Meike 55mm F1.4 Prime Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras

Curated from 87 real Reddit conversations

Refreshed on: April 12, 2025

Meike 55mm F1.4 Prime Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras

Brand: Meike
Price: $199
Snoop Score:
4.9
Sentiment
6.9
Popularity
8.3
Technical
3.0

Snoop's Take

The Meike 55mm F1.4 Standard Aperture lens is designed for Sony E mount APS-C frame mirrorless cameras, offering an affordable option for portrait photography and video work. Users praise the lens for its attractive price point and capability to capture stunning images with a smooth background blur, stating, "It's an insane value; I didn't expect much since everyone here buys full-frame glass with speed boosters, but I'm happy with the results so far." However, some users have expressed concerns regarding sharpness and warranty issues, saying, "the Meike lens is so soft it's sort of pointless," indicating mixed experiences in image quality. Overall, the Meike 55mm F1.4 lens is recommended for those seeking a budget-friendly prime lens that excels in low-light conditions and provides good value for money, despite some noted quality inconsistencies.

Not for you? Check out our other rated Mirrorless Camera Lenses

Thats a crazy price

Positive Feedback

the meike lens is so soft it's sort of pointless.

Negative Feedback
Product
4.9
Meike 55mm F1.4 Prime Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras
Low-Light Photography
3 / 10
Portrait Photography
2 / 10
Travel & Landscape
2 / 10
Video Recording
2 / 10
See how this compares to all Mirrorless Camera Lenses

What it does well!

Key strengths users can’t stop talking about.
Attractive price point for a prime lens
Thats a crazy price
For 175€ it's a really good price.
Opinions on cheap Meike lenses Hallo! Complete noob here trying to get into photography. I got a ZV
At $100-200 you're not out much if you don't like it.
Offers discount codes for first orders
Very intriguing. Would gladly pay a tad more if it had physical aperture ring stops.
Meike produces affordable cine glass
Meike makes some of the best affordable cine glass money can buy.
I really love it. I'm definitely going to grab a few more of their lenses.
Lens performs better than Rokinon
It's not amazing but it's also much much better than the piece of shit Rokinon i bought.
Captures beautiful photos with smooth background blur
I’m trying to find one that would be useful for every situation.
Wide aperture is beneficial for low-light shooting
I always like getting a lens with a lower aperture. I shoot a lot of documentary work and there’s definitely times where that extra few stops comes in handy in those dark environments.
Sharpness is generally acceptable
I would only buy a Meike lens if I needed a dirt cheap lens and had no other options.
Satisfactory performance with the right settings
Photos it takes when you get it right are bang on.
Focus gears improve usability with follow focus systems
One thing I really like is that they have teeth, which makes them work well with focus motors.
I wish all my lenses have the focus gear like the Meike, the add on ones tend to slip a lot when using with follow focus.
Great performance for dance and YouTube video filming
I absolutely love the look and my friends and clients feel the same too!
Exceptional sharpness and bokeh compared to competitors
The meike are far sharper than both and provide much more depth and bokeh.
Insane value for the price
It's an insane value. I didn't expect much since everyone here buys full frame glass with speedboosters, but I'm happy with the results so far.
Good value for money
Just bought 2 Meike lenses for 100€, did I make a mistake?
For what you paid, they are really good.
That's a great deal you found there.
Ease of use with manual focus
Just takes some practice, turn on focus peaking and then go out and enjoy them!
Where does the fear come from?

Where it needs some work!

Areas to watch—feedback on possible improvements.
Lens is soft and lacks sharpness
the meike lens is so soft it's sort of pointless.
Is it too late to return it?
Most photography lenses struggle with focus breathing
Really doesn't matter for video... all photography lenses suck except very few that are corrected for focus breathing.
Warranty issues with Chinese lenses
The biggest problem with these Chinese lenses is warranty.
I just ended up shelving the lens at this point because it's been 4 months and, nothing.
Quality concerns about recent lens announcements
The 1.8 they announced recently was said to be pretty poor with the only positive being price.
Manual focus lens with compatibility issues
can't get lens to work meike 85mm viltrox adapter canon M6 mkii
These chips just plain do not work adapted on mirrorless.
Some lenses might be perceived as soft
I don’t know man that laowa is super sharp.
Haha say what! I always thought it was a little soft.

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Meike 55mm F1.4 Prime Lens for Sony E Mount CamerasMeike 55mm F1.4 Prime Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras$199
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Core Power Plays

The specs and strengths that make it shine.
Discussion on lens suitability for high MP cameras
that particular 35mm isn't going to do the sensor justice.
Excitement about new lens announcements
I gotta be honest, I'm pretty excited for this.
I'm definitely keeping an eye on this.

Buyer’s Cheat Sheet

What to check before you click ‘Add to Cart.’
Discussion on other camera models and their compatibility
NEX7 is a tiny little beast. At one point the NEX7 was the best of the low-mid range Sony cameras.
I don’t think any of those lenses are gonna fit your camera.
Due to much shorter flange distance on a mirrorless camera, you can adapt older lenses easily.
If you're new to cameras you are going to have a bad time with those even if you could mount the ones that are lenses.
Advice against using APS-C mode on full-frame camera
You basically throw away a lot of what you paid for by going to crop mode.
User regret about not waiting for this lens before purchasing another brand's lens
I could've waited for this if I had known.
Considerations for lens choices in video work
I appreciate the sony official lenses will be better but just wondered if any of these MF type lenses are ok for use in video.
Discussion on price competitiveness
If the price is good enough then it might be worth it for some people.
Recommendation to explore vintage lenses as alternatives
However like someone else here mentioned; vintage lenses are also really great options! You can find them everywhere.
Discussion on affordability of Meike lenses compared to native lenses
I can't afford native lenses, and while I suspect I know the answer to this.
I would recommend looking for vintage 35mm SLR lenses and a Fuji adapter.
A camera is better than no camera.
Concerns about size increase with non-native lenses
it will really blow out the size of the overall package on that otherwise very sleek Fuji X-E2.
Recommendation to consider used kit zooms for affordability
you could also look for used kit zooms for Fuji. They're she not be super expenses and have auto focus.
Discussion on comparison with other lens brands
How are they compared to some other lenses? Thinking of picking up one.
Discussion on focal length preferences
I don't expect the performances of a fujinon.

Cautionary Callouts

Know the pitfalls before they catch you off guard.
Discussion on lens suitability for different projects
I see nothing wrong with 7Artisans and Meike lenses as long as they fulfill your purposes.
Lenses of reasonable quality have minimal noticeable differences for most audiences
As long as your lenses are of reasonable quality (and all modern lenses are) they really don't matter very much.
Vintage lenses can soften digital sharpness and are often cheaper
Personally, older glass on digital is usually favorable to soften out the digital sharpness instead of modern lenses like the canon FD’s or Russian glass.

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