Best Manual Camera Lenses of 2025

Kenneth Collin Avatar
Kenneth Collin
Last Updated: 1 Feb 2025

* We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

Manual camera lenses are a popular choice for photographers who want complete control over their shots. These lenses allow for precise adjustments to focus, aperture, and shutter speed, providing a level of creativity and flexibility that is unmatched by automatic lenses. With a wide variety of focal lengths and aperture settings, manual lenses can be used for everything from portraits to landscapes. While they require a bit more skill and practice to use effectively, they are a great addition to any photographer's kit.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

TTArtisan 25mm F2.0 APS-C Manual Lens Cover #TOP 1
TTArtisan 25mm F2.0 APS-C Manual Lens
ftb score rating icon 9.8
JINTU 420-800mm f/8.3 Telephoto Lens Cover #TOP 2
JINTU 420-800mm f/8.3 Telephoto Lens
ftb score rating icon 9.7
Lightdow 420-800mm F/8.3 Telephoto Zoom Lens Cover #TOP 3
Lightdow 420-800mm F/8.3 Telephoto Zoom Lens
ftb score rating icon 9.5

Top 10 Manual Camera Lenses

TTArtisan 25mm F2.0 APS-C Manual Lens

YBSTT2209021528L
TTArtisan 25mm F2.0 APS-C Manual Lens Cover
TTArtisan 25mm F2.0 APS-C Manual Camera Lens Portable Cost-effective Camera Lens Portrait Humanity Street Still-Life Lens for Fuji X Mount

The TTArtisan 25mm Lens is designed for versatility in photography. With an equivalent focal length of 37.5mm, it closely matches human eyesight, making it ideal for capturing a variety of subjects. Its compact design enhances portability, allowing you to carry it effortlessly on your outings. The large F2 aperture offers creative freedom, enabling you to shoot beautifully in low light or achieve stunning bokeh effects. Additionally, the lens features an impressive closest focusing distance of just 0.25 metres, perfect for capturing intricate details in close-up shots.

What We Like
Compact and portable design
Large F2 aperture for low light
Close focusing distance of 0.25m
Versatile for various photography styles
#TOP 2

JINTU 420-800mm f/8.3 Telephoto Lens

JT-420800NN
Black
JINTU 420-800mm f/8.3 Telephoto Lens Cover
JINTU 420-800mm f/8.3 Manual Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras D5500 D3300 D3200 D5300 D3400 D7200 D750 D3500 D7500 D500 D600 D700 D800 D810 D850 D3100 D5100 D5200 D7000 D7100

The JINTU Telephoto Lens is a full manual lens designed for Nikon SLR cameras. This lightweight lens allows you to capture long-distance shots, making it perfect for wildlife and sports photography. With its sturdy metal construction, you can rely on this lens for durability while easily transporting it. Its multi-coated low-dispersion glass ensures that you achieve clear and vibrant images, enhancing your photography experience.

What We Like
Long-distance photography
Lightweight and portable
Durable metal construction
Clear, vibrant images

Lightdow 420-800mm F/8.3 Telephoto Zoom Lens

lightdow
KD-420800-T-N
Lightdow 420-800mm F/8.3 Telephoto Zoom Lens Cover
EF/EF-S 420-800mm F/8.3 Telephoto Zoom Lens - Manual DSLR Cameras Lenses+ T-Mount for Canon EOS Rebel T8i/T7i/T7/T6s/T6i/T6/T5i/T5/T4i/T3i/T3/T2i/T1i/250D/750D/760D/1200D/1300D/2000D/4000D/6D/5D

The Lightdow Telephoto Zoom Lens offers a professional manual focus experience designed for photographers seeking to refine their skills. With its impressive 420-800mm zoom range, this lens is perfect for capturing distant subjects with clarity and beautiful background bokeh. Its wide compatibility with various Canon DSLR models ensures you can use it for diverse photography styles, from portraits to landscapes. The lens also features easy-to-use manual controls, allowing you to exercise precise focus and unleash your creative potential.

What We Like
High-quality image sharpness
Versatile for various photography styles
Professional manual focus control
Compatible with multiple Canon DSLRs
#TOP 4

TTArtisan 25mm F2.0 Manual Camera Lens

YBSTT2209051203L
TTArtisan 25mm F2.0 Manual Camera Lens Cover
TTArtisan 25mm F2.0 APS-C Manual Camera Lens Portable Cost-effective Camera Lens Portrait Humanity Street Still-Life Lens for M43 Mount

The TTArtisan 25mm Lens is a versatile companion for photographers. With a focal length equivalent to 37.5mm, it closely resembles human eyesight, making it ideal for various subjects. Its compact design enhances portability, allowing you to easily carry it wherever you go. The large F2 aperture provides creative freedom, perfect for low-light conditions and achieving stunning bokeh effects. Additionally, the lens features an impressive closest focusing distance of just 0.25 metres, enabling you to capture intricate details in close-up shots.

What We Like
Compact and portable design
Large F2 aperture for creativity
Close focusing distance of 0.25m
Versatile for various photography styles
#TOP 5

JINTU 35mm F1.2 Manual Camera Lens

35mm principale
black
JINTU 35mm F1.2 Manual Camera Lens Cover
JINTU 35mm F1.2 Manual APS-C Camera Lens Portable Cost-effective Camera Lenses Portrait for Sony E-Mount Mirrorless NEX A6000 A6100 A6600 A6400 A6500 A7IV A7II A7III A7RIII ZV-E10 A7RIV A7C

The JINTU 35mm Lens features a multi-layer MC coating that effectively reduces lens reflections and ghosting, enhancing your photos’ contrast and colour fidelity. With a large maximum aperture of F1.2, you can effortlessly shoot in low-light conditions and achieve beautiful bokeh effects. Additionally, the lens offers excellent close-up capabilities, allowing you to capture intricate details from just 0.2 metres away. Whether you're focusing on portraits, street photography, or landscapes, this lens meets a variety of creative needs with ease.

What We Like
High-quality multi-layer coating
Large F1.2 aperture
Excellent close-up capabilities
Compact and lightweight design
#TOP 6

TTArtisan 25mm F2 Wide-Angle Lens for Sony

25mm F2 Sony E Mount
TTArtisan 25mm F2 Wide-Angle Lens for Sony Cover
TTArtisan 25mm F2 Wide-Angle APS-C Camera Lens Large Aperture Manual Fixed Camera Lens for Sony E Mount Cameras NEX-5 NEX-C3 NEX-5N NEX-7 NEX-F3 NEX-5R NEX-3N NEX-5T A3000 A5000 A6000

The TTArtisan 25mm F2 Lens offers a bright and large aperture, making it ideal for low-light photography while enhancing image quality. With a maximum aperture of F2, you can unleash your creativity, capturing stunning bokeh effects. The lens also features an excellent close-up function, allowing you to focus as close as 0.25 meters, perfect for showcasing intricate details in food and flowers. Its compact design makes it easy to carry, catering to various photography needs from everyday shots to artistic expressions.

What We Like
Bright F2 large aperture
Excellent close-up capabilities
Compact and portable design
Creative freedom in photography
Compatible with various Sony cameras
#TOP 7

Lightdow 85mm F1.8 Manual Focus Lens

lightdow
85F/1.8
Lightdow 85mm F1.8 Manual Focus Lens Cover
RF 85mm F1.8 Portrait Lens - Medium Telephoto Manual Focus DSLR Cameras Lens for Canon EOS R, Ra, RP, R3, R5, R5 C, R5 Mark II, R6, R6 Mark II, R7, R8, R10, R50, R100 Mirrorless Cameras

The Lightdow 85mm Lens offers a professional manual focus experience, allowing you to refine your photographic skills and unleash your creativity. With superb image quality and charming bokeh, it enhances your portraits by providing clear images and beautiful background blur. Its wide compatibility with various Canon mirrorless cameras ensures versatility for different shooting scenarios, whether you’re capturing portraits, landscapes, or street photography. The lens is designed to be user-friendly, granting you precise control over focus and settings.

What We Like
Professional manual focus experience
Superb image quality
Charming background blur
Wide compatibility
User-friendly design
#TOP 8

Samyang 12mm F2.0 Ultra Wide Lens for Sony E

1220506101
Black
72.5x59.1L
Samyang 12mm F2.0 Ultra Wide Lens for Sony E Cover
Samyang MF 12mm F2.0 Manual Focus Lens for Sony E - Black

The Samyang 12mm F2.0 Lens is a lightweight and compact option designed specifically for Sony APS-C cameras. Its ultra wide-angle capability makes it ideal for capturing stunning astrophotography, architectural shots, and breathtaking landscapes. With a bright F2.0 aperture, it allows you to shoot in low light conditions, ensuring clear and vibrant images. The first-class image quality stems from its advanced construction, featuring 12 lenses arranged in 10 groups with Nano Coating, which enhances contrast and reduces flare.

What We Like
Very bright F2.0 aperture
Compact and lightweight design
High-quality image performance
Ideal for various photography styles
Compatible with many Sony cameras
#TOP 9

JINTU 420-1600mm Telephoto Zoom Lens

JINTU 420-1600mm
Black
JINTU 420-1600mm Telephoto Zoom Lens Cover
JINTU 420-1600mm Manual Telephoto Zoom Lens, EF/EF-S Mount for Canon 4000D 2000D T7 T7i T6 T6i T5 T5i 80D 90D 77D 650D 60D 5D 1200D SL2 700D 70D 60D 50D 5D 6D 7D 600D 550D T3, T3i, T8I

The JINTU Telephoto Zoom Lens is designed for capturing clear long-distance shots, making it perfect for wildlife and sports photography. With its impressive 420-800mm range, you can easily photograph distant subjects like the moon or birds. The lens features a sturdy metal construction with multi-coated low-dispersion glass, ensuring exceptional image clarity. As a manual focus lens, it gives you full control over your photography, allowing you to achieve precise focus and create sharp images.

What We Like
Long-distance photography capability
Sturdy metal construction
Exceptional image clarity
Full manual focus control
#TOP 10

JINTU 420-800mm Telephoto Lens for Canon and Nikon

420-800mm Teleobjektiv
white
JINTU 420-800mm Telephoto Lens for Canon and Nikon Cover
JINTU 420-800mm f/8.3 Manual Telephoto Lens for Canon Nikon SLR Cameras 1200D 200D 4000D 7 T7i SL1 SL2 T3 T3i T4i T5 T5i T6 T6i 6D 7D 60D 5D II/III/IV 2000D D5600 D5500 D3100 D3200 D3300 D3400 D90

The JINTU 420-800mm Lens is perfect for capturing long-distance shots, making it ideal for sports and wildlife photography. With its 2x adapters, you can easily connect this lens to a variety of Canon and Nikon SLR cameras, offering versatility for your shooting needs. The quality construction features a full metal body and multi-coated glass, ensuring exceptional clarity in every photo. Additionally, the precision of the 420mm-800mm focal length and f/8.3 aperture allows you to capture intricate details with stunning clarity, enhancing your photography experience.

What We Like
Long-distance photography capability
Compatible with various cameras
High-quality construction
Exceptional clarity and detail
Buying Guide Image

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is a manual camera lens?

Manual lenses come in sets because you must switch your lens depending on how far you are from your subject. You will find that manual lenses are also slower. Manual lenses have click stops at each aperture, which can cause shakiness when the light changes if you are using them to film.

2. Are manual focus lenses good?

At the same time, there's a lot that's considered antiquated that people love about photography. But truly, a manual focus lens can do much more for your photography than autofocus lenses can. And they can make you a better photographer.

3. Is manual lens better?

There are particular instances when manual focusing is especially useful and autofocus should be avoided. Some of these include: Low light conditions: Autofocus is not very good at picking up focus in low light conditions. If you're planning on shooting in low light, you'll probably want to opt for manual focus.

4. Are manual focus lenses hard to use?

Manual focus, zone focusing, and hyper-focal distance. Manual focus might seem like a daunting prospect, but it is not as difficult as it sounds and it can really open up many possibilities when it comes to street photography. The main advantage of manual focusing over autofocus is speed.

Editor's Notes

During our manual camera lense research, we found 113 manual camera lense products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 21,762 customer reviews through our big data system to write the manual camera lenses list. We found that most customers choose manual camera lenses with an average price of £80.09.

The manual camera lenses are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of manual camera lenses, including TTARTISAN, JINTU, lightdow, SAMYANG. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 52 consumers with an average rating of 4.9.

Written by
Kenneth Collin Avatar

Kenneth Collin graduated from Imperial College, London, at 22. He is a UX/UI designer, a web developer, and a writer, amongst others. At age 14, Kenneth programmed his first app. Kenneth's app served as a remote control for censored devices. "When I was 8, I would pick up scraps from electronics and try to rebuild or at least fix them," Kenneth said in one of his recent articles on Home repairs for top gadgets.