MEIKE 8mm T2.9 Cine Mini Prime Lens Announced

MEIKE 8mm T2.9 M4/3 Cine Mini Prime

MEIKE is known for their very affordable cine lenses and if you’re starting out, telling purely from the specs, these lenses seem to be a decent choice, since they offer proper 0.8 pitched focus and iris rings (the focus ring offers 270° rotation with hard stops).

Full specifications below:

Lens Mount:	M4/3
Format:	APS-C
Min Focus Dist:	25cm
Filter Thread:	ø77
Weight:	540g
Structure:	17 Elements in 12 Groups
Focal Length:	8mm
Aperture Range:	T2.9-T22
Iris Blades:	10
Focus Rotation:	270 Degree
Dimensions (Ø x L):	Ø 80 × 71.6 mm
FOV on S35 cameras:	Diagonal: 108.6° Horizontal: 96° Vertical: 80°

Weirdly, the MEIKE 8mm does cover APS-C sensors but it is only available with a M4/3 mount for now. MEIKE lists the following camera bodies as compatible:

Olympus mirrorless camera E-P1 E-PL1 E-P2 E-PL2 E-P3 E-PL3 E-PL5 E-PM1 E-PM2 OM-D E-M5 E-P5 OM-D E-M1 OMD-EM10 and other Olympus Micro 4/3 cameras

Panasonic Lumix G9 G1 G2 G3 G5 GF1 GF2 GF3 GF5 GF6 GF7 GH1 GH2 GH3 GH5 G6 GX1 GX7 GX8 GH4 GM1 GM5 -D E-M5 E-P5 OM-D E-M1 OMD-EM10 and other Panasonic Lumix Micro M4/3 MFT cameras

BMPCC (Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera)

image credit: MEIKE

Pricing and Availability

The MEIKE 8mm T2.9 Cine Mini Prime will be available in November this year and will sell for $439.99 (374.56 €).

I think this lineup of affordable cine prime lenses might be worth a closer look since proper cine lenses tend to be very expensive, and sometimes it’s better to have a set of entry-level lenses than no lenses at all. The optical performance of this new 8mm prime is yet to be determined and it won’t compete with higher-end offerings for sure, but again: An affordable option is (way) better than no option at all.