Back in September Viltrox gave us an unbelievably short pancake lens for full-frame Sony cameras: the AF 28mm F4.5 FE. Now it's announced there'll also be a version for Fujifilm X-mount bodies, called the AF 28mm F4.5 XF. Viltrox's nickname for the AF 28mm F4.5 is the 'chip' - as in potato chip - because that's how thin Viltrox reckons the lens is (some artistic/marketing licence required there!). The food comparison also lends itself neatly to Viltrox calling the Fujifilm version a new 'flavor'. More tasty marketing.
We already reviewed the Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 FE and found it to be a very capable little prime, with decent center-frame sharpness, minimal distortion, and surprisingly effective autofocus given how little room there is in the lens barrel. Of course there have to be some compromises to create such a slim lens, and the main one here is the lens's fixed F4.5 aperture, plus it's lack of a manual focus ring. Converting the lens for APS-C X-mount cameras means the Sony-fit's 28mm full-frame focal length will become an effective 45mm on a Fujifilm body, turning the lens from a wide into a standard prime.
The Viltrox AF 28mm F4.5 XF is expected to be launched on January 20th, and though pricing has yet to be revealed, given the existing Sony-fit version costs just $99 we'd expect the Fujifilm edition to be priced similarly.
