I'm highly surprised your channel doesn't have more attention yet! A very professional review and well presented! Thank you for your contribution to informing us mortals how these lenses perform.
On paper these numbers 12, 16, 25, 35, 50mm sound like classical focal lenghts. But what you really get is a cropped image with MFT. So on my BMPCC 4k with 1.9 crop factor these numbers read: 22.8mm - 30.4mm - 47.5mm - 66.5mm - 95mm. You must figure out yourself what comes close to your needs. The best would be all 6 lenses, and yes the prices are very affordable, especially compared to Veydra-lenses before. The crop factor here is 3:1, you get 3 Meikes for 1 Veydra.
That means we get very useful fields of view. The first is 24mm, which is the widest I am happy going while keeping a scene looking natural in terms of geometric distortion. The second is 30mm, and that pocket from 28-35mm was always my favourite for street shooting or as a general walkabout lens. 48mm is of course nifty fifty territory, the most popular FOV ever. (Not for me however. Bring it down to 43mm and you actually have the perfect normal on 35mm film. I have an excellent Pentax lens that is exactly 43mm, but they were the only brand to figure that out!) I would skip 67mm to get to 95mm which is perfect for portraiture or any cropped view. Back in the day people used this range, up to 105mm. So only one of these lenses is placed somewhat uncomfortably. 24-30-95 sounds like a good three-lens combo to me.
I have made a classic mistake in my previous post. Comparing the field of view of different focal lengths, if to be of any use, needs to be done in the correct context. Rather than compare to the still photography format of 135 film (AKA "full frame") we should use Super 35, the dominant cinematic format. To do so, we can multiply by 1.44. The focal lengths 12, 16, 25, 35, 50 on Four Thirds then become equivalent in field of view to 18, 24, 35, 50, and 72 on Super 35. Only the last of these is unconventional. The remainder are in use on film sets around the world. Just check the Arri Zeiss Ultra Prime catalogue.
Thanks for doing the review. I have both the 12mm & 16mm but not the 25mm. I have other vintage lenses that function well in that focal length. I understand the 25mm has a bit of chromatic aberration as well so the brightness and color difference you noted may well be from a different coating used on the glass.
25mm was their first lens. I guess they found CA and focus breathing issues, and fixed them on the next ones. They should release again the 25mm fixed this time, so it matches the other ones. All the other t2.2 lenses are amazing
Perfect review! This was the info I needed. Well-matched in price with the Pocket 4K. Now you just need to learn how to skateboard so you get more views :)
Thanks for a top quality review! Have you tried the 12 and/or 18 SLR Magic Microprimes? I’m considering both brands of budget cine lenses and wondering how they compare.
I have not. I tried an SLR Magic lens quite some time ago, but can't recall the focal length. Whatever it was, I didn't like how soft it was wide open.
The 25mm has the most noticeable CA of the entire line-up, for sure. It's pretty minimal on any of the other lenses, including the 12. I do clean-up the purple fringing of very high contrast edges from time to time when using the 25. (Very easy to do in Resolve.) You can watch my reviews of the other lenses to see how "good" or "bad" you think it is.I can say this...it doesn't stop the 25mm from being my go to lens. My short film "Temet Nosce" was shot entirely on that one lens.
12-25-50 would certainly be the traditional coverage for narrative filmmakers, and starting with the 25mm does absolutely make the most sense for the most people. Honestly, I shoot whole projects on nothing but the 25mm. Whether or not your next purchase after that is wide (12mm, 16mm) or telephoto (35mm,50mm) is completely based on what kind of shots you use more. I doubt my 16mm will get much use, but I'm holding out judgement on the 35mm vs the 50mm until I see them. (I'm not a big fan of using long lenses to get close-ups in narrative filmmaking as I feel like they often distance the viewer from the characters.)
I just got the 16mm today. The lens is fantastic and focus pulling is a dream but when turning the focus ring, there is a slight scratching sound I hear from the inside, especially when turning it to the left. It is brand new so maybe it will go away. What do you think?
I'm highly surprised your channel doesn't have more attention yet! A very professional review and well presented! Thank you for your contribution to informing us mortals how these lenses perform.
This is the best review of these lenses. Thanks!
On paper these numbers 12, 16, 25, 35, 50mm sound like classical focal lenghts. But what you really get is a cropped image with MFT. So on my BMPCC 4k with 1.9 crop factor these numbers read: 22.8mm - 30.4mm - 47.5mm - 66.5mm - 95mm. You must figure out yourself what comes close to your needs. The best would be all 6 lenses, and yes the prices are very affordable, especially compared to Veydra-lenses before. The crop factor here is 3:1, you get 3 Meikes for 1 Veydra.
That means we get very useful fields of view. The first is 24mm, which is the widest I am happy going while keeping a scene looking natural in terms of geometric distortion. The second is 30mm, and that pocket from 28-35mm was always my favourite for street shooting or as a general walkabout lens. 48mm is of course nifty fifty territory, the most popular FOV ever. (Not for me however. Bring it down to 43mm and you actually have the perfect normal on 35mm film. I have an excellent Pentax lens that is exactly 43mm, but they were the only brand to figure that out!) I would skip 67mm to get to 95mm which is perfect for portraiture or any cropped view. Back in the day people used this range, up to 105mm.
So only one of these lenses is placed somewhat uncomfortably. 24-30-95 sounds like a good three-lens combo to me.
I have made a classic mistake in my previous post. Comparing the field of view of different focal lengths, if to be of any use, needs to be done in the correct context. Rather than compare to the still photography format of 135 film (AKA "full frame") we should use Super 35, the dominant cinematic format. To do so, we can multiply by 1.44. The focal lengths 12, 16, 25, 35, 50 on Four Thirds then become equivalent in field of view to 18, 24, 35, 50, and 72 on Super 35. Only the last of these is unconventional. The remainder are in use on film sets around the world. Just check the Arri Zeiss Ultra Prime catalogue.
Keeping going mate - don't stop with these videos! You are 10/10
Thanks for doing the review. I have both the 12mm & 16mm but not the 25mm. I have other vintage lenses that function well in that focal length. I understand the 25mm has a bit of chromatic aberration as well so the brightness and color difference you noted may well be from a different coating used on the glass.
Which one is better for music videos? The 12 or 16
Excellent review and explanation of the differences and similarities of the three lenses. Wish I could like your video more than once!
Great review! Well spoken and
backed by objective observations!
this is a perfect and solid review...thanks
Appreciate a more in-depth and calculated review. Keep it up!
Great review! Much better example of theses lenses than on the Meike channel.
25mm was their first lens. I guess they found CA and focus breathing issues, and fixed them on the next ones. They should release again the 25mm fixed this time, so it matches the other ones. All the other t2.2 lenses are amazing
holy moly man nice review keep em comin!
even the camera angles are great
Would love to see comparison of 12,16 and 25 to PanaLeica 10-25. Currently undergoing research which direction to go.
What did you end up going with
Perfect review! This was the info I needed. Well-matched in price with the Pocket 4K.
Now you just need to learn how to skateboard so you get more views :)
Ha! I am old and my bones are brittle.
Thank you. Do you know where I could download a Braw file using this lens?
Thanks for a top quality review! Have you tried the 12 and/or 18 SLR Magic Microprimes? I’m considering both brands of budget cine lenses and wondering how they compare.
I have not. I tried an SLR Magic lens quite some time ago, but can't recall the focal length. Whatever it was, I didn't like how soft it was wide open.
Great vid! A little too much distortion for me
Thank you so much for this video. I was which when seeing your sub count OoO
great review!
Hey! Thanks for posting this, great review! But what about the CA? Specially on the 25mm, is that as bad as suggested on other videos here on yt?
The 25mm has the most noticeable CA of the entire line-up, for sure. It's pretty minimal on any of the other lenses, including the 12. I do clean-up the purple fringing of very high contrast edges from time to time when using the 25. (Very easy to do in Resolve.) You can watch my reviews of the other lenses to see how "good" or "bad" you think it is.I can say this...it doesn't stop the 25mm from being my go to lens. My short film "Temet Nosce" was shot entirely on that one lens.
@@Humcrush thanks for the fast and detailed answer ;) I will defenitely check this videos you have mentioned. Keep the great job!
please make a video about lens anamorphic cheap :/ for filmmakers indie or independent.
what’s the sequence to buy Meike cine lenses? 25-50-12 I think? Do you agree that we may ignore 16 and 35? 😄
12-25-50 would certainly be the traditional coverage for narrative filmmakers, and starting with the 25mm does absolutely make the most sense for the most people. Honestly, I shoot whole projects on nothing but the 25mm.
Whether or not your next purchase after that is wide (12mm, 16mm) or telephoto (35mm,50mm) is completely based on what kind of shots you use more.
I doubt my 16mm will get much use, but I'm holding out judgement on the 35mm vs the 50mm until I see them. (I'm not a big fan of using long lenses to get close-ups in narrative filmmaking as I feel like they often distance the viewer from the characters.)
I just got the 16mm today. The lens is fantastic and focus pulling is a dream but when turning the focus ring, there is a slight scratching sound I hear from the inside, especially when turning it to the left. It is brand new so maybe it will go away. What do you think?
If it doesn't work itself out quickly, I would return it. Definitely should be silky smooth.
@@Humcrush Thanks for your quick reply, it improved a bit after using it for a little while.
Great video mate. I have the 25mm and I love it! I only have the budget to buy one extra lens. Would you recommend the 16mm or 12mm? thanks
You'd likely get the most versatility out of owning the 12mm. The 12, 25 & 50 (when available) will cover pretty much every normal shooting situation.
the lighting setup is key
Thanks hight quality
Can I use this on my Lumix G7?
Yes
what was the temperature set at?
For which part?
I don’t know myself lol I must was trying comment on one of your other videos I saw
this is a perfect and solid review...thanks