're shooting a Brick wall I think that the Distortion Is low enough you can probably just get Away with not doing anything to it so as We've already noted the amount of Fringing is really well controlled on This lens and so you can see in this
Shot that there is very little fringing Before and just a tiny bit of fringing After the plane of focus nothing too bad There and so that allows you to shoot Shots like this where you can see this Is a very high contrast subject lots of Opportunity as you go out of focus for Color fringing and it's just not there It's well controlled likewise in this Shot here you can see that uh we've got Very good contrast and low fringing in Any of the reflective surfaces here and As we Tren transition towards the Defocus you can see in the actual Fringing areas that there is very very Little fringing to see likewise lateral Comatic operations are also well Controlled so here near the edge of the Frame you can see that there's just very Little fringing there's no correction to This so very little fringing on these Black and white transitions everything Looks nice and clean there so here's a Look at the test chart that we will do Our controlled test for sharpness and Contrast here so this is using the 61 Megapixel Sony a7r Mark 5 and we're Looking at these worlds results at 200% Magnification now that might seem unfair For $150 lens but the truth of the Matter is that that looks pretty Fantastic there in the center of the Frame as we move out towards the Mid-frame result continue to look
Excellent and as I pan down this way we See that everything looks fine till About here but there is a big drop off As we get to the corner in fact you can See from just the a little bit of Fringing there that it's almost like It's not focused so that prompted me to Do the test uh multiple times and then To try it with it focused in the corner Instead of the middle so here is still At f2.8 but instead of before this is Focused in the corner so for perspective There is focused in the corner there is Focused in the center of the frame so Obviously a pretty radical difference Now if we look back in the center of the Frame Center focus looks fantastic Focusing in the corner not fantastic so Obviously at close Focus distances like To do my test chart we have some serious Field curvature there so going out into A a subject where I'm a little bit Further back so here focused in the Center of the frame things look sharp as We go towards the corner it's a much More natural falloff to where it's just You know it's not as sharp as the center But it is a a more typical normal type Performance so it's at really at close Focus distances that you're going to see That significant problem so that means That if you're a little bit further away From the subject like here and then of Course if you're shooting with a little
Bit smaller apertures that yes it's not Going to be as sharp in the edge as what It is in the center of the frame but you Can see that it's a a normal reasonable Performance uh not you know that kind of Extem variants there so obviously for Chart testing that's a serious problem For rear whe use it's typically less of A problem cuz here for example this is Composed pretty near the edge of the Frame you can see that it's nice and Sharp because it's focused in the area Where it needs to be you know if I was Focused in the center of the frame this Might look less sharp down here but Because you're focusing where you need Sharpness to be it it kind of all works Out okay so returning to the corner Focused results obviously it's very soft In the middle of the frame but what we See is it's not a centering problem so If I look over here things look sharp if I move over to the left side we can see That things look sharp up in this upper Left corner we can see things look sharp And then likewise up in the upper right Corner things look sharp and so it's Actually well centered it's just got Field curvature to where it is not Focusing everywhere simultaneously at This close Focus distance so leaving That aside and moving on we can see that From f2.8 to F4 there is an uptick Particularly in contrast and if I pan
Over this direction you can really see That difference in that there the darks Are much darker and the light areas look Brighter there's more resolution there But the primary Improvement is the Contrast from F4 to f5.6 we can see that There's a bit more and then from f5.6 to F8 there is just a marginal Improvement But there is still a little bit of Improvement there and so now obviously We're sharpen the center of the frame And now we can see that that sharpness At f8 uh there's an upth the field that Now the corners are going to be sharp as Well now after f8 uh defraction is going To start to soften the image our minimum Aperture here is F16 but as you can see It's not as bad as what many lenses are And so you can get away with shooting at F11 and F16 but I would still if you're Wanting maximum performance across the Frame f8 seems to be the sweet spot for That now if we visit our up close Performance it's focused here on this Text you can see very very sharp there But as before our field curvature issue Is going to remain here so in the center Of the frame uh things looking sharp but Obviously if we look up into this right Corner where we could have some Sharpness there is nothing there that Helps us transition to a discussion of Bokeh and so if we can uh get up close To our subject we can see great detail
And contrast on the the subject and we Can see that in this case the outof Focus area really looks pretty decent Now in this situation as well I mean We're focused up here close and so as The background transitions overall There's a little bit more outlining here Than what I would like but not a bad Bouqu performance likewise here there's A pretty good separation from the Subject to the background you can see That it's you know there's more Outlining in terms of circles around Different out of focus things than than What allows for a really creamy Background but looks fine there in this Image I find that it tends towards some Jittery or busyness this image does have Some areas in that transition zone but Overall I think that it actually looks Quite nice and I I just like the image As a whole uh obviously really nice Detail and contrast on the subject Really beautifully rendered there and The overall out of focus area for a wide Angle prime lens really doesn't look too Bad I also found that color rendition Was good vro has continued to improve Their Optical glass glass and I was Pleasantly surprised happy to see that I Felt like this lens even though it's Inexpensive continued that Trend to Where colors just looked good to me they Had a nice level of saturation as you
Can see here looking at this image that The detail and the contrast and the Color all come together to produce a Really great looking image now flare Resistance is so so they uh contrast Holds up relatively well as you can see Here but uh particularly as you stop Down there are some ghosting artifacts To become more apparent and so again you Can see those in a mild fashion when we Pan across the Sun at f2.8 but then when We stop down to small a smaller aperture Like f8 or f11 that becomes a much more Pronounced pattern overall however Pretty nice Optics on this little lens So in conclusion I find this lens in Some ways as exciting as vr's higher end Releases recently because I recognize That there is a whole Market there that Doesn't really have a lot of options Like this out there something that is This lightweight and high performing at Such a low price point it really kind of Opens up the threshold for a lot of People that maybe wouldn't consider a Wideangle prime but at a price point of $150 you know it all of a sudden becomes More of a valid option for people it is Very competent as we have seen it is Very lightweight and the fact that it Costs so little means it's going to be Easy to both add to the bag and terms of Buying it but also to keep it in the bag To bring along because it has such a you
Know a lightweight and compact design It's great to see vro taking what I Would call a little bit more bespoke Approach to lens design rather than just Designing series to De design individual Lenses and tailor them to that specific Application and I think that this lens Is better for it there are a few Alternatives out there particularly on Sony there is the aforementioned Tamron 20mm F2 .8 and the Tamron cost about $100 more at this point the tamron's Advantage Advantage is that it does have That very high magnification however the Viltrox lens is more lightweight has a Much better autofocus system and it has Much less Barrel Distortion and some of The optical flaws that the Tamron has Though the Tamron is also a very sharp Lens there also is the samyang AF 18 mm F2.8 which is a another compact lens That is even uh even more lightweight Than this lens though the build quality Of the vrs is definitely better the Sanyang is almost $200 more expensive And frankly the vro has a lot of things To recommend it it has a better Autofocus system it has a better build Quality much better manual focus ring For example and I would say that it Actually a little bit of the sharper Lens of the two and so it's hard to make A big argument for the samyang unless You're looking for that extra 2 mm of
Width going to 18 mm instead and that Does have value you'll have to determine Whether it's worth $200 more dollar than What this lens does overall however I'm Quite impressed with this lens and Particularly at this price point and if You buy from VR and use the code Dustin Abbott you can get an additional 8% off To bring that price tag down even a Little bit lower and at that place it Becomes a really compelling lens and I Think that for many people this probably Is as much wide angle Prime as what you Need and if you can get by with spending That little on a lens like this well Means you might have more money to spend Somewhere else and that's always an Interesting idea I'm Dustin Abbott and If you look in the description down Below you can find linkage to my full Text review there is also linkage to an Image Galler there some buying links There if you'd like to purchase one if You haven't already please like And Subscribe thanks for watching have a Great day and let the light [Music] In
