In short
Please note that the Pergear 50mm 1:1.8 HD.MC lens is available with different mounts. This review shows the version of Pergear 50mm 1: 1.8 HD.MC for mirrorless cameras Fujifilm X with APS-C sensor. At the same time, Pergear 50mm 1: 1.8 HD.MC is also available with mounts Sony E и Micro 4 / 3. Important: for Nikon Z [DX, APS-C], Canon EF-M [EOS M, APS-C], Canon RF [RF-S, APS-C], Leica l [APS-C] no modifications.
In the review, I will call Pergear 50mm 1: 1.8 HD.MC for short - Pergear 50 / 1.8.
Pergear 50 / 1.8 - a classic modern fast fifty-fifty lens with manual focus and manual iris control for cropped mirrorless cameras of popular systems. The announcement of the lens took place 23 March 2020 year. The price for Pergear 50/1.8 is at $60. The lens is good in the center of the frame already at F / 1.8. Pergear 50/1.8 is compact and lightweight, looks good on modern cameras. A good alternative for similar budget 7Artisans 50 / 1.8, Andoer 50/1.8, Brightin Star 50 / 1.8 и Meike 50 / 2.
Appearance
The lens comes in its original box with a fabric case, metal hood and two plastic caps.
Sample Photos
All photos in the review are shown without processing. Fujifilm X-A1 camera (model range 2013-2015, 16 MP APS-C CMOS sensor) was used. All photos are JPEG taken in camera. Photos for review prepared Lynx George. Video review from Lynx is possible watch on Youtube here.
Original images in JPEG ('.JPG', 30+ files) view / download from this link (gallery on Google Drive).
Main advantages
- low price, which is at $60 (for example, the original FUJIFILM FUJINON ASHPERICAL LENS SUPER EBC XF 50mm 1:2 R WR costs around $500)
- there are modifications for modern popular mounts / systems: Sony E, Fujifilm x и Micro 4 / 3
- low weight, which is only 220 grams (only the lens itself, the weight slightly depends on the mount used)
- compact dimensions, small filter size at 43 mm
- a classic combination of focal length and aperture. Class 50/1.8 lenses are very common and very popular. On cropped mirrorless cameras, this focal length is well suited for portrait and creative shooting.
- good build quality: the lens body is completely made of metal
- the lens hood is included in the delivery, the lens hood has its own thread for the front cover or a 52 mm light filter
- nice fabric case included
- front cover with latches
- very smooth focus ring, pleasant to handle, rotates approximately 135 degrees
- during focusing, the filter thread does not rotate
- the minimum focusing distance is only 38 cm, which is significantly less than the vast majority of similar fifty-fifty lenses
- the maximum magnification ratio is around 1:5
- aperture ring rotates smoothly, without clicks and fixed values \uXNUMXb\uXNUMXb(useful for video shooting), tight enough so as not to accidentally knock down the set value
- there is a depth of field scale and focusing distances in meters and feet
- multicoated optics, HD.MC (High Definition Multi Coating)
- ten aperture blades that always give a rounded opening
- in the center of the frame at F / 1.8, the lens has good resolution
- low distortion, low vignetting
- pronounced effect of a star with 10 rays on heavily covered apertures (example)
The main disadvantages
- most likely the lens is identical to the models Andoer 50/1.8 и Brightin Star 50 / 1.8
- the manufacturer does not publish the drawing of the optical scheme and the MTF graph, which does not inspire too much confidence. Most likely, a rather primitive 6/4 scheme is used, akin to old lenses Zeiss Planar, but optimized for APS-C sensors
- front cover without lens name (no-name cover)
- no lens version for mounts Nikon Z, Canon EF-M, Canon RF/RF-S, Leica l (although these mounts are indicated on the box, view)
- a wide variety of fonts are used for designations and markings, which spoils the overall design of the lens
- there is no duplicate / additional mark to indicate the aperture value. The main reference line is not highlighted in any way
- no microprocessor contacts to form the correct EXIF and automatic aperture control (for example, some 'manual' Chinese lenses from laowa)
- no auto focus support (for example, an inexpensive Chinese lens has TTArtisan 27 / 2.8)
- a threaded (non-bayonet) hood should be used
- a very old optical design is used, for example, similar YONGNUO 50/1.8S DA DSM uses a much more complex modern optical design with 1 low dispersion element
- no aperture mark for f/11
- the focus ring has a small 'overrun of infinity', which does not allow you to quickly and easily, in one movement, focus 'to infinity'
- during focusing, the entire lens block moves, the lens trunk moves forward by 9 millimeters (but does not rotate), there is no focus optimization based on floating elements to achieve good optical performance at any focusing distance
- there is no lens profile for popular RAW converters, which does not allow you to easily and easily correct some optical lens flaws, such as distortion and vignetting (you can create a profile yourself)
- The software of modern cameras does not have the data to automatically correct some of the optical imperfections of the lens, such as distortion and vignetting, for example.
- on the contrasting elements of the frame are very pronounced chromatic aberration
- strong influence of spherical aberrations on f / 1.8
- very strong glare / halos are possible in strong back and side light (example)
- Focus Peaking (highlighting the area of sharpness) may not work well, the quality may greatly depend on the camera used
- noticeable effect of Focus Breathing, the viewing angle decreases during focusing towards the MDF
- old and cheap Jupiter-8 50/2, made according to the classical scheme 'Sonar', gives more 'vintage' picture and easily adapts to any modern mirrorless system
- similar Andoer 50/1.8 и Brightin Star 50 / 1.8 slightly cheaper
Absolutely all lenses from Pergear can see the list on Radozhiv here. Pergear 50/1.8 can be easily found from the official Pergear dealer on Aliexpress.com.
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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.