Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:45 pm
I hate to sound like a jerk about this, but Viltrox is not a reliable, cheap replacement for other more reliable yet more expensive brands. I keep seeing people complain about these adapters while at the same time applaud them because they are so cheap. Its better to get reliable than cheap and unreliable. I honestly think if you are getting adapters, you need to get the reliable ones with better QA and more reliable software if you plan to use them for work.
I tried Viltrox adapters for a number of systems (Fuji, Sony, M43) and each one has its own problems, mostly in random communication problems for the lens, as if the software is never fully tested for each function of the lenses. None of my lenses worked 100 percent properly with the cameras I tried them on, each with its own issues. If OS worked on lenses, IBIS didn't work on non-IS lenses. If AF worked, aperture control didn't work. EXIF data all over the place. I do not think Viltrox is a very reliable company when it comes to these adapters. Maybe they will keep working at it and eventually they could win my approval, but definitely not right now, especially when I use the exact models of lens/camera combos that are supposedly approved but do not work at all.
Sigma MC-11, Metabones, and the surprisingly good Fringer adapter I have are the only ones I trust at all with anything, even "for-fun" shooting. The Fringer has no right to be as good as it is, but it works really well compared to the Viltrox especially, but I use that mainly for fun on my Fuji XH1 so can't speak to a professional use with it.
The optics in Viltrox focal reducers very much degrade the image quality compared to Metabones. The QA for these optics is the main issue as sometimes somebody will get a good one and tout it as just as good, but more often than not the IQ degradation is instantly obvious without even a side by side.
Whether or not you personally care is a different matter. People told me years ago that Mitakon, Roxsen, brandless, etc. were just as good as Metabones and no they are not and its not even close, and Viltrox is no different. I am not sponsored by Metabones, and want cheap alternatives as much as everybody else, but right now they make the best optics for focal reducers and they are worth the price if you really want a good/reliable one.
The only adapters that I have found to be reliable enough for production use are either dumb adapters with dumb lenses (and even then the mounts are questionable on many cheap brands), the Sigma MC-11's, and Metabones.
Even Metabones is slow on updates for certain cameras and bugs exist, however I know that my lenses work when their updates say so. Metabones still hasn't put in a real update for the Pocket 4K, however it is far more reliable than the competition even in its current state (sluggy AF, improper EXIF), whereas the competition claims full functionality etc. with about a hundred asterisk marks.
Buy RELIABLE tools, not cheap ones.