Viltrox AF 85mm F1.8 II Z

Testers found the centre very good at f/1.8 and excellent by f/2.8. Corners hold acuity but lose contrast wide open. Longitudinal colour fringing is strong and needs f/4 to f/5.6 to clear, and veiling flare with light sources in the frame is higher than the Nikkor's. Background blur is smooth with a gentle falloff, but cat's-eye highlights toward the edges are pronounced.

With current firmware, AF and eye detection behave much like Nikon's 85mm f/1.8 S for portraits, with similar focus breathing. It is slower on fast action and can hunt in dim light. The common verdict is that the Nikkor is better corrected and better behaved, but the Viltrox gives up surprisingly little for portrait work at half the price.

Owners mostly bought it as an inexpensive first portrait lens for Z bodies and say it delivers flattering headshots and pleasing bokeh at a low price. The metal build feels better than expected.

Common complaints are focus hunting in low light, a hood that detaches too easily, the 540g weight, and the many firmware updates needed to run properly on Z cameras, with a fiddly update process. Some users report copy variation and purple fringing on backlit subjects.