Manual, but still interesting lens - 25mm f1.8 and hopefully not expensive. Comes in native E-mount!

[Donny out of Element here]

For many of us who wondered why E24mm F1.8 Zeiss should cost so much and why Sony didn't made a "bread and butter" non-Zeiss lens in such a versatile Focal Length.

It's manual, so it still no AF and thus no alternative to E24 in that regard. However, it's small, light, comes in black too, and it's same F1.8 and basically same 25mm - yey! The best part is that similar to Sigma primes, there is a MFT version already available on ebay and it costs $133 with free shipping! Cheap! I hope they will release it in E-mount any minute now and price will be basically same (well maybe couple of dollars difference). No adapter needed!


Zonlai 25mm F1.8 on Sony a6000 (silver).

This is for the first time I see a cheap lens without adapter, small and with F1.8 and same FL as E24 available for Sony NEX line cameras.

http://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/zonlai-discover-25mm-f1-8-lens-comes-in-sony-e-mft-and-fuji-x-mount/

Considering it comes in E-mount, MFT and Fuji X mount - I think its optical IQ is on par and decent. there are some samples shot on Sony A3000 already available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hudatran/sets/72157658609671873

Ans some more samples on Sony NEX-F3 (16Mp): https://www.flickr.com/photos/poojee/sets/72157661312832912

 

[jtr27]

That is a cool looking little lens, looking forward to reading some reviews. I'll have mine in silver, please! =)

 

[Lucmv]

Ans some more samples on Sony NEX-F3 (16Mp): https://www.flickr.com/photos/poojee/sets/72157661312832912

All reduced, so we can't inspect the quality. Thanks for nothing, Mr. Chunn. :-(

 

[joe6pack]

Same price as M43. Just under a different name (Kenro):

Loading…

www.ebay.com

Always good to have newer native e-mount lenses.

I looked at the flickr photos. The "chairs in a forest" shows pretty bad corners. Which I don't think it is caused by DoF. I would imagine this is more of a M43 lens than APS-C.

I would stick to my Minolta 28mm F2.8 + Lens Turbo. Which is effectively an F2.1 lens. Although the Kenro does have size advantage. Would wait for more reviews.

 

[rich07]

These are exactly the type of lenses I would like to see on e-mount (but maybe with slightly better corners).

 

[davect01]

Neat option, nice price.

 

[davect01]

Same price as M43. Just under a different name (Kenro):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/252172920047

Always good to have newer native e-mount lenses.

I looked at the flickr photos. The "chairs in a forest" shows pretty bad corners. Which I don't think it is caused by DoF. I would imagine this is more of a M43 lens than APS-C.

I would stick to my Minolta 28mm F2.8 + Lens Turbo. Which is effectively an F2.1 lens. Although the Kenro does have size advantage. Would wait for more reviews.

Ya, the samples are a mixed bag. Some are really nice, while others are lacking.

 

[Tuxdude]

$130 for a fully manual native E-Mount lens is a nice option to always have. If I already didn't have the Zeiss 24mm, I would have ordered one of these right away.

I wouldn't mind a little loss of sharpness for the price I'm getting it at.

 

[MujinKun]

Anyone bought and received the lens?

Below s the lens details from the reseller:

Lens Specifications 25mmF1.8 DISCOVER Manual Lens:
FOCAL LENGTH (25MM) (APS-C)

ANGLE OF VIEW
62° (APS-C)
ELEMENTS AND COATING
9 elements / 7 groups
APERTURE RANGE
F1.8–16
APERTURE BLADES
11 blades
MAXIMUM MAGNIFICATION RATIO
0.25x
MINIMUM FOCUS DISTANCE
0.18 m
FILTER DIAMETER
46 mm

Is it good?

Please advise.

Cheers

 

[JurijTurnsek]

Sony's APS-C line needs a pancake f2.0 lens like the Canon M 22m 2.0. f2.8 is good and all, but that extra stop can mean a lot.

 

[joe6pack]

Sony's APS-C line needs a pancake f2.0 lens like the Canon M 22m 2.0. f2.8 is good and all, but that extra stop can mean a lot.

Funny that I was looking at this very lens just last night. a 35mm eq lens at F2.0 for just $100? I should have bought the EOS-M 22mm combo for $250 2 years ago. It is far, far cheaper than a 24mm F1.8.

 

[geminihc]

remember you can also get rokinon 21mm f1.4 manual for e-mount, which is a very sharp lens. not as cheap though ~$350

 

[Tuxdude]

remember you can also get rokinon 21mm f1.4 manual for e-mount, which is a very sharp lens. not as cheap though ~$350

Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 is a cheap lens but has never gone below $470 afaik. You might have been referring to the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 instead I guess which is selling for $320 the last I checked.

 

[david raistrick]

remember you can also get rokinon 21mm f1.4 manual for e-mount, which is a very sharp lens. not as cheap though ~$350

the samyang 21mm definitely doesn't qualify as pancake in any of it's formats, either...67.7mm long in emount vs 33mm for the Zonlai from what I can find.

 

[triton76]

Sony's APS-C line needs a pancake f2.0

check that:

Loading…

www.modulaoptical.com

hope they'll do the job

 

[Hin Man]

Here is my Zonalai 25mm f/1.8 with addition of a Sugru focus tab

Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 with Sugru focus tab

Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 with Sugru focus tab

More photos in my blog post:

http://www.techtheman.com/2016/06/zonlai-25mm-f18-ergonomics-focus-tab.html



Ergonomics:

• The aperture ring and focusing ring are very close together. It is very easy to change the aperture unintentionally when one adjust focus.
• A focus tab is highly recommended add-on to this lens. I use Sugru from Amazon to mold a tab that becomes solid after a day.
• With a focus tab, I find focusing much more precise and the tab helps to avoid inadvertent change on aperture
• Other focus tab idea can be checked with lenstab in TAAB MINI | TAAB | Universal Lens Tab though I like the Sugru idea better as the lenstab will have the extra bend on top of your lens with potential in destroying the original beauty of the Zonlai.

Regards,

Hin

--
learning: http://www.techtheman.com
personal: http://hintheman.blogspot.com/

 

[Hin Man]

I have been fascinated with this manual focus lens because I lack a 24mm that is small and compact. This one is inexpensive, I paid $120 new from a US seller with only one copy. It only works in aps-c. I am surprised that this Chinese lens comes with a nice hard box and a matching lens hood. Here are few initial shots in the arrival

More in

• http://www.techtheman.com/2016/06/zonlai-25mm-f18-in-sony-e-mount.html
• http://www.techtheman.com/2016/06/2nd-day-with-zonlai-25mm-f18.html

The lens opening is well rounded and with step-less and click-less aperture ring. Focusing is smooth but it is a bit difficult to focus with precision. Hence the solution with Sugru focus tab.

--
learning: http://www.techtheman.com
personal: http://hintheman.blogspot.com/

 

[Sympa]

In the Flick samples, the vignetting seems rather bad - in the chairs in the forest, but in most pictures in the extreme corners.

 

[Hin Man]

In the Flick samples, the vignetting seems rather bad - in the chairs in the forest, but in most pictures in the extreme corners.

It is true that vignette is heavier and sometime difficult to correct. I have used this lens for over a week and there are many positives and negatives. One of the biggest issue is on the heavier vignette than usual. But if one is into moody type of pictures and casual shooting, this one can be considered a bargain. It is subjective and depend on what one is looking. Wrong expectations will set you on the wrong path.

Few initial impressions:

Positives

• really compact in size, smaller than 16-50 kit zoom
• well built for its price all in metal
• a rare find in 25mm and fast speed in f/1.8 and low cost below $130
• E-mount and without the need of adapter
• click-less and stop-less on aperture ring in front, good candidate for quiet operation
• sharpness is good in center
• decent and handy for close up shots
• low saturation with a unique film look, moody type of pictures
  

Negatives

• heavy vignette on corners
• aperture ring is close to focusing ring that can change aperture inadvertently. This issue is greatly corrected with a Sugru do it yourself focusing tab
• color is muted and low contrast in some shooting
• poor corners and not likely suited for landscape and architecture type of shooting that demand sharpness across the frame

More thoughts and photos in

• http://www.techtheman.com/search/label/zonlai
• Hin's flickr zonlai album
• Flickr Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 Group
  
  

Regards,

Hin

--
learning: http://www.techtheman.com
flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hin_man/

 

[Hin Man]

Link:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/2913098@N24/pool/

in f/16 and Sony A6000

f/1.8 wide open, uncorrected, you will see the vignette in corners

More in my flickr stream in signature or the Flickr group

• https://www.flickr.com/groups/2913098@N24/pool/

--
learning: http://www.techtheman.com
flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hin_man/