Tag: 23mm

After the release of the TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 and the recent TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 II, I always believed that TTArtisan would eventually complete the f1.8 trinity, and that day has finally come.

TTArtisan has consistently launched new lenses without any leaks or teasers, and this release is no different. I appreciate this straightforward approach to marketing—just announce it and launch the product.

Intro

23mm, or 35mm in full-frame equivalent ,is one of my favorite focal lengths and this focal length is always with me wherever I go for a holiday.

I was so excited when TTArtisan contacted me and informed me about this lens, and they managed to send the lens to me one day before my holiday trip to Guangzhou. Just nice for me to bring it along and shoot.

Before I begin, I’d like to express my gratitude to the good people at TTArtisan for sending me this lens. I truly appreciate their ongoing support. That said, their involvement has no impact on my review—this is entirely based on my personal experience with the lens.

Design and Build Quality

The design language of this lens is consistent with its siblings, featuring the same high-quality metal build and minimalist aesthetic. That said, it lacks an aperture ring, with only the manual focus ring available.

The manual focus ring rotates smoothly, without any resistance or tactile feedback. Photographers who rely on feedback for precise manual focusing may find this lens less suitable for their needs.

Visually, the lens is slightly taller than the 35mm f1.8 II but a bit shorter than the 56mm f1.8. It weighs 210 grams, placing it in between its siblings in terms of weight.

The lens comes with the same distinctive squarish petal hood as the TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 II, offering a refreshing departure from the typical round petal hoods. It also shares the same 52mm filter thread size with its siblings, allowing photographers to interchange filters across all three lenses.

Image Quality

For those who pixel-peep, the image quality is slightly soft in the center when shot wide open, with the corners being a bit softer. However, I find the results to be quite decent and more than acceptable for a budget lens. It retains a respectable level of sharpness and contrast.

The lens does exhibit noticeable vignetting when wide open, but chromatic aberration is minimal. Regarding the sun-star effect, the rays are clean and accompanied by some distinctive flares. If you’re not a fan of lens flare characteristics, you may want to avoid this. Additionally, there’s some soft blooming when a strong light source is directed towards the lens, but I actually enjoy this effect. During my holiday, I found that I preferred shooting at f2.8, as it offers a nice balance of sharpness, contrast, and depth of field.

With a maximum aperture of f1.8, it doesn’t offer the same level of subject separation as lenses with f1.2 or f1.4 apertures. However, the separation between the focused subject and the background is more than sufficient for my needs. As for background rendering, I find it quite pleasing, producing smooth, non-distracting bokeh.

Focusing

When it comes to focusing, I have close to zero focusing issues. The Stepper Motor (STM) performs quite decent and fast enough. I do encounter once or twice focusing issues at night, but it is acceptable as it recovers and focus locked onto the subject on the second attempt.

The lens has very pretty obvious lens breathing. It does not affect photographers but I think it will likely impact videographers.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

A 30cm minimum focusing distance feels somewhat distant for a 35mm (full-frame equivalent) focal length. For comparison, the XF23mm f1.4 has a 20cm focus distance, the XF23mm f2 is 22cm, and the Sigma 23mm f1.4 is 25cm. While this isn’t a direct comparison to the TTArtisan 23mm f1.8, it’s understandable given that it’s a budget lens.

Regarding image quality at MFD, I believe it is acceptable, as there is minimal loss while still maintaining good contrast and sharpness.

Price Point

USD 127 is really an attractive price point and affordable for photographers of all groups. Budget-friendly for newcomers and professionals who want to go out for a holiday.

Others

Like all TTArtisan autofocus lenses, the rear cap is a dock for the lens for future firmware updates. Another to note is that this lens does not come with any form of weather and dust resistance. I think this is acceptable given the price point.

Who is this for?

This is one of the two focal lengths I frequently recommend to beginners. Its versatility provides excellent adaptability, allowing newcomers to experiment with various styles of photography. Additionally, it covers a broad range of genres, making it an ideal choice for anyone just starting out.

Oh yes, this lens matches the X-M5 well. The combination of the camera and the lens gives a well-balanced weight for handling. If you are a new X-M5 user, consider this lens your arsenal.

Conclusion

I spent 10 days on this lens during my holiday, and with each passing day, I grew more fond of it. During these 10 days, I took over 1,000 shots with this lens—and only this lens. Although I brought one prime and one zoom lens, I hardly used them.

My only complaint is the absence of an aperture ring, but its lightweight design and good image quality make up for that. Traveling light is always my priority on holidays, and the reason is simple: I’m no longer as young as I once was, and carrying heavier lenses with my camera for extended periods can cause shoulder pain.

TTArtisan has made a solid entry into the budget lens market. This is an excellent, affordable prime lens that offers great value without breaking the bank. The image quality is good enough for everyday use, with satisfactory autofocus performance. At this price point, there’s no direct competition for this focal length (just yet).

I’ve been anticipating this lens since the release of the TTArtisan 56mm f1.8, and it’s finally here. It provides newcomers with a versatile trio of prime lenses to begin their collection.

The new year has just started, and TTArtisan has already laid the foundation for this lens category. I’m curious to see what they have in store for 2025. Could they be gearing up for “Pro” prime lenses, or are they possibly eyeing the mid-range market? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

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