Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 90mm f/1.5 Review

The Mitakon Zhongyi 90mm f/1.5 is a wildly specialized, manual-focus portrait monster for Leica M. Its f/1.5 aperture delivers dreamy bokeh, but optical and build scores are middling. At $5,240, it's a luxury purchase for photographers who value extreme character over versatility or value. For most portrait shooters, a mainstream 85mm f/1.4 is a smarter buy.

Let's talk about a lens that makes a statement before you even take a photo. The Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 90mm f/1.5 is a massive, manual-focus telephoto prime built for the Leica M mount. At $5,240, it's not an impulse buy. It's a specialized tool for photographers who want that specific look—an extremely shallow depth of field at a classic portrait focal length—and are willing to trade autofocus, versatility, and portability to get it. This thing is basically a telescope with a hole you could fit a small cat through, and it exists for one reason: to isolate a subject with creamy, dreamy bokeh that most lenses can't touch.

The numbers tell a clear story about priorities. Its stabilization lands in the 87th percentile, which is impressive for a manual lens and a huge help when you're trying to nail focus at f/1.5. The aperture itself is in the 82nd percentile—f/1.5 on a 90mm is no joke, and it delivers that promised bokeh quality, scoring in the 77th percentile. But this specialization comes at a cost. Our data shows its optical performance percentile is just 35, and its build quality sits at 39. That doesn't mean it's bad, but it suggests the design sacrifices overall sharpness and ruggedness to achieve that giant aperture. You're buying the look, not necessarily corner-to-corner clinical perfection.

The value proposition here is... niche. At over five grand, you're paying a massive premium for that f/1.5 aperture and the Leica M mount. You can get autofocus 85mm f/1.4 lenses from major brands for a third of the price that will have better overall optical performance and build. So you're not paying for perfection. You're paying for a specific, exaggerated character and the ability to mount it directly on a rangefinder. It's a luxury purchase for photographers who already have the basics covered and want to play with an extreme optical tool.

If you're looking for a portrait lens, the competition is fierce. A Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM or a Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S will give you autofocus, weather sealing, arguably better optics, and cost significantly less. Even within the manual-focus world, brands like Voigtländer offer superb 75mm or 90mm lenses for Leica M at a fraction of the cost, though they're typically f/2.8 or slower. The Mitakon's only real advantage is that extra stop of light and the resulting bokeh. Compared to the listed competitors like the Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8, there's no comparison—that's a versatile zoom for everyday use. The Mitakon is the opposite of versatile.

Skip this lens if you need autofocus, shoot in changing conditions, or value versatility. Its travel score of 28.8/100 says it all—it's big, heavy, and manual. Street photographers, event shooters, or anyone who needs to capture fleeting moments should look at a compact 50mm or 75mm instead. If you're on a budget, this is the opposite of what you need. For the price, you could buy a complete professional portrait setup from another brand. Even within the Leica world, a used Summicron 90mm f/2 would be a more practical and likely sharper choice for most people.

Buy this lens if you're a Leica M shooter with deep pockets who specifically wants the most extreme background separation possible for studio or controlled environmental portraits. You need to be comfortable with manual focus and accept that you're buying a lens with character, not flawless technical performance. For everyone else, this is an easy skip. If you shoot any other system, your native 85mm options are better in almost every way. If you need a travel lens, our data shows this is one of the worst possible choices, scoring a dismal 28.8 out of 100 for that use case.