it surely makes sense, manual focus is perfect for macro only if it had aperture coupling, it's surely not fun to focus with the aperture set at f8 or more
I wouldn't buy a manual focus lens at this price point these days. To me, focus stacking without any motorized sliders (meaning: in camera) is state of the art and with a manual focus lens, that's impossible. I don't need necessarily AF, but I need a motorized focus ring.
I don't quite understand the new gang of lens manufacturers really.
Many of them focus on high speed lenses - an approach which is doomed because high-speed lenses require exceptional manufacturing precision and I strongly doubt that the consistency is there. They go for high speed offerings in order to have a differentiator compared to the established players - that's understandable. Howerver, other than QC issues, this is resulting in price tags that are way, way beyond a casual investment.
Honestly speaking - who buys such lenses for 500+USD? That's serious money already.
As an unknown brand you just can't jump into the top league straight away - this takes time. How many years did it take for Samyang in order to get recognized as a sort-of acceptable player? 6-7 years?
On the other end of the spectrum are me-too lenses - like this one - without electronic coupling. The Meike will cost 300USD. The Tokina 100mm macro costs 350USD or buy something 2nd hand. You'd be completely nuts to buy the Meike. Sorry to say that.
In my book the most obvious niche are moderate-speed pancake lenses (e.g. a FF 18mm f/5.6 or a FF 12mm f/8 Fisheye) but it seems as if nobody cares (Meike has the 28mm f/2.8 but that focal length is not so hot).
