where there’s smoke there’s fire

This Meike Z 50mm f/1.7 lens review is by Steve Gong (stevegongphoto.com, Facebook, Instagram). The lens can be purchased at B&H and Amazon.

Introduction

Although it’s been six months since the Nikon mirrorless Z system was announced, there’s still a dearth of native Z mount lenses, and the ones that are available are in my opinion somewhat overpriced (starting at $599 for the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 S) . While the FTZ adapter does work remarkably well, it adds quite a bit of bulk to even the smallest F mount lenses. This is where I believe the Meike 50mm f/1.7 finds its niche.

The Meike 50mm f/1.7 is not only tiny in size, but is also very affordable at just $139. The image quality too is surprisingly good at this price point. Perhaps the most glaring difference is the fact that this is a manual focus lens. With the advent of focus peaking in mirrorless systems, this may not be a big of a deal breaker as one might think. In my tests I’ve found this lens to be fun to use and a way to force myself to shoot differently, which by extension has me thinking about photography in a fresh way. In fact, it reminds me of shooting a manual focus rangefinder.

Key specifications:

• Focal length: 50mm
• Format: Full-frame
• Aperture range: f1.7 – 22
• Aperture: 12 blades (smooth, de-clicked)
• Filter thread: 52mm
• Product size: 61mm x 54.5mm
• Product weight: 310g
• Optical construction: 5 groups of 6 pieces

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