28mm – Alwin Kok

Lens caps that can shoot aren’t exactly new to the market, but they are certainly a niche, unique, and interesting product. If you’ve been using Fujifilm for a while, you might recall that they released the XM-FL before.

You can even make one yourself using a plastic lens from a disposable camera and a lens cap. While not many third-party manufacturers venture into this, 7Artisans and FunLeader are among those who create manual lens caps that shoot. These lenses are fun to use with no high expectations for image quality, typically featuring a slow aperture.

Then Viltrox shook things up by introducing something entirely different—a lens cap with autofocus. A concept so unique, no one else had even thought to try it.

Intro

The Viltrox 28mm f4.5 for X-mount officially launched on January 20, 2025. If you recall, Viltrox initially introduced this lens cap concept through an Indiegogo campaign—but that version was exclusively for Sony E-mount. Thankfully (no surprise), the campaign was a success, which eventually led to the release of the X-mount version.

*Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/320″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/600″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Before diving deeper, I want to express my gratitude to the awesome team at Viltrox for sending this lens cap over. That said, my thoughts and experiences shared in this post remain completely unbiased.

Design and Build Quality

Weighing in at just 60 grams, this is the lightest autofocus lens I’ve ever used. Despite its featherweight, the lens features a full metal build—nothing about it feels flimsy or cheaply made.

*Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/1600″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/680″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Like most lens cap-style lenses, it offers only a single aperture setting. In this case, it’s fixed at f4.5 and there is no adjusting it beyond that.

If you prefer manual focus, the lens does include a tiny focus ring, giving you a bit of control when needed.

Image Quality

Image quality is fairly decent and nothing groundbreaking, but it delivers acceptable contrast and sharpness that’s more than enough for casual or social media use.

*Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 1600 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/90″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*

At f4.5, vignetting is definitely noticeable, though thankfully, chromatic aberration remains minimal and isn’t too distracting.

Given the fixed aperture of f4.5, background and subject separation isn’t as pronounced compared to faster lenses. That said, with the right composition, you can still achieve a pleasing bit of background blur.

Focusing

To my surprise, the autofocus performance is better than I have expected. There are occasional hiccups where it doesn’t lock focus on the first try, but it usually kicks in by the second or third attempt.

*Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

When it does work, the focusing speed is reasonable. Transitions between the minimum focus distance and infinity are decent—not lightning-fast, but perfectly acceptable for a lens of this kind. All of this is driven by a Voice Coil Motor (VCM), which gets the job done for a compact, chip-style lens.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

No lens is without its flaws, and this one is no exception. It features a minimum focus distance (MFD) of 34cm—which, considering its compact size, is actually better than expected. Fortunately, image quality doesn’t take a hit at this distance. However, the depth of field remains fairly shallow and not particularly impressive.

*Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 1600 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/25000″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Price Point

At just 99 USD, this is likely the most affordable autofocus lens you can get your hands on. With no direct competitors in its category and price range, it really stands out. Honestly, it’s a no-brainer for any photographer looking for a lens cap they can actually shoot with—practical, fun, and ready to go.

*Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/1000″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/1000″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Others

This lens doesn’t come with a separate external lens cap—instead, it has one built in. A sliding lever lets you open it up for shooting or close it to protect the glass. It’s a pretty clever design. But the real question is: would you want to see this kind of innovation carried over to future lenses?

Lens: Fuji X-M5 with Viltrox 28mm f4.5 – open lens cap
Right: Fuji X-M5 with Viltrox 28mm f4.5 – close lens cap

Like other Viltrox autofocus lenses, this one also features a USB-C port at the rear. It’s there for potential firmware updates. You might wonder what kind of updates a tiny “chip-sized” lens would even need—possibly improvements to autofocus performance or compatibility tweaks for newer camera bodies. Either way, it’s a handy feature to have.

Who is this for?

Everyone. Honestly, this lens is so affordable that I can’t help but recommend it to everyone, just for the fun of it. It’s the kind of gear that’s easy to enjoy without overthinking. In fact, it even makes for a great gift that won’t hurt your wallet.

*Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 2000 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*

Conclusion

This lens isn’t perfect by any means. The lack of adjustable aperture values can limit your shooting options and flexibility. However, I find it enjoyable to explore and shoot with this 42mm (full-frame equivalent) focal length.

*Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/2700″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/50″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-M5 . Viltrox 28mm f4.5 @ 28mm . f4.5. 1/125″ . ISO 1600 . Nostalgic Negative*

While the fixed aperture is small, I do wish Viltrox could have made it a bit brighter—maybe around f3.5. That said, I also understand that a brighter aperture would require a larger, heavier design, which could defeat the purpose of creating a compact, lens cap-style shooter.

Overall, this is a fun and unique lens to experiment with. I’m looking forward to seeing more creative lenses from Viltrox for the APS-C and Fujifilm community.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.
5. If you are interested in this lens and also wish to support me, this is the affilinate link to purchase

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Reviews

Ricoh GR III – Still A Good Pocket Camera

June 10, 2024June 10, 2024 Alwin Kok

Ricoh GR III with TTArtisan 28mm optical viewfinder

Ricoh GR3 came out in March 2019, which marked its 5th year in the market. Today it is still going strong and I was told that the camera has been put out-of-stock from the moment it was put up onto the store shelf. What exactly is the charm behind this 5-year-old camera? Why is it still going strong? How can it win my heart from my lovely Fujifilm X100V?

Intro

I once had the Ricoh GX100. I love the compact camera and practically good focal length. I also love the idea of using AAA batteries as an alternative solution if I run out of batteries and a removable electronic viewfinder. How amazing and innovative it was in 2007.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 640*

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250*
Right: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 2500*

Before I proceed, I would like to thank the good people from Audio & Photo Distributor for sending me this GR3 for my review. I appreciate their kindness and support. Having said that, they have zero influence on my review.

Design, Build Quality & Handling…

The first thing before I hold the GR3, I admire how compact, sleek, and well-built the camera is. The metal-constructed camera gives a very premium experience when held on hand.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO* 2500

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/100″ . ISO 200*
Right: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 4000*

There is a textured grip that helps to improve the handling of the camera, which does help my big hand to grip slightly better somehow. At 257 grams, it is a lightweight camera. Basically, it is not a burden to carry around.

Sensor and Processor

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f5.6 . 1/200″ . ISO 100*

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 2000*
Right: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 2000*

The 24.2 megapixels together with the GR Engine 6 is what the core of this GR3 is. Is 24 megapixels sufficient? My answer is yes. Today, I am using Fuji X-T5, a 40-megapixel camera, and I am underutilized it. That’s because I hardly print and do cropping. Even my beloved Fuji X-T3 is more than sufficient megapixels for my printing needs. Hence, 24 megapixels is more than enough. This is my opinion.

Typically, I shoot Raw with Jpeg and the processor handles well with minimum lag. But it does hold up a little if I shoot in burst mode. For clarity, I am using Sandisk Extreme Pro.

Oh yes, the camera is capable of shooting at a maximum ISO of 102400.

Image Quality

The image quality is awesome. The 18mm (28mm in full frame equivalent) is decently sharp and has good contrast at wide-open. It also preserved a very good amount of details. This is something I am surprised about. Vignetting is pretty minimal and I cannot identify the chromatic aberration, it seems to be close to none.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/1600″ . ISO 100*

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 2000*
Right: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 3200*

The transition from focused subject to blurred background/foreground is okay. It is not the smoothest but not the most harsh that I have seen. No complaint here.

Performance

On an average day, the focusing speed is fine. Not blazing fast or unexpectedly slow. Just fine for a compact camera.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f5.6 . 1/250″ . ISO 200*

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250*
*Right: Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 2000*

But when it comes to low-light situations, focusing tends to be a little challenging. I get to see more push-pull focusing before it locks onto the subject successfully. if I remember correctly, I have encountered missed focus twice in my testing period.

There are some focus options like zone focus, pinpoint focus, snap focus mode, and Full Press Snap for the photographers to explore and find one that suits them the best.

IBIS

GR3 comes with Sensor-shift shake reduction which is capable of up to 4 stops. How does it perform in my real-world environment? The slowest shutter speed that I can achieve is 1/13 seconds. Anything slower cannot counter my shaky hand.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f8 . 1/320″ . ISO 200*

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500*
Right: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 640*

Battery Life

According to CIPA standards, it is tested to be approximately 200 shots. During my test, I have an average of 275 shots. For my usage behavior*, it seems to be not too far off from the CIPA standard.

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000*
Right: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250*

*In most situations, I will power on the camera to shoot and power off when not in use.

Wishlist

All GR series have the standard 28mm focal length with an f2.8 and I hope one day this will change to have a brighter aperture value like f2. Just a hope.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/250″ . ISO 200*

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 3200*
*Right: Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250*

Secondly, I think it might be too much to ask for an EVF, so I hope to have a flip screen like the X100V. A flip screen is helpful when I can shoot at waist level and it is a little challenging to do waist-level shots without one.

I think it is also more forgivable to compromise if the camera is slightly thicker but has a flip screen that flushes well with the camera body.

Price Point

966.95 USD price tag stated on the B&H website and I cannot say it is affordable but still cheaper than the X100V (yes, V, not VI). Of course, it is not an apple-to-apple comparison. For direct competition, the Fujifilm X70 was priced at 699.95 USD at launch but it was discontinued.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250*

Others

Like all modern cameras, the GR3 also comes with a USB-C port for charging too. What I like about this camera is that it has a lock button that prevents the photographer from accidentally changing the mode dial.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/1250″ . ISO 200*

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/160″ . ISO 200*
Right: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/400″ . ISO 200*

Unlike most cameras, it does come with a small 2GB internal storage which is capable to store an average of 31 shots consist of RAW plus Jpeg.

Lastly, it comes with built-in Neutral Density filter which is capable of providing two stops of exposures. It is very accessible and it comes in handy if one needs one.

Who is this for?

It’s a pocketable camera and it is suitable to be an “Every Day Camera” for any photographer. From casual photographers to professionals, it is a tool ready to capture the moments right from the pocket.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600*

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 320*
Right: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600*

Conclusion

In these few weeks of shooting with it, I love my experience with this camera. Although I do have some reservations about this camera like the autofocus system and f2.8 lens, I am okay with accepting it because it is so pocketable and it is already 5 years old. I still love my X100V because it still gives me a strong nostalgic vibe. Both cameras target different groups of photographers.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/800″ . ISO 100*

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/320″ . ISO 200*
Right: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/800″ . ISO 100*

This experience allows me to understand why Fujifilm X70 photographers love their X70 a little bit more. It may not have the best autofocus system but it gives a very satisfying result. What it aims to be is a pocketable camera, making it easier for anyone to use and it did them right. Also, it is a very low-profile camera that is suitable for everyone to use for day-to-day causal street shoots, family gatherings, and many others.

*Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f5.6 . 1/320″ . ISO 200*

Left: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/50″ . ISO 3200*
Right: *Ricoh GR III . 18mm f2.8 @ f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 2000*

Although the battery comes in a small capacity, I have had no issue using it for the past weeks. If battery is an issue for you, get one more extra. The battery is so small that I am sure it can be kept in your bag somewhere.

While no one knows when the successor of the GR3 will arrive, Ricoh has released a new updated GR3 and GR3x, the GR3 HDF and GR3x HDF. Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing good improvement in every aspect.