Viltrox is getting ready to launch the company's first wide-aperture autofocus APO lens, as the lens brand teases a new Evo series lens coming next week.
The third-party lens manufacturer posted a teaser on Instagram on April 13, stating that the new lens would be revealed on April 20.
The teaser says that the lens is the company's first "large aperture" APO AF lens. The image paired with the teaser has a few more hints: the forthcoming kit is for full-frame cameras, and it features a 58mm filter thread along with a 1.4ft (0.43m) minimum focusing distance.
The APO in the teaser – and Viltrox's mention of "see color" suggests that the lens will be designed to fight chromatic aberration, or colored fringing.
While this information gives no indication as to the focal length, I think we’re most likely to see a nifty-fifty (50mm) with a maximum aperture in the region of f/1.4-1.8.
The EVO lineup is in its infancy and currently only features an 85mm f/2.0 for Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount, so it would make sense for Viltrox to build it out with typically high-demand focal lengths first. With that in mind, my second guess would be that the new EVO will be a 24mm wide-angle.
Viltrox has already mentioned that new EVO lenses would be displayed at NAB this year, which is happening April 18-22 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Interestingly, this latest Instagram announcement mentions a single lens, while the previous announcement talks of multiple new EVO lenses coming to the show. So, I’m also hoping to see a 135mm f/1.8 APO showcased and, potentially, a 35mm f/1.4 APO.
NAB begins April 18 and runs until April 22, so we’ll know for sure what Viltrox has in store for its EVO lineup then.
You might also like
Check our our review of the Viltrox AF 50mm f/1.4 Pro, a mid-range fast-glass nifty-fifty, albeit without the true APO performance of Viltrox's EVO lenses.
