Meike 35mm f/1.7 lens review with samples

This little manual focus lens for mirrorless, APS-C cameras is /very/ inexpensive, and could have potential as a piece of kit to firmly attach to your camera. Can its image quality shape-up?
Find it here (Amazon affiliate link) (Be sure to get the right lens for your camera system - this one is for Sony cameras):
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All pictures taken by me on a Canon EOS M3 camera.
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[@hedition9346]

Why do so many people associate budget with beginners? A pro who can't afford good lens is still a pro.

[@christopherfrost]

It's the same with all kinds of things - musical instruments, paint brushes - less expensive ones tend to be associated with beginners as they're still figuring out how far they want their new hobby to go

[@cooper9917]

If someone is a professional (professional being someone who does it as a profession and gets paid to take photos) they should have high quality equipment. However, high quality equipment doesn't mean someone is a professional.

[@aladinalbeik7853]

Thank you we needed this ;)

[@iangilbert6518]

well I mean I understand because most beginners aren't gonna spend a whole lot of money until they're sure they want to go into photography/filmmaking. But I agree, I would've just said "budget".

[@laurencegr5338]

Because photography is all about money. The more expensive your gear is the more you appear like a pro.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Nice review, Chris. I was intrigued when I saw this lens mostly because it looks so much like a lot of the Takumar lenses that I continue to use and enjoy.

[@KL-gv9jw]

Thanks Chris. I purchased this lens after I saw your review in early this year. This lens really sharp, fast and light in weight. It becomes the one I always take out with my Canon M3.

[@diegoflai]

Laughed so hard with “it doesn’t exactly blow your backgrounds of the face of the earth” hahaha.

[@alfrembautista9916]

2019 someone's selling me their meike 35mm 1.7, at this time I need a cheap manual lens. So helpful video, lens price point and features okay to me, Thanks!

[@lamarcy]

Nice review. I own this lens for 6 months now, but I really suck at manual focus. I like the lens, but I decided to get the sigma 30mm f/1.4 Thanks for sharing all this good information with us 👍👍👍

[@KevBautista]

How are you finding the Sigma, bud?

[@TawhidKhan11]

Two reviews in a single day! we are in for a treat! please make more videos like this whenever you can Cheap lenses for mirrorless cameras are rare & also a neccessity

[@christopherfrost]

Actually it was an accident...I was trying to schedule this to come out next month! Ooops

[@TawhidKhan11]

I just love your reviews I was reaching home from work when you posted your first video today, I was on my mobile data I almost rushed the last half kilometers to see the video with the broadband internet :-D Stay blessed & make more videos!

[@meikewesselkamp9019]

MY NAME!

[@christopherfrost]

Hehe

[@lecolintube]

Gotta love the ‘Grace Outpouring!!!!’ Thanks for putting it in your close up shot!

[@christopherfrost]

I get to go up to Ffald y Brenin often :-)

[@SaiyakenPHOENIX]

Went out and bought this lens on your recommendation, it's now what I mainly use. Loving it so far.

[@-grey]

I'd like to see you test out the Meike 28mm f/2.8. I think it could be a cheap and good street manual replacement for the much more expensive Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8.

[@preflightdrip8672]

"would a beginner want to use a manual focus lens" me being at this for 6 months and only using autofocus once

[@agungkumala7410]

Finally, i've been waiting for this review, thanks 🙏🏻

[@zoltanszoke2676]

I love mine. It goes very well with the XE-1. I recently bought a Sony, but still hesitant to sell this setup. I imagine it is a nobrainer for EOS-M, as there are not many prime lenses for that system.

[@mugglepower]

holy hell those are some serious pictures. I picked up a olympus pen with this and a meke 50mm f2.0 for 130 bucks, don't know what to expect yet but your review really gave me some confidence!

[@nightcoder5k]

I believe it's pronounced as Mei-Key. Nice lens for​ ASP-C cameras.

[@anzaeria]

That barrel distortion in your test graph is a bit of a turn off, however I find it's not really that noticeable in most real life subjects like fauna and flora in images Ive seen taken with this lens. Not so great for architecture though.

[@manojkoll]

Chris, thanks for this review. Can you share the checkerboard file that shows the barrel distortion and vignetting for this lens. Want to see if I can make a lens profile for lightroom with the file. Thanks for your help.

[@acunha3105]

Please test the NEW Meike 35mm F1.4! 😍

[@vispinet]

+1

[@jomarico1770]

The new meike 35mm F1.4 has a lot chromatic aberration at f1.4 :( It is especially noticeable on the edges of white objects. There is a very noticeable purple fringe around white objects, it especially noticeable when a person is wearing a checked shirt. Luckily it is correctable with lightroom, though I had to set the slider to max to remove the purple fringing.

[@vispinet]

@@jomarico1770 That's a bummer, I was hoping to use this as a portrait lens... I did't hear about this issue in the reviews... could it be that you got a bad copy? At this point I'm doubting between the 1.4 and the 1.7. Some people say the 1.7 is a more solid and consistent performer. The mikakon 0.95 would be nice, but at that price I would rather get the original canon 32mm 1.4...

[@jomarico1770]

@@vispinet Maybe I got a bad sample. I don't know but in my experience with this sample. It works around 60% of the time. Sometimes the image is soft at the center but that could mostly be me with my inexperience with manual focus. On some photo's though when you nail the focus exactly. In center sharpness it beats the canon 15-45mm kit lens.Though you really do have to get the focus just right to do that. Its expected given the large f1.4 aperture, with such a narrow depth of field unless you stop it down only as small area will be in focus. I've read too that the 1.7 is better performer, I might try it out too sometime after I've had time with this 1.4.I'll probably sell this 1.4 though. If you got the cash though just get the canon 32mm F1.4. Saves the hassle of working around this len's limitations.

[@jomarico1770]

@@vispinet Oh and no complaints on the bokeh here. It has excellent bokeh. As far light transmission goes though I'd say this more around f 2.0

[@simonlocke3714]

Wow.... That's a LOT for a beginner to take in.... Hopefully I'll understand it all soon enough.... But thankyou for a great video , in depth , accurate and informative

[@christopherfrost]

You'll get it all soon enough :-)

[@toast1797]

I was looking for a smaller alternative to my sigma 30mm 1.4 Art but I guess I'll keep looking. Interesting size though

[@kingsamvisuals]

Seb you thought this could rival an art lens? Check the sigma 30mm 1.4 dc dn for APSC

[@blender_wiki]

Simple and essential review with any useless dumb stuff. Congratulations really useful.

[@samacochan]

Meike 35mm f/1.7 MFD is .38m instead of .3 m (according to the manufacturer specs) So if you want the lens for close up shooting, watch out.

[@fuadsyawal7461]

I hope the 1.4 version is also reviewed

[@hbcimages]

The brand name actually pronounce Mei- Ke means beauty of scientific. They made a lot of cheaper alternatives of photo accessories in the past but seems produce more decent stuffs now.

[@sehpaakvaryum]

good work... Meike 35mm f/1.7 very best lens

[@isaacn3538]

thanks your reviews are great

[@EdisonAmayaII]

Recently my Sony Kit Lens broke which was my 16mm-50mm which I used for streaming etc then I have my expensive lens I never touch unless I’m doing something important… decided to get this for streaming 💪🏽💪🏽

[@akiraryuu2499]

Hi Chris, can you review the newer Meike 35mm f1.4 ?

[@SatanSupimpa]

Have you tried the Fujian 35mm f/1.7? I think it costs about half the price of the Meike.

[@rastisetya2841]

Please review the meike 28mm f2.8 What do you think about it as daily and travelling lens? Is it a worthy cheap lens?

[@abdulrahmanbubshait3460]

Could you please review the 150-600 tamron g2, I have been waiting for the review to Come up so i can decide whether to buy it or not!! Thank you! You are the best!

[@Doct0r0710]

If size doesn't concern, I'd think about getting an adapter and an old M42 mount lens on mirrorless systems for this price.

[@joelpaulmunoz3600]

Christopher, thank you for the very concise review. I might add that your manner of presentation is very soothing to the ears, kinda like Bob Ross. :) Anyway, I'm deciding between the Meike 35mm f1.7 and the 7artisans 35mm f1.2 for astrophotography. Chromatic aberration is my paramount consideration, and Meike seems to be better than the 7artisans on this. However, I've read that these Chinese lenses sometimes don't focus to (past) infinity (due to quality control issues) - which is very important to focus on stars. The 7artisans has 3 set screws that can be loosened to adjust focus if that's the case. Does the Meike have the same feature? So to me, it's a toss between better control of chromatic aberration with the risk of not being able to focus on stars, or a lesser quality lens but with focus adjustment. Help!

[@christopherfrost]

I don't think the Meike lens has that feature I'm afraid.

[@yttean98]

I think think you are little unkind to the Meike 35mm, I own the Meike 50mm f2.0 with FX mount, I believe for the money I paid for it, it is excellent, firstly the image at f2.0 is very good at the centre and blurry at the edges for portrait work is very good especially the bokeh is very nice, secondly it is very cheap, thirdly no adapter is required, it beats many legacy out there in terms of sharpness. Really not many enthusiasts can afford a 50mm Leica or Zeiss ot Nokton. The bottom line for potential buyer is think whether they want to save more money to buy a better quality lens later or buy this lens now PRACTICE on it and gain experience after it can be given away without a sweat, and then buy better and more expensive lenses. I think the latter is preferable. Anyway Chris welcome back to reviewing lenses you have lots of experience and knowledge about lenses and most situations do a thorough reviews esp the Canon lenses. Looking forward to viewing more of your videos except the Christians ones.

[@fuckingSickOfCreepyG]

I think it's a tad too expensive for that. You can find older lenses in ebay for much, much cheaper if you don't mind lacklustre optics.

[@yttean98]

depending on what older lenses you are looking for some cheap some more expensive, the last time I look(6-12mths ago) Nikon 50mm f1.8 US$100-120, 35mm f2.0 costs more...while others even more. It all depends on your what lens you buy. So you cannot generalise too much.

[@fuckingSickOfCreepyG]

If what you want is experimenting you can get old Tamrons for 10 to 50 US$. 90 US$ is awkward in that it's a lot to simply throw away in a lens just to play for a while and with little resale value. I mean, to each their own but I much more happily spend 300 US$ in something I will use for a long time and/or has resale value, than 90 US$ in something I'm not convinced about from the get go, but I can maybe use to practice.

[@PostColorGear]

I dont believe it's unkind if he shows proof of what he's saying, as he says it.

[@martinjeremiahjarmin635]

Thank you for this! This is one of the videos that influenced me to buy this lens. I did a test video on my channel and I found that 2.8 works the best for me.

[@samuelsam5406]

I just bought one but it doesn’t work for my camera even though it says E-mount

[@timerjavec3885]

I have a question. I have a Nikon D3400 camera and would like to purchase this lens. Now I know that you can't adapt Sony E mount to F mount, BUT I am into macro photography and I would buy this lens, so I could reverse it on my camera, which could potentially give me GREAT magnification, with extension tubes probably beyong 4:1 magnification, which I'm after. Considering this is a mirrorless camera lens only,how will this lens influence photographs if reversed on a D3400?? I would really appreciate your answer! Greetings, Tim

[@tenspeed4140]

Will this work with focus peaking?

[@chrisjames1924]

Currently on eBay for £8.49.... This includes free delivery from HK. CRAZY! The usual camera/lens manufacturers have been ripping us off for years with their arbitrary markup prices.

[@christopherfrost]

That sounds like a scam to me!

[@sko19sko]

hey, thanks a lot for your videos!

[@robertwlester]

worth tucking away for a rainy day, i guess.

[@highpiner]

Nice review. Can you compare it with 7artisans 35/1.2 ?

[@christopherfrost]

Haven't tried that lens yet

[@isrnmn]

Hi Christopher I really enjoy watching your reviews (something my family can't understand). When I shoot my EOS M3 with the kit auto lens, the iris is wide open (as long as I don't touch the shutter), The changes the screen brightness, the histogram and the light meter done by analysing the current input of the sensor, ISO level and the expected aperture and shutter speed. Now, I consider purchasing a manual lens (Samyang 35), how does it work with a manual lens, when the camera does not have any input of the expected aperture? can I rely on the histogram and light meter with a manual lens?

[@christopherfrost]

It will still work in aperture priority mode - that's what I do anyway

[@ChrisLina]

I bought the lens after this review :) thank you

[@iyzyz]

You like it?

[@BrianHallmond]

how is it?

[@ChrisLina]

@@iyzyz yes!

[@ChrisLina]

@@BrianHallmond I'm used to it! Works oks

[@BrianHallmond]

@@ChrisLina just ok?

[@la_feliz]

Hi Christopher, new subscriber here. I bought this same 35mm lens but cannot fit on my Canon M50ii

[@MrMolinari]

Is that Tenby? I was there a few months ago just by accident. Fell in love instantly! Greetings from London.

[@christopherfrost]

Yup :-)

[@Aliq1312]

Is this good for video?

[@azadragibnehal2132]

Review MK-35 f/1.4

[@pungredx]

The focus ring on mine stop working after a few months of not using, any idea how to fix it? Thanks

[@olegasphoto]

Great review as ever.

[@Nico-ux7wr]

I found this lens second hand for less than half the price even, it's already cheap, however I noticed upon receiving that the aperture ring is slightly different... The f8 and f22 indicators are written very closely to each other, and I can't seem to turn it completely to f22, surely they don't make fake.. chinese lenses... right? other than that the lens seems to be working very fine

[@vispinet]

Is it just me or the lens looks very sharp at f4 but quite softer at f8? That would be rather disappointing for me, because I would be using it mainly for street photography and at f8 most of the time...

[@level6visuals363]

Same image quality as the 1.4 version?

[@gqn2]

This guy reviews almost every lens.

[@WrongWorld23]

I'm a bit confused you say that the lens is fo aps-c sized sensors. Does that mean i don't have to pay attention to the crop factor? Is it like the 35mm that i expect it to be, or will it turn out more like a 50mm on an aps-c camera?

[@christopherfrost]

I talk about that in the review. If you own a crop sensor camera then you always, always multiply by 1.5x

[@dangvalverde]

Chris, have you ever heard of a photographer by the name of Ansel Adams? Probably not. It's really amazing how photography has changed over the years & autofocus is a must needed item on a lens. A picture is only as sharp as our eye can see it.

[@christopherfrost]

Sure, I've heard of Ansel Adams :-)

[@Boomer112]

Should i get this Meike or the Sony DT 50mm f/1,8 SAM? I'm kinda new to cameras/lenses so i have no clue which one is better... i mean i've looked at photo samples, etc so i know how they both look like and stuff but it's like a dilemma because they honestly both look good.

[@christopherfrost]

The DT SAM? If you're using a mirrorless camera, then I think you'll need a special adaptor for that one - it's for their older digital SLR cameras. I'd go for the Meike actually, or better yet - save up for the great Sony 50mm f/1.8 OSS (an E-mount lens)

[@Boomer112]

Ohh... Well i was actually gonna go for the Meike to skip adaptors, etc but sadly it's not available in the store i were going to buy it in. I'm too impatient to order online and wait for it to ship to me so i guess i'll look around for another lens then.

[@Archontasil]

Try fujian cctv apsc lens as well, they have crazy swirly bokeh.their 35mm f1.6 one is very cheap at 30$ I just bought unbranded cctv 25mm f1.4 lens for 50$, It's one of the best value for money lens i've ever had

[@francescomanfredi]

Archontasius yes I agree but the 35mm flares a lot and the 25mm has crazy vignette on apsc sensor, they are much better on m43 are they?

[@bwc1976]

I have the 25 1.4 on M43, and even there it's too much vignetting unless I set it to take square pictures. I can't imagine how anyone could use it on APS-C.

[@modestasen]

Waiting for Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 G2!

[@Jennifer-wr9si]

a manual lens will work with focus peaking?! Did not know that...

[@christopherfrost]

That's what focus peaking is designed for - manual focus lenses

[@Jennifer-wr9si]

I had incorrectly assumed that only lenses that were BOTH AF and MF capable could use focus peaking

[@dylanaprialdo8626]

can this lens be used to nikon j5? will it interupt the ability of auto focus of the camera after you change this lens to the camera-kit lens? i really want to buy this, but i'm such a beginner and i'm afraid that my camera will be broken if i use third party lenses. i'm using nikon j5. thank you.

[@christopherfrost]

I have no idea, sorry!

[@recrof]

might be because there is difference between T-stops and F-stops. Might be that this lens has T2.0 and that's the reason why you get same shutter speeds.

[@yohanespradono2976]

I have xa5, i am planning to buy a manual lens. Will i have trouble to focus with lcd? My camera does not havr viewfinder.

[@christopherfrost]

I don't know, I've never used that camera. It shouldn't be too hard

[@gypsy00]

This 35mm or meike 25mm f1. 8?

[@kevc.2958]

is it the same lens as artisans7?

[@SaguaFilms]

This lens is good for sony a6400 ?

[@JahlenJohnson11]

Could I film with this lens? Like just vlogs?

[@meme4one]

Yes but it doesn't auto focus so you'd to set it up before filming and not move too much.

[@timothyriva]

Hi Christopher! May I know how to set up the lens?

[@christopherfrost]

I don't understand your question

[@slammermx]

Are you going to review the new 1.4 version?

[@christopherfrost]

No plans to at the moment

[@henrikgustav2294]

non-rotating front is a plus !

[@WVMUSIC_NL]

You mean that it cannot focus to infinity? I think i really mis a more loose focusring. This one stops halfway turning left and right

[@heriioo404]

Can anybody tell me how short of a distance you can shoot with this lens?

[@shahanaakther6301]

Please review Meike MK-35mm F/1.4

[@astrobrei3575]

Is this a perfect dupe for fujifilm xf35mm f1.4??

[@christopherfrost]

I don't understand your question

[@astrobrei3575]

Christopher Frost Photography oh sorry, is the meike 35mm a great alternative for fujifilm xf35mm f1.4?

[@christopherfrost]

@@astrobrei3575 Not really but it is much cheaper

[@Piratehunter96]

I have Sony A6500 and i want his lens to record videos, is it possible to record videos with this lens?

[@christopherfrost]

Of course it is. It's not a good choice, but it is possible

[@tatasaccount]

Were all the images in this review made using this lens? Thanks.

[@christopherfrost]

Yup. That's the idea

[@tatasaccount]

Christopher Frost Photography I see. Thanks Chris. I have the lens and I thought it was inadequate for landscapes. But your landscapes look quite good. Maybe it's lighting. Or talent. ;) And The Case for the Real Jesus was a very good read indeed.

[@v_stands_for_value124]

For 80€ this thing is amazing even only cuz stays together😂

[@borslava]

How about the new Meike 35mm f1.4? Can you compare it with Meike 35mm f1.7?

[@christopherfrost]

Hmm I haven't heard of that new Meike lens

[@borslava]

@@christopherfrost www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1451880-REG/meike_mk35f1_4fx_35mm_f1_4_maual_lens.html

[@iams.1537]

Which crop factor I'll have on micro 4/3? Will it be as 70 mm or still 35 considering that this is APS-C lens?

[@christopherfrost]

If you're using a M4/3 camera then you always, always multiply by 2. So it'll be 70mm equivalent

[@anthonypearson4206]

It’s around 50mm on APS-C

[@NoahWilson98]

Bunny rabbit at 5:30!!!!!!!

[@mohamedhamlaoui3715]

Hi, can this work with the fujifilm xt1 graphite?!! Please thank you

[@ThisIsWideAngle]

Yes, but it doesn´t have af and you might need to tell your camera in the menu to take photos without a lens attached.

[@MrJuanceledon]

Excuse me, I don't understand english very well, can I use this lens with an Sony 3500 camera?

[@christopherfrost]

I think so

[@dalecarpenter8828]

Wa ise paint teight ?

[@markokamberi3659]

Nothing is wrong with the lens, the amout of light the lens lets in is not the same as the apperture, this is a f/1.7 lens and probably T 2.0 so it lets in light as an f2.0 lens would...

[@petefuentes5984]

this lens is compatible in Dslr bodies? like nikon D750

[@christopherfrost]

Mope, as I said in the review, it's only for mirrorless cameras

[@adriansevilla5187]

mm is there a full frame version of this?

[@christopherfrost]

Yes, their 50mm f/1.7

[@ranneville]

Can this be used on mirrorless camera without viewfinder just lcd?

[@christopherfrost]

Depends on your camera

[@bwc1976]

Yes, it will just be more difficult to focus outdoors on a sunny day.

[@glomariehopepaquera2487]

I have fuji XA3 is it ok with this lens?

[@christopherfrost]

If you get the Fuji version, yes

[@toastbrot97]

The aperture isn't directly connected to the shutter speed. The term "fast lens" is actually really misleading since a lens will never have a direct effect on any speed of the camera at all. The only reason why they're called "fast" because they allow in theorie a faster shutter while archiving the same image brightness.

[@lamanhnguyen6462]

does it worth without mount on canon 700D ?

[@christopherfrost]

As I said in the review, it's only for mirrorless cameras, no for digital SLRs

[@JulianAzcarate]

This is better than the yongnuo 35mm 2.0?

[@christopherfrost]

It's sharper. In order to use to Yongnuo lens you'd need an adaptor, too

[@JulianAzcarate]

Thanks for your answer, I bought the yongnuo 35mm and I tried it with my 70D and it never focused well and the image was not sharp, I sold it immediately but now I also have the a6500 with sigma and commilite adapter, I would like to know which one works best with the a6500. Greetings from Colombia

[@alysegardner1936]

Will this lens work on a Canon 80D?

[@christopherfrost]

No, as I said in the review, it's only for mirrorless cameras

[@Islandboyteago]

Can this work on a Nikon 1 J4?

[@christopherfrost]

I presume so, if you have the right adaptor (I didn't know anyone ever bought that camera!)

[@urdhaniii]

It's crop lens?

[@menviolence]

Syahrul Ramadhani yes. For aps-c sensor

[@davidgonzalez9113]

PLEASE REVIEW MIEKE 50 MM

[@music4layfuu]

Chris, no more DSLR?

[@christopherfrost]

Why do you say that?

[@viking1au]

Remember, F1.7 (1.8 & 1.9) are not full F stops. 1.8 at best may be less than a half stop. - Going up, full stop are F2.8; F2, F1.4; F1.... The rest is just 'marketing'.-Rgds.

[@bwc1976]

True, my Minolta MD 50mm 1.7 lens doesn't bother having a 2 on the aperture ring, it just goes straight from 1.7 to 2.8.

[@iango1119]

for that lens theres no zoom right?

[@laika25]

35mm on apsc = 52.5, not so much a "wide angle"

[@samtenthije2419]

Anybody knows a good (manual), wide angle aps-c lens for filming?

[@itimonium9062]

Samyang is the brand of your choice, I guess the best options are their 12mm f2 (rectangle) and 21mm 1.4, both are really good, and available in cine versions with gears.