Rankings
The Meike 85mm f/1.8 delivers portrait-grade sharpness and bokeh at a budget price, with firmware-upgradable autofocus, but its AF speed, lack of weather sealing, and occasional noise limit it for fast action or demanding video work.
The Tokina ATX-i 100mm f/2.8 macro for Nikon F offers razor-sharp resolution, true 1:1 magnification, and a convenient focus clutch, but lacks built-in image stabilization and autofocus on entry-level bodies.
The Tokina AT-X 107 DX 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 is the world's first zoom fisheye, delivering a dramatic 180° to 100° view on APS-C bodies. It is lightweight, sharp and water-repellent, but its fisheye distortion, lack of filter thread and limited AF performance keep it niche.
The BENOISON 420-800mm f/8.3-16 is a budget manual-focus super-telephoto zoom offering extreme reach, but its lack of autofocus, stabilization, and modest optics restrict it to static subjects on a tripod.
The Nikon AF-Zoom 70-300mm f/4-5.6G is a budget-friendly, lightweight telephoto zoom offering decent performance at the short end, but its lack of VR, slower screw-drive AF, and softness at longer focal lengths limit its usefulness for handheld wildlife or sports.
The Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL-II S is a compact, all-metal manual-focus prime for Nikon F-mount offering a bright f/2 aperture, 1:4 macro capability, and classic styling. Reviewers praise its rendering and build, while noting vignetting and the lack of autofocus as trade-offs.
The Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8N offers a bright aperture and solid build for Nikon users at a low price, delivering good central sharpness but showing some AF noise and edge softness.
The Yanuoda 420-800mm f/8.3 is a manual-focus super-telephoto zoom offering extreme reach at a budget price, but it lacks autofocus, image stabilization, and a fast aperture, limiting its use to bright, static subjects.
The Lensbaby Sol 45 for Sony E is a 45 mm manual-focus creative prime with a fixed f/3.5 aperture and tilt mechanism, offering distinctive sweet-spot focus and adjustable bokeh blades in a solid metal body.
| Attribute | | Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 | | | | | Lensbaby Sol 45 Sony | Kenko AT-X 10-17mm | Ynlens YN50mm F1.8N Nikon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ↓ lower better | 100 mm | 70 mm | 85 mm | 40 mm | 420 mm | 420 mm | 45 mm | 10 mmbest | 50 mm |
100 mm | 300 mm | 85 mm | 40 mm | 800 mmbest | 800 mmbest | 45 mm | 17 mm | 50 mm | |
| ↓ lower better | 2.8 f | 4 f | 1.8 fbest | 2 f | 8.3 f | 8.3 f | 3.5 f | — | 1.8 fbest |
| ↓ lower better | 525 g | 425 g | 420 g | 274.9 g | 880 g | 717 g | 272 g | 350 g | 203 gbest |
| ↓ lower better | 95.2 mm | 116.5 mm | 77 mm | 45.99 mmbest | 238.8 mm | 240 mm | 65 mm | 71 mm | 60 mm |
| ↓ lower better | 11.5 cmbest | 150 cm | 85 cm | 25 cm | — | 500 cm | 35.5 cm | 14 cm | 45 cm |
1 xbest | 0.26 x | 0.13 x | 0.25 x | — | — | 0.17 x | 0.39 x | 0.15 x | |
36 monthsbest | — | — | — | 12 months | 12 months | — | — | 12 months |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 | | | | | Lensbaby Sol 45 Sony | Kenko AT-X 10-17mm | Ynlens YN50mm F1.8N Nikon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mount & Compatibility(2) | |||||||||
Mount Type | Nikon F | Nikon F-mount | Multiple (Nikon F, Sony E, Canon EF, Fujifilm X, L-mount) | Nikon F | Canon EF/EF-S, Nikon F, Sony E | Nikon F | Sony E | Canon EF, Nikon F | Nikon F |
Autofocus Motor Type | None | Screw-drive | STM / DC | Manual | — | Manual | none | — | DC |
Optical(7) | |||||||||
Focal Length (Min) (mm) | 100 mm | 70 mm | 85 mm | 40 mm | 420 mm | 420 mm | 45 mm | 10 mm | 50 mm |
Focal Length (Max) (mm) | 100 mm | 300 mm | 85 mm | 40 mm | 800 mm | 800 mm | 45 mm | 17 mm | 50 mm |
Maximum Aperture (f-number) (f) | 2.8 f | 4 f | 1.8 f | 2.0 f | 8.3 f | 8.3 f | 3.5 f | 3.5-4.5 f | 1.8 f |
Minimum Focus Distance (cm) | 11.5 cm | 150 cm | 85 cm | 25 cm | — | 500 cm | 35.5 cm | 14 cm | 45 cm |
Maximum Magnification Ratio (x) | 1.0 x | 0.26 x | 0.13 x | 0.25 x | — | — | 0.17 x | 0.39 x | 0.15 x |
ED Elements | — | false | — | — | — | — | — | true | — |
Coating Type | — | Super Integrated Coating | Multi-layer nano coating | Multi-coated | — | Multi-layer | Broadband multi-coated anti-reflective | Multi-layer with water-repellent | Multi-coated |
Build & Durability(1) | |||||||||
Warranty Period (months) | 36 months | — | — | — | 12 months | 12 months | — | — | 12 months |
Physical(3) | |||||||||
Weight (g) | 525 g | 425 g | 420 g | 274.9 g | 880 g | 717 g | 272 g | 350 g | 203 g |
Length (mm) | 95.2 mm | 116.5 mm | 77 mm | 45.99 mm | 238.8 mm | 240 mm | 65 mm | 71 mm | 60 mm |
Filter Thread Diameter (mm) | 55 mm | 62 mm | 67 mm | 52 mm | — | 62 mm | 46 mm | — | 52 mm |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers praise the Tokina 100mm f/2.8 macro for its razor-sharp resolution, flat-field performance and ergonomic focus clutch, while noting the absence of IS and limited compatibility with entry-level Nikon bodies.
Everyday users highlight outstanding sharpness and the focus clutch, with complaints about missing autofocus on entry-level DSLRs and the plastic feel of some components.
Professional reviewers praise the lens for its low cost, compactness, and decent sharpness at the short end, while consistently criticizing the lack of VR, slower AF, and softness beyond 200 mm, noting that newer AF-S VR versions outperform it.
“Sharp as a razor - even at f/2.8, edge-to-edge.”
“The focus clutch is a game-changer - switching to manual is instant.”
“Great for portraits too - bokeh is creamy and natural.”
Everyday users appreciate the affordability, light weight, and usable performance for casual portraits, travel, and tripod-based wildlife, but many complain about softness beyond 200 mm, the absence of image stabilization, and the noisy, slow screw-drive autofocus.
Professional reviewers praise the Meike 85mm f/1.8 for its impressive sharpness, low chromatic aberration, smooth bokeh and solid build, noting that firmware updates have turned its initially mediocre autofocus into a usable system, especially the STM versions which are quiet enough for video.
Everyday users love the lens's image quality, bokeh and value, while recurring complaints involve early AF reliability, noise on DC-motor versions and the lack of weather sealing.
Professional reviewers praise the Ultron 40mm for its distinctive rendering, solid construction, and useful macro capability, noting that its character outweighs technical imperfections like vignetting and manual focus.
Everyday users love the compactness, build quality, and beautiful bokeh, but complain about heavy vignetting on full-frame and the lack of autofocus.
Professional editors label it a "starter super-telephoto" lens-affordable and useful for learning, yet limited by the lack of AF, stabilization, and modest optical performance.
Users love the fun factor and reach, especially for moon and daytime wildlife, but complain about manual focus difficulty, softness at 800mm, and the need for camera setting tweaks.
Professional reviewers view the BENOISON 420-800mm as a curiosity or entry-level gateway to super-telephoto work, noting impressive reach but limited optical quality and missing modern features.
Everyday users appreciate the lens for moon and bird photography when mounted on a sturdy tripod, praising its reach and decent sharpness up to about 600mm, while noting softness at the extreme end and difficulty focusing without live view.
Professional reviewers view the Sol 45 as a novelty creative accessory rather than a technical workhorse, praising its tilt-based focus and build but noting the fixed aperture and lack of autofocus or weather sealing.
Everyday users rate it highly for dreamy, soft-blurred images and solid construction, though they complain about the gimmicky bokeh blades and manual-only operation.
Professional reviewers highlight the lens's unique zoom fisheye capability, praising its 180° field of view, sharpness, effective water-repellent coating and ergonomic AF/MF switch. While they note slight purple fringing and the inherent distortion of a fisheye, they consider it a solid, well-built option for creative APS-C work.
Everyday users love the creative freedom, especially for underwater and ultra-wide shots, and commend the WR coating and compact build. Common complaints focus on autofocus struggles at the edges, lack of filter options, and occasional mechanical wear.
Reviewers note a split between early plastic-mount versions and newer metal-mount iterations, with the latter praised for solid build, reliable AF and respectable optics as a low-cost alternative to Nikon's 50mm f/1.8G.
Users appreciate the price-to-performance ratio, sharp central images and smooth bokeh, while complaining about noisy AF, cheap-feeling barrel and lack of a supplied lens hood.
