When it comes to cheap prime lenses, Meik is constantly refining his offerings. The new Meike 55mm f/1.8 Pro is the latest in their lineup, and its purpose is not only to challenge budget -friendly contestants like Sony Fe 50mm F/1.8, but even old choices like premium, Zeiss 55 mm f/1.8. An attractive price tag, competent autofocus capabilities, and image quality are often not found in the lens at this price point, does it last even to the “Pro” designation?
Build quality and design
Make 55 mm F/1.8 Pro The budget seems like adequate upgradation compared to prime lenses. It mainly uses high-quality polymer construction, and the material is similar to people used in Sony’s first-sided lens. Those options, with the use of a gascated metal lens mount, feel a durable and light at a total of 375 grams.
One of the higher premium features is an aperture ring, which adds an option for frequent manual controls with budget-friendly autofocus lenses. The ring click on each 1/3 of a stop, which will be appreciated by photographers, but can be a minor discomfort for video shooters in search of smooth aperture changes. The ring cannot be “de-clicked” unlike some other lenses (including several prime of Sony). An AF/MF switch on the side provides quick togle between focusing mode.
This lens has a USB-C port on the mount that allows for the firmware update. The lens is rarely seen in the lens at this price, but the future camera should be a long way to ensure compatibility with updates or with the AF performance of the lens and upgrade of the firmware. The manufacturer’s website lists several updates for various lens models that they have released, but do not provide a specific guarantee of future updates.
Mount is well in itself, growing with a firm touch. A rear rubber gasket provides some level of dust and dirt resistance, although the lens is not completely meteorological.
Inside the lens is a surprisingly complex optical formula for a middle-length prime lens, with 11 elements in 8 groups. The concave front element is a unique option, and when it is multi-rated, it can be more difficult to clean than a flat element. The lens has two deep ED elements, two high-refraction elements, and a “ultra-high refraction” element, which speaks for a larger degree of lens design complexity compared to other prime at this price point.
Autofocus performance
One of the most important reforms, Meik has done its autofocus capabilities relative to contestants such as Sony 50 mm F/1.8 with this lens. The autofocus is sharp, cool and accurate, making it viable for both photography and videography. It performs well in single-shot and continuous autofocus mode, and video shooter will appreciate almost non -xist focus breathing. Autofocus is also very quiet than my Sony 50 mm.
Unlike Sony FE 50 mm F/1.8, which is the best dull and noise autofocus, the Mic 55 mm F/1.8 Pro on both A7RV and FX 30, both quickly and firmly, in both photos and video modes. While not keeping 100% of the speed of GM or GM Primes from Sony, it is still a marked improvement in the budget 50 mm space.
The biggest issue with focus is a relatively restrictive 55 cm close focus border. For the nearest pictures and product shots, it may feel a bit disappointing, which requires you back up and crop-I saw with photos of the product once or twice, where I was shooting for a normal-fascinating composition, but to ensure the focus lock, the camera was to be taken back one or two inches.
Sharpness and image quality
This lens has another strength for optical performance price. The center sharpness is also impressive at F/1.8, performing better than the 50 mm lens of the third party of the other budget and clearly defeating my Sony 50 mm f/1.8. Stopping F/2.8 below improves the contrast and faster, while F/5.6 gives the best results.
Wide-open corner sharpness is not perfect, good expansion requires at least F/4 to prevent F/4 and show the best performance at F/5.6. To be clear, it is still better than my Sony 50 mm in each aperture pairing, but one step below shooting one step below the strong center-of-frame performance offered by Meiic.
Chromatic abation is manageable, and it is better than Sony FE 50 mm F/1.8 in handling the lateral CA. While shooting high-contrasting topics, some minor upset is still visible, but it is away from a deal-breaker.
Flair and ghosting are minimal, thanks to effective coatings, it makes a solid option for backlit shooting scenarios. Vignetting is present at f/1.8, but is negligible by f/2.8. Lightroom raises an underlying lens profile for this lens, although not a remarkable change to toggle “enabled profile improving”. Default results in Literoom reflect good vignetting characteristics and, yet, better than Sony 50 mm f/1.8 that I was running against it.
Bokeh and rendering
Meike 55 mm f/1.8 Pro provides excellent theme isolation, with smooth and natural looking bokeh overall. The background separation is good, making it an excellent choice for budget portrait photography. Here my only criticism is Bokeh balls. They can be somewhat incomplete, displaying minor onion-ring artifacts, and their size is not always completely round, although the 50 mm lens will require better performance for better performance in this regard. Sony 50 mm F/1.4.
A less quantitative aspect of the lens is color and subtle contrast. After trying a lot of lenses over the years, some have just a good “look”, which is accompanied by pleasing, accurate colors and a good crisp for in-focus areas. Meike, compared to some other inexpensive 50 mm options I have tried, this is a good form.
Compared to
Meike 55 mm f/1.8 Pro is very well deployed compared to budget friendly Sony Fe 50 mm F/1.8 And even some middle-range 50 mm option. Compared to Sony, it offers much better autofocus performance, better sharpness and better colorful aberration control. Although it is slightly more expensive, better optical and autofocus performance makes it a meaningful step for all, but most budget for photographers.
It is also a strong entry compared to any sub-$ 1,000 50 mm lens, which offers excellent acuity, good overall image quality and great construction quality. As long as you need the ultimate in bokeh and image quality, with f/1.4 or f/1.2 aperture from something like Sony 50 mm f/1.4, Meike can save you a lot of money, while still provides a great 50 mm experience.
The Meike 55mm f/1.8 pro meike has an impressive entry in this part of the market, which distributes valuable features such as sharp obligation, excellent autofocus and capacity for an aperture ring and firmware updates. This is a great option for hybrid shooters, who require a well -round lens for both photography and video without spending a luck. This aging is also a clear upgradation at Sony 50 mm f/1.8. While Sony shooters are spoiled for options at 50 mm, more than 60 items from B&H are available, Meike is a great lens that has something to offer something in this crowded places.
While I tested 55 mm on Sony E Mount, it is also available in Nikon Z and Fuji X Mounts. For Nikon Z mount photographers, it can present a great value compared to the lens Nicon’s expensive 50 mm f/1.8While Nikon is considered to be 50 mm well, it is almost twice the MSRP of Mic.
Finally, APS-C photographers should pay special attention to this lens. The only real weakness relative to some more expensive options is a distant corner, which is cropped on the APS-C frame anyway. As a result, it can be a great option for APS-C photographers who are looking for a small picture lens at a great value.
While the “pro” monicor may be slightly stretched, the Mic 55 mm F/1.8 Pro certainly performs better than its price point. For those looking for a cheap 55 mm Prime yet, this lens is a great option and is Now available from B&H,
Professionals:
- Good build quality with a gasket and premium content,
- Excellent optical performance for price, especially in the center and middle-frame
- Rapid autofocus and very little focus
- An aperture ring
Shortcoming:
- Aperture ring cannot be de-clicked
- Corner is not at the same level as the center on broad aperture
- The minimum focus distance of 55 cm is limited to nearest compositions
