There has been a wealth of smaller brands cropping up, looking to dethrone photography royalty. Meike is one of them and they targeted Canon's cinema lens set. So, are they far enough behind Canon to warrant an extra $15,000?
The emergence of small camera lens brands, particularly out of Asia, has been slower than it might seem. I first tried some off-brand, indie lenses over a decade ago and was reasonably impressed. As the years have rolled on, many of the most successful brands have become well-respected in their own right, not just as cheaper alternatives; take a look at Laowa for example.
Nevertheless, there are still some lenses that have proven difficult to replicate, particularly if you value autofocus. This also extends to videography, with the revered cinema lenses by Canon being difficult to topple, particularly as a set. Now, Meike — a creator of well-received MFT cinema lenses — has created a full frame collection that rivals Canon's EF CN-E Cinema Primes. A full set of CN-E lenses (7 as opposed to 5) is $28,460 which is unachievable for most aspiring filmmakers.
In this video, DSLR Video Shooter compares the performance of both collections and gives his views on whether Canon's set of 5 is worth $15,000 more.
Cinema lenses are not mass market lenses, hence the higher prices.