GEAR TALK: Meike 25mm T2.2 Cine Lens – Veydra Reborn?1 min read
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I stumbled upon a thread on the Pocket 4K Facebook user group about a rather new cine lens from a Chinese manufacturer named Meike. After seeing several positive reviews of their stills lenses, I decided to grab a copy and put it through its paces.
Currently, Meike’s only cinema lens is a compact prime 25mm T2.2 with a native, all-manual, M/43 mount. These specs, combined with its form factor, are very similar to the popular, but effectively unavailable, Veydra 25mm prime. This similarity has caused a lot of speculation that Meike’s lens is a cheap rip-off of Veydra’s design. I can’t confirm or deny this, but I can say that if you can somehow find a new Veydra, it will cost you about $1,200. The Meike is readily available for $340.
Available to buy, and inexpensive, are both great… but only if the lens performs. I’ve done a few tests, and in a few cases compared it to another budget 25mm lens, the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f1.7.
I know these are quite different lenses. It would have been more useful to compare the Meike to a Veydra, SLRMagic or Voightlander. Unfortunately, the Lumix is all I happened to have on hand. I hope to do a more thorough comparison soon.
I compared the two lenses based on certain factors including physical characteristics, build quality, size and weight, difficulty in handling, as well as colour accuracy. One of the more important aspects I covered is the image that it produces, which is made up of field of view, distortion, chromatic aberration, sharpness, speed, focus breathing, and last but not least bokeh and flaring.
Image credit: Pocketluts
