Best Budget Lenses Under £400 in 2026

The 40-150mm f/4-5.6 offers an 80-300mm equivalent reach in a 190g body, with a Movie & Still Compatible AF system for swift, silent focusing. Its Micro Four Thirds design and budget pricing make it a remarkably portable telephoto option for travel and everyday use. This lens is best for portrait and street photographers on Micro Four Thirds cameras who want a lightweight zoom without spending heavily.

The motorized 3x electronic zoom, retractable pancake body just 0.9 inches thick, and 91-gram weight make this a uniquely portable Micro Four Thirds standard zoom. Its near-silent MSC autofocus and two-speed power zoom enable smooth, interruption-free video, a rare pairing in such a compact lens. Best for street and travel shooters needing a featherlight, discreet kit with serious close-up ability, reaching 1:4.35 magnification at a 200mm minimum focus.

Weighing just 100g and barely thicker than a body cap, this 18mm f/6.3 pancake lens turns an APS-C Fujifilm mirrorless into a pocketable snapshot camera with weather sealing. The Mark II’s improved 0.3m minimum focus distance adds close-up versatility, while the constant aperture and 6-element optics deliver sharp, zone-focused images with no autofocus delay. Best for street photographers and minimalist travelers who prioritize instant, discreet shooting and coat-pocket portability over lens speed.

A 190-degree field of view and f/2.8 aperture deliver ultra-wide fisheye images on Canon EF-M APS-C bodies. The lens weighs just 260g and focuses down to 5.9 inches for close-up creativity, with a manual focus design for precise control. It suits Canon EF-M shooters wanting dramatic landscape, interior, and macro-style fisheye perspectives.

The 42.5mm focal length (85mm equivalent) and f/1.7 aperture deliver smooth bokeh and low-light capability in a tiny 146g body with STM autofocus. Its discreet, pocketable design integrates unobtrusively on small Micro Four Thirds bodies like the Panasonic G100 or Olympus E-M10 series. This lens is best for street photographers and budget-conscious portrait shooters who need a fast, lightweight prime for everyday candid work and environmental portraits.

With a bright f/2 aperture and a 7-blade diaphragm, this 25mm manual-focus lens (37.5mm equivalent) offers pronounced bokeh and strong low-light performance for Micro Four Thirds. Its compact 315g metal build and seven-element optical formula deliver edge-to-edge sharpness even at f/2, with a damped focus ring for precise manual adjustments. The lens is ideal for street photographers and MFT users on a budget who enjoy creative manual focus and shallow depth-of-field without the need for autofocus.

Pairing a bright f/1.4 aperture with a 10-blade diaphragm, this 23mm prime delivers smooth bokeh and strong low-light results in a compact, all-metal build weighing just 361g. Its manual focus design and 35mm equivalent field of view offer deliberate creative control for street, portrait, and landscape work, with optics that remain sharp on 16MP sensors. Best for budget-focused Nikon Z APS-C photographers who prioritize bokeh and don’t mind manual focus for everyday shooting.

Offering 1:1 macro magnification with a 100mm focal length and T3.1 aperture, this lens captures detailed close-ups with smooth, de-clicked aperture control and a 9-blade diaphragm for circular bokeh. The Cine DS version adds unified focus and aperture gear positions, color-matched barrels, and dual-sided distance scales for quick lens swaps on set. It’s best for Micro Four Thirds video shooters needing a dedicated macro cine lens for product shots, nature details, and dramatic close-ups with follow-focus rigs.

Repurposing a genuine disposable camera optic onto a Micro Four Thirds mount, this 32mm f/11 prime delivers a guaranteed soft-focus, dreamy film aesthetic straight out of camera. Its pancake form factor makes it effortlessly pocketable, while the fixed aperture and sustainable, waste-reducing construction simplify shooting to pure composition. This lens is best for street photographers and content creators who prioritize an instant, unedited vintage look over technical sharpness.