Pergear RF 35mm f/1.4
Once I got this lens as a cheap experiment (for ~80 EUR), it quickly replaced my default lens on the Canon R8, pushing the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 aside.
Don’t get me wrong - the EF 50mm still has plenty of advantage in image quality and ease of use, and I’d definitely choose it for an important or challenging shoot. But the Pergear 35mm f/1.4 is so light, small, and yet surprisingly capable that it forms a perfect compact combo with the R8 - my true daily driver that actually lives in my pocket.
I probably wouldn’t pick it for a dedicated portrait session, but I’m very happy to have it ready for spontaneous, unplanned moments.
It offers solid low-light performance, pleasing (and still smooth when stopped down) bokeh, a wide-enough angle for general use, and that nice manual-focus vibe. The color rendition feels slightly different from what I’m used to with Canon lenses, but it’s still perfectly acceptable to me. Bright point sources at night can produce multi-ray halos - I’m not really bothered by them, though; they add some character.
All in all, I highly recommend this lens to anyone who doesn’t mind manual focus and is looking for compactness + versatility.
Sample Photos