Ranking 10 BEST Tiny Lenses UNDER $100!

Product being reviewed

The video reviews and ranks 10 “tiny / pancake” lenses under $100, focusing on which are actually worth buying. The host uses a tier system (A, B, C) and gives an overall “prestigious” recommendation at the end.

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Key points (features / what’s notable)

• All lenses are priced under $100, with one brief exception that’s “on sale” to fit the range.
• Emphasis is on:
  • Small form factor (“pancake” style)
  • Image quality (sharpness, vignetting, flares)
  • Ease of use (handling, covers, fixed apertures, autofocus vs manual)
• Multiple lenses have fixed apertures (e.g., f/8 or f/10), which limits low-light performance and often requires higher ISO.

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Ranked lenses with pros/cons and tier placement

1) 7Artisans 35mm f/5.6 — $99 — A tier

Pros

• Very well-built; “almost entirely metal.”
• Includes a free pouch.
• Focus dial has a useful rotating lens cover mechanism.
• Sharp center detail; good performance for the price.
• Mild corner vignetting, easily fixable in Lightroom.

Cons

• Aperture is only f/5.6 (not extremely wide).
• Host finds the front cover design visually creepy (subjective).

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2) “Oreo cookie” plastic lens cap lens (labeled 32mm f/10) — ~$19 (variants around $76 for multiple colors) — seat / worst tier

Pros

• Fun novelty; no controls—just put on and shoot.
• Images match the stated specs (around 32mm f/10).

Cons

• Cheap plastic look/quality: soft, hazy “toy lens” rendering.
• Likely to be stored away; host predicts it won’t be used often.
• No meaningful photographic performance advantage.

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3) Funleader 18mm f/8 Pro — $105 list, ~$89 on sale — B tier

Pros

• Metal construction.
• Comes with a nice zip-up semi-hard case.
• Very wide 18mm full-frame view; good for landscapes/architecture.
• Center sharpness is “pretty good.”

Cons

• Aperture locked at f/8 → not great in low light.
• Focus ring is slightly recessed and fiddly.
• Very dark, distracting vignette at edges; hard to remove in Lightroom.

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4) Asahi 10mm f/8 Mark I “pancake fisheye” — < $80 — A tier

Pros

• Metal, textured focus ring; easy to locate by touch.
• Comes with a UV filter already attached.
• Allows creative filter stacking.
• Sharp enough; corners vignette but fairly easy to fix in post.
• On full frame (without crop) can show a circular fisheye effect.

Cons

• Fixed f/8 limits low-light usability.
• On full frame without crop, the fisheye effect can be exaggerated; with crop it’s more controlled.

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5) TTArtisan 25mm f/2 (APSC) — ~$64 — S tier

Pros

• Metal build.
• Clicked manual aperture ring.
• Max aperture f/2 → strong background blur; good for low light.
• Very sharp even at f/2.
• On crop, becomes ~37.5mm FF look, making it versatile (street, travel, portraits, landscapes).

Cons

• On full frame you must use crop mode; otherwise heavy edge vignette.

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6) SG Image 18mm f/6.3 — $48 — A tier

Pros

• Very thin, small, metal construction.
• Includes a lens element cover.
• Tactile focus lever; snaps closed/open properly (host liked this improvement vs others).
• Minimum focus distance ~20 cm (best in the group).
• Can accept 49mm screw-on filters via lens hood threading.
• Sharpness is “pretty good.”
• Vignetting is heavy but performance is still decent for the price.

Cons

• Very heavy vignetting at corners.

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7) 3D-printed 28mm f/10 stereoscopic dual-lens — just over $19 — bin / very low

Pros

• Enables stereoscopic-style animated gifts by capturing two slightly different angles.
• Extremely cheap.

Cons

• Limited focus range (only useful for relatively far subjects).
• Large overlap/ghosting area in the center reduces motion/quality even after editing.
• Host finds it underwhelming overall.

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8) Panasonic Lumix GM1 anecdote lens: same 3D-printed 28mm f/10 (tested on full frame, Sony A7C II) — B tier (contextual)

Pros (in context)

• Works “not terrible” with the right camera pairing (implied travel practicality).
• Center sharpness “isn’t all that bad” even on full frame.

Cons

• Corners vignette extremely badly and is “almost impossible” to fix.
• Best suited to crop sensor cameras.
• Host recommends the SG 18mm instead for similarly tiny size/weight and similar specs.

(This segment reiterates the same stereoscopic-ish 3D-printed lens but discusses camera pairing and why it lands in B tier.)

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9) Pocket Dispo 3D-printed lens (disposable-film-derived look) — ~$50 — C tier

Pros

• Intended as a creative look / filter-like effect.
• Uses lens elements removed from used disposable film cameras, in a 3D-printed housing.
• Photos match the disposable-camera aesthetic (as intended).

Cons

• Too expensive for the quality; a similar item can be $19 and uses basically the same “disposable” concept, but with one lens.
• Limited use case; not a serious main lens.

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10) VRO 28mm f/4.5 pancake — $99 — S tier (best overall)

Pros

• Smallest/lightest in the lineup; full-frame compatible.
• Fully autofocus.
• Fast aperture f/4.5 (fixed).
• Only manual control is a front lever for opening/closing the lens cover—no manual focus ring.
• Autofocus is “quick and accurate.”
• Sharp edge-to-edge; minor issues like flaring in side lighting and some vignetting.
• Great for candid photography; “total joy to use.”

Cons

• Relies entirely on AF (no manual focus).
• Minor flaring and vignetting.

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Comparisons made

Within-list comparisons

• The Asahi 10mm gets credit for usable filter stacking.
• The Funleader 18mm is criticized mainly for vignetting and fiddliness, despite higher price.
• The SG 18mm is recommended over the 28mm 3D-printed lens due to similar tiny size but better practicality.
• Pocket Dispo is compared to a $19 disposable-style option as better value.

Camera format comparisons

• Some lenses are effectively APSC-only in practice:
  • TTArtisan 25mm requires crop mode on full frame.
  • The 28mm 3D-printed lens performs much better on crop sensors.
• Full-frame compatibility is praised for:
  • 7Artisans 35mm
  • Funleader 18mm
  • Asahi 10mm (for circular fisheye when uncropped)
  • Especially VRO 28mm f/4.5

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Unique user experience notes (non-image-quality)

• Lens cover mechanisms vary:
  • 7Artisans uses a twisting cover mechanism (useful but visually odd to the host).
  • Funleader lacks that kind of cover.
  • SG Image cover and focus lever are described as well-designed and reliable (snaps prevent accidental semi-open).
  • VRO uses a simple lever-only cover system and has no manual focus.

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Pros vs Cons summary (overall themes)

Most praised

• High sharpness for price.
• Strong build quality (metal).
• Practical usability (especially autofocus and handling).

Most criticized

• Vignetting (sometimes extreme and hard to correct).
• Fixed small apertures (f/8, f/10, f/6.3), limiting low-light flexibility.
• Novelty/creative lenses that are limited in use or require heavy editing.

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Speakers

• Only the main host (“Tom”) is present in the subtitles. No other speaker’s distinct viewpoint appears aside from references to other channels/reviews.

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Numerical values / pricing mentioned

• 7Artisans 35mm f/5.6: $99
• Oreo cookie lens: ~$19 (32mm f/10); mentions 25mm f/10 version; multi-color sets around $76
• Funleader 18mm f/8 Pro: $105 list, ~$89 sale
• Asahi 10mm f/8 Mark I: < $80
• TTArtisan 25mm f/2: ~$64
• SG Image 18mm f/6.3: $48
• 3D-printed stereoscopic dual-lens 28mm f/10: just over $19
• Pocket Dispo disposable-style lens: ~$50; comparable alternative $19
• VRO 28mm f/4.5: $99
• SG Image minimum focus distance: ~20 cm
• Tier labels mentioned: A / B / C, plus “bin”/seat for worst picks.

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Concise verdict / recommendation

• Best overall pick: VRO 28mm f/4.5 pancake ($99) — full-frame, fully autofocus, sharp edge-to-edge, small/light, and easy to use.
• Best value / strongest all-rounder for low light: TTArtisan 25mm f/2 (APSC, ~ $64) — very sharp at f/2 and versatile, but requires crop mode on full frame.
• Avoid / only novelty: cookie plastic lens and the 3D-printed stereoscopic dual-lens are mostly gimmicks; Pocket Dispo is a special-effects tool rather than a daily lens.