Scrolling through my Facebook feed, I stumbled upon a sponsored post for an interesting Kickstarter campaign promoting Funleader Cap Lens 18mm f/8.0. It’s a very slim, lightweight, and very cheap wide-angle lens. As the name says, it’s so slim, that it looks like a lens cap.
The Funleader 18mm f/8 lens doesn’t have any electronic components, which makes it really lightweight. Naturally, it also doesn’t provide autofocus. Instead, it relies on hyperfocal distance, similar to lenses in those old point-and-shoot film cameras. This can be a disadvantage in many ways. But on the other hand, toy and vintage-looking gear is making a comeback, so I guess we can put this lens somewhere in this category.
The dessert lover in me would say that this lens is more of a crepe than a pancake. It’s really slim, and it doubles as a body cap. A body cap that lets you take photos, which is kind of cool. Here are the key specs:
- Focal Length: 18mm
- Aperture: f/8.0
- Field of view: 100°
- Closest focusing distance: 0.8m
- Construction: 6 elements in 4 groups
- Coating: Multi-coated
- Body material: Brass
- Finishing: chrome plating
- Weight: 80g
- Size: 62mmØ × 15mm
And here are a few sample photos:
As I mentioned, the Funleader Cap Lens 18mm f/8.0 is only available through Kickstarter for now. It comes in three mounts: Sony E, Leica L, and Sigma L, but Canon RF is set to come next. You can get one for a pledge of $833 HK (which is around $100 US). Of course – in case the campaign gets fully funded.
This probably isn’t the sharpest lens you’ll find for your pricey camera (especially if you shoot Leica). But it can be an interesting lens to play with and to bring with you when you want to pack super-light. What do you think?
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