New Meike 50mm f/1.2 Prime Lens – Canon RF Mount and Manual Focus

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by Olaf von VossJuly 28^th, 2020

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Another week, another nifty fifty! If last weeks Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 for Canon EF mount wasn’t your thing, maybe this weeks Meike 50mm f/1.2 for Canon RF mount is. This new Meike offers manual focus (not the worst for video in my opinion), a Canon RF mount and a very competitive price tag!

First things first, this lens is not yet available but you can pre-order it over on their website for a mid-August delivery. The Meike 50mm f/1.2 covers full frame sensors, it’s Canon RF exclusive for now and its fast f/1.2 aperture makes it a potential bokeh-monster (but not as monstrous as the aformentioned Mitakon 50mm f/0.95).

Meike 50mm f/1.2 Canon RF Prime Lens

This is not a dedicated cine lens, you won’t find 0.8 pitched gears and I’m not sure if the iris is de-clicked (most likely it isn’t). Meike also have a 50mm T2.1 cine lens in their lineup which you can check out here. The RF 50mm is a fully manual lens so if you really set it to f/1.2 you need steady hands on the focus barrel!

image credit: Meike

The specification rundown of this lens reads as follows:

• Full Frame visual angle: diagonal 46.9° horizontal 39.3° vertical 26.4°
• APS-C visual angle: diagonal 33.1° horizontal 25.8° vertical 17.4°
• Lens structure: 12 elements in 7 groups with multi-layer coatings
• Aperture range F1.2- F22
• Minimun focus distance: 60cm
• Length: 72mm
• Weight: 620g

Pricing and Availability

The Meike 50mm f/1.2 for Canon RF mount clocks in at 308.84€ ($359.99) which is rather cheap for such a fast lens. But remember, it is a fully manual lens, no AF, no lens data, nothing. If it is any good I can’t tell of course but if you’re filming a lot in low light conditions, this might be worth a closer look. You can pre-order the lens over on Meike’s website. The company claims that the lens will ship August 15th.

image credit: Meike

Of course you can get the official Canon 50mm f/1.2, too, but that’s a very different beast! It offers all the good stuff you’d expect: AF, a configurable control ring, aspherical lens elements, you name it.. But you’ll pay $2,299 for it and comparing that lens to the Meike 50mm f/1.2 would be a bit apples to oranges. The Meike might be on the cheap side but maybe it punches well above its weight class.. we’ll see.

Links: Meike Website

What do you think? Might this RF lens find its way into your bag? What other alternatives would you consider buying? Let us know in the comments below!