Meike AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE Lens Review
There have been some very interesting lenses from Meike, primarily manual focus, but now they are moving into the realm of high quality AF glass, pitching against some seriously expensive competition. At an amazingly low price, we have for review the Meike AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4, one of Meike’s Full Frame AF Flagship-Mix series of lenses that also includes focal lengths of 24mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/1.4. The price is right, so let’s take a close look using the 42MP Sony A7R III and see how the new lens handles and performs.
Meike AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE Handling and Features
Weighing in at a hefty 722g without hood or caps, or 746g with hood, the lens is very much in the style of current high class 85mm f/1.4 lenses. It measures up at 87mm diameter and 112mm long but still balances well with the Sony body.
Taking our tour of the lens, the provided petal lens hood bayonets very securely into place and there is no chance that this will become dislodged during use. There is no need of a locking catch, and none is provided. Within the bayonet fit for the hood is a conventional 77mm filter thread. The front element of the lens is treated to repel dust, moisture and grease and should be easy to keep clean. The coatings are impressive in that we can peer into the front element and clearly see the array of 12 blades that make up the electronically controlled diaphragm. There are minimal reflections, which bodes well for flare resistance.
There is a wide, easily gripped manual focus ring, electronic in action and utterly smooth in operation. The AF works well and the lens is compatible with the usual Sony options, including DMF, where manual focus tweaks can be made to the AF focus point. Focusing is down to 0.98m, or 3.21 feet. This is close enough to be good for close portraits, and pretty much in line with other 85mm f/1.4 lenses. AF is driven by a quiet STM motor, not silent but certainly not obtrusive. It proved to be reliable and accurate.
Just behind the manual focus ring is a button to lock focus, and next to it, the usual AF/MF switch. The switch on the lens overrides the camera setting.
Optical construction is 13 elements in 8 groups, including 4 ED (Extra Low Dispersion) and 2 HR (High Refractive Index). The lens is multi-coated. The aperture is electronically controlled, and the aperture ring is nicely engineered. Positive but not too firm click stops are provided at one third of a stop intervals, and an A setting is also provided for when we wish to control the aperture value from the camera. It would be good to have a lock for the A setting, but this is not provided.
There is no particular claim from Meike regarding weather resistance, only the warning that the lens is not waterproof. However, there is a silicone seal around the bayonet fit that would appear to efficiently seal the mount against water ingress. The metal mount itself is beautifully engineered and seats smoothly and securely on the Sony body. There is also a USB-C connection on the mount and this can be used to download firmware upgrades directly to the lens, an excellent idea.
There is no doubt that 85mm is a terrific focal length to use, particularly when combined with a large f/1.4 aperture. Low light, sublime bokeh, and a perfect distance for portraits that ensure flattering perspective. However, this is not just a portrait lens, as a whole range of subject matter benefits from this short telephoto focal length. Close up sports, architecture, landscape, reportage and street all fall within the purview of the 85mm.
Handling is absolutely spot on and the shooting experience is a pleasure, but of course, it all depends on how the lens performs as well, so now let’s have a close look at the technical tests and see how it fares.
Meike AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE Performance
Central sharpness is excellent at f/1.4 and f/2, outstanding at f/2.8 and f/4, excellent at f/5.6, and still very good from f/8 all the way through to f/16. The edges are very good at f/1.4, excellent at f/2, outstanding at f/2.8 and f/4, excellent at f/5.6 and very good from f/8 through to f/16. This is a seriously impressive result.
MEIKE AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE MTF Charts
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How to read our MTF charts
The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges.
For this review, the lens was tested on a Sony A7R III using Imatest. Want to know more about how we review lenses?
CA (Chromatic Aberration) is very well corrected for centrally, and kept well under control at less than three quarters of a pixel at the edges. CA is not a problem, although the edges may show slight colour fringing in the most severe lighting/subject conditions. Further correction in software could be made if needed.
Distortion measures -0.78% barrel, another impressive result. It is unlikely that further correction will be needed.
Bokeh, the smoothness and gradation of out of focus backgrounds, is absolutely beautiful. Thus portraits, flower studies and any subject that is enhanced by smooth bokeh will be the forte of this lens.
MEIKE AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE Chromatic Aberration Charts
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How to read our CA charts
Chromatic aberration (CA) is the lens’ inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software.
Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more.
For this review, the lens was tested on a Sony A7R III using Imatest.
Flare is generally very well handled, and contrast in difficult lighting is not compromised. It is possible to induce slight artefacts with the most extreme situations, but this is not obtrusive.
Vignetting is moderate and not likely to be noticed in most shots.
| Aperture | Vignetting |
| f/1.4 | -1.1 |
| f/2 | -1.1 |
| f/2.8 | -1.1 |
| f/4 | -1.1 |
| f/5.6 | -1 |
| f/8 | -1 |
| f/11 | -0.9 |
| f/16 | -0.9 |
MEIKE AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE Sample Photos
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MEIKE AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE Aperture range
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Value For Money
The [AMUK]Meike AF 85mm f/1.4|+Meike+AF+85mm+f/1.4[/AMUK] lens is priced at £358.95 and is available in Sony FE, Nikon Z and L mounts.
Looking at other 85mm f/1.4 or faster lenses, we have:
- [AMUK]Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 II|Samyang+AF+85mm+f/1.4 II[/AMUK], £648
- [AMUK]Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art|Sigma+85mm+f/1.4+DG+DN+Art[/AMUK], £979
- [AMUK]Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM|Sony+FE+85mm+f/1.4+GM[/AMUK], £1499
And for Nikon Z:
- [AMUK]Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.2 S|Nikkor+Z+85mm+f/1.2+S[/AMUK], £2999
In terms of VFM, that makes the Meike lens very tempting indeed.
Meike AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE Verdict
85mm lenses are beautiful things, and the Meike is no exception. At any price level, the performance is exceptional and at the price actually asked it is extraordinarily great value. With a wide range of subject matter, 85mm has traditionally been one of the best lenses in any range and the new breed of large, high performance optics has taken that a step further. The sharpness is exquisite, and so very even from edge to edge, but this is not at the expense of the bokeh which retains that sublime smoothness.
There’s no doubt at all that with such a high performance level and such a modest price, the Meike AF 85mm f/1.4 full frame lens is absolutely an Editor’s Choice.
Meike AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE Pros
- Excellent to outstanding sharpness centre and edge
- Very even sharpness across the frame
- Low CA
- Modest vignetting
- Low flare
- Sublimely smooth bokeh
- Fast and accurate AF
- High quality construction
- USB-C connection for firmware upgrades
- Very low price
Meike AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE Cons
- Not stated to have weather resistance
[REVIEW_FOOTER]R_features=4.5|R_handling=5|R_performance=5|R_value=5|R_overall=5|A_level=5|A_text=Editor’s Choice – A superb lens at a very modest price|E_id=8027[/REVIEW_FOOTER]
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Source: Photography News
Meike AF Full Frame 85mm f/1.4 FE Lens Review
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