Praise be – Viltrox joins L-mount, bringing its incredible cheap lenses to Leica, Panasonic, Sigma cameras and more

• Viltrox becomes the tenth member of the L-mount alliance
• Some of its current lenses and future ones could get the L-mount treatment
• Leica, Panasonic, Sigma, Blackmagic Design and DJI all make L-mount cameras

In my book, Viltrox is the changing the lens making game^[1] – because it’s latest Pro and LAB lenses deliver incredible build and optical quality, at a snip compared to proprietary equivalents.

Take its 135mm F1.8 Lab^[2], a superb portrait lens, as I found out when I paired it with a full-frame Nikon camera. This lens is the real deal, for just a third of the price of Nikon’s Plena^[3].

Until now, Viltrox^[4] has focused its attention on lenses for Sony^[5] E-mount cameras, followed by Fujifilm^[6] X-mount and Nikon Z-mount. But today marks an exciting chapter for the Chinese lens making upstart: it has joined the L-mount alliance.

Set up by Leica, the L-mount is utilized by a number of brands, including Panasonic^[7], Sigma, Blackmagic Design, DJI^[8] and, of course, Leica itself.

Viltrox becomes the tenth member of the L-mount alliance, and the promise of its high-quality optics being made in L-mount versions is great news for anyone shooting with an L-mount camera too, such as the Pansonic Lumix S1R II^[9] or Blackmagic Pyxis 6K^[10].

A win-win situation

Viltrox follows Sirui^[11] as another low-cost lens maker in the L-mount alliance, but this latest news is arguably even more exciting given Viltrox’s upward curve and growing reputation.

We billed its new Sony 35mm F1.2 LAB^[12] for Sony cameras as “a stunning lens with an irresistible price tag”, awarding five stars out of five in our in-depth review. Likewise, its AF 16mm F1.8^[13] is a “go-to ultra-wide prime for landscape and astrophotography”.

Only this week did Viltrox also announce a new 56mm F1.2 lens for APS-C crop sensor cameras, available for Sony E and Fujifilm X-mount, which looks like a superb portrait optic.

The L-mount portfolio comprises 20 cameras and more than 120 lenses, and it’s set to grow with the addition of Viltrox. As a Nikon Z-mount user, I’m already on my third Viltrox Z-mount lens^[14], and couldn’t be happier.

We don’t yet know which lenses will get the L-mount treatment, but if you shoot with an L-mount camera, trust me you should watch this space to see which Viltrox lenses are released – you won’t be disappointed.

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