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Zonlai 14mm f/2 Review

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The Zonlai 14mm f/2 lens is a wide-angle, manual aperture and focus lens designed for mirrorless cameras. It is relatively affordable at around $200 and offers a bright maximum aperture. The build quality is solid but a bit heavy. Image quality struggles, especially at the widest aperture, and there is noticeable chromatic aberration and softness in the corners.

The Zonlai 14mm f/2 lens is an affordable wide-angle option with a bright maximum aperture. The build quality is solid, but the lens struggles with image quality at its widest aperture, showing noticeable chromatic aberration and softness in the corners. The bokeh is busy and not particularly smooth, but it does offer a nice wide angle for the price.

Pros
  • Affordable
  • Bright maximum aperture
  • Solid build quality
Cons
  • Softness and chromatic aberration at widest aperture
  • Heavy
  • Busy and not smooth bokeh

The build quality is solid, with a tough, metal body, but the aperture ring can be a bit too easy to accidentally move, and the clickless focus ring may not be to everyone's liking.

The Zonlai 14mm f/2 lens is a wide-angle, manual aperture and focus lens, designed for mirrorless cameras from brands like Fuji, EOS, and Sony. It is relatively affordable at around $200, making it a budget-friendly option. The lens boasts a bright maximum aperture, allowing for easier shooting in darker conditions, and it offers a full-frame equivalent of 21mm, providing nice dramatic images without straying too far into ultra-wide territory. The build quality is solid, with a tough, metal body weighing 400 grams. However, the aperture ring can be a bit too easy to accidentally move, and the clickless focus ring may not be to everyone's liking. Image quality at f/2 is not the best, with noticeable chromatic aberration and softness in the corners, but it does improve when stopped down. Vignetting and distortion are not major issues, and the lens can focus as close as 20 centimeters, although close-up quality is softer at wider apertures. The lens's bokeh is busy and not particularly smooth, but it does offer a nice wide angle for the price.

The lens's bokeh is busy and not particularly smooth, with lots of strong outlining to be seen. Overall the Zonlai 14mm f/2 lens offers a nice wide angle for the price, although shooting with it at its widest aperture should probably be avoided.

Source

This article is based on the review by

Christopher Frost

Christopher Frost

Christopher Frost is a YouTube channel dedicated to providing in-depth reviews and analyses of photography equipment, particularly lenses. Christopher Frost, the creator and host of the channel, is known for his thorough and detailed evaluations of various lenses from different manufacturers, including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, and others.  To learn more, please visit the channel here.

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