Meike 28mm f/2.8 Review

Meike 28mm f/2.8 Performance

Anyone who thinks an inexpensive lens cannot possibly be up to the mark in terms of performance will find a pleasant surprise in the Meike 28mm f/2.8. Centrally, sharpness is excellent from full aperture right the way through to f/8. It is still very good at f/16, but thereafter tails off dramatically to being quite soft at f/22. Diffraction has taken its toll.

The edges are very good from f/2.8 right through to f/16, followed again by a dramatic drop in sharpness to becoming very soft at f/22. This really is an impressive set of figures and in terms of sharpness, the lens delivers.

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is extremely well corrected, with figures close to zero being measured at the centre throughout the aperture range. The edges are also very well corrected and colour fringing is not likely to be much in evidence.

Wide angle lenses usually exhibit some barrel distortion, and indeed we can measure that at -1.29%. This is a fairly modest figure that is likely to go unnoticed for most of the time. Further correction in software can always be made.

The lens does have a slight tendency to flare. This is not so evident in terms of artefacts, but more of a slight haze that starts to soften the image. It is a pity that a lens hood is not provided as standard.

Bokeh is quite smooth and the general look of the out of focus areas is pleasing. The biggest problem is accuracy in focusing as this needs to be a considered affair. tripod and time are the two necessary ingredients so that the point of focus can be judged. Of course, ease of focusing will depend very much on the individual cameras used.
 

Value For Money

The Meike 28mm f/2.8 lens for MFT cameras is priced at £70 and this is also true for most of the alternative mounts on offer.

Looking at alternatives across the range of CSC formats, these might include the following:

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN £269
Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN £149
Panasonic Lumix G 30mm f/2.8 Macro Asph. £269
Olympus M.Zuiko 30mm f/3.5 Macro £209
Canon EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM £294

Clearly, although none of these lenses could be described as expensive, none of them come near the price of the Meike. For more options have a look at the Top 33 Best Micro Four Thirds Lenses, or have a look at the Top 17 Best Budget Lenses.

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