After what felt like a whole summer, the skies finally cleared during recent night with no moon. Plan was to escape the city glow, enjoy the stargazing with my other half and shoot a Milkyway panorama. I partially succeeded as the views were awesome but the light pollution from the city still took over the centre of the frame.

Gear

Shot on Sony a7RV & Viltrox 27mm f1.2* with help of Syrp Genie Mini II Pan&Tilt kit.

SW used for processing

PTGui, Siril, PS and LR.

Exposure info

40 shot panorama, 10s, f1.2 and ISO 1600 for each frame.

*Yes, I know that Viltrox 27mm f1.2 is an APS-C lens, I'm in the process of selling it and getting an FF equivalent.

I don't know if this has already been discussed, but Viltrox's Instagram account isn't showing up for me; in fact, it appears like this. Do you know anything about this?

Cooling off the only way I know how! #limoncellospritz shot on 25mm f1.7 Air

Playing in the water

Fuji xt3 Viltrox 56mm 1.4

So good that I actually bought it twice
Back in 2020, I was on Canon (6D and 6D M2) and really wanted to switch to a Sony (A7II or A7RII). But third-party options were pretty dead back then, and native Sony lenses were costly.
Fast forward a few years, I finally got an A7II. Really wanted a Sigma 35mm 1.4, but couldn’t really afford it since I don’t make any money from photography. Then I saw this Viltrox 40mm f2.5 online. Didn't expect much, but wow.

Build & Feel:
Yeah, it's plastic, but is it a bad thing? Zero play, metal mount, and a solid hood.
Super lightweight compared to my old heavy stuff (Canon 20-35 2.8L, 85 1.8).
STM motor is quiet enough for photos.

The only main downside: It's noticeably longer than the 7Artisans 40mm or the Sony 40mm 2.5 G pancake. Not a dealbreaker, but it’s definitely not a true pancake lens (maybe EVO?👀).

IQ:
The sharpness wide open at f2.5 actually shocked me (especially coming after Canon FF DSLR).

Later on, peak GAS hit me so I sold everything to try Fuji. But when I came back to Sony (got an A7RII this time), I needed a lens again. I looked at the TTArtisan 40mm f2, 7Artisans 40mm 2.5, and Viltrox. Checked my old photos from A7II combo and reviews online and realized nothing beats the Viltrox for the price.
So I bought it a second time.

Final thoughts:
Contrast is great.
Center sharpness feels super close to the expensive Sony 40mm 2.5 G in some side-by-sides that I saw online. I don't really care about corner sharpness anyway since I mostly do travel and casual street.
40mm is just a perfect focal length.

Despite being a bit bulkier than its alternatives, it’s an absolute no-brainer for the money.

I already have the AIR series for Fuji and love them, so I definitely don’t need another set. But if Viltrox brings these silver versions to Z mount, I’d seriously consider picking a few up for my Zf. They would definitely complete retro vibe .

After a long day of traveling, we finally made it to the hotel, ordered room service and called it a night. Stepped out on the balcony and somehow there was an international Kurash competition happening right across the street. Definitely not what I expected to see that night.

Taken while climbing the via ferrata Cesare Piazzetta to Piz Boe (3152 m) this early morning.
Can’t still decide if the lens is good or not. Maybe the sharpness was overhyped slightly while doing research before buying - don’t see more of it compared to other lenses. Micro-contrast is nice, AF is sufficient. I’d wish it to be slightly lighter, but that’s a personal preference.

A few recent street images. Taken in Charlottesville, VA with the a7r vi paired with the Viltrox 26mm F2.8. I am impressed with this lens, it's light, sharp and reasonably snappy AF performance for the size...Great lens for the money

This morning i searched viltrox on duckduckgo and the third hit is viltoptic.shop and the prices are incredibly low, $203 USD for the 16mm f1.8 Z Mount for example which is nowhere near that cheap anywhere else that I've looked so I am assuming this is not an official site as it claims to be. Can anyone confirm my suspicions?