When Leica announced the L-mount alliance in 2018, little did we know it would grow to be one of the most advanced systems in the world. Today, after almost eight years, the company has added a new member to its growing family: Viltrox. Back in January, we had spoken about how Viltrox is negotiating with Leica, and it now seems that dream has come true. This collaboration means that the Chinese company can develop lenses with the L-mount in mind, which will be suitable for both photographers and content creators.

Viltrox has been a positive performer in many ways. Even in our reviews, we enjoyed using the lenses with Leica and Sony cameras, as it was both cost-effective and produced beautiful images. For instance, the company’s 135mm lens was large but was exceptionally quick with the autofocus and at par with medium-format lenses in terms of quality. As we wrote in our 135mm review: “The image quality is stunning and comparable to what Canon outputs. That means that the lens surely has character to it.”

The L-mount alliance, with some truly significant manufacturers around the world, is becoming the go-to system for photographers and video creators. With Viltrox being the 10th member, the company is keen on making the L-mount powerful, as it will allow users to get the best quality and options in photo gear. For instance, this alliance has over 20 cameras and more than 120 lenses, which is pretty great compared to Nikon or Canon. As Leica states, these lenses have been created for different systems in the L-mount alliance, and they can be utilised on all of their cameras. Naturally, if someone is into hybrid content, they get the benefit of working with lenses that specifically cater to photography and those that are better with videos as well.

Speaking about Viltrox’s involvement, Valentino Di Leonardo, Managing Expert Technology & Licensing at Leica Camera AG, said: “Viltrox contributes valuable expertise in high-quality lens development and brings fresh momentum to our ecosystem. Together, we aim to offer photographers and filmmakers an even more comprehensive and flexible system that meets the most demanding requirements.” Dai Jinhui (Daniel Dai), CEO at Viltrox, added that this partnership will be “inspiring a new generation of creators,” while also “reinforcing a dynamic and inclusive ecosystem alongside.”

Since 2018, the other companies to join Leica include Sigma, Panasonic, Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH, DJI, Astrodesign, Samyang Optics, Blackmagic Design, and, most recently, Sirui. With Viltrox on the list, Sigma and Samyang will face tough competition since the company has been having a great year so far. It remains to be seen what Viltrox will launch in the future for the SL series cameras. And we do believe it will be great.