A new dawn of affordable zoom lenses is here — the first Chinese autofocus zoom has been spotted and that’s a big deal | Tech Radar

Overview

A new dawn of affordable zoom lenses is here — the first Chinese autofocus zoom has been spotted and that’s a big deal

Sigma leads the way for quality and choice, but Viltrox and others are rapidly catching up

Details

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There's no shortage of lens manufacturers from China – several come to mind, including Laowa, Viltrox, 7 Artisans, Meike, Sirui and Thypoch. Google lists 14 known Chinese lens brands in all, between them making lenses for Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic and Leica cameras and more.

Laowa makes completely unique tilt-shift optics and high magnification macros optics, while Thypoch engineers beautiful manual focus primes for Leica M cameras, at a fraction of the cost.

What's striking from Viltrox, is the speed at which it's growing – by making high quality and affordable autofocus primes, it has gone from obscurity to a serious player in double-quick time.

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I'm not alone in appreciating these brands – the big appeal of various Chinese-made lenses, now that the quality is there, is the price. I can buy a Viltrox prime that costs just a fraction of equivalent proprietary lenses and therefore saving myself hundreds if not thousands of dollars, plus it's undercutting other leading third party brands, such as Sigma.

The Viltrox AF 135mm F1.8 LAB lens costs less than half the price of Nikon's 135mm f/1.8 Plena, and Sony's 135mm F1.8, but it's still optical quality is a good match (Image credit: Viltrox)

Its practices have potentially landed it in hot water, mind you – Nikon is suing Viltrox for alleged patent infringements. We're yet to hear the outcome of this lawsuit, and whether Viltrox will be able to keep making Nikon Z-mount lenses. I'm hoping it can, but I would expect the prices of future Viltrox Z-mount lenses to go up a little.

Each Chinese lens manufacturer is relatively infant, certainly when compared to camera makers Sony, Canon, Nikon, Leica and others, plus established Japanese third party lens makers Sigma and Tamron.

As such, one thing holding Chinese lens manufacturers back right now is product range. Sigma has a much wider choice of lenses than Viltrox, for example. Crucially, we're yet to really see a variety of autofocus zoom lenses, but that could be about to change.

Tipster @camerainsider on X recently posted that a 'Chinese lens manufacturer that has never released an AF lens will launch a full-frame autofocus zoom lens in Q2, 2026.' So, any day.

In fact, fresh news has emerged since I started writing this article, that the mysterious post could be referring to Thypoch. Previously known for stunning Leica M-mount manual focus primes, Thypoch displayed a new lens at The Photography Show in Birmingham, UK, last week, which was clocked by our sister site, Digital Camera World.

On display, a Thypoch 24-50mm AF F2.8 lens for Sony E-mount. Now I could be wrong, but this could be the very first autofocus zoom lens from China seen in the wild.

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A Chinese lens manufacturer that has never released an AF lens will launch a full-frame autofocus zoom lens in Q2, 2026. March 12, 2026

A Chinese lens manufacturer that has never released an AF lens will launch a full-frame autofocus zoom lens in Q2, 2026. March 12, 2026

It's just one zoom lens, from one brand, for one lens mount (and we don't know the price), but it's a big step, and one that I expect other lens manufacturers from China to follow shortly.

I can't believe that Viltrox isn't already working on an autofocus zoom lens. If I were a betting man, I would gamble my house on Viltrox launching an autofocus zoom lens this year, sparking a new dawn of affordable zoom lenses.

We spoke with Sigma's CEO Kazuto Yamaki at CP+ 2026 in Japan last month and asked him about the threat of low-cost Chinese rivals.

Yamaki said, “I’ve honestly been amazed by the progress that these manufacturers from China have made. I have a lot of respect for them. Overall, however, we believe there is a significant difference in quality while we also offer a huge range of lenses."

There's no doubt that Sigma has a huge head start over the likes of Viltrox – it was founded in the 1960s and was making world-first zoom lenses as long ago as 1979.

For me, Sigma is the first name that comes to mind when I think of third party lenses – I've owned several for my various cameras down the years, starting with a 35mm f/1.4 Art lens for my Nikon DSLR.

Viltrox's AF 35mm F1.2 LAB lens is exceptionally good (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

More recently, I've been drawn to Viltrox and its impressive primes, such as the 35mm f/1.2 LAB. However, it's plain to see the limitations in Viltrox's line up, which comprises prime lenses between 14mm and 135mm full-frame focal lengths only. Sigma has a much bigger choice; wider and longer primes, and zooms of all types. It's also pushing the boat out with completely new optics, such as the 5-star 135mm F1.4 DG.

If China is to overtake Japan as the new lens-making superpower, we need more choice, most notably autofocus zooms. Given the siting of the Thypoch lens, and the rate at which Viltrox and others are developing new products, that day could come soon.

What I will say though, is that there is plenty to like about Sigma specifically beyond the lenses it makes. Sigma has been operating as a private family-owned business for over 60 years. It's regularly developing entirely new products, made in Japan, that cost less than proprietary lenses, and it adheres to sustainable and eco-manufacturing practices.

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Tim is the Cameras editor at Tech Radar. He has enjoyed more than 15 years in the photo video industry with most of those in the world of tech journalism. During his time as Deputy Technical Editor with Amateur Photographer, as a freelancer and consequently editor at Tech Radar, Tim has developed a deeply technical knowledge and practical experience with cameras, educating others through news, reviews and features. He’s also worked in video production for Studio 44 with clients including Canon, and volunteers his spare time to consult a non-profit, diverse stories team based in Nairobi. Tim is curious, a keen creative, avid footballer and runner, and moderate flat white drinker who has lived in Kenya and believes we have much to enjoy and learn from each other.

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Key Takeaways

• A new dawn of affordable zoom lenses is here — the first Chinese autofocus zoom has been spotted and that’s a big deal

• Sigma leads the way for quality and choice, but Viltrox and others are rapidly catching up

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• There's no shortage of lens manufacturers from China – several come to mind, including Laowa, Viltrox, 7 Artisans, Meike, Sirui and Thypoch

• Laowa makes completely unique tilt-shift optics and high magnification macros optics, while Thypoch engineers beautiful manual focus primes for Leica M cameras, at a fraction of the cost