Meike Neo Series 5514-E 55mm

Meike Neo Series 5514-E 55mm

Meike
61 Overall Score
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony
90 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Meike Neo Series 5514-E 55mm

83 out of 100 medium confidence 11 reviews

The Meike 55mm f/1.4 lens delivers impressive sharpness, pleasing bokeh, and fast autofocus for Fuji APS-C cameras at a budget-friendly price. Users consistently praise its metal build and aperture ring, but note that firmware updates may require a specific USB-C to USB-A cable and a Windows computer to unlock full autofocus performance. Overall, it is considered an exceptional value, particularly for portrait and street photography.

Pros
  • Exceptional sharpness at f/1.4
  • Pleasing bokeh and background separation
  • Fast and reliable autofocus after firmware update
  • Premium metal build with aperture ring
  • Lightweight and compact design
Cons
  • Firmware update requires specific USB-C to USB-A cable
  • No firmware update support for Mac computers initially
  • Plastic lens hood feels less premium
  • Autofocus can hunt before firmware update
  • Some chromatic aberration at wide apertures
👍 Image quality 10
👍 Autofocus performance 8
👍 Build quality 9
👍 Value for money 8
👎 Firmware update process 4
👍 Bokeh and background separation 5

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

82 out of 100 high confidence 117 reviews

The Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens is widely praised as an excellent all-in-one travel and walkaround lens for APS-C E-mount cameras. Users consistently highlight its sharpness, compact size, light weight, and versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range. While many note it is not ideal for low light and some report significant vignetting at the wide end, the overall sentiment is very positive, with most considering it a great value kit lens upgrade.

Pros
  • Sharp image quality
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range
  • Effective optical image stabilization
  • Fast and accurate autofocus
Cons
  • Significant vignetting at 18mm wide end
  • Not ideal for low light photography
  • Variable aperture limits brightness at telephoto
  • Some copies may have quality control issues
  • Slight autofocus lag compared to premium lenses
👍 Image quality 35
👍 Build quality 12
👍 Value for money 18
👎 Vignetting 6
👎 Low light performance 10
👍 Zoom range 25

Scores

Budget
Meike
62
Sony
100
Street
Meike
66
Sony
87
Portrait
Meike
58
Sony
87
Travel
Meike
51
Sony
85
Wildlife Sports
Meike
49
Sony
84
Video Cinema
Meike
65
Sony
83
Professional
Meike
55
Sony
73
Landscape
Meike
48
Sony
73
Macro
Meike
54
Sony
68

Specifications

Meike Neo Series 5514-E 55mmSony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Optics
Typeprimezoom
Focal Length Min55 mm18 mm
Focal Length Max55 mm135 mm
Elements1116
Groups812
Aspherical Elements—1★
ED Elements12★
Coatingmultilayered coatings—
Aperture
Max Aperturef/16f/3.5
Min Aperturef/1.43.5-5.6
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades9★7
Build
MountNikon ZSony E
FormatAPS-CAPS-C
Weather Sealed✗✗
Weight0.29 kg★0.33 kg
Filter Thread52 mm55 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeSTMLinear motor★
Stabilization✗✓★
Focus
Min Focus Distance610 mm450 mm★
Max Magnification—0.29x★

Pros & Cons

Meike Neo Series 5514-E 55mm

  • Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile
  • Strong social proof (78th percentile)
  • Strong build (75th percentile)
  • Below average versatility (34th percentile)

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

  • Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong versatility (96th percentile)96th %ile
  • Strong social proof (90th percentile)90th %ile
  • Strong stabilization (80th percentile)80th %ile

Pricing

Meike Neo Series 5514-E 55mm is CA$516 cheaper (3.0x less).

Meike Neo Series 5514-E 55mm0.233score per dollar
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS0.116score per dollar

Meike Neo Series 5514-E 55mm offers 2.0x better value for money

Meike Neo Series 5514-E 55mm

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Verdict

★ Winner: Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Scores 90 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 6 of 21 specs.

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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