Lens overview 25mm F1.8 (CCTV, APS-C, Sony E, Fujian, 8 blades)

Navigation

1. In short
2. Main Specifications
3. Assembly
4. Focusing
5. Image quality
6. Sample Photos
7. My experience
8. All Sony APS-C E cameras
9. All original lenses for Sony APS-C E
10. Price
11. Video review
12. Results
13. User Comments
14. Add your review or question on the lens

Please note that this lens does not have any identification marks on its body. It only says '25mm F1.8' on its case and only one 'LENS' on its box. This lens is often referred to as 'FUJIAN 25/1.8' by analogy with other similar solutions, for example, FUJIAN CHINA TV LENS GDS-35 f=35mm 1:1.7. In this review, for convenience, I will call it exactly the same - FUJIAN 25 / 1.8. There are modifications with an inscription near the front lens 'mini lens'.

This lens has a C-MOUNT mount (thread) and can be easily installed on any modern mirrorless camera using a simple and cheap adapter. In the review, I used a FUJIAN 25 / 1.8 lens with an adapter C-mount -> Sony E/NEX (RISESPRAY C-NEX).

It's important: FUJIAN 25/1.8 is available in two body colors: black and silver. This review shows the black version.

It's important: the lens from this review is very similar to 25mm F1.8 HD VIII (CCTV, APS-C, Sony E, Fujian). Most likely, the lenses use the same optical design, and the main difference is the different number of aperture blades.

In short

Fujian 25 / 1.8 - a modern fast manual focus lens, uses a C-MOUNT mount, which makes it easy to adapt on any modern mirrorless camera. Covers APS-C sensor. One of the cheapest such fixes for cameras with an APS-C sensor and a maximum aperture of F / 1.8. The lens from the review was purchased on Aliexpress.com for only 25 dollars (here).

25 mm is a very convenient focal length that allows you to use the Fujian 25 / 1.8 as a standard (standard) lens for a huge number of different photo tasks.

Fujian 25/1.8 is interesting for its very low price and maximum aperture ratio of 1:1.8. It has some optical flaws, but in general it fully justifies its cost.

Fujian 25 / 1.8 - in general, is one of the best solutions among other Fujian lenses: 25/1.4, 25/1.8 (from this review), 35/1.6, 35/1.7, 50/1.4 when used on cameras with an APS-C sensor. First of all, with Fujian 25 / 1.8, you can achieve normal sharpness in the corners and edges of the image.

UPDATE: list of all FUJIAN lenses here.

Main Specifications 25mm F1.8

Review Instance Name	Body: 25mm F1.8 On boxes: LENS, RISESPRAY
Basic properties	The lens uses a C-mount, which is easily adapted to mirrorless cameras, such as Sony E Manual focus only Macro rings included Manual iris control Metal mount, metal body Multi-Enlightened Optics
Front Filter Diameter	37 mm
Focal length	25 mm EGF for cameras Sony E, Nikon Z, Fujifilm, Leica BILLION, Samsung NX with APS-C sensor is 37.5 mm EGF for cameras Canon EOS M и Canon EOS RF-S is 40 mm EGF for system cameras Micro 4/3 is 50 mm EGF for system cameras Nikon 1 is 67.5 mm
Zoom ratio	1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom)
Designed by	The mount easily adapts to modern mirrorless systems with a simple adapter
Number of aperture blades	8 straight petals
Tags	focusing distance scale, only in meters: 0.25, 0.5, 1, 3 meters and infinity mark
Diaphragm	from F / 1.8 to F / 16, controlled using the aperture control ring. There are marks for F / 1.8, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, (there are no marks for F / 11), 16. The ring rotates without clicks, smoothly
MDF	0.25 meters, maximum magnification ratio approx. 1:10
The weight	91 grams (measured, lens without caps and adapter)
Optical design	Probably either 4/4 or 7/5 Picture not found
Lens hood	Must be screwed into the thread of the front light filter, marking unknown, included in the delivery
Manufacturer country	Made in China (there is no data on the country of manufacture on the lens itself)
Period	From about 2017
Price	View on Aliexpress

Many amateur photographers want a fast fix, especially in addition to their full-time / 'whale' lens. Aperture F / 1.8 two or more steps wider aperture F / 4, which is used in 'dark' whale lenses at 25 mm focal length. In numerical terms, this means that the Fujian 25 / 1.8 is approximately 5 times brighterthan, for example, regular Sony 18-55mm f / 3.5-5.6 OSS or Sony 16-50mm f / 3.5-5.6 PZ OSSwhich use a maximum relative aperture of only 25: 1 and 4: 1 at 4.5 mm of focal length. The calculation of the difference in the relative aperture (count the aperture) is performed elementarily: (4 * 4) / (1.8 * 1.8) = 4.94, which is rounded to the value '5'.

It's important: F/1.8 aperture here is 'true', with light transmission around T/2. I compared Fujian 25 / 1.8 with a lens Sigma 30mm 1: 1.4 DC DN C (Contemporary). Lately I've been careful about the maximum relative aperture, there have already been many cases of cheating with the indication of the real maximum aperture by some Chinese manufacturers: 7Artisans 35 / 0.95, 7Artisans 50 / 1.05, Pergear 35 / 1.6 etc.

Assembly

The lens came to the review completely new, in a sealed box. The box contains the lens itself with front and rear caps and two macro rings with a RISESPRAY C-NEX adapter. Additionally, there was a set of several gifts-additions.

In general, the lens is assembled well, although it is noticeable that it is a little rough. Fujian 25/1.8 has metal mount for bayonet, and the lens case itself is completely made of metal.

The front lens cap is plastic, attached to latches.

The weight of the lens is just under 100 grams. In the hands of the lens feels like a nice thing.

The diameter of the filters is only 37 mm. The kit comes with a metal hood, which is screwed into the thread of the front filter. The protective cover can be installed on top of the hood.

The diaphragm consists of 8 petals and forms a hole in the shape of a regular octagon. The diaphragm can only be controlled manually using a special ring. Aperture ring rotates smoothly no clicks and fixed values, you can set any intermediate value in the range F / 1.8-F / 16, which is very useful when shooting video. The aperture control ring rotates very smoothly and pleasantly.

Aperture marks between F/2 and F/8 do not match exposure with reference lens. At the F / 8 value, in fact, there is a real value close to F / 4.

Focusing

The focus ring is metal, ribbed, comfortable. The ring spins on 90 degrees. Focusing is smooth.

During focusing, the trunk of the lens runs forward but does not spin. During focusing, the entire lens block moves.

On the ring there is a scale with a focusing distance, but only in meters. The minimum focusing distance is 25 centimeters and the maximum zoom ratio is approximately 1:10. The lens comes with special macro rings, which allows you to achieve a magnification of 1:1. The macro rings are screwed onto the mounting thread of the lens and the 'C-MOUNT -> desired system' adapter is already installed on them.

Fujian 25/1.8 has a noticeable effect of 'Focus Breathing' (changes in viewing angle during focusing). During focusing towards the MDF, the viewing angle decreases.

Hard stop (hard infinity mechanical stop) for fast and accurate focusing under any operating temperature conditions, the lens does not have. With adapter C-mount -> Sony E/NEX (included) there is a small flight of infinity at the extreme position of the focus ring.

Focus peaking with Fujian 25/1.8 and camera Sony a3500 works well at F / 1.8.

Image quality

On covered apertures Fujian 25/1.8 easily handles 20 megapixels APS-C sensor Sony a3500. In the center of the frame, Fujian 25 / 1.8 is already sharp at F / 1.8.

Sharpness

1. F / 1.8 lens has quite tolerable resolution in the center of the frame
2. with aperture down to f/2.8 resolution becomes excellent
3. there is a slight drop in sharpness towards the edges and corners of the frame, but even in the far corners of the frame at f / 1.8 the lens holds up well
4. on covered diaphragms, corners and edges are in perfect order
5. the lens from the review is skewed, which makes the far left of the photo noticeably less sharp than the right
6. palpable coma

Distortion

1. there is a small barrel-shaped distortion
2. distortion is unified, easy to edit in the editor

Vignetting

1. weak vignetting at f/1.8 (which is odd considering it's a CCTV lens originally designed for use with smaller sensors)
2. vignetting decreases with focus towards MDF. Most noticeable when focusing on infinity
3. vignetting almost completely disappears at F / 2.8
4. vignetting easily fixable in the editor

Aberration

1. there is a noticeable amount of chromatic aberration
2. there is a noticeable frigging (the color of contrasting elements in the out-of-focus area is purple or green)

Rest

1. on covered apertures it is easy to achieve a beautiful effect of an 8-ray star (example)
2. from bright light sources you can get glare and drop in contrast
   

Important: at the time of writing this review, there was no Fujian 25/1.8 profile for popular RAW converters. You can create a profile yourself or wait for its release.

Sample Photos

Sample photos on Sony a3500 (Sony Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor at 20 MP). All photos are JPEGs from the camera.

Original JPEG images can be view / download from this link (50+ files). RAW (SONY '.ARW') original images can be view / download from this link (20 files).

My experience

small, cheap, macro rings included. Newer 25mm F1.8 HD VIII (CCTV, APS-C, Sony E, Fujian) lost 2 aperture blades, but reduced its MDF by 5 centimeters. Most likely the optical design of the lenses is identical.

All Sony E-mount cameras with APS-C sensor

• NEX-3, NEX-C3, NEX-F3, NEX-3Women
• NEX-5, NEX-5N, NEX-5R, NEX-5T [fifth series on AliExpress.com]
• NEX-6, NEX-7
• a3000, a3500
• a5000, a5100
• a6000, a6100, a6300, a6400, a6500, a6600, a6700 [6000 series on Ali]
• ZV-E10
• FX30
• QX1
• Hasselblad lunar

All Sony E lenses for APS-C

Fix Lenses:

1. Sony 11 mm f/1.8 (announcement) [2022, black, AliExpress price]
2. Sony 15 mm f / 1.4 G (announcement) [2022, black, AliExpress price]
3. Sony 16 mm f/2.8 (overview) [2010, silver, AliExpress price]
4. Sony 20 mm f/2.8 (announcement) [2013, silver, AliExpress price]
5. Sony 24 mm f / 1.8 ZEISS ZA (overview) [2011, black]
6. Sony 30 mm f / 3.5 MACRO (overview) [2011, silver, AliExpress price]
7. Sony 35 mm f / 1.8 OSS (announcement) [2012, black, AliExpress price]
   
8. Sony 50 mm f / 1.8 OSS (announcement) [2011, black/silver, AliExpress price]

Zoom Lenses:

1. Sony 10-18 mm f / 4 OSS (announcement) [2012, black, AliExpress price]
   
2. Sony 10-20 mm f / 4 G PZ (announcement) [2022, black, AliExpress price]
3. Sony 16-50 mm f / 3.5-5.6 PZ OSS (overview) [2012, black/silver, AliExpress price]
4. Sony 16-55 mm f / 2.8 G (overview) [2019, black, AliExpress price]
5. Sony 16-70 mm f / 4 OSS ZEISS ZA (overview) [2013, black, AliExpress price]
   
6. Sony 18-50 mm f/4-5.6 (overview) [2014, black]
7. Sony 18-55 mm f / 3.5-5.6 OSS (overview) [2010, black/silver]
8. Sony 18-105 mm f / 4 G PZ OSS (announcement) [2013, black, AliExpress price]
   
9. Sony 18-110 mm f / 4 G PZ OSS (announcement) [2016, black]
   
10. Sony 18-135 mm f / 3.5-5.6 OSS (overview) [2018, black, AliExpress price]
    
11. Sony 18-200 mm f / 3.5-6.3 OSS (overview) [2010, silver, AliExpress price]
12. Sony 18-200 mm f / 3.5-6.3 OSS LE (overview) [2012, black, AliExpress price]
    
13. Sony 18-200 mm f / 3.5-6.3 PZ OSS (announcement) [2012, black]
    
14. Sony 55-210 mm f / 4.5-6.3 OSS (announcement) [2011, black/silver, AliExpress price]
15. Sony 70-350 mm f/4.5–6.3 G OSS (announcement) [2019, black, AliExpress price]

Third-party autofocus lenses for Sony E APS-C:

• Sigma: Sigma C 16 / 1.4 | Sigma A 19 / 2.8 | Sigma EX 19 / 2.8 | Sigma C 30 / 1.4 | Sigma EX 30 / 2.8 | Sigma A 30 / 2.8 | Sigma C 56 / 1.4 | Sigma A 60 / 2.8 | Sigma C 10-18 / 2.8 | Sigma C 18-50 / 2.8
• felttrox: Viltrox 13 / 1.4 | Viltrox 23 / 1.4 | felttrox 27/1.2 | Viltrox 33 / 1.4 | Viltrox 56 / 1.4 | felttrox 75/1.2
• Tamron: Tamron 11-20 / 2.8 | Tamron 17-70 / 2.8 VC | Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 VC | Tamron 18-300 / 3.5-6.3 VC
• tokina: Tokina 23 / 1.4 | Tokina 33 / 1.4 | Tokina 56 / 1.4 | Tokina 11-18 / 2.8
• Zeiss: Zeiss Touit Distagon 12/2.8 | Zeiss Touit Planar 32/1.8 | Zeiss Touit Makro Planar 50/2.8M
• Hasselblad: Hasselblad E 3.5-5.6 / 18-55 OSS LF | Hasselblad E 3.5-6.3 / 18-200 OSS LF | Hasselblad E 2.8 / 16 LF
• yongnuo: Yongnuo 11 / 1.8 | Yongnuo 16 / 1.8 | Yongnuo 50 / 1.8
• TTArtisan: TTArtisan 27 / 2.8 | TTArtisan 35 / 1.8 | TTArtisan 56 / 1.8
• Brightin star 50/1.4
• Meike 55/1.4
• 7Artisans 27/2.8
• Samyang 12/2

Many interesting manual solutions are provided by Chinese manufacturers and brands. 7Artisans, TTartisan, Meike, Neewer, PerGear, Kamlan, Brightin star, Mitakon Zhongyi, Venus laowa, Fujian, ARTRALAB, AstrHori other. Autofocus Speed ​​Boosters are also interesting Viltrox Canon EF -> Sony E 0.71X и Metabones Canon EF -> Sony E 0.71X... List of full-frame cameras and lenses Sony FE (Full Frame E) here

Price

Fujian 25 / 1.8 stands in the area 25 dollars. The easiest way buy Fujian 25/1.8 at Aliexpress.comFor example, here at this link.

Results

Fujian 25 / 1.8 has a good price / quality ratio. For amateur photographers, it should be a good solution as a manual standard lens for every day.

10 main advantages:

1. very low price tag about 25 dollars)
2. maximum aperture F/1.8
3. very convenient focal length for working on cameras with an APS-C sensor (EGF about 35 mm)
4. good build quality: the lens body is completely made of metal, including a metal mount
5. very compact sizes
6. very light weight
7. smooth aperture adjustment
8. multi-illuminated optics
9. there are macro rings and a lens hood included in the delivery
10. quite tolerable sharpness in the center of the frame starting from f / 1.8

10 main disadvantages:

1. in fact, this is a NO-NAME lens (lens without a name), which does not inspire any confidence
2. small step at the aperture ring between apertures F / 4-F / 16
3. focus ring rotates only 90 degrees
4. no CPU pins to form the correct EXIF
5. there is no F / 11 value on the aperture control ring. The distance scale is marked only in meters.
6. there is no lens profile for popular RAW converters, the lens is not 'hardwired' into modern cameras
7. only 8 aperture blades (for 35 mm F1.6 there are 12 of them)
8. aperture marks F / 2-F / 8 do not match exposure with reference lens
9. weak work in the backlight
10. drop in sharpness at f / 1.8 at the edges and corners of the image

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram