manual lens – Alwin Kok

I am lucky to have had the opportunity to test quite a fair amount of manual lenses but this is the second macro manual lens I have tested thus far. So testing a manual macro lens is still a new thing for me. Usually, I use a macro lens for 2 genres and that is product shots and portraits. It is because of the sharp optical glass and I am basically worry-free about the minimum focus distance limitation the lens has. Nonetheless, I am very excited to give this lens a spin.

Intro

On September 2021, TTArtisan announced its very first macro lens. It comes with various mounts such as L mount, m43, EOS-M, RF mount, Z mount, E mount, and X mount. At 60mm (in 35mm format equivalent), this is an uncommon focal length where we do not see many players in the market releasing something close, except for Fuji XF30mm f2.8.

Although this lens has been in the market for almost 20 months, I am glad that TTArtisan is willing to send me this lens for a hands-on. Without their support, this post will not become a reality.

In any case, this review is still my own opinion.

Design and Build Quality

From the lens design, we can see how it has taken inspiration from their TTArtisan 23mm f1.4 and inspired their TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 and TTArtisan 50mm f0.95. They shared a lot of similarities lens design elements and yet we get to notice that each category has its own design characteristics.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Having said that, this lens weighing 380 grams is good to hold. It has a very gentle clicky aperture ring and it also comes with an excellent damp but smooth manual focus ring. Some photographers might prefer a less damp, smoother manual focusing experience, but I think it is just fine as it also gives me a sense of better manual control for my shooting style.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/1000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/750″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

The 52mm filter-size lens has a screw-in type lens cap like most TTArtisan lenses.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative

From the side view, it looks like a normal lens. But when you view it from the top, it has a unique lens barrel design where the front lens element is deeply recessed into the lens barrel. I have no idea why TTArtisan has such a design but it definitely stands out from the rest.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/950″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

When the focus ring is at infinity, the lens is at its smallest compact look. But when we shoot at its Minimum Focus Distance, the lens is protruded approximately two third of its original length.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/850″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Image Quality

Unlike many other TTArtisans lenses where you need to stop down the aperture values to at least 1-2 stops to achieve decent sharpness, contrast, and details of photos taken. It has been a long time since I tested out a prime lens that I can truly use the images at wide-open (except for TTArtisan 25mm f2 and TTArtisan 50mm f2.)

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative

At f2.8, I am amazed by the image quality. In most parts of the image, it has a good level of sharpness at the center and it does preserve some level of contrast but has decent enough details (not the best and not the worse either). As compared to most manual lenses, I am also amazed that the chromatic aberration is in good control.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/4400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative

But with all the praises, here comes the feedback. It has very strong vignetting and obvious softness at the corner. Of course, everything will be fine if you lower the aperture by 1 to 2 stops but that is not the point.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/85″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Another thing to note is that subject separation from the background is not as blurry as larger aperture values like f1.4 can do and most photographers know that. Also, it does not have a very seamless gentle fall-off between the main subject and others. Furthermore, depending on the background, the bokeh can be easily harsh.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative

As for the sunny star, it is not the sharpest one but not that bad.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/6″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Focusing

The focusing from MFD to infinity is approximately 270 degrees and I think it gives a very good amount of “space” for nailing the shot but this amount of focus throw can be “troublesome” to some photographers who preferred to have a shorter focus throw.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/640″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/1800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Also similar to most manual lenses, it does not give a fully focused shot at infinity, we still need to rotate back a little to achieve the actual fully focused shot.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

Although 17 cm MFD is not the closest I have tested, it is pretty decent for a macro lens. It still gives a very close-up tight shot of the subject and typically can cast a shadow on the subject.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/125″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/160″ . ISO 2500 . Nostalgic Negative

Price Point

This lens is selling at an attractive price point. At 99 USD (or 94 USD under promotion), it is one of the most affordable macro lenses out there in the market. For reference, Fuji XF30mm f2.8 is 599 USD, Meike 60mm f2.8 is 190 USD, 7Artisan 60mm f2.8 is 139 USD, and Voigtlander Macro APO-Ultron 35mm f2 at 629 USD.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600 . Nostalgic Negative

Others

I notice that the white balance changed when I shot with different aperture values. But this could be a problem for lenses that do not come with electronic contact? Or this could be due to how the sensor “sees” from the lens and the processor changes according to the information given by the sensor? Anyway, I think this is less of a problem if the photographers are shooting in Raw. But if you are a straight-out-of-camera photographer, then do take note of it.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/5000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f5.6 . 1/750″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

There is also some strong lens flare if the lens is pointing directly to the strong light source. So do take note of it too.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/56″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Who is this for?

I don’t know how well is this lens for insect photographers to shoot but I can say that this lens is very comfortable for landscape, street, food, and product shoots. For portrait, journalist, and documentary photographers, I will leave it for you to decide as it’s a manual lens and its focus throw is huge. You might miss the shots by the time you nailed the focus.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f11 . 1/160″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f11 . 1/160″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/1100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/340″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Conclusion

This lens is compact and I am very comfortable using this lens for the street. While the protruding front lens element can be quite a disturbing factor to me and the image quality at wide open is not the best among the macro lens category, I can give in to the focal length, compactness, and price point. All in all, it is easily a good macro lens for photographers to own and attempt to do macro shots, especially for photographers who do not have a macro lens.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 40mm f2.8 @ 40mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative

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 and Capture One 2023.
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.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

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Reviews

Meike 60mm f2.8 – Compactly Good

May 8, 2023May 10, 2023 Alwin Kok

Since my DSLR era, I have had a soft spot for macro lenses. Not because I love to shoot insects or flowers, but because I love to use them for product shoots. Till today, I am still using a macro lens for most of the product shoots in this blog.

Intro

The Meike 60mm f2.8 was announced in early March 2023. In case one wonders, this is Hong Kong-based manufacturer’s first-ever attempt to build a manual macro lens. So how well it works? Let’s find out.

Before I proceed, I would like to thank Meike for sending me this lens for review. Like other posts, the review of this lens is based on my true opinion.

Design and Build Quality

This 300 grams lens is nicely built with quality. But the first thing I notice with the lens is the lens design. It is greatly inspired by the design of Canon RF-S lenses (maybe there are other manufacturers with similar designs too, please let me know as I would like to know it too, thanks in advance). The focus ring has a similar texture design to the one found in the RF-S aperture ring and I quite love the texture when I touch it with my fingertips. The rotating of the focus ring is smooth with little dampness/friction.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/85″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

The next thing I would like to talk about is the aperture ring. This 90mm (in full frame equitant) has a smooth, clickless ring, and I believe videographers will love it. I am okay with it but I do miss the clicky experience. It gives me some sense of which aperture I am at now (after all, the lens does not have any electronic contact to provide the metadata to the camera body).

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/210″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative

Oh yes, this 49mm filter-size lens feels great on hand.

Image Quality

When comes to macro lenses, I set my expectation a little higher than prime lenses. Typically, the results from the glass tend to produce much sharper, more contrasty, and more detailed images.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/1250 ″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/1600″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/125″ . ISO 1600 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative

This lens does not disappoint me. Although the image quality level is slightly below the XF80mm and XF30mm, it still has very good sharpness and contrast at wide open. But I also notice that the sharpness isn’t that great at the extreme corners. In short, the image is totally usable.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative

Another surprise to me is that it has good chromatic aberration control but I do observe mild vignetting. At least there is one less thing to take care of in post-processing.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative

The background blur surprisingly renders quite well too. At least the fall-off between the subject and the foreground/background is comfortable to my eyes.

If there are some readers who wonder, the sunny star result is also a sharp one too.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f22 . 1/320″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Focusing

Similar to Meike 35mm f0.95, it also has the problem of having off-focus results when I shoot at the infinity mark. So the right infinity shot is somewhere the infinity symbol is.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/220″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

But there is something I observed for my test unit. If I shoot on a subject that is somewhere between 3 meters marking and infinity marking, I have a little hard time nailing the shot right. The focus on the subject is like either undershoot or overshoot. I have to rotate the focus ring really slowly to get it right. It could be my focus peaking issue or my technic is wrong.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/56″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/150″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Minimum Focus Distance (MOD)

At MOD of 17.5 cm, this lens delivers true 1:1 magnification. Having said that, it has various magnifications throughout its focusing distance.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/2000″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/56″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/950″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f5.6 . 1/180″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/550″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Because there are various magnifications throughout its focusing distance, you might get the illusion that there is lens breathing or “zooming” going on.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/105″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Price Point

At 190 USD, I think it is a very good price point for photographers who want to attempt to get an experience of what a macro lens can do but do not mind having to do with manual focusing. And of course, it is a lot cheaper than the autofocus macro lenses.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/320″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Others

Something worth noting (but probably not for some readers): the lens is internal focusing, which means that the lens does not protrude or any movement when we rotate the focus ring back and forth.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/1800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Secondly, there is an obvious white balance change with the change in aperture value. This is similar to what I observed with the Meike 35mm f0.95. So again, it might be my camera setting. If you are shooting raw, then you have nothing much to worry about. You can always post-process it. If you are a Straight-Out-Of-Camera photographer, then you probably have to take note of it.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f5.6 . 1/320″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/2000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/350″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Who is this for?

As I mentioned earlier, I think the price of this lens is very well priced and it gives photographers a good chance to experience the macro lens and its macro capabilities.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/500″ . ISO 125 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/160″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative

But that does not mean that a macro lens is limited to only macro photography. I find the focal length is very suitable for street (depending on the kind of street photography you are in), portrait, product shoots, and possibly journalist photography.

Conclusion

Despite being the first macro lens from Meike, they have done a good job with this lens. To summarize my thoughts, the lens design is very modernized and beautiful. Besides that, the lens build quality and image quality is nothing to shout about.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/34″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative

One last thing that I like about it is its size and weight. It is practically able to carry around more easily than the XF80mm. After all, the Meike 60mm is much shorter and weighs much lighter than the XF80mm (750 grams).

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f11 . 1/125″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f11 . 1/125″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 60mm f2.8 @ 60mm . f11 . 1/125″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

All in all, I feel that this lens is a great attempt for Meike.

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

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Reviews

Meike 35mm f0.95 – Another f0.95 Contender

April 15, 2023April 15, 2023 Alwin Kok

I can’t deny that 35mm (50mm in full-frame equivalent) is one of the favorite focal lengths among most photographers. And I see why the manufacturers are releasing this focal length at a higher priority and more frequently (with various aperture values) than any other focal length. Having said that, we, photographers, have so many options to choose from when it comes to this focal length.

As far as I know, 4 manufacturers are producing 35mm f0.95 to date. Namely TTArtisan, 7Artisans, Mitakon (Zhongyi), and of course, the main character of this post: Meike.

Intro

This is my first time working with Meike and I appreciate Meike for sending me this lens for review. Having said that, this review is not biased but rather based on my true opinion.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/10,500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/5400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/1900″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

I did a short research on the company. The Hong Kong-based manufacturer was established in 2007 and they are specialized in many videography and photography tools and equipment. They have many cine lenses and still lenses (both auto and manual lenses) in their business portfolio. In order words, they are very experienced in this field.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/1600″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

This lens was announced back in October 2022 and comes with massive 6 camera mounts: Sony E, Fujifilm X, Canon EF-M, Nikon Z, Canon RF, and Micro Four Thirds.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative

Design and Build Quality

From the look of this lens, it has a very distinctive design. The manual focus ring has that unique pattern that not only helps the photographer to “identify” the which ring he/she is rotating. This design is inspired by Voigtlander lenses and some of the older Nikon manual lenses.

(Update 15 April 2023: Special thanks to a friend who pointed out that the Voigtlander and some of the Nikon lenses manual focus ring has the same design.)

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/7500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600 . Nostalgic Negative

Speaking of the focus ring, I shall share my experience with both the manual and aperture rings together. Both have a different texture but they are very comfortable and grippy to hold. Rotating them is a pleasure. They have a good balance of friction and you do not need to apply too much force to rotate.

At 380 grams, it is not as heavy as it seems to be. The weight of the lens is very well distributed and balanced. Also, it has a relatively small filter size. Only 52mm. For context, XF35mm f1.4 and XF18mm f2 are the same filter size.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/2200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/6000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Oh yes, this lens comes with a metal build body with a cap-on lens cap, which I feel is a quicker removal option than the screw-in lens cap. But a little pity is that the lens cap is made of plastic. Something I am not expecting from a high-quality built lens.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/8500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/18000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Image Quality

Maybe it is me, but it is a challenge to nail the shot well in wide-open with moving/motion subjects. At f0.95, the image quality has a certain level of softness, lacking some contrast, sharpness, and a very shallow depth of field. It also has some glowing effect on it which sometimes make me think I have taken an off-focused shot.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/900″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/8000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

I also do observe pretty obvious chromatic aberration and vignetting at f0.95. I think that’s acceptable or rather within my expectations for manual lenses with a large aperture. As for overall image quality, I find it is okay and actually much more usable than I thought. If you are picky or pixel-peeper, you will probably not be in favor of the results.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative

Nonetheless, I can also see better image quality improvement from f2 onwards. But that is not the main purpose of having an f0.95 lens if you want to stop it down to f2 right?

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative

For sunny star result, it gives a much contrast and sharp star result as compared to some of the manual lenses. And also, it introduces some flares as well if facing directly toward the light source.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f16 . 1/240″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Focusing

For most of my other manual lens tests, I always observed that the result is always off-focus when I shoot at the infinity mark. I have to rotate the focus ring somewhere before the infinity mark to get the right infinity shot.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/250″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/250″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative

This is also the case for the Meike lens. In order to shoot at actual infinity, rotate to where the printed infinity symbol printed is and not where it’s labeled position.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/640″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/80″ . ISO 2500 . Nostalgic Negative

From MFD to infinity, the focus throw is approximately 90°. Like most manual lenses, this gives a good amount of “distance” for precise focusing. I do have not much of a comment for this department.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/110″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

0.39m is its MFD. Not the shortest MFD for its focal length but the image quality from this lens is pretty good. The MFD is very similar to the Ronkinon 35mm f1.2 but a few centimeters further than the average 0.35m from other lens manufacturers have for their lenses.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/1500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/4400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/220″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/170″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Price Point

For reference, the Mitakon 35mm f0.95 is selling at 399 USD. TTArtisan and 7artisan are priced at 199 USD and 229 USD respectively.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/1400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/420″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Compared with other f0.95 of the same focal length, this lens is priced at 259 USD. Do you think it is expensive? I think Meike priced it just right among the competitors and I think it is still a fair price to have that f0.95 aperture value.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/10,000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Other

Something interesting to note: it may be due to my camera or its settings. There is an obvious white balance change whenever I changed from other aperture values to f0.95. It does not have a real impact on me since I can change it under In-Camera Raw Processing.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f8 . 1/500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/25,000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Side by side

I have the TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 with me to compare with this lens. As you can see, they have very different designs, sizes, and approaches. So, which one do you prefer?

Who is this for?

As a manual focus lens, it is targeted a very specific group of photographers who understand the pro and cons of owning this unique lens and knowing what they can achieve from this lens. Having said that, this is a focal length that is very suitable for many genres. And also, it is one of the focal lengths for new photographers to get adapt to easily, especially for first-timer prime lens photographers.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/3500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/500″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

As for professional photographers, unless you know what you want to do with this lens, then you can consider getting one.

Conclusion

There are many manual lenses out in the market and we are spoilt for choice. But if you are planning to get into the brightest and fastest manual lens in the market with a fair decent price. Given that the shots taken wide-open are pretty usable, I think this is one of the lenses for your consideration.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/240″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/300″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

This is my first time testing out this lens from Meike and it leaves me quite a positive impression. Although it shares quite a lot of similarities with other manual lenses in the market, it does stand out quite a bit from them too. Especially on the lens design and image quality at wide open.

Fuji X-T5 . Meike 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/480″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Not forgetting that they have launched the first autofocus lens (85mm f1.8) for the Fujifilm community. I am excited to see more products released from them!

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.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

Rokinon 35mm f1.2 – Surprisingly . Good .

January 30, 2023January 30, 2023 Alwin Kok

One fine day, Ivan posted the Rokinon deal on the Fujifanboys Facebook group. It was Rokinon 85mm f1.4 and it was quite a good deal at about 68 SGD (51 USD) or less. I was not tempted somehow. A moment later, Ivan posted yet another Rokinon deal and it was shared by Rayz Lee (a member of the Facebook group) to him.

Based on the header of this post, no surprise here. I immediately placed my order for the Rokinon 35mm f1.2 and it was only 98 SGD (73 USD). In case you wonder, Amazon sells this lens between 300 SGD to 600 SGD (223 USD to 445 USD). That’s a huge discount for this Korean brand (also known as Samyang).

Left: Fuji X-Pro 3 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/2500″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji X-Pro 3 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/100″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

I have a few “reasons” to explain why I decide to buy this lens and here is why:

It’s cheap and even cheaper than the already similar aperture manual lenses in the market from 7Artisans, TTArtisan, Voigtlander, and the like.
I heard about this brand and read about the beauty of this lens for a long time and this is my opportunity to test drive it.
This is like the stars are aligned. So why not.

Left: Fuji X-T 3 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/280″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T 3 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/1600″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Design & Build Quality

From the lens appearance, it isn’t as small as the XF35mm f1.4 and also evitably larger than what other 3rd party manual lens manufacturers are offering. And it is even bigger in size than the TTArtisan 35mm f0.95. To be fair, this Rokinon 35mm f1.2 was announced back in 2016, and the lens design is definitely improved over the years in the industry.

From left to right: Rokinon 35mm f1.2 . XF35mm f1.4 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95

Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f4 . 1/30″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

The lens is made of plastic but it’s a high-quality one. Again this is a different approach from the usual metal build quality 3rd party manufacturers and I can probably understand why this is the approach. I will explain later.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/140″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

It weighs 433 grams which I think is somehow reasonable. Similarly, a 62mm filter size is also pretty reasonable as well.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative

The aperture ring on this 50mm (full frame equivalent) is clicky and not those de-click buttery smooth kind found in most recent new lenses from other manufacturers. However, it is a little stiff when I change the aperture. Not sure if it just happens to my unit but I have to use a little more force to rotate the ring than any of the lenses I have tried so far.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/1700″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

As for the lens cover, it is the typical pinch-to-release type of plastic cover. The lens hood is also made of plastic but it is painted to have the same color as the lens body. At least there is some attention to detail here.

Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative

Image Quality

Shooting wide open is unbelievably great and the image quality is totally usable with great contrast. With f1.2, it gives more separation between the main subject and others and allows the main subject to be more pop.

Left; Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/8000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/640″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Furthermore, the bokeh (or background blur) is actually quite pleasing to view and not as distracting as some other lenses.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/750″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/170″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

In my period of shooting, I do not observe any obvious chromatic aberration. Similar to vignetting, the corners are pretty mild and considered close to none.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/420″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

At 38mm MFD, there is nothing to shout about for this focal length. It is not a show-stopper to prevent photographers to shoot in their favorite genres. Just that it is slightly further away than what current 35cm “standard” MFD that other manufacturers are providing.

Fuji X-T3 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/8000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Focusing

Unlikely the aperture ring, the focus ring is smooth but comes with very minimal and comfortable friction.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f5 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative

From MFD to infinity, the focus throw is approximately 100°, which I think is okay and it also gives a good amount of “distance” for precise focusing.

Price Point

I bought it well below its average selling price, so I will not base it on the price I have but rather base it on the real selling price.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative

According to its suggested retail price, it is selling at 499 USD. While Amazon and B&H do have some sales occasionally, with an average of about 349 USD.

Who is this for?

I won’t recommend this lens to someone who is looking for a budget fast prime lens because it is not that budget unless you found the same deal as mine.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/90″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f5.6 . 1/420″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Secondly, it is not a compact lens like others too. If you really like the image quality from this lens, then you can consider getting one for the genre of your favorite except for macro.

Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative

Conclusion

To be fair, this manual lens isn’t cheap and the size of this lens is bigger than any other lenses released in recent 1-2 years. But the image quality from this glass is undeniably great among the other lenses of the same category.

Fuji X-E4 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative

Despite having some shortfalls like build quality, size, weight, and not being the fastest lens on the market, I enjoy every shot taken with this lens especially taken wide open. It is just so awesome that I can simply accept these disadvantages.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/105″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/60″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative

After using so many metal-constructed lenses, I do miss the metal-build quality as it does make the lens feel more premium. I do hope this lens comes with one as well but the plastic build of this lens is there for a reason. It is to keep the weight down and reasonably balance with the camera body. I think Rokinon/Samyang has considered it as well.

Fuji X-T5 . Rokinon 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f1.2 . 1/500″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative

Overall, this lens is easily categorized as one of the best manual lenses out there in the market.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 – Tilting My Point Of View

January 9, 2023January 9, 2023 Alwin Kok

I think TTArtisan loves “50mm” a lot. They have lots of choices for this mid-telephoto focal length. TTArtisan has the brightest 50mm, the most compact 50mm variants, and now they have introduced the 4th “50mm” and it has the most distinctive function among all their lenses; the tilt function.

Similar to the compact 50mm, this lens is also designed as a full-frame lens. Does that mean the optical quality is better on the APS-C sensor? I think we can scroll down and see it for ourselves.

Before you read further, this is my first time using a tilt lens. I will try to elaborate based on my experience with using this lens as much as possible. Also, I would like to thank TTArtisan for sending this lens to me. Without their kind support, this will not happen.

Design & Build Quality

The first thing you will notice is the design of this lens. It has a completely different design language from the rest of the TTArtisan lenses. The most obvious 2 extra knobs on the lens body are the first thing I noticed and followed by the sort of zig-zag line across the lens. Obviously, they are important roles for the tilt function.

Fuji X-E4 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/4000″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

Despite all these new elements, you can rest assured of the build quality coming out from TTArtisan. As usual, still has the same well-built quality from them. You will not get any disappointment when holding this lens. It weighs 450 grams and it is the heaviest 50mm coming from TTArtisan thus far.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/4400″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji X-E4 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f1.4 . 1/4700″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

When comes to filter thread, this 75mm (full frame equivalent) lens has a “considerably” large 62mm filter thread that is compared to its 50mm siblings. Given the extra function in the lens, 62mm filter thread is considerably reasonable.

Left: Fuji X-E4 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f1.4 . 1/22000″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji X-E4 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/1400″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

Back to the 2 knobs. The silver knob is the rotation lock knob which allows the rotation mechanism to rotate the lens 360° with 15° rotation per step.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/125″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/160″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

The black knob is to control the tilt mechanism with a tilt angle of ± 8°. For how I use them, I will unlock one knob at a time, adjust to the desired degree, lock it and then continue to adjust with the other knob. With the focus peaking, it helps me to visualize and easily noticeable on where my plane of focus is.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f1.4 . 1/56″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Unlike the usual TTArtisan lenses, this lens uses a click-less aprture, and honestly speaking, I missed the clicks experience that I always love. To make things worse, there are times when I rotate the aperture ring instead of the focus ring without realizing it. Only get to notice it after checking out the shots and looking at my lens. (Since this lens does not have any electronic contact with the camera, hence I cannot see the aperture value from the EVF / LCD.) Sometimes I even think that my camera or the lens is “broken”.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative

And like the 23mm f1.4, it comes with metal cap-on lens cap instead of the screw-in type found in most of the lens lineup. I love this approach and I hope TTArtisan will keep it this way for their future lenses.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/640″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative

Image Quality

In this category, I will split into 2 sections: “conventional lens” mode and “tilt lens” mode.

Before that, shooting wide open for both modes has a strong vignetting and chromatic aberration. And of course, these can be edited in post-process or lower down the aperture value.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f5.6 . 1/1600″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/170″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/320″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

For “conventional lens” mode, the image quality is slightly usable at wide open. The image quality tends to be soft and lacks contrast. And sometimes I cannot tell if my shots are in focus as the shots are too soft. This is based on my past experience with TTArtisan lenses and is usually not really within my minimum acceptance. Usually, I prefer f2 on most lenses. But for this lens, I preferred results at f2.8 as it is sharper and has better contrast.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f1.4 . 1/210″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative

For “tilt lens” mode, the image quality is not quite usable. Due to the tilt effect and shooting wide open, the focused subject can be very shallow (depending on the shooting angle) and very easily affected by chromatic aberration. Again, I preferred the results at f2.8 and f4 which give a better focus to blur off under the tilt effect. To note the tilt effect will be reduced further as the aperture value gets lower and that is pretty obvious from f5.6 onwards.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/1100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/240″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/950″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

Like their other 50mm lenses, it maintains its MFD at 50cm. This is where I think the image quality is at its softest and lacking the contrast the most when shoot wide open. Again, shooting at 1 to 2 stops lower to gain better image quality.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/140″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/180″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f1.4 . 1/210″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f1.4 . 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Focusing

From MFD to infinity, the focus throw is approximately 160°. It has one of the comfortable focus rings with a decent resistance when I rotate it.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/990″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/28″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

When you shoot at infinity for normal shooting and tilt shooting, this lens has a common issue like most manual lenses. The result will be off-focused. Hence you need to rotate back a little before the infinity marking to get a fully focused result.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/300″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/280″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Price Point

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/2700″ . ISO 125 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Classic Chrome

For 199 USD, it is priced very closely to the f0.95 lenses, which also means that it is priced on the higher side of the spectrum for the APS-C lenses category. Given the uniqueness of this lens, I think this is a decent price point.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/640″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Who is this for?

There are not a lot of tilt lenses in the market. And not forgetting that back in those days, tilt and shift lenses are very expensive, and not many photographers will buy one and use it.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f5.6 . 1/80″ . ISO 2500 . Nostalgic Negative

With this lens, the potential photographer can use it as a conventional portrait lens where it can be used for many genres like street, documentary, product shoot, archiecture, cityscape, landscape, etc. At times, the potential photographer can also use its tilt mode for more creativity, adventure, and extraordinary perspective.

Conclusion

I mentioned this before and I have to mention this again. TTArtisan never fails to surprise photographers with their new lenses. The overall usability of this lens is very versatile and probably even more practical than its f0.95 sibling.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/13″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Personally, I like the tilt function as it helps me to create a good foreground and background blur especially for the cityscape shots and archiecture shots. It is also good in creating miniture effect too.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/110″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/120″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

While the image quality at wide open has room to improve, I can tell that TTArtisan has been improving slowly with each new lens. I hope TTArtisan will continue with the new breakthrough and new unique lens to keep up with the excitement and of course, hope to see more tilt lenses in the future too.

Fuji X-E4 . TTArtisan 50mm Tilt f1.4 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/4400″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Event

My Favorite Photos in 2022

December 26, 2022December 24, 2022 Alwin Kok

The year 2022 was another fruitful year for me. Of the 28 posts I have posted this year, 21 are reviews of camera gears and lenses. I also had a small achievement by getting 100k views on this blog this year (A big thank you, everyone!). It is challenging to juggle my job, photo shoots, and family time but I am glad I have made it and I enjoy the process.

Again, I would like to thank Carmen, Marketing Manager of Fujifilm Singapore, Cles Distribution of Tamron, Mr. Lawson from Sigma Marketing (Singapore), TTArtisan, Laowa, and FunLeader for giving me the opportunity to be able to hands-on with the gears and lenses, otherwise, this would not even happen.

I am happy to see more X-mount lenses released this year. Especially this year, Fuji has gained a lot of support from the 3rd party manufacturers and of course, I am referring to the autofocus lenses. While we have no idea what Fujifilm going to release next year but I hope to have an exciting one (I pray for X-Pro 4 and X100V successor arrival). And I also hope to see more autofocus lenses from 3rd party manufacturers to be released next year.

Okay, back to the topic. This is a little different from last year. I decided just to share what are my favorite photos taken this year (because it is hard to filter just 12 photos) and I also split them into 2 categories: “The street” & “The portrait”. Please enjoy.

The street:

Fuji X-S10 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/26000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-E4 . XF 23mm f1.4 R @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/180″ . ISO 1250 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-E4 . XF 33mm f1.4 WR @ 33mm . f1.4 . 1/7000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-E4 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f5.6 . 1/160″ . ISO 500 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 16mm f1.4 @ 16mm . f1.4 . 1/640″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Fuji X-E4 . XF 27mm f2.8 WR @ 27mm . f5.6 . 1/480″ . ISO 320 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/11,000″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-E3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/9000″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-E4 . Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/680″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

#10

Fuji X-S10 . Fuji XF18-120mm @ 120mm . f4 . 1/800″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

#11

Fuji X-S10 . Fuji XF18-120mm @ 120mm . f4 . 1/300″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

#12

Fuji X-H2S . XF27mm f2.8 WR @ 27mm . f2.8 . 1/5400″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative

#13

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/1500″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome .

#14

Fuji X-T3 . Fuji XF18-120mm @ 120mm . f4 . 1/680″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

#15

Fuji X-H2 . XF23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f5 . 2″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative . 65:24 crop

#16

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/100″ . ISO 320 . Acros

#17

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f5.6 . 1/3200″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

#18

Fuji X-T5 . XF50mm f2 WR @ 50mm . f3.2 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative

#19

Fuji X-T5 . XF23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/45″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

#20

Fuji X-E4. XF30mm f2.8 @ 30mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Classic Negative

#21

Fuji X-E4. XF30mm f2.8 @ 30mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Classic Negative

The portrait:

Fuji X-T3 . XF 23mm f1.4 WR @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/9000″ . ISO 160 . Post-edit

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 30mm f1.4 @ 30mm . f1.4 . 1/5000″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f8 . 1/125″ . ISO 160 . Post-edited

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/220″ . ISO 320 . Post-edited

Fuji X-T3 . Sigma 56 mm f1.4 @ 56mm . f1.4 . 1/125″ . ISO 2000 . Post-edited

Fuji X-S10 . Fuji XF18-120mm @ 98.8mm . f4 . 1/240″ . ISO 160 . Classic Neg

Fuji X-T3 . Tamron 17-70mm @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/105″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Tamron 17-70mm @ 54.7mm . f4.5 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . Tamron 17-70mm @ 17mm . f4 . 1/640″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

#10

Fuji X-H2S . XF80mm f2.8 @ 80mm . f2.8 . 1/680″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

#11

Fuji X-H2 . XF50mm f1 WR @ 50mm . f2 . 1/220″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

#12

Fuji X-H2 . XF50mm f1 WR @ 50mm . f1.8 . 1/120″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

#13

Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/500″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

#14

Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/1600″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

#15

Fuji X-T5 . XF30mm f2.8 @ 30mm . f2.8 . 1/60″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

#16

The last one that I did not post in any of my blogs at all.

Fuji X-H2 . XF50mm f1 @ 50mm . f1.8 . 1/110″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Thank you for reading (browsing).

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

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Reviews

FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro – Always Ready To Shoot

December 1, 2022December 1, 2022 Alwin Kok

We all know the function and purpose of a camera rear body cap. It is to cover and protect the sensor when it is not in use. That’s simple.

Some of us might even be aware of some interesting body caps such as Fujifilm XM-FL 24mm, 7artisans 18mm f6.3, or other pinhole body cap lenses. The purpose is to enjoy the fun of shooting and create very lomography kind of photo results.

Before I continue further, I would like to thank the good guy at FunLeader for sending this cap lens to me for review without any hesitation. I am grateful to them for supporting and believing in me. Nonetheless, this post is not biased and shared purely my experience with the cap lens.

Intro

FunLeader launched their first FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8.0 (a Kickstarter product) back in December 2019. It is still available on FunLeader’s website today! And now, FunLeader launches their upgraded cap lens and it is called FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 0.3m-∞ Pro. From the name, we can tell there must be something different from their 2019 cap lens, and of course, the name has already given out the hint.

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/1250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

This 27mm (in full-frame equivalent) wide-angle focal length is one of the popular focal lengths among street photographers. As the name suggested, f8 is its brightest aperture. In fact, f8 is the only aperture, and no other aperture options are available to choose from. So how is it going to perform as an f8 lens? Continue to scroll down.

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/170″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Note: This cap lens comes with 2 mounts, E-mount and X-mount.

Design & Build Quality

It is an aluminum build cap lens. It is well constructed with unexpectedly sleek and decent built quality. It weighs 71 grams and is 17 mm thick! It seems light in number but you can feel the weight of the cap lens when you hold it in your hand.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/28″ . ISO 2500 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative

Being a cap lens also means that there is no filter thread for you to mount your filters in and does not come with a lens cap.

Focusing

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/2″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Like all cap lenses, it is a fixed aperture and non-electronic contact. The similarity stops here. FunLeader 18mm f8 pro comes with an adjustable focus dial with distances between 0.3m, 0.5m, 0.7m, 1m, 2m, and infinity. If you are aware, the usual body cap lenses do not provide such functionality.

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative

The idea of having an adjustable focus distance is excellent. It allows photographers to have close to manual lens shooting experience.

And very similar to changing the aperture on some manual lenses, changing between the focus distances gives excellent clicky feedback.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/280″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/28″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Image Quality

I do not have the first-generation cap lens from FunLeader, hence, I am not sure how much the image quality has improved in this pro version. In my opinion, the image quality is within my expectation. That doesn’t mean the image quality is excellent but acceptable for a cap lens.

I noticed that the photos look better with any focus distance except for infinity. For most focus distances, the results look good, adequately sharp with decent contrast in it.

At infinity, the shots sometimes look unexpectedly soft, lacking a certain level of sharpness, and contrast. Vignetting is pretty strong with this cap lens. On the other hand, thanks to the small aperture value, I do not observe any chromatic aberration.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/100″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T3 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/30″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/80″ . ISO 2500 . Nostalgic Negative

By the way, if you are looking to create a sunny star shot from this cap lens, you should probably look out for another lens because this cap lens does not come with any aperture blade.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/58″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/680″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/280″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/1250″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

Honestly, for a cap lens to have an MFD of 30 cm is impressive. It is a tiny, extremely compact “lens” than any other lens out there in the market. For comparison, XM-FL 24mm has an MFD of 1 meter, 7artisans 18mm f6.3 is 35cm and the original cap lens is 80 cm.

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/150″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/85″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

As I mentioned earlier, the results at 30 cm are pretty usable. The sharpness and contrast are pretty good here.

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/420″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/180″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

Other

FunLeader is a thoughtful company. Knowing that most photographers will stick the cap lens to their camera, FunLeader still includes a pouch for the cap lens when it is not in use. “Lens” protection in a way.

Something to note and maybe it is only me (user problem). I do encounter some dust trapped around the cap lens, especially the gap between the focus dial and the non-movable area. Some of the dust can be easily removed but some are just stubbornly stuck there.

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/2400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative

Secondly, due to its slim design, the focus dial is slim too. Hence, it is a little hard to grab with big fingers. But I get used to it after a little familiarization.

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/20″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative
Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/120″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Although it is not able to create a sunny star shot, it does have some flares when you are facing the sun.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/750″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/150″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

Price Point

For the price of 139 USD, it is not cheap as there are many fully functional manual lenses around this price or even cheaper. But if you want it, you will get it, right?

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/6400″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

Who is this for?

This wide-angle cap lens covers quite a good coverage of photography genres such as landscape, cityscape, and street.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/25″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/45″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Like all cap lenses, this cap lens comes with one and only one aperture, f8. If you are looking for challenging yourself shooting street with a fixed aperture lens, for the “Lomographic” fun and enjoying straightforward results, then this cap lens might be suitable for you.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/210″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T3 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/400″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/56″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Also, the holiday season is coming and I think it is a great gift to your fellow photographer friends.

Conclusion

From this Caplens 18mm f8 Pro, I can see innovation from the company. FunLeader had made some good improvements from the first-generation cap lens such as improved MFD, lighter weight, and most important of all, focus dial. This focus dial is the first of its kind and no one else actually did it, except FunLeader.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/80″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-E3 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/20″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

I hope to see more interesting lenses coming out from FunLeader, especially for the APS-C world.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/160″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T3 . FunLeader Caplens 18mm f8 Pro @ 18mm . f8 . 1/80″ . ISO 2500 . Nostalgic Negative

If you are interested in getting this cap lens, the good guy at FunLeader has given me the coupon code “ALWINKOK” and you can enjoy 5% off with your purchase at checkout.

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 – The Second Fastest Lens

November 25, 2022 Alwin Kok

TTArtisan has just announced yet another fast, bright lens. The TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 is the second lens after TTArtisan 50mm f0.95. If you are a fan of TTArtisan or somehow followed them closely, you will notice that they are slowly expanding and differentiating their product line-up. While they focus on compactness and portability lenses like the TTArtisan 25mm f2, they have another product line-up that goes “all-in” by creating the fastest, brightest lens they can. Can this lens do as good as its sibling? Let’s find out.

Before I continue with my sharing, I thank TTArtisan for sending this lens to me. To the readers passing by this blog post, you can rest assured that I give my honest opinions on this lens, similar to the rest of the TTArtisan products that I have shared.

Intro

This is TTArtisan’s second 35mm (or 50mm in full-frame equivalent focal length) lens for the APS-C sensor. This focal length is also one of my favorite focal lengths, especially for street shots and simple portraits, and I believe there are many photographers who love this focal length too.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative

Design & Build Quality

TTArtisan does a good job of distinguishing its lens design and this design element maintains the same as the TTArtisan 50mm f0.95. The zebra-like design, however, has received mixed opinions among photographers and some discussions are made among the groups.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/90″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

The aperture ring is as good as the rest of the TTArtisans lens lineup. It gives a very comfortable clicky experience when you rotate the aperture ring. I do enjoy changing apertures because of that even when I am just holding my camera in my hand.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/3500″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

TTArtisan provides screw-in lens cap like most of their lenses. But I do miss the cap-on lens cap found in TTArtisan 23mm f1.4.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f8 . 1/120″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f1.4 . 1/350″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

When I have this lens, there is no information about its specification and also its weight. So I use my wife’s kitchen weighing scale to weigh. It is 243 grams (258 grams with the lens cap). It is 168 grams lighter than the sibling so it is not the heaviest manual lens.

When you hold this lens, the first thing you will feel is the weight. Secondly, you can also feel how well the full metal and glass built quality are.

Image Quality

The depth of field of f0.95 is really very shallow and thus gives me an issue nailing the shots. When I manage to hit a focused shot, this lens can give a kind of soft and glowing character which gives us a kind of dreamy feel to the photos.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/1100″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/1800″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

On the other hand, chromatic aberration and vignetting are observable, especially at wide open. This is an expected result (at least to me) but it can fix in post-processing.

In my test, nonetheless, shooting at f2 meets my minimum acceptance of a good level of sharpness and contrast. Again, this is my personal preference and yours might be different from me.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/20″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative

Focusing

The manual focusing ring still gives a very smooth rotating experience with small gentle friction. Honestly speaking, I love it.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/58″ . ISO 3200 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/125″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

The focus throw is approximately 180° which gives an ample amount of “distance” for more precise and easier focus. This really helps a lot, particularly for photographers who are not getting used to manual focus.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

Similar to most 35mm lenses out in the market, the MFD is 35 cm. In my opinion, nothing to complain about the MFD. Shooting at this MFD allows better subject-background separation but if you shoot wide open, you will get to see heavier dreamy soft shots than any other focus distance.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/9000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/3500″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Classic Chrome

Price Point

Given that it is one of the fastest lenses in the market, at 199 USD, I think the lens is well-priced and also slightly cheaper than its sibling. Moreover, the price is highly competitive as compared to its competitors.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/110″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/140″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Who is this for?

This lens is a lens you can consider if you are a dreamy and soft photo lover and you know what you want to achieve with this lens. It is also lighter than its sibling, making it a better option if someone wants that fast and bright lens.

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/1700″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/1600″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f1.4 . 1/1500″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

If you are a first-timer with manual lenses and you are unsure if you want to invest in them or are ready for the world of manual focusing lenses, then I think you can consider many other TTArtisan lenses that are an even lighter and more affordable option.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/4700″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/1800″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

if you are like me who prefers the results taken at f2, shouldn’t it make sense for me to choose the other f2 lenses instead of this one? Yes, you can consider that but photographers always say that it is always to have such a lens on standby with you. Because you never know when you will need it.

Conclusion

Both siblings share a lot of common things like image quality, built quality, and the character of the lens. Everything I expect from this lens is within my expectation, which is a good thing. If choosing between the 2 siblings, I will prefer to get this lens over the other, all because of the weight and versatility.

Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/34″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/85″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/250″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

TTArtisan shows no sign of stopping here and I am sure these benefits photographers like us as we have more lens options to choose from. My guess is that they are probably going to launch the 3rd lens for this category and I hope that 23mm will be the one. I am excited and looking forward to what TTArtisan has up its sleeve in the year 2023.

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

TTArtisan 25mm f2 – A Tiny Street Lens

November 7, 2022November 24, 2022 Alwin Kok

TTArtisan focuses very much on portability and compactness and TTArtisan 25mm f2 is another product born from this idea.

Before I begin, I thank TTArtisan for their tremendous support towards me. For readers out there, you can rest assured that I am and always give my honest opinions for their products and that’s including this lens.

Intro

At 38mm full-frame equivalent focal length, it reminds me of the point-and-shoot film camera back in those days. I remember it was just a fixed focal length and I think it was quite common back then before it goes wider and wider and wider…

Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/100″ . ISO 250 . Classic Negative

It is not a common focal length by today’s standards and I believe this focal length is not every photographer’s first focal length in mind.

Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/100″ . ISO 400 . Classic Negative

Design & Build Quality

The design element of this TTArtisan 25mm f2 follows exactly the same as the TTArtisan 50mm f2. Modern, minimalistic, and sleek are probably the best words to describe this lens.

Left: Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/100″ . ISO 1000 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/120″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

The aperture ring still comes with that enjoyable and satisfying clicky experience. As for the manual focus ring, it is still as smooth as the other TTArtisan lenses. Basically, you are assured that this lens’s quality is maintained at TTArtisan’s standard.

The lens cap is the screw-in type. It is up to individuals to love it or hate it. As for me, more like I have to get used to it.

Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f8 . 1/2000″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f8 . 1/2700″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f5.6 . 1/3200″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

At 167.4 grams, the weight of this lens is really good to hold. Although it is not as light as the newly announced TTArtisan AF 27mm f2.8, it is still the lightest among their manual lens lineups.

Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f4 . 1/950″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

There is one thing that I have never mentioned in all my manual lens reviews. In case you wonder, the lens does protrude a little when you rotate the focus ring to the Minimum Focus Distance (MFD).

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

It has a small filter size of 43mm. If you are looking for a hood to put it on, it is still able to find one online. Please note that no hood is included.

Image Quality

The image quality from this lens is surprisingly good and I meant it. Who would expect a lens that is so affordable yet has decent image quality? Typically we expect some will cut corners somehow.

Left: Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/110″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji X-E3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f8 . 1/9000″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

Also, you will also observe some vignetting for wide-open shots. This is a common behavior for TTArtisan lenses and this applies to other third-party lenses too.

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Focusing

From MFD to infinity, the focus throw is approximately 160°. In my view, this compact lens gives quite an ample amount of “distance” for more precise focusing.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 2000 . Classic Chrome

Like most manual lenses, the result is might not at its sharpest at the infinity marking. Rotate slightly backward on the focus ring to get a better result.

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

This lens has an MFD of 25 cm which means it can do quite a close-up shot if you want to. You will also notice some softness when shooting at MFD wide-open. I think it is acceptable and pretty much-expected behavior.

Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/2700″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

Price Point

While I thought that the TTArtsian 50mm f2 is the cheapest lens, this 25mm has set a whole new record of 55 USD. Yes, this is how much this lens costs. It can go even lower with occasional promotion from TTArtisan.

Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/2500″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative

Others

There are always pros and cons for all lenses. This lens is no exception. Well, it depends on how you see this negative thing. If you point the lens facing to a light source at a specific angle at f2, you will have a light-blooming effect. Some people love it, and some people don’t. As for me, I kind of love it as it gives an additional special character to the lens. The blooming effect will get reduced with a smaller aperture. But beyond the light-blooming effect, it can also introduce some unique flare. So please beware. Lens hood might be able to solve this problem. If you happened to own this lens and a compatible lens hood, please let me know if it does solve it.

Fuji X-E3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/60″ . ISO 2000 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/90″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Who is this for?

This is easily one of the most affordable and usable lenses to consider if you want to experience what it is like using a fully manual lens. The focal length of this lens is very easy to adapt to and is very suitable for genres like street, journalist, documentaries, landscapes, cityscapes, and even portraits.

Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/1400″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

For photographers who want to let their older Fujifilm cameras have their “second life”, you can consider getting one too. It might spice up your love with the cameras again.

Left: Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/850″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative
Right: Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/1800″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

Fuji X-Pro 3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/3500″ . ISO 160 . Classic Negative

Conclusion

TTArtisan surprised me once again with this lens. At USD 55, this is the cheapest manual lens ever produced by TTArtisan yet. But they do not compromise on both build quality and image quality. In fact, I am surprised by how usable the images are at wide open and the build quality is as good as other TTArtisan lenses. This is easily a recommendation from me to a photographer wanting to experience manual lenses.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 800 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 25mm f2 @ 25mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 3200 . Classic Chrome

I love to see more of this compact lens series with an affordable price point in the near future. Please continue to give us some surprises.

Thank you for reading.

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Reviews

TTArtisan 50mm f2 – A Tiny Portrait lens

August 15, 2022November 24, 2022 Alwin Kok

I think TTArtisan has a soft spot for “50mm” and they released the 50mm f0.95 not too long ago. And now, TTArtisan had just released its third 50mm lens and it is the most compact 50mm lens TTArtisan ever made but it is the slowest in the lineup yet.

But there is something different about this lens from the other 50mm lenses and that is this lens is designed as a full-frame lens but can also be mounted with various APS-C lens mounts (i.e. X-mount, M-mount, E-mount, RF-mount, Z-mount and M43-mount).

Does that mean the image quality is better because the optical glass is bigger than the APS-C sensor size? Let’s find out.

Before I start, I would like to thank TTArtisan for sending me this lens for review and it is my privilege to do so. But you can rest assured that this review will be based on the lens I received and it is purely on my own opinion.

Fuji X-H2S . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/4700″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

Design & Build Quality

The design is different from that of 50mm f0.95 and 23mm f1.4. You will not see the zebra-like design in this lens. Having said that, it gives a minimalistic and more modern-look design.

Left: Fuji X-H2S . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/7500″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-H2S . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f11 . 1/280″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

The aperture ring and the manual focus ring are still the same quality as any other TTArtisan lenses. The enjoyable clicky feedback on the aperture ring is one of my favourites among other 3rd party manufacturers while the manual focus ring is giving a satisfying smooth experience.

Left: Fuji X-H2S . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/7500″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-H2S . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/320″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

Speaking about the lens cap, it is also the common screw-in type, similar to most TTArtisan lenses. Love it or hate it. It depends on the individual.

Left: Fuji X-H2S . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f5.6 . 1/6800″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative
Right: Fuji X-H2S . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative

The weight is 189 grams and that is without both front and rear lens caps. For comparison, XF27mm f2.8 WR is only 84 grams.

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/2200″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Another thing to note: the filter thread is 43mm.

Image Quality

In my opinion, the sharpness is decently sharp at wide open. Speaking of shallow depth of field, f2 gives a considerably good separation between subject and background. Of course, it is not as shallow as other faster prime lenses can give. Shooting at f2.8 or smaller apertures gives a better rendering of sharpness and contrast. However, I am pretty satisfied with the image quality at f2.

Left: Fuji X-H2S . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/170″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-E3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/1400″ . ISO 200 . Classic Chrome

Left: Fuji X-E3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/1400″ . ISO 200 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-E3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/1400″ . ISO 200 . Classic Chrome

In my testing, chromatic aberration and vignetting are surprisingly better (based on my past experiences with other TTArtisan lenses). Although they are slightly observed especially when you are shooting wide open. Nonetheless, they can be fixed in post-processing, so this is the last I should worry about.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/160″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/220″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 2000 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

The sunny star shot is not the sharpest I have seen, but it is okay. Do note the rainbow flare if you want to avoid it.

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f16 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600 . Classic Chrome

Focusing

From MFD to infinity, the focus throw is approximately 160°. In my view, this compact lens gives quite an ample amount of “distance” for more precise focusing.

Left: Fuji X-E3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/1600″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-E3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/1000″ . ISO 400 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f5.6 . 1/3200″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/300″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Like most manual lenses, the result is might not at its sharpest at the infinity marking. Rotate slightly backwards on the focus ring to get a better result.

Left: Fuji X-H2S . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f5.6 . 1/1500″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

At 75mm (in full-frame equivalent), the 50cm MFD is no different from other 50mm lenses. I was expecting that the MFD will be further because of the compactness of the lens but I was wrong. At least this is something I think is quite a remarkable achievement from the TTArtisan engineers.

Fuji X-H2S . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/3200″ . ISO 320 . Classci Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/600″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/14000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/5000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

When shooting at MFD, I do notice a little softness in the image. From my standpoint, I think it is totally acceptable.

Price Point

At 69 USD, this is one of the most affordable lenses TTArtisan offers. There is another 69 USD lens (at least at this moment in writing this review) from TTArtisan and that is 35mm f1.4.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/1800″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/1300″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2 . 1/7000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Who is this for?

For 69 USD, the amount is not that painful to spend. If you are new to photography and also wish to have some hands-on with a full pledge manual lens. If you want to attempt to try some portrait shots, this is also a good lens to try. Besides that, this lens can also be used for other genres like street, documentaries, landscapes, cityscapes and product shots.

There is another group of photographers who should consider this lens too. And they are photographers who are still using the older camera models and can consider getting this lens to spice up some love with the cameras and shoot.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f4 . 1/150″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/1100″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f5.6 . 1/4000″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f8 . 1/180″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f2.8 . 1/1600″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome

Conclusion

TTArtisan never fails to surprise photographers with their new lenses. They always have something to fill in those “gaps” in their lenses lineup. This makes me think about what is up on their sleeve.

Personally, I love to use this lens simply because of its compactness, nice-looking design and not compromising on the image quality that much. I think this lens is best matched with the X-E series and X-A series for achieving the most compact package.

Left: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f11 . 1/2900″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome
Right: Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f5.6 . 1/400″ . ISO 160 . Classic Chrome

Fuji X-T3 . TTArtisan 50mm f2 @ 50mm . f5.6 . 1/640″ . ISO 320 . Classic Chrome . 65:24 cropped

Meanwhile, I am still hoping TTArtisan will release the first autofocus lens for Fujifilm.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Some of the shots are slightly edited in Lightroom Classic to my preferences. Otherwise, the shots are straight out of the camera.
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.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you like my content and you want to show some support, you can buy me a coffee here.

Tag: manual lens

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