Two new Chinese brands are rumored to announce AF zoom lenses. What does the growing third-party lens trend mean for photography?

Lens selection.

I’ve just read that two more Chinese brands are rumored to announce full-frame autofocus (AF) zoom lenses for the Sony FE mount in the near future. Initially reported on Chinese social media, the rumor was shared by Sony Alpha Rumors (SAR), but neither source states which brands are involved nor any model specs.

This new rumor comes after Thypoch recently announced the 24-50mm AF FE and recently leaked photo of a Laowa wide-angle AF FE zoom, which has me thinking about what the bigger picture of Chinese manufacturers producing AF zoom lenses is for photography.

In got my hands on the forthcoming Thypoch 24-50mm AF E-mount at The Photography & Video Show 2026. (Image credit: Future)

The obvious point is that there could be cheaper alternatives coming to the market, which could mean well-established third-party manufacturers may need to re-evaluate their propositions and price points.

As a Sony photographer, I think this is great news for photography as a whole, but especially for younger photographers and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Of course, none of these up-and-coming Chinese brands are setting out to help the less fortunate, but they’ll inevitably widen access to what is an expensive craft.

I’m also keen to see what the impact on the uptake of photography in general will be once there's a healthy range of cheap, Chinese-made AF zoom lenses to accompany the vast lineup of Chinese-produced primes that became available in 2025.

Not only will cheaper Chinese lens alternatives incentivize those already wanting to get into photography, but I think they could also attract people who would otherwise stick to their smartphones.

Third-party lenses often raise questions about quality compared to lenses from the brands themselves. But if the array of AF prime lenses from the likes of Viltrox and Meike is anything to go by, then there’s no reason to believe that this Chinese foray into AF zoom lenses will produce anything unworthy of going up against the likes of Tamron and Sigma – at least for the price difference.

You might also like

Discover our pick of the best cheap lenses in 2026, which includes several affordable but capable primes for mirrorless cameras.