If you can say the title three times in a row, your Panasonic Lumix will magically get DPAF.
-OpenFilmmaker
After purchasing the Viltrox EF-M2 for the Sigma 18-35mm, I started looking at other lenses for our Micro Four-Thirds system. The goal was an inexpensive, wide aperture lens. The Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 at $46 seemed to meet both requirements.
So getting right into it, the speedbooster has a .71x crop, making the 50mm into a 35mm lens. This is equivalent to a 71mm on a full-frame (if you believe in that sort of thing). Due to the speedbooster, you also gain a stop of light: f/1.8 * .71 = f/1.27
50mm * .71 crop/mm * 2 mm/crop = 71mm
Focal-length equivalence (FF/35mm)
Build Quality
The lens mount is plastic. Seriously, what do you expect for $46? The advantage here is it’s so light weight. The focus ring is also loose. Honestly, for $46, we’re lucky this thing isn’t made from a potato.
Sample Images
These images are straight from the camera (unedited). If you’d like to see a portrait in good lighting conditions, comment and I’ll make it happen.
YouTube Video
Disadvantages
- Requires a speedbooster.
- When using manual focus, the ring may drift. I had to hold it firmly.
- The auto-focus on this missed about 50% of the time. I couldn’t tell if it was from the lens itself or the Viltrox Speedbooster. If you’re gonna use this for photography, you might be better off using manual focus with focus peaking.
Advantages
- This is a fantastic lens for portraits. Not exactly a 85mm, but it’s not far off at 71mm.
- The light weight. It’s seriously light and won’t add much weight in your camera bag.
- Did I mention it was $46? It’s so cheap! Makes a great back-up lens.
Recommendation
If you shoot manual and need a lens in this focal range, the $46 is a no-brainer. The video quality was absolutely fantastic. Many parts of our G85 video was shot on this lens. Also, if you don’t already down a speedbooster, I don’t recommend purchasing one just for this lens. That defeats the bargain aspect of this deal.
This would be great for casual shooting and I recommend the Canon f/1.8 for professional work. For a native option, I recommend the 42.5 f/1.7 (or f/1.2) – you’ll be much happier with the build quality and results. Native options are anywhere from 9x – 30x the price of this lens, but are they 9x – 30x the quality? I don’t think so.
It’s a great value lens.
I simply can’t think of any other lens that might beat this bargain. Let me know what you think in the comments below.