Meike 25mm F1.8 Manual Focus Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras

Curated from 86 real Reddit conversations

Refreshed on: December 11, 2024

Meike 25mm F1.8 Manual Focus Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras

Brand: Meike
Price: $74
Snoop Score:
7.1
Sentiment
7.9
Popularity
5.4
Technical
7.3

Snoop's Take

The Meike 25mm F1.8 is a manual focus lens designed for Sony E mount mirrorless cameras, offering a wide angle and a large maximum aperture for stunning photography. Users appreciate its affordability and image quality, with one stating, "I'm shocked by the output this cheap $200 lens produces," highlighting its sharpness and bokeh capabilities. While some note the lens requires manual adjustments and lacks camera communication, the general consensus is that it provides excellent value for beginners and enthusiasts alike, making it a recommended choice in its category.

Not for you? Check out our other rated Mirrorless Camera Lenses

It feels great on the body and what I’ve seen through the screen is as good as you’d expect for a discounted, manual 3rd party lens.

Positive Feedback

that is a fully manual lens and it does not communicate with the camera in any way

Negative Feedback
Product
7.1
Meike 25mm F1.8 Manual Focus Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras
Low-Light Photography
2 / 10
Portrait Photography
2 / 10
Travel & Landscape
2 / 10
Video Recording
2 / 10
See how this compares to all Mirrorless Camera Lenses

What it does well!

Key strengths users can’t stop talking about.
Good value for manual prime lens
It feels great on the body and what I’ve seen through the screen is as good as you’d expect for a discounted, manual 3rd party lens.
Affordable cine glass quality
Meike makes some of the best affordable cine glass money can buy.
I really love it. I'm definitely going to grab a few more of their lenses.
Better than other brands like Rokinon
It's not amazing but it's also much much better than the piece of shit Rokinon I bought.
Good image sharpness
Sharpness being good.
Photos it takes when you get it right are bang on.
Affordable price point for beginners
I would like to explore more but with a tight budget.
At $100-200 you're not out much if you don't like it.
Good performance with focus motors
One thing I really like is that they have teeth, which makes them work well with focus motors.
I wish all my lenses have the focus gear like the Meike, the add on ones tend to slip a lot when using with follow focus.
Positive feedback for dance and YouTube videos
I absolutely love the look and my friends and clients feel the same too!
Good value for beginner photographers
I can get myself kitted out with a nice Fuji X-E2 and a Meike pancake / prime lens for around £200.
a camera is better than no camera.
Good image sharpness and bokeh
The meike are far sharper than both and provide much more depth and bokeh.
It's an insane value.
Good value for manual lenses
Just bought 2 Meike lenses for 100€, did I make a mistake?
For what you paid, they are really good.
That's a great deal you found there.
Easy to use with practice
Just takes some practice, turn on focus peaking and then go out and enjoy them!
Good output quality for the price
I'm shocked by the output this cheap $200 lens produces.
I used it, I loved it.
overall delivers great results in my opinion.
guess this post answers it!
High nostalgia value for users
I may acquire better lenses but i shall keep it purely for nostalgia's sake.
Preferred over more expensive options
Can't beat the look of an 85m prime.
Impressive performance for the price
Gotta say, I was pretty impressed for the price.
Meike is a good brand
Meike are a good brand have not used they lens3yet but thhey are a good brand.

Where it needs some work!

Areas to watch—feedback on possible improvements.
Fully manual lens with no camera communication
that is a fully manual lens and it does not communicate with the camera in any way
These chips just plain do not work adapted on mirrorless.
Requires custom function settings to operate
Set `SHOOT WITHOUT LENS` to On. Aperture will stay at f0.
These meike lenses are seriously good on a budget.
Warranty issues with shipping to China
The biggest problem with these Chinese lenses is warranty.
I just ended up shelving the lens at this point because it's been 4 months and, nothing.
Concerns about lens quality
The 1.8 they announced recently was said to be pretty poor with the only positive being price.
Fully manual lens requires additional setup
it feels like you've got a bottle of gatorade hanging off the front of your camera.
Performance not on par with higher-end brands
I don't expect the performances of a fujinon.
Fully manual lens with limited resale value
I have it. Won't recommend it.
Image quality requires significant effort to enhance
I found the image to be really boring and needing a lot of massaging/filters to make them as pleasing as my favorite FD lens.

Compare On All Talked About Dimensions

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Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S LensNikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S Lens$2396
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Canon RF-S10-18mm F4.5-6.3 STM Ultra-Wide-Angle LensCanon RF-S10-18mm F4.5-6.3 STM Ultra-Wide-Angle Lens$299
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Meike 25mm F1.8 Manual Focus Lens for Sony E Mount CamerasMeike 25mm F1.8 Manual Focus Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras$74
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Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR Mirrorless LensNikon NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR Mirrorless Lens$1296
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Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm Telephoto LensPanasonic LUMIX G VARIO 45-150mm Telephoto Lens$147
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NIKON NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S LensNIKON NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.2 S Lens$2796
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Nikon NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro LensNikon NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro Lens$1046
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Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S LensNikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S Lens$626
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Generic 32mm F10 Free Focus Pancake Lens for RF MountGeneric 32mm F10 Free Focus Pancake Lens for RF Mount$25
5.3
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Meike 55mm F1.4 Prime Lens for Sony E Mount CamerasMeike 55mm F1.4 Prime Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras$199
4.9
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Sigma 30mm F1.4 Contemporary DC DN Lens for Sony ESigma 30mm F1.4 Contemporary DC DN Lens for Sony E$299
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Nikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 Prime LensNikon NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 Prime Lens$296
4.7
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Panasonic LUMIX G II Vario Lens 100-300MMPanasonic LUMIX G II Vario Lens 100-300MM$447
4.3
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Meike 35mm F1.7 Manual Focus Lens for Sony E-Mount CamerasMeike 35mm F1.7 Manual Focus Lens for Sony E-Mount Cameras$69
3.6
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3.4
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Core Power Plays

The specs and strengths that make it shine.
Discussion about the Meike 35mm 1.7 lens as a favorite
one of my favorite lens.
Discussion about lens suitability for video
I appreciate the sony official lenses will be better but just wondered if any of these MF type lenses are ok for use in video.
Really doesn't matter for video... all photography lenses suck except very few.
I see nothing wrong with 7Artisans and Meike lenses as long as they fulfill your purposes.
Discussion about new lens release excitement
I gotta be honest, I'm pretty excited for this.
I am also pretty happy that it's a 77mm outer diameter filter thread so that I can fit my Kase magnetic ND filters and polarisers.
The 85mm 1.8 s is a fantastic lens though.
Discussion on lens features and their impact on shooting conditions
I always like getting a lens with a lower aperture. I shoot a lot of documentary work and there’s definitely times where that extra few stops comes in handy in those dark environments.
Neither your audience nor most clients will ever notice the difference between the two lenses you're considering.
Personally, older glass on digital is usually favorable to soften out the digital sharpness instead of modern lenses.
However like someone else here mentioned; vintage lenses are also really great options!
Discussion about Meike's reputation and lens options
Does anyone have any experience using this cheap Meike MK 35mm f 1.7 lens?
Mind sharing what price you got it for?
Get the laowa 7mm. You’ll realize how useful it is given a micro 4/3 sensor size.

Buyer’s Cheat Sheet

What to check before you click ‘Add to Cart.’
Discussion about new lens release and pricing
Thats a crazy price
I could've waited for this if I had known.
Would gladly pay a tad more if it had physical aperture ring stops.
For 175€ it's a really good price.
Discussion on various lens options for budget setups
I would recommend looking for vintage 35mm SLR lenses and a Fuji adapter, if you're buying a manual focus lens this is the cheapest way.
They're she not be super expenses and have auto focus.
Discussion about comparison with other brands
How are they compared to some other lenses? Thinking of picking up one.
I don’t know man that laowa is super sharp.
Haha say what! I always thought it was a little soft.
Concerns about compatibility with camera models
So long as they mount and the rear elements don't hit the sensor, you can use them.
Discussion about alternative affordable lenses
Have you looked into the other cheep 35mm lenses? There are a lot of f/1.4 and f/1.2 at similar prices.
Recommendations for other brands if not on budget
If you can afford go with 7 artisans 35 50 0.95.

Cautionary Callouts

Know the pitfalls before they catch you off guard.
General discussion about focal lengths and their utility
I think it's great! It's a slightly unusual focal length but I got used to it, and is pleasant wide open too.

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