Chinese lens maker Viltrox is attempting to join the L-Mount Alliance, which would pave the way for the company’s lenses to work on full-frame Leica, Panasonic, and Sigma cameras.
As spotted by L-Rumors, on a recent YouTube video about the new Viltrox AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens, a YouTube viewer noted there was no mention of an L-Mount version. The excellent and relatively affordable 135mm f/1.8 prime lens is only available for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras. However, expecting the lens to venture to other mirrorless mounts at some point is reasonable.
Viltrox replied, “We’re trying to connect and negotiate with Leica for the licensing,” suggesting that L-Mount could be among these other mounts.
As a company, Viltrox has long paid attention to the L-Mount Alliance, publishing a blog post in August 2023 to discuss Samyang and Astrodesign joining the alliance.
The L-Mount Alliance comprises Leica Camera, Sigma, Panasonic, Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH (Leica’s cinema lens division), DJI, Samyang, Astrodesign, and Blackmagic Design.
The L-Mount Alliance is a strategic partnership wherein the companies involved develop products and technologies for the unified L-Mount standard, developed by Leica Camera in April 2014. It was the T-mount then, but the name changed to L-Mount when Leica released the original Leica SL camera the following year. Leica founded the L-Mount Alliance in September 2018 with co-founding members Panasonic and Sigma.
In the case of the L-Mount Alliance, the more the merrier. In last week’s episode of the PetaPixel Podcast, the team discussed the state of L-Mount and whether the system is worth investing into now. While there is healthy debate regarding the value proposition of the L-Mount system, there is little doubt that more high-quality lenses would make the system more attractive to photographers and videographers.
Viltrox, which has only been around since 2009, fits the bill as a high-quality lens maker. As mentioned, the company’s new AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens is fantastic. In his review for PetaPixel, Chris Niccolls called its optics “incredibly good,” noting that the lens, although a bit large and heavy, is “excellent value no matter how you slice it.” The Viltrox lens rivals Sony’s 135mm f/1.8 G Master prime in terms of performance while costing less than half as much. The L-Mount could use lenses like that.
Image credits: L-Mount Alliance
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