Meike will release a new full-frame 50mm f/1.8 autofocus lens for Sony E and Nikon Z next month for a very reasonable $160.
One of the better-known Chinese-based third-party lens manufacturers, Meike has been stepping up its production to include autofocus-equipped lenses. The latest is this 50mm f/1.8 lens that is expected to come to market sometime in February.
Meike advertises the lens as “easy to carry” and capable of rendering clear, sharp photos. The company says it uses a new optical structure that allows it to be able to feature a large maximum aperture while also remaining small, compact, and lightweight.
Spotted by Asobinet, the lens features a construction of 11 elements arranged into seven groups with an aperture range of f/1.8 through f/16 via a nine-bladed diaphragm. It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.63 meters (24.8 inches) and features a front filter size of 58mm.
The company says the lens features multi-layer coating technology on both sides of the optics to help it render more realistic colors. It also features a coating on the front element to resist dust and stains — likely fluorine but the company doesn’t specify.
Meike does have a few sample photos captured with the lens on the product page for the lens, but they are very low quality and don’t do a particularly good job of showing a photographer what kind of quality they can expect. PetaPixel has not tested any lenses made by Meike, so it cannot attest to the quality of its products either.
Meike has been making lenses for the major camera mounts for several years now, but only recently started producing lenses equipped with autofocus capabilities. The company started around 2022 with an 85mm lens for Sony E-mount before expanding into Nikon Z and Fujifilm X-mount support.
It did, briefly, attempt to bring an autofocus-equipped 85mm f/1.4 to market for Canon RF mount, but the lens never made it to market and is not listed on Meike’s website — likely due to Canon’s policy of blocking third-party manufacturers from selling autofocus lenses for its mount.
Meike’s new lens available for pre-order through its website for $160 and the company expects to deliver it by the end of February. The lens is available in Nikon Z and Sony E-mount models.
Image credits: Meike