Have You Heard of Pergear? Their 25mm Lens Is Good and Only Costs $69

I was sent the 25mm f/1.8 lens for review. I went out testing in the center of Paris, and I must say, it was a lot of fun with it on my Fujifilm X-T20. Although it's a manual focus lens, you get a lot for $69.

The Build Quality

The lens feels solid. It’s got weight to it, although it’s quite small in size. It's a metal body and has 12 blades inside. The barrel extends out a little bit when focussing on objects a little farther away. Although there is an issue with vignetting, I didn't really have an issue with it when going through my images.

The Details

The aperture ring is de-clicked, so changing aperture doesn’t make a sound. I suppose this is good on the one hand, because you won’t get it in your video if that’s your aim, but on the other hand, it can also change by accident without you even knowing.

The focussing ring has nice bevels, so it’s easy to grip and the rotation is smooth and silent.

It’s got a hood which stops some lens-flares, but I think it’s also good for protecting the glass, and it makes it look a little more vintage which is good for my very important street cred.

They make lens mounts for all the big brand mirrorless cameras, so you’ll get the lens with the camera body you use. 

Reviewing the Images

The color I got from the lens wasn't much different to what I got when mounting vintage Nikon lenses or Canon lenses. And, I am not too concerned with this as most of my colors are adjusted in post. 

What I Liked

The Fujifilm’s focus-peaking tells you what’s in focus, so this works well with any lens you have to manually focus. It’s a fun lens to always have on your camera that you take everywhere. It’s wide enough to give context but can also get close enough to show intimate details, so it’s a great all-rounder.

It’s affordable. It’s roughly what my wife and I pay for a week’s groceries. Feed your camera some good, affordable glass, and enjoy the taste.

What I Didn’t Like

It’s got this strange glossy silver covering on the front of the lens and I don’t see the point of it other than being part of their aesthetic style decision making processes. It makes the lens look cheap, but perhaps that’s what they are trying to communicate at this price point.

The lens cap is a generic design and doesn’t fit as snug as it should. I am constantly trying to get it on the front of the lens only having to leave it skew and uneven.

Final Thoughts

I wasn’t aware of the Pergear brand when they contacted me for a review. They used to be suppliers of other photographer gear brands, so this release was a surprise to many. With regards to this lens, I can honestly say my first impressions were good, and I am stoked I now have the all-rounder in my kit. If you’re on a budget, and you like shooting with manual focus or want to expand your video lens range, this could be a great addition.

You can get more information here.