Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 Air Review: The Perfect Budget Companion for Your Fuji XM5

A surprisingly sharp third-party lens that punches well above its $170 USD price point

The Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 Air has been making waves as an affordable alternative to Fuji's native glass, and after extensive testing on the Fuji XM5, I can confidently say this lens deserves a spot in your camera bag.

What Makes It Special?

At just 170 grams and under $200, the Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 Air delivers a 37.5mm full-frame equivalent focal length that sits comfortably between the popular 35mm and 40mm ranges. This versatile focal length works beautifully for landscapes, architecture, studio work, portraits, and video content.

The lens features a plastic body with a metal mounting unit, nine aperture blades, and an optical design comprising 12 elements in 10 groups. This includes five exotic elements: one ED extra-low dispersion element, two high refractive index elements, and two aspherical elements.

Image Quality: The Real Star

The image quality from this lens genuinely impressed me. Even wide open at f/1.7, the lens delivers remarkable corner-to-corner sharpness with excellent color rendition that rivals Fuji's own glass. The bokeh is smooth and pleasing, creating beautiful subject separation when shooting close to your subject.

Colors render naturally and pop off the screen, making this lens feel far more premium than its price suggests. The minimum focus distance of 0.3 meters allows for intimate close-up work with gorgeous background blur.

The Trade-offs

No lens is perfect at this price point, and the Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 Air has a few compromises:

Vignetting: There's noticeable corner darkening at wider apertures, though it's easily corrected in post-processing with lens profile corrections in Lightroom. Personally, I often leave it uncorrected for the added character it brings to images.

Flaring: Point this lens at bright light sources and you'll get noticeable flare, though it's nowhere near as problematic as vintage glass. The flare is significantly more pronounced than Fuji's native lenses.

Manual Focus: The manual focus experience is subpar with a long throw that feels awkward in practice. This is one of the weakest aspects of the lens.

Autofocus: The STM autofocus motor occasionally exhibits focus pulsing, hunting back and forth before locking on. While not perfect, it performs reasonably well for a third-party lens, especially considering the price. Keep in mind that Fuji's autofocus system isn't the strongest to begin with, so native lenses also show some hunting.

No Weather Sealing: This budget lens lacks weather resistance, so it's not ideal for challenging conditions.

No Aperture Ring: Traditional Fuji shooters who prefer physical aperture rings will need to adjust to controlling aperture through the camera body.

Who Should Buy This?

The Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 Air is ideal for:

XM5 owners looking for a compact, lightweight prime lens
Photographers upgrading from the 15-45mm kit lens who want faster aperture for low light and bokeh
Budget-conscious shooters who want sharp optics without breaking the bank
Anyone needing a versatile focal length that handles multiple shooting scenarios

Who Should Skip It?

Pass on this lens if you:

Need weather sealing for outdoor work in challenging conditions
Require an aperture ring on all your lenses
Depend heavily on manual focus in your workflow

The Perfect Pairing

For around $1,300, you can get the Fuji XM5, the 15-45mm power zoom kit lens, and this Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 Air. This combination provides an incredibly complete system: the kit lens offers versatility, stabilization, and decent autofocus with a useful wide end, while the Viltrox delivers speed, bokeh, excellent rendering, and creative flexibility.

Final Verdict

The Viltrox 25mm f/1.7 Air isn't just a great cheap lens—it's a legitimately excellent optic that competes with glass costing two to three times as much. At 170 grams versus 360-620 grams for comparable Fuji or Viltrox Pro options, the weight savings alone make this compelling for travel and everyday carry.

The image quality, sharpness, and color rendering are outstanding for the price. Yes, the autofocus could be more refined, and the manual focus leaves much to be desired, but these compromises are minor when weighed against the exceptional value proposition.

I highly recommend the Viltrox Air series to anyone seeking affordable glass that performs like premium lenses. The 25mm f/1.7 Air has earned a permanent place in my camera bag.

Price: $190
Weight: 170g
Focal Length: 25mm (37.5mm full-frame equivalent)
Maximum Aperture: f/1.7
Filter Thread: Not specified
Minimum Focus Distance: 0.3m

Full disclosure: This lens was purchased with my own money. Viltrox had no input on this review.

Watch the full video review for detailed image comparisons, autofocus tests, and sample photos.

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