Viltrox 25mm f1.7 Real-World Review For Fujifilm

Viltrox 25mm f1.7 is a compact, fast, and affordable lens that promises to deliver a practical 38mm equivalent field of view on Fujifilm X-mount cameras.

In this hands-on review, I’ll share my real-world impressions of using the Viltrox 25mm f1.7 on the Fujifilm X-T50, including how it handles, its autofocus performance, and most importantly, its image quality.

If you’ve been searching for a lightweight yet capable lens to cover a 40ish mm field of view, this might just be the new legend you’ve been waiting for.

Viltrox 25mm f1.7 Field Of View On Fujifilm

This lens is a little wider than the 40mm lenses. It’s a bit wider than the Fujifilm 27mm f/2.8 lens, but not by much, and I’d say it’s a more practical field of view while still keeping that 40ish look.

This lens is made by Viltrox and has a 25mm focal length. It’s not chunky, heavy, or big to carry — it’s small, compact.

Look how small and compact it is.

Who Is the Viltrox 25mm f1.7 For?

Let’s start with who this lens is for, because I think that’s very important.

If you love to shoot with a 35mm lens, this may not work for you. It is not as wide as a 35mm lens, so keep that in mind.

It is for people who love to shoot a 40mm lenses because, as I said, it has about a 38mm field of view on Fujifilm.

This isn’t a wide lens. It doesn’t feel like a wide lens nor a 35mm lens.

It could work or not work depending on how you prefer your field of view. But this is great for the 40mm field of view — really, really great.

I do feel that it can replace the 40mm field of view, and also it can replace the 45mm field of view or the 30mm f2.8 macro lens from Fujifilm, regarding the field of view.

If you know you like to shoot a 40ish mm lens, this is a great option. You won’t feel constrained, you won’t feel the lens is too wide, and of course, you won’t feel it is too tight.

It is really great for this field of view, and probably I feel that this field of view is more versatile than 40mm, because you have a little more extra room to compose.

On the 40MP sensor of the Fujifilm camera, you have space to crop, of course.

Viltrox 25mm f1.7 Build Quality and Ergonomics

The Viltrox 25mm f1.7 is light, compact, and well made, with good plastics. It has a focusing motor and a USB-C adapter for future firmware updates, which is very important for the Fujifilm system.

The plastics feel good — not cheap at all. It has a nice matte black finish, and it’s easy to maneuver, making your Fujifilm X-T50, X-T5, or any Fujifilm camera a very portable and easy-to-use system.

Of course, it’s not a pancake lens, but I am not pro pancake lenses that cripple image quality — and this lens doesn’t do that at all. It brings positives in image quality, which I’ll talk about in a moment.

A great decision by Viltrox to make this lens compact instead of a pancake with compromises, and lightweight.

The lens is very lightweight — you barely feel it on the camera.

Really nice balancing and ergonomics with any Fujifilm camera, like the Viltrox Air lineup that we already know – see Viltrox 35mm f/1.7.

A great pair for your Fujifilm camera.

Viltrox 25mm f1.7 Autofocus Performance

Now, how is the AF? Well, this is the tricky part from my point of view.

The autofocus — I have seen a lot of people praise it. Probably on Sony E mount it’s blazing fast, but with Fujifilm it’s another story.

It’s good, but I would have wanted it a little better. I can’t give it a 10 out of 10 – I would give it about an 7.5 out of 10.

Depending on how you set the camera, in AF-S it’s pretty snappy. In AF-C it’s pretty okay, but in low light it takes a bit longer to confirm that the eye is in focus.

It has a bit of noise, but these noises for me are irrelevant, because even if you do videography, you should be using a separate microphone anyway — let’s be serious.

So, the AF is okay-ish, not stellar. Is it a dealbreaker? No. It’s good, it does the job in any light if you are accustomed to Fujifilm AF. But I would have liked the AF to be a little faster, and I’ll discuss that when we compare it with the Viltrox 23mm f1.4.

Viltrox 25mm f1.7 Image Quality

Let’s talk now about the image quality, which I think is very important, especially for this field of view.

I do feel that this lens has the best image quality among the 40ish lenses I’ve used on Fujifilm, except of course my all-time favorite Voigtländer lens, but that doesn’t have AF.

The Viltrox 25mm f1.7 has an f1.7 aperture, delivering beautiful, melted bokeh, and nice subject separation. Subjects pop, colors are nice and well saturated, you can get all kinds of colors, and there’s plenty of sharpness.

Vignetting? I wasn’t able to observe anything disturbing, unlike other 27mm lenses — see TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 review. Flare? No problems at all.

Really good image quality — nothing to complain about.

What I feel is very important is that it resolves the 40MP sensor without any problems. The lens is very, very sharp, and the minimum focus distance is excellent at 0.3m, so you can get really close.

Viltrox 25mm f1.7 vs. Viltrox 23mm f1.4

How does this lens compare to my Viltrox 23mm f1.4 lens?

First, Viltrox 23mm f1.4 lens is fully metal-built and has an aperture ring (without clicks, but sturdy). I’ve had that lens for years, made my first video about it years ago, and it is still like new after heavy use.

It is one of my best-rated lenses on the Fujifilm system, even if it’s not ultra-sharp at f1.4 and even if it cannot fully resolve the 40MP sensor at f1.4.

But that lens renders in a special way.

Other than that, the 23mm is much heavier than the Viltrox 25mm f1.7 — I really feel it on Fujifilm X-T5. So if you want a great Fujifilm lens you can easily carry and use, this 25mm is the way to go.

Of course, the 23mm has a different glass design, a different field of view, and some visible chromatic aberrations.

This Viltrox 25mm f1.7 does not have those, so optically it has better image quality. Surprisingly, Viltrox 23mm f1.4 seems to focus faster.

Viltrox 25mm f1.7 Conclusion

So, what is my conclusion?

Do I recommend the Viltrox 25mm f1.7? Does it make sense to buy it on the Fujifilm system if you already have the 27mm f2.8 or other equivalent lenses (like 7Artisans 27mm f2.8)?

From my point of view, yes.

This lens can replace those lenses regarding image quality, size, and how compact it is. Also regarding AF, don’t get me wrong, it will do the job very well in most situations.

It is probably even focusing faster than the 27mm f2.8 Fujifilm lens.

If you are accustomed to the 40mm field of view, of course, this is more like a 37.5mm equivalent in full-frame terms, so it will not be exactly 40mm, but you will have a lot of fun shooting with this lens.

You have an f1.7 aperture, which means you can shoot indoors and in low light.

Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 it is very compact and very light, with great results.

For me, the Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 is a no-brainer — it’s likely going to be glued to my Fujifilm X-T50.

The combination of the faster f/1.7 aperture and that familiar, not-too-wide 40ish mm field of view provides excellent versatility for both everyday and low-light photography.

It reminds me of the 20mm f1.7 from Lumix on Micro Four Thirds, but now I finally have that equivalent on Fujifilm.

Of course, it’s not a pancake lens, but I have the versatility of a competent 40ish mm lens on the Fujifilm system — finally, after all these years of compromises with 40mm lenses that had f2.8, vignetting, no AF like Voigtlander Ultron 27mm, and so on.

Finally, Fujifilm users have an f/1.7, lightweight lens with good AF and great image quality that resolves the 40MP sensor.

What’s not to be excited about?

So yes, I do recommend the Viltrox 25mm f1.7.

Of course — here’s a concise pros and cons list you can use:

Viltrox 25mm f1.7 Short Pros

• Bright f/1.7 aperture for low-light and subject separation
• Compact and lightweight design
• Practical 38mm equivalent field of view
• Good sharpness, even on high-resolution sensors
• Affordable price point
• USB-C port for firmware updates

Viltrox 25mm vs Viltrox 23mm vs Fujifilm 27mm

Viltrox 25mm f1.7 Short Cons

• Autofocus could be faster in low light
• Plastic build may feel less premium than metal alternatives
• Slight motor noise in AF
• No aperture click stops

Where to buy Viltrox 25mm f1.7

If you want to get it, please use my affiliate links:

• buy Viltrox 25mm f1.7 from Amazon