Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm
Tamron Di III-A 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
What Buyers Say
Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm
The Meike 55mm f/1.4 AF lens for APS-C Nikon Z cameras is a compact, fast-aperture portrait lens that delivers excellent sharpness and creamy bokeh at a very affordable price. Autofocus is quick and reliable, with good eye detection, and the lens handles well on smaller bodies like the Z30. Some users noted the minimum focus distance is a bit limiting and the build feels plasticky, but overall it offers outstanding value for money.
Pros
- Excellent sharpness
- Creamy bokeh
- Fast and reliable autofocus
- Great value for money
- Compact and lightweight
Cons
- Plasticky build feel
- Limited minimum focus distance
- No image stabilization
- Some chromatic aberration wide open
- Vignetting at wide apertures
Tamron Di III-A 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
The Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD lens is widely praised for its sharpness, versatile zoom range, constant aperture, and effective stabilization, making it an excellent all-around lens for APS-C cameras. Users appreciate its solid build quality and value for money, though many note it is noticeably heavier and larger than typical kit lenses, which can feel unbalanced on smaller camera bodies. A few reviewers mention minor issues like chromatic aberration at the longer end and noise from the aperture blades at certain settings, but overall sentiment is very positive.
Pros
- sharp image quality across zoom range
- constant f/2.8 aperture
- effective image stabilization
- fast and quiet autofocus
- versatile 17-70mm focal range
Cons
- heavy and large for APS-C body
- chromatic aberration at 50-70mm
- aperture blade noise above f/5.6
- short zoom throw initially stiff
- no aperture ring on Fuji version
Scores
Specifications
| Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm | Tamron Di III-A 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD | |
|---|---|---|
| Optics | ||
| Type | prime | zoom |
| Focal Length Min | 85 mm | 17 mm |
| Focal Length Max | 85 mm | 70 mm |
| Elements | 13 | 16 |
| Groups | 8 | 12 |
| Aspherical Elements | 1 | 3★ |
| ED Elements | 2 | 2 |
| Coating | Multi-layer coating | Fluorine Coating |
| Aperture | ||
| Max Aperture | f/1.4 | f/22 |
| Min Aperture | f/1.4 | f/2.8 |
| Constant | ✓ | ✓ |
| Diaphragm Blades | 11★ | 9 |
| Build | ||
| Mount | Sony E | Nikon Z |
| Format | full-frame★ | APS-C |
| Weather Sealed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weight | 0.91 kg | 0.54 kg★ |
| Filter Thread | 77 mm | 67 mm |
| AF & Stabilization | ||
| AF Type | Hyper STM★ | RXD Stepping AF Motor |
| Stabilization | ✓ | ✓ |
| Focus | ||
| Min Focus Distance | 85 mm | 70 mm★ |
| Max Magnification | — | 1:4.8★ |
Pros & Cons
Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm
- Strong bokeh (98th percentile)98th %ile
- Strong aperture (97th percentile)97th %ile
- Strong macro (93rd percentile)93rd %ile
- Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile
- Below average versatility (34th percentile)
Tamron Di III-A 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD
- Strong macro (94th percentile)94th %ile
- Strong optical (90th percentile)90th %ile
- Strong versatility (90th percentile)90th %ile
- Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile
- Below average social proof (17th percentile)17th %ile
- Below average aperture (22nd percentile)
- Below average bokeh (25th percentile)
Pricing
Meike 85mm F1.4 II 85mm offers 1.7x better value for money
Verdict
Scores 92 overall, wins 7 of 9 usage categories and 3 of 21 specs.
