Meike Meike 35mm f0.95 Large Aperture Manual Focus APS-C Review

The Meike 35mm f0.95 is a manual focus prime lens built for Fujifilm X-mount cameras. It's a big, heavy piece of glass that's all about one thing: letting in a ton of light. With an f/0.95 aperture, it's brighter than almost any other lens you can buy for the system, and that comes with some serious creative trade-offs.

This lens is a specialist. Its f/0.95 aperture lands in the 99th percentile, so it's insanely bright and creates super shallow depth of field. The bokeh quality scores in the 93rd percentile, so backgrounds melt away nicely. But, it's fully manual focus only, which is a dealbreaker for some. Its optical score is just average at the 64th percentile, so expect some softness wide open and potential for chromatic aberration.

At around $189, this lens is cheap for what it offers on paper. You're getting an f/0.95 aperture for less than most f/1.4 lenses cost. But you're paying for that speed with manual operation and average optics. It's a great value if you specifically want that look and don't mind focusing manually.

Compared to the Viltrox 35mm F1.7, you lose autofocus but gain over a stop of light with the Meike. The Fujifilm 35mm f/1.4 is sharper and has autofocus, but it costs three times as much. The Meike 55mm F1.8 Pro is a sharper, autofocus alternative, but it's a different focal length. This Meike sits in a niche: it's for the photographer who prioritizes maximum background blur and low-light ability above all else, including convenience.

Buy this if you shoot portraits or low-light scenes and love the manual focus experience. It's a fun, creative tool for the price. Avoid it if you need autofocus for anything, like events or street photography, or if you demand tack-sharp image quality corner-to-corner.