Meike has announced its 35mm T2.1 cine lens that covers full-frame sized sensors. It is available in either PL, Canon EF, Canon R, Sony E, and Panasonic L mounts.
This is Meike’s second full-frame cine lens and it now joins the 50mm T2.1. Both the 50mm T2.1 and 35mm T2.1 cover an image circle of 45mm
The lens is an affordable, compact-sized cine prime lens. It looks to be a good option if you are thinking about getting a dedicated cine prime lens, but don’t have a lot of money to spend. In a lot of ways, lenses like these offer cine-style mechanics at the price point of a normal stills lens. A lot of these relatively new lens manufacturers such as Meike and DZO have made quality cine lenses available to the masses.
Is this lens actually new?
Meike already makes cinema prime lenses for M4/3, APS-C, and full-frame sized sensors. Lenses are available in Sony E-Mount, Fujifilm X-Mount, and M4/3 mount. As I have already mentioned, the 35mm T2.1 Full-Frame lens is available in PL/EF/RF/E/L/Z mounts.
This new series is slightly different from the existing APS-C coverage lenses they already make. In saying that, there is still a lot of similarities between this new lens and some of the existing models.
Size & Weight
The 35mm T2.1 tips the scales at approx. 1108g / 2.44 lbs in PL and Canon EF mount. This is still quite a lot of weight for a small lens.
Other Features
The lens has an 82mm front filter diameter so you can easily attach common sized filters. The front diameter of the lens is 85mm.
The minimum focusing distance is 33cm (12.99″). The lens has a focus throw of 330 Degrees and both the iris and focus ring feature industry-standard 0.8 pitch gears.
Is it actually a cine lens or just a rehoused stills lens?
According to MEIKE, this is a purpose-built cine design and not a rehoused stills lens.
Optical Structure
The 35mm T2.1 consists of 14 Elements in 9Groups. The lens also has 11 aperture blades.
More Focal Lengths Coming
MEIKE will be releasing more focal lengths going forward. The planned set will include:
- 16mm T2.4
- 24mm T2.1
- 35mm T2.1
- 50mm T2.1
- 85mm T2.1
- 105mm T2.1
- 135mm T2.1
I’m not the biggest fan of companies trickle releasing focal lengths. It makes a lot more sense to announce at least three lenses at once. Not many shooters want to purchase a single focal length prime lens. Not having a number of focal lengths available at the same time is bound to put some potential users off.
Price & Availability
The Meike Prime 35mm T2.1 will retail for $958 USD and it will start shipping this month. It is now available to pre-order.
Competition?
There is quite a lot of competition in the full-frame cinema prime marketplace, especially for lenses that come in either PL or EF mount. This makes choosing a cine prime lens a very difficult task.
As far as affordable Canon EF or PL mount cine prime options are concerned, lenses like the SLR Magic APO MicroPrime Cine lenses and DZOFilm VESPID 35mm T2.1 Lens are direct competition. They have the same T-stop and are all relatively close when it comes to price. However, the SLR Magic only comes in EF mount.
So how does the DZOFilm compare to the Meike when it comes to specifications and price?
| Meike 35mm T2.1 | DZOFilm VESPID 35mm T2.1 | |
| Lens Mount | PL/EF/RF/E/L | PL/EF |
| Image Circle | 45mm | 46.5mm |
| MFD | 12.99″ / 33cm | 11.8″/ 30cm |
| Iris Blades | 11 | 16 |
| Filter Thread | 82mm | 77mm |
| Focus Rotation | 330° | 270° |
| Weight | 39.04 oz / 1108g | 29.4 oz / 834 g |
| Price | $958 USD | $1,249 USD |
As you can see, both lenses have fairly similar specifications. The DZOFilm is lighter and it has more iris blades. The Meike has a larger focus rotation, it is available in more mounts, and it is cheaper.
Optically I have no idea how these lenses compare as I have not had a chance to try out any of the DZOFilm VESPID primes.
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