Cheap lenses under $250 are all over Amazon Prime Day, but which ones are worth your time?

Sony / Canon / 7Artisans / TTArtisan / Viltrox lenses on a green to blue gradient with a giant purple 'primeday' roundel

(Image credit: Amazon / Sony / Canon / 7Artisans / TTArtisan / Viltrox)

If there’s one thing I love about the mirrorless era, above all else, it’s the prevalence of cheap lenses, and Amazon Prime Day is littered with them. T

he problem is, it can be a little bit of a minefield working out which ones are worth your time and (albeit very little) money. Digital Camera World has reviewed plenty of lenses from the likes of Viltrox, TTArtisan, and 7Artisans, and for the most part, I’ve been very impressed with the results.

See all of today's Amazon Prime lens deals

Sure, you can’t hold a $150 third-party prime to the same standards as the G Masters or L-Series lenses of the world, but most of us don’t require pro-grade optical quality every moment of every day. Personally, I think cheap primes make great everyday 'beater' lenses, so it’s not the end of the world if the front element gets scratched in your rucksack or while it’s dangling from your neck.

So, I decided to scour Amazon Prime Day and pick out a few that caught my attention. Do be aware that while you might find some of these lenses for less elsewhere, do be mindful of import duties and extended delivery times. A lens fulfilled by Amazon US won’t incur any additional costs, and you can enjoy next-day delivery.

SAVE $19.80. This little lens is a bit of an oddity. It’s so thin (15mm) that it doesn’t have a manual focus ring, its f/4.5 aperture is completely fixed, so there’s no adjustable diaphragm, and its image quality is merely acceptable. But it’s designed to be an everyday beater, not a pro-grade optic. I couldn’t see myself wanting to spend much on a lens like this and I think $79 is just the job. It’s a full-frame optic and available in a variety of mounts.
See our full Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 FE full test

SAVE $45.20 I haven’t used the 7Artisans 50mm f/1.4 tilt-shift lens, but I’m tempted. I decided to include this APS-C optic in my list as an example of the kind of experimentation cheap Chinese lenses have afforded us. Historically, tilt-shift lenses were expensive, and just a few years ago, I wouldn’t have even considered picking one up. But at this price, I’d be happy to give it a punt. It’s available in Sony E, Fujifilm X, and M43 mounts.

SAVE $33.80. If you were grabbed by the 7Artisans tilt shift, but are a Z or RF user, fear not, the TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 Tilt has got you covered and is also a little cheaper than the aforementioned lens. It features tilting and rotating mechanisms, but doesn’t appear to shift like the 7Artisans model (above), with ‘shift’ also absent from the name. As such, I can only assume you can tilt to alter the focal plane but not shift to alter the perspective. Still, if you're into creative portraiture, you can't go wrong with the price. It’s also available in E, X and M43 mounts.

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