As the title suggests, it’s a fisheye lens. In my opinion, the fisheye lens is a niche product and it is really up to the photographers’ creativity (pardon me I’m not the creative one) to showcase this unique point of view. Nonetheless, I try my best to share what I can do with this lens.
This is not my first time experiencing a fisheye lens. I got my very first fisheye lens from 7Artisans when I had my X-T2 not long ago and then I also tested the TTArtisan 7.5mm f2 2 years back. In other words, a fisheye lens is not something I am not that unfamiliar with. Oh yes, this is a diagonal fisheye lens and not a circular fisheye lens.
Intro
This Fisheye lens from Meike was announced quite some time ago, in May 2022, which translates to a year-ish from the time this post is live. But it is still worth trying out with the new 40 megapixels sensor from Fujifilm.
For a note: It comes with various APS-C mounts (namely Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, and Sony E mount camera systems) and Micro Four Thirds mount too. Meike also released a couple of fisheye lenses (both diagonal and circular type) but this 7.5mm is probably the sexiest one among them.
Before continuing, I would like to express my gratitude to Meike for sharing this lens with me. Without their support, this post will not be able to be here today.
Design and Build Quality
The first thing you will get to notice is how well the lens is constructed. Visually, it’s a very compact fisheye lens, not as compact as a pancake lens but still compact. Unfortunately, like other Fisheye lenses, it is not possible to place a filter in front of the protruding lens. Oh yes, it comes with a built-in lens hood like most other fisheye lenses do too.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 7.5mm f2.8 @ 7.5mm . f4 . 1/850″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
With its 260 grams, it doesn’t feel that heavy when I had it on hand. It feels a little bit dense but overall it does feel good on hand and is well-balanced.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 7.5mm f2.8 @ 7.5mm . f5.6 . 1/3000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
At 7.5mm, it is equivalent to 11.25mm in 35mm format. This focal length is also probably the widest focal length among all landscape-oriented lenses. In case someone wonders, its angle of view is 190° diagonal, 161.8° horizontal, and 106.5° vertical.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 7.5mm f2.8 @ 7.5mm . f2.8 . 1/3200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Rotating the aperture ring is a pleasure, its clicky ring gives me a gentle satisfying experience to me. And like all Meike lenses I have tested so far, it comes with a rear metal bayonet too.
Image Quality
From my first impression, I am surprised by how sharp and contrasting it is at wide-open. And it is consistent at all focus ranges. However, the corners of the shots can be a little soft if ever one wonders. The fall-off between the subject and the foreground/background is smooth and blends quite well.
Although it has very mild vignetting, it also has good chromatic aberration control. I think I can ignore about doing post-processing because it is unnoticeable unless you are looking for it intentionally.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 7.5mm f2.8 @ 7.5mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative
Another good surprise is how well the lens resolves around the newly developed sensor. No complain here.
Lastly, it does render very good sun star with very sharp star edges. However, background blur/bokeh is not something majestic and jaw-dropping, but it does its job well on subject separation. Anyway, I don’t think this is something most photographers are looking for in a fisheye lens.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 7.5mm f2.8 @ 7.5mm . f8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative
Focusing
Like most of the Meike lenses I have tested thus far, the manual focus ring on this lens is smooth with very gentle friction. Oh yes, it rotates approximately 50° from Minimum Focus Distance to Infinity. It seems a little shorter than other lenses but it just works well with the focus precision with this focal length.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 7.5mm f2.8 @ 7.5mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)
With an MFD of 15cm, I hope it can go a little closer like 10cm or so. Because I think there will give a more interesting and creative point of shot if it is able to shoot at a shorter MFD.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 7.5mm f2.8 @ 7.5mm . f2.8 . 1/50″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative
Don’t get me wrong, 15cm is still impressive and it is a marvel achievement for a small and compact lens. The image results in retent the good sharpness and contrast at MFD. This is really stunning.
Price Point
Formally priced at USD 149, USD 139 is the new price it is going for on the Meike website. I think the price is pretty decent for the quality of this lens.
Others
Because it is an ultrawide lens and also such a compact lens. Depending on how you place your left index finger on the camera body, it can be within the field of view and will be part of the photo taken. At least this happens to my huge clumsy index finger saying hi to some of the photos taken.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 7.5mm f2.8 @ 7.5mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative
One thing I am a little disappointed about is the lens cap. Although I wish the lens cap is made out of metal, it turns out to be a plastic one. After a while, I think it is fine but the lens cap happened to be quite loose. I am not sure if this just happened to be my unit. Nonetheless, this is the case.
Like most manual lenses, it does suffer from white balance shifting from one aperture to the other. If you are doing in raw format, it is not much of a concern. If you are a Straight-Out-Of-Camera photographer, do take note.
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 7.5mm f2.8 @ 7.5mm . f5.6 . 1/640″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
One last thing to note is that, although it comes with a built-in lens hood, it can still suffer with lens flare.
Who is this for?
With this focal length, it makes suitable for landscapes, cityscapes, and astrography. But I believe creative minds and photographers who want to explore the beauty of the fisheye lens are welcome. If you ask me if there is any particular genre that is good with this lens, my answer to you is that I think it can suit almost every genre. As long as you know what you are looking for.
Conclusion
This lens is definitely one of the few primes lenses that I will bring for oversea travels. Not only it gives a whole new perspective to the places that I visit, it is also a good selfie/wefie lens.
Meike did a good job in creating such a beautifully crafted fisheye lens. Great image quality and compact size are one of the best selling points for this lens. Not forgetting that the price is reasonable and affordable for any photographer who wants to attempt to try out this lens. It is surely another good attempt from Meike in broadening its portfolio with this lens.
Thank you for reading.
If you are interested to get this lens, Meike is running an offer at a 20% discount. Simply key in this code: 207528 at checkout.
Click the link to purchase.
Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Capture One 2023.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.
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