If I was to pinpoint one special lens in my photography career, it would have to be the Sigma 35mm f/1. 4 DG HSM Art for Nikon F-mount. I picked mine up just before I moved to East Africa where I would work in photo journalism. Sigma had just burst onto the scene with its new ‘Art’ lens in 2012, for a much lower price than Nikon’s proprietary 35mm f/1. 4 for its DSLRs, and so I bought one to pair with my Nikon D800 camera. Over four memorable years living in Kenya and travelling the region and neighbouring countries, I estimate that I took more than 75% of my photos with this one lens, many my all-time favorites of people in their environment. More recently, I switched to a mirrorless camera made by the same company — the Z-mount Nikon Z6 II , which has been updated with the Z6 III but remains my primary camera. Viltrox then offered a review sample of its shiny new AF 35mm F1. 4 Pro lens, which was unveiled this week in Nikon Z-mount and Sony E-mount versions, but with no word on an L-mount version yet. I’ve already tested Viltrox’s pricier 35mm F1. 2 from its flagship ‘Lab’ series, but the latest f/1. 4 pro is a specs match to my old lens, so I was keen to see how the two compared. I tried both lenses in various scenarios, shooting like-for-like photos with them using the Z6 II camera (the Sigma lens attached via the Nikon F-mount to Z-mount adapter). Along the way I was asking myself — is mirrorless all that it’s cracked up to be, or could I happily continue with my decade-old-and-more DSLR optic? Here’s what I learned. The adapter (left), Sigma lens (middle) and Viltrox lens (right) Tim Coleman Here the Sigma lens is now attached to the F-mount to Z-mount adapter Tim Coleman And here I’ve attached the Viltrox lens to the camera Tim Coleman Tim Coleman Handling of each lens
I’ll start with handling, and Sigma’s lens by itself is physically smaller than Viltrox’s. However, the necessary F-mount to Z-mount adapter to use it with my Z6 II adds bulk and evens matters out. And if I were to use the Sigma lens with my D800 DSLR , well, that’s a much bigger camera than the Z6 II. The adapter essentially addresses flange depth (the distance between the camera sensor and the rear of the lens — which is deeper in Nikon’s F-mount), while maintaining full autofocus performance. As such, there was no real size or weight advantage to either lens, whatever camera system was used. Nikon also has an affordable 35mm f/1. 4 Z-mount lens , mind you, which is smaller than both of these lenses, but in my experience it doesn’t match the quality of either lens here. My Sigma lens has taken a beating over its almost 15 years of use in harsh conditions, and it’s still going strong. Sure, it looks well-used, but it performs like it did on day one. I wouldn’t hold the same hope for the Viltrox lens, aesthetically speaking, at least. It’s one of the many Viltrox lenses that I’ve tested with an exterior that scratches easily. That doesn’t affect optical quality, but it did make me mindful of taking care of the lens. Autofocus is a fraction snappier and smoother with the Viltrox lens, but not enough of a reason alone to opt for it. I don’t believe that using an F-mount lens through the adapter with a Z-mount mirrorless camera has any adverse affect on autofocus performance. The focus distance in this scene, shot at f/1. 4, is fairly close Tim Coleman The Viltrox 35mm lens photo: detail is slightly sharper, with more contrast Tim Coleman The Sigma shot: detail is slightly softer, and there are signs of LoCA in the text falling into out-of-focus on the wine bottle Tim Coleman Another scene shot at f/1…