Pergear has launched a second edition of its wide-angle 12mm F2 APS-C lens. Claimed to be 70g lighter than the original, a revised aluminium alloy construction means the Pergear 12mm F2 II weighs in at just 230g. The new lens is also compact at 59.5mm long with a 66mm diameter. The optical path is comprised of 12 elements arranged in 9 groups, including 2 extra-low dispersion elements and 2 aspherical elements. A 10-blade diaphragm should create smooth bokeh, while keeping out-of-focus light sources well rounded. The lens enables a 97-degree angle of view and is capable of focussing as close as 0.18m. The f/2 maximum aperture increases the lens's versatility for low light and night-time shooting.
The Pergear 12mm F2 II is available for APS-C Canon RF, Nikon Z, Fujifilm X and Sony E bodies, as well as MFT cameras. On APS-C bodies it gives a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 18mm, or 24mm on MFT cameras. All versions of the lens are manual focus only, and there are no electrical contacts to facilitate lens-body communication. However, these are sacrifices we can easily accept given the extremely competitive pricing of the lens.
The Pergear 12mm F2 II is available to buy now, priced at just $169/£140. This makes it substantially cheaper than own-brand equivalent lenses (the Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM and Nikon Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR lenses cost $329.99/£379.99 and $359.95/£379, respectively).
