FEiHUA (F&H) 25mm F/1.4 CCTV lens

fatdeeman · Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 780 Location: UK

This is one of those ones that has been showing up for very cheap on ebay, it was my first c mount lens and I quite like it, it provides a lot of fun for the money Smile

I think this company is responsible for the Fujian branded 35mm f/1.7 too.

Sharpness wide open is actually pretty good in the centre of the frame, it can be sharp till about two thirds out from the centre too but due to a very extreme case of field curvature you have to choose from either having the centre sharp and the rest of the image soft or having the centre soft, then a ring of sharpness and then softness again at the edges!

Vignetting isn't as bad as I expected in 4/3 mode, it's there and obvious but not terrible IMO and if you don't like it there's enough room to crop and still have plenty of image left.

Bokeh is typical of these kind of lenses, turns into cat's eyes at the edges of the frame and has an overall swirly look that I have seen a lot with c mount lenses. The aperture blades make a funky ninja star shape as you step down and turn almost into a rectangle as it gets near being closed.

It's all metal and while obviously built to a budget it doesn't quite feel like it's about to fall apart, overall I am very pleased with the lens considering it cost about �12 posted and was brand new.

I haven't had much time to use it yet but I had a play with it at work so here's some shots:

Scheimpflug · Expire: 2011-11-18

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

Looks pretty good to me. The rendering is quite similar to the Fujian 35mm f1.7 as you mentioned. Very Happy

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

Pretty good? You must be kidding... massive corner vignetting, I see distortions and the resolution does not blow me away at all... good is relative, I know.

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

Pretty good by personal opinion Very Happy

I like the vignetting and the weird artifacts many c-mounts have.

Scheimpflug · Expire: 2011-11-18

fatdeeman · Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 780 Location: UK

It depends what you go into the purchase of a �12 lens expecting I suppose, I was expecting the swirly bokeh and cat's eyes because even the f/0.95 Schneider in c mount that sells for as much as $1000 second hand and the $1500 Angenieux have swirly bokeh and cat's eyes.

After that I expected it to be soft, have bad CA, low contrast and poor colour saturation so I was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't quite as bad as I expected it to be in these areas.

I think it's pretty good considering it's a CCTV lens that cost �12 but that's just in comparison to other c mount lenses.

I mean I could order 100 of these direct from the manufacturer and pay less than $5 a piece!

Compared to just about any 35mm format lens it's hopeless in most areas but they don't give the same effect as this lens either.