Meike’s New AF 56mm f/1.7 Air Lens

credits: Meike

Meike has announced a new AF 56mm f/1.7 Air lens for APS-C Sony E-mount cameras, adding another lightweight option to its lineup. On APS-C, that 56mm works out to roughly an 85mm equivalent, so it sits right in that classic short telephoto range that is often used for portraits.

Looking at the specs, the lens uses an 11-element, 7-group optical design and has a 9-blade aperture, which should help with smoother background rendering. The aperture runs from f/1.7 to f/16, so it covers both low-light shooting and stopping down when needed. The minimum focusing distance is 0.55 meters, which is pretty typical for this kind of lens. It also uses 52mm filters. Physically, it is pretty compact at 66.5mm × 59.2mm and weighs around 190 grams.

Meike also released an MTF chart along the announcement, which gives a rough idea of what to expect. At f/1.7, sharpness looks strong in the centre, but there is a visible drop-off toward the edges, especially in the higher frequency lines, which usually means softer corners wide open. By f/8, things look a lot more even across the frame, with better overall consistency. The Meike AF 56mm f/1.7 Air is priced at $169 and comes in black and white.

You can see full details and sample shots on Meike’s website here