An $230 85mm Lens: Bargain or Compromise?

An 85mm prime is where small flaws get loud fast, especially when you shoot wide open and expect clean edges and smooth blur. Can this $230 lens keep up?

Coming to you from Andrei Dima, this practical video covers the Meike 85mm f/1.8 SE II STM lens. Dima shoots it on a Nikon Zf and focuses early on the stuff that decides whether you’ll actually carry the lens: materials, controls, and small design choices that show up in daily use. The Mark II version gets a cleaner, more confident build than the earlier one he used, including a USB-C port on the mount for firmware updates and a rubber gasket at the mount. He also calls out the focus ring feel, the AF/MF switch placement, and the included hood and cap, which is the kind of detail you only notice after a few weeks of ownership. 

The middle of the review gets into performance where it counts: focus behavior and how the lens draws at common apertures. Dima says autofocus for stills is fast and dependable in continuous mode, with single AF a bit slower, and he shows the video AF tracking smoothly as well. Center sharpness starts strong at f/1.8, though corners take longer to catch up, and contrast changes as you stop down. 

Key Specs

• Focal length: 85mm

• Aperture range: f/1.8 to f/16

• Focus: Auto/Manual with AF/MF switch

• Optical design: 11 elements in 7 groups

• Diaphragm blades: 11

• Filter thread: 62 mm

• Minimum focus distance: 65 cm

• Weight: 379 g (Nikon Z version), 369 g (Sony E version)

• Firmware updates: USB-C port on the mount

• Mount detail: Rubber gasket at the mount

At the minimum focus distance, he finds the lens can look soft at f/1.8, then firms up at f/2.8, and settles in best around f/4. He also flags moderate focus breathing in video, so if you do focus pulls, it's worth noting. There’s also a brief look at flare behavior when shooting into a strong light source, plus his take on the bokeh character and the transition from in-focus to out-of-focus, shown in a way that lets you judge it with your own eyes. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Dima.