Meike 35mm f1.4 Review // fast and affordable!

The Meike 35mm f1.4 is a fast and affordable lens. Here are my thoughts, as well as plenty of test images and low light tests.
Meike 35mm 1.4 on Amazon MFT mount: geni.us/kXVro
Meike 35mm 1.4 Fuji mount: geni.us/lCpg
Meike 35mm 1.4 Sony mount: geni.us/BqFBe
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[@voxelraster]

Well done on this video in giving a realistic rundown of what to expect on a decent lens if you know what to use it for!

[@cactusprick]

Thank you, I have just purchased one, they're hard work to use after an automatic fuji lens but also really creative, and when I nail it, sharp too!

[@borderlands6606]

I've used other Chinese one-point-something lenses, and they tend to be fairly similar. Fine stopped well down, with old fashioned performance. Which means if you adapted one to a film camera results would be perfectly acceptable, however modern sensors show up their weaknesses. They are also slow for photographers used to the instant autofocus mirrorless cameras offer. The world is awash with old manual lenses. Whether Meike and clones perform better than vintage lenses, and cost more or less than an old Nikon, Canon or whatever is a difficult call. Because similar lenses fit M43 and APS-C sensors, the focus scale tends to be way off, so zone/hyperfocus is sketchy at best. They have their niche but buy one with your eyes open.

[@orangeActiondotcom]

Wonderful sample shots you've shared with us! I really like the soft look.

[@GabrielGGabGattringer]

I´ve seen this lense before on another channel, but in the E-Mount version for Sony A6xxx series. There it performs pretty damn well, especiall on A6400 upwards (IBIS). This lense is on my wishlist too, mostly for stills, portrait or: architecture.

[@RepublicAllegiance]

Lovely. Cant wait u ntil u review the 7artisans 55mm. I bought the 7artisans 60mm macro bc of u! Thanks!

[@bernhardtsen74]

I got my Olympus 5mkii last week!bought the 7artisans 7.5mm and like it so far!buying the Samyang 10mm next month!

[@saulgrimmer2585]

35mm f/1.4 manual focus is a hard sell to MFT; you can get the same equivalent focal length with a FF "nifty-fifty" and a speed-booster. A used Viltrox speed booster and manual 50mm f/1.4 Canon/Nikon/Minolta/Pentax lens would cost similar to the Meike, probably be sharper, and be a 35mm f/1.0 lens! If you have a Canon EF electronic speed booster, you can by the inexpensive EF 50mm f1.8 lens and get a sharp autofocus 35mm f/1.3 equivalent lens. These alternatives would be larger and heavier than the Meike, of course. PS: I don't care for the "soap bubble" specular highlights the Meike gives in some of the example photos, but some people like the look.

[@MikeChesworthPhotography]

Looks like a fun little lens for good money. Definitely worth the money. Enjoyed the review.

[@kiwihapgar]

Brilliantly reviewed!

[@ericohenrique4728]

I really love your videos. Thanks

[@alanneilson6811]

Thanks for the review I was looking at this lens a few weeks back, end up getting a 25mm, but still might go for it!

[@tablameister]

Thanks for the review. You might compare this to the 7Artisans 35mm f1.2 which is very similar - e.g., Chinese-made manual focus lens.

[@AmillionCo]

What do you think about this lens VS Meike 35mm cine lens mft. Think it’s the same ?

[@jellevm]

Thanks, I have the old model but will probably upgrade to this one :) I like the focal length but there's not many options at 35mm, so I usually stick to my 35-100mm. Having a lighter, faster, manual prime is really nice sometimes though, and with the improvements this seems perfect!

[@lfcmarkeb7124]

glad wasn't just my problem ,bought the 7artisans 50mm 1.8 and also found that peeking doesn't work when full open ,but have had good pleasing results with it .and @ £27 used well happy

[@johnvincentespiritu4768]

I compared this to the original 1.7, I can assure that the old one is better, sharper, less chromatic aberration, and differ when stop down

[@beardedtraveler4495]

Great review, I am always in search of the best lense for my G95. Thank you for the advice.

[@mini-momentsmedia1293]

Love your videos. Bought my gx80 based on your recommendation, saving for the Zhiyun Crane M2... Actually watching your videos is costing me money 😂 keep up the great work 👍🏿

[@MicroFourNerds]

Haha sorry! 😂🎉

[@dontbehavewithstevemarshal7352]

Simply excellent review

[@timonsolus]

So it's a lens that claims to be a fast lens but is actually an average speed low light lens?

[@geotoub]

From what I see at...1080p on my iPad , I think image quality of this lens is below average. Anyways, thanks for the wonderful reviews you are giving us . Keep up the good work!

[@Simone-dc5ks]

Wonderful video! Do you think 35mm on mft has a fairly wide angle of view?

[@AstroLaVista]

Thanks, I'll check out the price and put it on my wish list. The 7.5mm 7Artisans will be my next purchase, looking forward to getting hold of that one for some astro shots :)

[@AnnaVahtera]

On the topic of cheaper lenses, have you had any chances to try either the YI 42.5mm/1.8 or the no-brand 8mm/3.8 Fisheye (both Chinese)? These are ridiculously cheap options for those of us that can't afford much. Also compared to the price they are actually quite good. Not nearly equivalent to Panny's 42.5mm or the 7.5mm fisheye, but also much, much more than 1/10th of the quality, like their price would suggest.

[@HugoVarvoglis]

Nice video as always, what do you think about 7artisans 35mm f1.2. I have the 25mm 1.8 and I’m very happy.

[@PeacefulMoments1844]

What’s your set up for this particular video? Looks very nice!

[@WVMUSIC_NL]

1.4 or 1.7? which meike lens to get? is there that much difference?

[@nerdmonty]

Appreciate this review!!!

[@UnGordoEnTuCocina]

I´ve already bought it for cooking video recipes with my a6000. Right choice?

[@AmillionCo]

I like a lot of your content u fly 😎

[@WVMUSIC_NL]

i have the meike 50mm f2 and it does make great shots but it has a lot of barrel distortion on some photos. How is it with this lens and would you recommend this one over the older 1.7 version?

[@spencerdennis9824]

Hi, Great video, Thanks. I am looking to buy a first cheap prime for a Fuji XT1 I have to take street photography and in particular try the zone system of sticking it into about f8 and focus a few meters away and then being able to just quickly point and shoot. Would you say that this is a good lens for zone photography? Thanks in advance.

[@ahmadtiajafar]

what's mount m43 my lumix g7 to fix lens 7artisans f1.8? im so confused

[@Molybdan42]

A used Olympus 45 mm 1.8 (around 150€) is probably the better deal

[@motretholic5263]

I have owned this lens! I bought 7artisans 25mm f1.7 before, but the results is quiet disappointed. I think meike is more sharper and better than 7artisans 😢

[@Bldyiii]

How do you keep your aperture/focus rings from moving too much?

[@abhidmusic7819]

fantastic.

[@myrthemarie1049]

Hi, I've just found your videos and I find them really helpful! I have one question, which one did you enjoy using most/would you recommend for taking travel shots? The 35mm f1.4 or the 25mm 1.8?

[@MicroFourNerds]

25 for me. Sharper and a bit more suited to more situation

[@bqgin]

I need a bright lens for filming at night. I was investigating neewer 25mm f/0.95 and I saw that the brightness of this lens wide open was closer to f/1.6 rather than advertised f/0.95. Can you compare this meike one for me? Because I don't have money to buy it just for the lens to turn out darker than what the name suggests. You don't need to make a new video just shoot two photos to compare and tell me what your findings were :).

[@shotsbyscottd]

Emily, great review. Thank you. Two questions: 1. Would it stand to reason that if you wanted clean 1.4, you could get a 1.2 version and that lens' 1.4 would be cleaner? 2. Would an adapted vintage 1.4 or 1.7 Oly, Min, Takumar, etc. be a better choice, or does the age set them on par with this lens?

[@MicroFourNerds]

That’s a good way to work it for sure. Always expect a stop down to be the sharpest. I think the age would make the older lenses quite soft still. But the older lenses would certainly have more character!

[@bdfrankmeow]

1. I tought that too but it is usually not the case optically. On the other end, it might be easier to focus . 2. In most vintage 50mm cases, you have to go to f2.8 to have a good iq but some of the 50-55mm do it at f2 . These are usually pricier and/or rarer . I was thinking of going that way until i tried the Oly 45mm f1.8 and later the Pany 42.5mm f1.7 wich is my most used lens in M43. But i do shoot manual only with an old Sony Nex 5n ...

[@CrimsonArthur]

Great video! I love my 7artisans 35mm F/1.2, and it's sharp enough for me wide open. Though I've been contemplating getting a more expensive Samyang F/1.2 manual lens, as it's a more reputable company. (I've heard many good things about Samyang lenses, especially about their sharpness, but I've never owned one.)

[@MicroFourNerds]

I’m away on holiday now with the (full frame) Samsung 14mm 2.8 and it is the softest, worst lens I’ve ever used 😭 I’m quite sure I’ve just got a bad copy 😞

[@CrimsonArthur]

@@MicroFourNerds Oh no... :( I hope you can get it returned or exchanged.

[@codexan]

I wonder how this holds up in the night

[@socialkonstruct5397]

Where did you get it?

[@ovenboy1519]

Please Help! I need you professional opinion. what lens is the best for foto and video 1) meike 35mm 1.4 2)meike 25mm 1.8 3)7 artisants 25mm 1.8

[@lesterduludis8892]

What a beautiful exposé! Love the accent, though. Thanks for calling things by their REAL name Shallow Depth of Field, instead of stupid BOKEH, BOKA, whatever...Now, for some reference, this lens goes way back then, when the aperture was regulated by turning the helical diaphragm. No clicks. It came to be known as Leaf Shutter. It had many advantages, such as shooting at different synchro flash speeds, but that's another story. Refraction, hue, and light distortion on this lens? Well, that's the beauty of it: Old Fashion. It was the secret of the success of David Hamilton, that later was applied to movies too. Back then, the closest tool that we had was the Sima SF 100mm F2 Soft Focus Macro Lens(go & have a look) This lens, along with the 7Artisan, are TOOLS for the image artisan, who doesn't shoot, but creates images. Loved your video.

[@snapbackhijab9801]

Yay

[@luizadolphs6084]

Hi Emily! Is this Lens any good for static position video livestream?

[@MicroFourNerds]

Yes once you’ve set focus it would be great for that 😁

[@luizadolphs6084]

@@MicroFourNerds Thanks Emily!

[@just_eirik]

Is it sharper or softer than the 1.7 version wide open?

[@MicroFourNerds]

Softer I’d say.

[@Leekshotit-]

hello please if you can respond it'll be greatly appreciated, but where do find the presets you used on your edits here?

[@MicroFourNerds]

Www.microfournerds.com :) they’re my own

[@steve_seguin]

7artisans 35mm F1.2 for a tad bit more $$ Nice video btw. thx

[@AshesOfArcadia]

I prefer the Meike. The 7 Artisans isn't really usable at 1.2 imo and not as nicely built as the Meike 1.4.

[@abdulrafay1951]

Which lens are you using while recording yourself?

[@MicroFourNerds]

Lumix 25mm f1.4 😊

[@abdulrafay1951]

@@MicroFourNerds I have nikon d5300, which lens would you suggest for that kinda background effect if I am on budget? 😁

[@MicroFourNerds]

Abdul Rafay the equivalent would be a 50mm Prime, a 1.8 or a 1.8, or a 1.4 if you can find a bargain! 😁

[@abdulrafay1951]

@@MicroFourNerds hahaha, okay Thank you for replying 💖

[@artemymakarov2627]

В макро кадрах, очень сильный муар, видны фиолетовые, и циановык цвета)

[@hackerock]

Not so cheap but I highly recommend, the Sigma 56mm f1.4 MTF... autofocus and sharp... Check it !!! 📸 📸 instagram.com/p/B1PNaGKIKBg 📸 📸 You might like it!! (maybe a little too long)

[@zas1productions633]

Metallica?

[@alexwade9921]

Yuk. Manual focus on anything other than an ultra wide is just divvy!

[@jwickerszh]

I though so, but I got the 25mm 0.95 Mitakon and tested it out on my dog wide open while he was chewing on his toy and moving around. I did get plenty of sharp pictures. Of course it takes a little bit of time and practice and getting peaking with magnification for the best results, but I did not think I would have 75% of keepers at close distance oat 0.95 ...

[@SayWhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat]

IT CAN NOT BE FAST BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MOVE. IT MAY BE BRIGHT, BUT NOT FAST. FAST ALSO MAY BE CAMERA'S SHUTTER, BUT NOT THE LENS.

[@MicroFourNerds]

STOP SHOUTING WE CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE 😂

[@SayWhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat]

WHO CARES WHAT YOU THINK WHEN LENSE WAS SENT FOR FREE? BUY THEN DO REVIEWS

[@MicroFourNerds]

Many people. I’m not made of money 😆