The new lens is out now, after Meike announced it with a slight delay. We are talking about a 85mm autofocus lens for Fujifilm GFX mediumformat cameras.
A lens with bright aperture of ƒ1.8 - like a cheap alternative to the native and far more expensive Fujinon GF 80mm ƒ1.7 lens.
In essence translated
to a lens of 67 mm focal length, which is either a wide / light portrait lens - or a long "normal lens". The min focus distance is 65 cm, and has a light weight of 406 gram. Its filter diameter is 62 mm Ø.
Mechanically it exhibits 11 aperture blades, and optically its made out of 11 elements, in 7 groups.
One elements more than say a Zhongyi Mitakon 80/1.6 lens . There, the Mitakon has 10 lens elements in 6 groups - not that far off after all. The latter however TRULY IS developed for a larger GFX sensor and with it - natural vignetting that disappears when stopping down. Yet, the lens only does manual focus. Min distance is remarkable with just 50 cm, but has no AF and is twice as heavy. Price is now reduced to $499 without tax.
Since the Meike 85/1.8 has AF, i assume that you automatically get EXIF and with that also support of the internal camera image stabilization. No need to fiddle with manually dialing in IBIS via focal length settings.
Price without tax $399 - which for Sweden likely ends up a lot higher, at around 5000 SEK with 25% tax and import. Still - a Fujinon 80/1.7 lens, cost around € 2300 new (min focus distance 70 cm) Even when bought second hand, it still costs 1700 €.
Translating the MTF chart (diagonal of sensors)
Apparently the diagonal of a GFX sensor is 55mm, while that of a fullframe sensor is around 43 mm. Those MTF charts, start in the center of the optical axis going outwards. So, you divide it by 2.
Accordingly: 21.5 mm stands for fullframe - and that marks the extreme corner of a sensor in diagonal. While for the GFX it is represented at around 27.5 mm being the extreme corner, in the MTF chart.
I hope i got that correct... *thinking*
If we look at the MTF charts
well, it does give off a feeling that they may have re-used its fullframe 85mm ƒ1.8 lens for this GFX mount version. However - I have no proof.
I am just reading off the MTF chart - and see that in the extreme (GFX) corners, sharpness falls rapidly. While it is stellar up to the extreme borders of a fullframe sensor (The Meike optics for the 85/1.8 lens in the fullframe version got very good reviews). Well, and it looks like that. But for a larger sensor like the GFX - i feel that the extreme borders do show great weakness.
At least in theory.
I am always act - unfortunately - similar to "The Sorcerers Apprentice". I mean, when I write about things i never used. Actually most often i do that when i decided to buy a photo tool. Then I am excited, and during that wait... i write enthusiastically.
But that isn't reality, right ? No, it isn't. It is belief and good faith mixed with interpretations of things read from / via many sources, trying to get a picture. Like a puzzle... (before you buy an important photo tool).
I really shouldn't be too optimistic about such things before I even tried and tested them. Including that period in the beginning - the so called "honeymoon phase". The "Aaa, Oooh and Wooah" phase.
THEN later - comes the real awakening, which balances the good and the bad, which you see and realize more clearly.
It is good that I don't have a YouTube channel.
*Muohahahaaaa*
On the other hand
A little reminder: I have NEVER made any serious reviews. This is a Personal (Photo) DIARY, so the thoughts that flow into it - are a strong mix of teenager and adult, back and forth.
So, in essence; I just... well, uhm... write about snippets, thoughts and trying to gauge things within photography. But not just photography, also political and medical issues, which have been gone rampant in the past years particularly ... gone insane. Not easy to penetrate the veil of deceptions - but they are CLEARLY there to dupe the public. More than ever before in history.
So yeah. it ain't just photography. But let me go back to the Meike 85mm lens for Fujifilm GFX cameras, and the published MTF charts.
MTF chart
This MTF chart is published at Meike's homepage under the section for the 85mm ƒ1.8 GFX lens.
My interpretation
The center always looks good, both for the coarse contrast in larger details (10lp/mm; shown in blue), as well in the finer details (30lp/mm; in red), at aperture ƒ1.8, ƒ4 and ƒ8.
lp stands for line pairs per mm (Actually I don't know if they use inch or mm) It should be mm, though.
T stands for "tangential", and S for "sagittal" sharpness/contrast
If the tangential (unbroken lines) and sagittal curve (broken lines) vastly spread from each other, it means that sharpness isn't so good aligned between the measurements done horizontally vs diagonally. It is always better when the spread is small between the lines of 10 lines/mm (blue) or 30 lines/mm (red).
At wide open aperture ƒ1.8
The extreme corners really suffer from a rapid decline in separation / sharpness. The fine details marked by the 30lp/mm line in red, drops like a stone to basically 0.
Overall, the sharpness area with good definition is limited to an expanded center area, but smaller than a fullframe sensor I would say.
At the same time, it might not be that bad given that when you use a light portrait lens - the extreme corners and borders are not exactly that important. Nor do you do serious landscape images at wide open aperture ƒ1.8
That's just a no-go. Except perhaps for Astro landscape photography now and then.
So, the lack of extreme corner sharpness can be excused.
The Fujinon GF 80/1.7 isn't exactly stellar either at wide open aperture (but it isn't that bad in the corners).
Yet, I even have made good images with the doubtful Canon EF 85/1.2 L II at night - whose wide open aperture performance in an MTF chart doesn't look good either.
Or the Leica Noctilux-M 50/1 which looks dreadful at wide open aperture ƒ 1 in an MTF chart - yet, if you wheel that very special power of that lens - you can make utmost beautiful images with it.... at aperture ƒ 1
Center sharpness
Since the center of the Meike Lens is sharp at wide open aperture ƒ1.8 - also seem to have relatively good definition in the center and extended center portion of the GFX frame.
Stopped down to aperture ƒ4
up to 44mm or from the optical center axis, 21mm, the sharpness is good when stopped down to aperture ƒ4
But the line for finer details (in red), then drops rapidly down to just 25% in the extreme corners of a larger GFX sensor. Not really so good. And I am sure the native Fujinon 80mm ƒ1.7 does a better job at aperture ƒ4
Stopped down to aperture ƒ8
Here the overall impression is looking good. The contrast of coarser details, represented by the blue 10 lm/mm line appears good even in the extreme corners. But the finer details at 30lm/mm are still a bit questionable (in the extreme corners, sharpness appears to be suffering a bit). The lines drop down to around 35-40% or 0.4
But that is the ultimate extreme corner, we are talking about.
Well, that was my MTF chart interpretation.
For a 85 mm medium format lens, this might not be so bad after all. Given the low price you also need to consider being a factor.
At the same time, too low prices pose a danger of... well you know this by now: How cheap can you really make a lens - without sacrifices ? Because there are almost always sacrifices. Sometimes too many.
We have seen a long row of cheap Chinese lenses, which too, where not really good optically. In the end, you end up buying the native lenses from your brand camera, anyway. Which means you end up paying more, because all the many cheaper china lenses, do add up too.
Only lately some of the companies have upped their game, and gotten really good in terms of optical performance. The fullframe version of the Meike 85/1.8 Mark II lens, got splendid reviews. The above chart also shows that the lens is very good as a 35mm lens (fullframe lens). The lines hold up at high levels. THEN they drop rapidly, as you encounter the extended range of a larger GFX sensor...
It does give me the feeling of that Meike didn't truly develop a new lens for a GFX camera. Just re-purposed their fullframe lens optical formula, adding a GF mount to it.
Where are the reviews ?!
I do miss those real life reviews other people normally do - and likely will do after some time. But this far, none have come out - at least I couldn't find any review yet.
I am interested in the lens - but hesitate to order one, still.
Something tells me...
I wait until the first reviews are out. | 
