Sacrilege! Who is going to put a body cap lens on a Leica? Even so, we think this looks rather good
(Image credit: Funleader)
We already reviewed the Funleader Cap Lens 18mm f/8 and found it limited but actually rather appealing, and now Funleader has produced a new, updated version with a classic retro Leica-esque design... and we think it looks amazing.
The new lens comes with a Leica M bayonet mount, but you don’t have to use a Leica because Funleader is also selling it with adapters for L-mount, E-mount, Canon RF, Nikon Z and even Fujifilm X mounts – you just specify the adapter you need when you order.
The Funleader CAPLENS 18mm F8.0 is a ‘dumb’ lens (in the nicest possible way) that has a fixed f/8 aperture and a manual zone focus lever, so apart from the physical connection, there is no need for any electronic connections with the camera at all.
Funleader CAPLENS 18mm F8.0 features
Where the Funleader Cap Lens we tested was fixed focus, this new version has a focus ‘stick’ which you can operate by touch, with four settings for distances from 0.8m to infinity. The short focal length and f/8 aperture means focusing won’t be that critical (except close up) and zone focusing is easy.
It’s still a very slim lens, but it is a little thicker than the previous fixed focus Funleader lens we tested, though still only 14mm thick and with a weight of just 40g. It’s no plastic novelty, either, with a one-piece aluminium alloy barrel and a lens construction of 6 elements in 5 groups.
The previous Funleader 18mm f/8 showed strong corner shading in our tests and a little softness, both correctable to a surprising degree in software, so we look forward to seeing what this new lens can do.
Focal length: 18mm Frame: 35mm Full-frame Mount: Leica M-mount Aperture: f/8.0 Field of view: 100° Closest focusing distance: 1.48ft (0.45m) Lens construction: 6 elements in 5 groups Coating: Multi-coated Body material: Aluminium Weight: Approx. 40g Dimensions: 51×14mm
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The new Funleader CAPLENS comes with A Leica M mount but you can get adaptors for other full frame mirrorless cameras, and even an APS-C Fujifilm X adaptor, where the lens becomes a 27mm equivalent f/8. (Image credit: Funleader)
Price and availability
The Funleader CAPLENS 18mm F8.0 0.45m-∞ for M-mount costs $198 with free worldwide shipping, and the adapter is another $29 when bought at the same time. It's available now, though Funleader is quoting 2-4 weeks shipping time.
Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications. He has been writing about photography technique, photo editing and digital cameras since they first appeared, and before that began his career writing about film photography. He has used and reviewed practically every interchangeable lens camera launched in the past 20 years, from entry-level DSLRs to medium format cameras, together with lenses, tripods, gimbals, light meters, camera bags and more. Rod has his own camera gear blog at fotovolo.com but also writes about photo-editing applications and techniques at lifeafterphotoshop.com
