Review: Viltrox AF 75mm F/1.8 EVO Lens

Viltrox recently sent me a lens to try out: their brand-new AF 75mm f/1.8 EVO. This a portrait lens with a somewhat large maximum aperture. As a third-party (non-Fujinon) option, how good is it? Where does it fit within Fujifilm’s lineup? Is it worthwhile to buy? Those are the questions I will try to answer in this review. The first question I had is: what does EVO mean? Apparently, it is short for “Evolution of Essentials” and designates Viltrox’s mid-tier lineup. They call their low-budget line AIR and the top-end PRO. So the 75mm f/1.8 fits in the middle. It’s probably most equivalent to Fujifilm’s “Fujicron” f/2 series, as far as build and image quality goes, which is good company to be in. Fujifilm has a pretty mature lens lineup with high quality glass and without a lot of holes; however, there are indeed some holes. The middle ground is pretty crowded, but at the ultra-wide and telephoto ends, there is a little lack of coverage. After the Fujinon 56mm f/1.2, there are two…