The Most Boring Lens Viltrox has Made


A while ago, Phoblographer decided to not review cheaper lenses. Generally speaking, they’re not pushing the boundary of photography, and that’s a bad thing these days when big companies want generative AI to replace all of us. On top of that, camera companies are making these lenses for “Creators” and not for photographers. And to that end, I often find most of these lenses to be very boring — the Viltrox 14mm f4 is one of those boring-ass lenses that I’m speaking of. If you’re a person saying, “this lens isn’t for you,” then you’re also taking the side of a big problem: these lenes are making images that generative AI can do. And they’re not encouraging photographers to get creative.

To give this lens some spice, I needed to think outside of the box. I shot with the Sony a7r III, put glimmerglass on the lens, and then set it to Program mode to just let it do whatever it wanted. Glimmerglass honestly saved it. This lens lacks weather resistance and the autofocus is mediocre to good at best.

Viltrox 14mm f4 product image
A close-up of a digital camera with a 40mm f/1.4 lens, showing control dials and lens details.
Viltrox 14mm f4 product image
A black DSLR camera with a dusty lens, lit by sunlight, sits on a brown surface.
Viltrox 14mm f4 product image
A camera with a large lens rests on a bag, highlighted by sunlight and shadow.
Viltrox 14mm f4 product image

I have to say this truly from the bottom of my heart: I’m sick of boring lenses that manufacturers make simply for the point of selling something and saying, “Me too, I’ve got one.”

Everyone and their mother has made one. So what are you doing that’s unique?

To really make the output of the Viltrox 14mm f4 stand out, I set the edited output to look like that of the Leica M9 using our own Retro Digital presets, and luckily that helped a bit.

A bartender prepares drinks behind a bar with shelves of bottles and glasses in a well-lit cafe.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
An overgrown, vacant lot bordered by shrubs, with buildings and trees in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Street view with crosswalk, cars, brick buildings, trees, and a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Four people stand talking on a sunny street corner by an outdoor cafe, with empty chairs and drinks on the table.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A person in a striped shirt and red cap sits at an outdoor table with drinks and flowers, gesturing while talking.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Sunny sidewalk with a chain-link fence in front of brick row houses and green plants.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A tree-lined path at dusk, with bright lights and construction barriers along one side.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
City street at dusk with storefronts, parked bikes, and trees lining the sidewalk, illuminated by streetlights.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A dimly lit city street at night with parked cars and emergency vehicle lights in the distance.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Cozy restaurant with warm lighting, wooden tables, white chairs, and a chalkboard menu on the wall.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A man sits at an outdoor restaurant table at dusk, looking to the side, with drinks and flowers on the table.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Dimly lit bar with a chalkboard beer menu, patrons seated at the wooden counter, and exposed brick walls.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Shelves in a grocery store stocked with snacks, nuts, and packaged food items.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A glass of water on a napkin atop a table, with a blurred person in the background holding a drink.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Aisle of a grocery store with shelves stocked with various food items and canned goods.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Dimly lit bar with blue lights, liquor bottles on shelves, and a drink on the counter in the foreground.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Cozy café interior with hanging lights, menu boards, flowers, and a display case near the entrance.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Two cocktails on a wooden bar counter under blue lighting, with bottles and a menu in the background.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Cozy, colorful restaurant interior with wall murals, plants, and people dining at tables and the bar.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A quiet city sidewalk at night, lit by streetlights, with parked cars and trees lining the street.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A sunlit living room with green plants, a green couch, and large windows letting in natural light.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A man in a red cap holds up a drink at an outdoor cafe table with drinks, water, flowers, and keys.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A woman with short brown hair sits at a wooden table in a café, resting her chin on her hand.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A bright pink cocktail with lime sits on a wooden table; a man in a striped shirt is blurred in the background.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A glass of iced red drink with a straw on a wooden table at an outdoor café.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Tree-lined residential street with parked cars on both sides, sunlight streaming through leafy branches.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A flyer recruiting for a goth band is taped to a green utility box on a sunny city street corner.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Looking up at a tall brick apartment building against a blue sky with clouds and tree branches.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
View of a quiet city street with parked cars, trees, and apartment buildings under a partly cloudy sky.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
A sunny city street lined with parked cars, outdoor seating, trees, and a pizza restaurant.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image
Colombian flag waving between buildings and an elevated train track on a sunny day.
Viltrox 14mm f4 sample image

Typically, wide-angle lenses are supposed to be fun things for every single reviewer to use. But the truth is that manufacturers are instead smitten with the idea of removing all character and imagination from the lens to deliver what they think is a crystal clear reality. And honestly, if I want reality, then I’ll watch the news.

I’m so sick of reality. I do this hobby because I want to make something unique that allows me to have a signature look and that lets me say something about the world. And more importantly, clients hire me because I’ve got a unique perspective that’s partially brought on by the gear that I’m using.

But who cares about the clients: why would I buy this lens when my iPhone has a wide-angle lens can deliver something really similar very easily? All I have to do is set the lens to the wide setting and I’ll be all set.

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris’s editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He’s the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He’s fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he’s legally blind./

HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men’s lifestyle and tech. He’s a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He’s also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like “Secret Order of the Slice.”

PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others.

EXPERIENCE:
Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he’s evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he’s done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, WordPress, and other things.

EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he’s learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc.

FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn’t get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don’t do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.



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