Meike 12mm f/2.8 Reviews
Great Build Quality
By Michael
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2022-08-22
Really nice lens. Great build quality. Camera will not take a photo nor record video unless you set your camera to "shutter release without lens" so be sure to do that first.
Focus ring became inoperable after light use
By Justin
Rated 1 out of 5
Date: 2021-07-20
I bought this lens 8 months ago as I needed a wide angle for rare use, and didn't feel the need to go high-end given limited use. I've probably shot 10 different settings over that time with this lens. It's reasonably sharp for the price, though the distance indicators are way off. But when I pulled it out to use on a western trip, the focus ring has apparently broken loose from the inner workings and I can no longer focus the lens, it just loosely spins so the lens is useless. Horrible build quality. Would never buy Meike again.
Great lens for the money!
By Alan
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2021-07-07
I bought this lens because it was inexpensive and honestly didn't have very high expectations. I got an especially good deal on one that had been a demo unit. Boy was I surprised when it arrived. It's far better built than expected, operates very smoothly and takes great photos. Yes, it's strictly manual... manual focus and manual aperture. It is not difficult to focus since this wide a lens has a lot of depth of field. The same with manual exposure, though if wanted auto exposure can be done most cameras using aperture priority mode or manual mode with auto ISO. Also on many cameras you need to set them to shoot without lens, because there is no electronic communication between this lens and the camera.
I would have given this lens all 5 stars, but it would be nice to have full functionality: AF, AE and EXIF data recorded.... although it would undoubtedly cost a lot more if it had those features. The aperture ring on mine is not de-cliicked, as some videographers might prefer (it may be possible to de-click pretty easily, though I won't with mine). It has gentle detents at full and half stop settings up to f/8... then f/11 (unmarked) and f/22. No f/16? No matter. Both f/16 and f/22 should be avoided anyway, due to diffraction. Even f/11 is risky, but if needed will give huge depth of field.
This Meike lens has a nice red ring on it (much like some other brands of lenses) and is mostly metal and glass, compact but with a substantial feel to it. The hood and caps are the only plastic I could find. The hood slicks securely into place and uses a small latching mechanism like some of the more expensive lenses. However it does not reverse for storage. I just leave it on ready to shoot most of the time, even when storing the lens off camera. The shallow, tulip-shaped hood (as required for such a wide lens) also allows easy access to install a filter or adjust one that rotates, like a circular polarizer (I often use one on mine).
I am pretty sure the Opteka 12mm f/2.8 is the same lens under a different name. It IS NOT the same as the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm, which is a full stop faster with f/2 and costs a lot more.
The attached image was made with the lens on a Canon M5 and a B+W Kaesemann C-Pol filter. It was shot RAW, with a little post-processing in Lightroom and Photoshop.
Spectacular for the price!
By Shoval
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2021-05-13
Great low priced lens, well made - good weight and feel to it.
I love manual lenses, so for me this one is great. Used with the GH5s, (so as a 24mm). Focus and aperture rings are very smooth.
Defiantly would recommend!
Cheap lens, incredible results
By Joshua
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2021-04-09
I was skeptical at first. I had never used an MFT lens before and seeing how cheap this thing was scared me a bit. After placing it on my Cine Camera I was surprised at how sharp everything was and how close I could get to my subject. The built in aperture ring is incredible too.
Great for 4k, tough to focus
By Spenser
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2021-03-12
Love this lens, it gets a fantastic wide angle for MFT cameras without much lens distortion. The aperture range makes it usable in low light, but that does make things more difficult to focus.
I found that the image isn't exceptionally great on my BMPCC 1080, but works wonders on a GH4/5. Shooting in 4k and scaling down to 1080 makes this lens extremely crisp, and great to use for run and gun shoots.
Focus is very smooth. Aperture ring is clicked, so if you're recording video, you will need to shoot at a consistent aperture. Otherwise wonderful lens.
If the image was a bit more crisp, and the aperture ring declicked, it would be an easy 5/5
Efficient & Great Quality
By Alexa
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2021-08-23
I am very much pleased with how quickly I received this lens! It was exactly the piece of equipment I needed to finish my setup for this upcoming wedding season and fit on my Canon M50 body with ease. The lens also came in such good quality, despite it being used! I would recommend B&H Photo for all of your camera part needs.
Decent quality photos, until it breaks
By Justin
Rated 1 out of 5
Date: 2021-08-18
Bought this lens 8 months ago. Knew it was a gamble at this price point but my needs for a wide angle are pretty rare and the filter size was an exact match for filters I already owned. The lens does take decent images for this price point, but after only very light usage (probably used the lens 6 times) the focus ring spins freely and appears to become completely detached from the internal mechanism so it no longer focuses. What is worse, while it's under 'warranty' the manufacturer (when you can get someone to respond) wants me to spend $60 in shipping to ship it back to China for repair. Don't bother buying this lens.
