This $69 lens is irresistibly cheap – but is Pergear's 25mm f/1.7 any good?

Leonie Helm
·2 min read
Pergear 25mm f/1.7 lens, in pitch blackness, with moving light highlighting the edges.
Pergear 25mm f/1.7 lens, in pitch blackness, with moving light highlighting the edges.

Chinese brand Pergear has released its new lens, the 25mm f/1.7 for APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras, for the incredibly low price of $69, making it one of the most affordable lenses on the market.

Known for being a distributor for brands such as Viltrox, InfiRay, TTArtisan, and 7Artisans, we’ve referred to Pergear as a budget photography company in the past – but one, it seems, that is continually gaining in popularity.

The cheap lens is manual focus, as is the norm for affordable Chinese optics, but Pergear states that its design permits close focusing at 7.87 inches / 200mm delivering "exceptional close-up precision, capturing intricate details with clarity". In addition to manual focus, there is a dedicated aperture ring – which is clicked, making it better suited for photo than video.

It's available in five different mounts: Sony E, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds (MFT), Nikon Z and Canon RF. The 25mm focal length on crop sensor isn’t incredibly wide (equivalent to 50mm on MFT, 40mm on Canon and 37.5mm on other mounts) but should be enough for everyday subjects like street photography.

Measuring just 37 x 44mm and weighing in at only 165g, it’s compact and light enough to carry around all day. And despite the price tag being just as light, the lens appears to have performance in mind.

It has seven elements in ten groups, with a multi-layer coating applied to individual elements to reduce flare and ghosting, and a ten-blade aperture that should deliver smooth out-of-focus rendition.

We have long suspected that Chinese lenses might soon compete with their Japanese counterparts. The significant difference in price makes them very attractive to those starting out in photography, or people wanting to add to their arsenal without going bankrupt.

The lens is available now at Amazon – you'll notice that the listed price is $75, but by using the promo code PERGEAR2517 you will get an 8% discount until May 17.

Pergear 25mm f/1.7 for Canon RF
Pergear 25mm f/1.7 for Sony E
Pergear 25mm f/1.7 for Micro Four Thirds
Pergear 25mm f/1.7 for Fujifilm X
Pergear 25mm f/1.7 for Nikon Z

Pergear 25mm f/1.7 diagram showing lens elements
Pergear 25mm f/1.7 diagram showing lens elements

For more budget options for your camera check out our guide to the best cheap lenses or the best cheap mirrorless cameras.