The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Viltrox 26mm f2.8 FE and the Meike 23mm F1.4 APS-C for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Meike 23mm F1.4 APS-C is the longer of the two lenses at 81mm. The Viltrox 26mm f2.8 FE with a length of 24mm, is 57mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Meike 23mm F1.4 APS-C also has a larger diameter of 67mm compared to the Viltrox 26mm f2.8 FE's 66mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Viltrox 26mm f2.8 FE weighs 130g, which means it is 168g (56%) lighter than the Meike 23mm F1.4 APS-C which has a weight of 298g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Sony E Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Lenses in Sony E Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Viltrox 26mm f2.8 FE has a filter size of 43mm whereas the Meike 23mm F1.4 APS-C has a 58mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 43mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Viltrox 26mm f2.8 FE:
And these are the 58mm filters that we recommend for the Meike 23mm F1.4 APS-C:
Lens Mounts
Both the Viltrox 26mm f2.8 FE and the Meike 23mm F1.4 APS-C has the same Sony E lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony FX5, Sony A7R VI and Sony A7 V.
Meike 23mm F1.4 APS-C is also available in Nikon Z and Fujifilm X mounts.
Focal Range
Viltrox 26mm f2.8 FE is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 26mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
39mm.
On the other hand, the Meike 23mm F1.4 APS-C is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 23mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 34.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
