I think it very much worth noting that digital M lenses assume razor-thin digital M sensor stacks, and that anything wider than 50mm will tend to suffer greatly on the edges when adapted (i.e., performance will be much better on an M body). Kolari will mod sensor stacks on bodies like Sony to reduce their thickness and increase adapted M edge performance.
Seems strange they would make a cheap lens alternative that is designed to work on expensive bodies when most people looking for this type of cheaper lens wouldn’t have the right camera bodies or the modifications you described.
@@rws531 ZEISS and Voigtlander have both done very well with inexpensive M lenses and TTArtisan and 7Artisans are too. Just check out the best-seller list at B&H. The TT 28/5.6 is a very popular lens and I own one for my M10.
@@rws531 It actually makes sense. I've owned it on a Leica M10 as a simple lens to use for street photography. Since I don't use it quite as much, I don't feel the need to get the very expensive Leica lens. This lens is built just as well, with 90% of the performance and 100% of the aesthetics, why not! The Leica summaron's is a vintage remake anyway.
@@rws531 The same could be said for me spending $2000 on an a7III when they came out just to have a $20 Nikon 50mm lens from the 70s on it most of the time, but you use what you feel like using. If it does the job the way you want it to, no need to spend more than you have to, even if you're willing to spend $7000 on a body alone.
Like the others have said, wide-angle rangefinder lenses in particular have issues in the corners when adapted because they never expected to have a sensor with extra glass behind them. They really, _really_ expected film, and the digital lenses expect equally thin sensor stacks. You'd need to get your camera modified with a thin sensor stack mod if you want to review wide-angle M-mount lenses without a Leica body on hand. It likely wouldn't make _too_ big a difference in this specific case, but it would make one, and if any other tests of this exact same issue are any indication, it would be measurable.
some rangefinder wide angle lenes have terrible time adapting to Sony full frames. I am assuming this lens is one of that case. Looks cute on the camera though
I was told (but I can not verify) that Leica M mount lenses (whoever the manufacture is) in general work best on Panasonic cameras outside of Leica due to partnership sharing. I have no evidence to support that claim, but if you happen to get your hands on a Panasonic S-series camera, it would be a good evaluation.
I am suprised about some negative comments here. Perhaps quality control is an issue such that there are good and bad specimens around. If so, I have been lucky. I made well-controlled tests of my ttA 28 against the Summicron 28 (v1), the Ultron 28 (v2) (and the somewhat odd Orion-15) . Just to be brief, let me only mention centre performance at f5.6 and infinity: The Ultron is clearly sharper than the Summicron and the ttA is just about as sharp as the Ultron. Naturally, sharpness falls off towards the edges but nothing that would even remotely justify awarding the ttA trash status. The lens does flare if you provoke it. The hood, however, is quite effective (and cute). I am happy with my ttA: It performs and handles very well and is beautifully made.
On the subject of lens adapters, have you seen the Megadap Sony E to Nikon Z Autofocus Adapter v2 that WEX video Photo have just started stocking? would be great to see it tested on a Z7 if you have the time. I have a z6 that has lost most of it's value now, but I love astrophotography with it, and the video features including output aren't half bad - still the cheapest RAW output camera I can find. Using my Sony lenses would be sweet if it works.
I'm also curious to know if it would handle my Tamron 35-150 f2-2.8 at 1.3kg. I know the techchart one suffered with warping from heavier lenses, but if they used Ar400 steel or something it would have been better. I can't find stats referring to max weight capacity of the adapter or lens mounts generally anywhere.
Could you test the TTartisan 25mm f2? It looks like a great cheap and small walk around lens, however I'm concerned the image quality is just a little too bad
I would skip this and get the Ultron II 28f2. You’ll never sell that lens. It is magic. In terms of IQ, The same and sometimes better than the Summicron but smaller and made of brass. 28mm is like 35mm but more useful.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw this one is so cute.... if i didnt just lack the time i would be such a fanatic about fun special lenses even willing to buy a few different bodies (heck i am happy i didnt knew fujifilm that well when i bought my canon , those looks.... ) just to play with em all. Luckily or unluckily, i even lack the time to check and edit all my pictures in time. Just finished a set from last august so i now can put together my photobook :D
Assuming one buys this lens to take photos and not just for its aesthetic value it does’t seem to add any value in terms of creating a distinctive look or feel. I own the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 for APS-C which costs much less and it creates images with character especially in low light and low contrast.
I don't know how the original Leica lens performs but thanks to Chris again this copycat of that lens deserves to be displayed on the shelf rather than used for taking pictures.
This lens is a much better performer on Leica M cameras. The Sony’s thicker sensor stack (protective layer, infrared blocking layer, etc.) is the cause of the smeary corners.
The Leica version is very similar in performance because it's a vintage remake. The corners are as dark and the sharpness is about the same. 90% of Leica shooters (not purists) will buy this over the Leica lens.
This lens was created as both an homage to the original Leica lens and a lens strictly suited to street photography. I own it and use it on my Leica M240. It renders colours nicely and is even better suited for black and whites which I mostly shoot. We don’t need perfect corners for street photography. If the corners are that much of an issue they can be corrected in post. All in all I’d say TTArtisan did a great job with this lens and it’s at the right price point. This lens is definitely for creative shooting and not for professional or studio shooting. Street photographers unit! 😂
It's a bit pointless testing this on a Sony camera. These M mount lenses always perform terribly in the corners on Sony cameras. I've seen this lens tested on an M240 vs the Leica lens it's a copy of, and it performs a lot better on a real M mount camera. Not as good as the original Leica though!
@@DavidLeicamFotografia Unlikely you'll get it. TTArtisan has announced an LTM version of the lens, but even that is not out yet. For better performance and still a tiny and even cheaper lens, I'd recommend looking into a TTArtisan 28mm f2.8, it has autofocus on Fuji X and it's tiny too. Chris did a review of it as well.
I get what they're trying to do here but no one with a leica is buying one of them and i doubt any mirrorless users want to spend £300 on a slower lens than their kit lens.
Any big-brand 28mm lens from the 80s will outperform this thing. You'll get sharp corners and at least one stop more light, all for well under $100 USD.
I don't know what you are talking about. The Leica version is the original. TTFartisan steals this industrial design and cuts corners in developing such a lens and can therefore cut prices that way. Further Leica is further obliged to follow environmental protection acts whereas TTFartisan can flush everything down the Yangzte River. The Chinese can pay their workers what they want but they also demand for instance a 996 mentality. This is adding up to offer something at a very low price. Have this 996 mentality introduced in the UK then your prices will drop also. Then have a look around what company is the UK is able to produce such products. The only British manufacterer I think which is able to do this is Cooke Optics and then have look at their prices. Suddenly Leica's price becomes realistic again. Your wording is really hiddeous because you don't seems to value things and craftmenship within a developed nation. I only can shake my head. Maybe you should move to China and have look how basically the West is poluting our planet?
> value things and craftmenship within a developed nation. First of all, how do you test for "craftmenship" in a rather strict review style? Especially when you get a lens to review? As someone who did not grow up rich enough in this so called "developed nations", I care about the price to performance only. Bunch of rich people telling me I should have different values, cutting my life experience down, wanting to keep it to yourself? Well, I can show you the door if I'm polite enough. Leica and the likes are expensive for the sake of being expensive, which is shown with how Japanese lenses are often superior in image quality, and you will not blame them for polluting their own environment - that's a completely different thing, than China. And lastly, 300 USD for this lens isn't terribly cheap - given how much better performing and cheaper lenses you can get on digital mounts. It's a fashion statement more than a working lens. Again, it's to funnel money out of Leica owners, they have too much money and they will think this is a bargain.
@@spaqin Firstly, Leica lenses are made by hand. According to my knowledge there are certain lenses that employ lens element that are polished by hand because it cannot be done with machines yet. This results in a high price. And this is what I consider craftmenship for instance. Secondly it is true that Leica is expensive for the sake of it. In my opinion however, TTartisan (also 7artisan and Viltrox) is stealing an industial design. This is the very essence of my comment. They all produce lenses that look very similar to Leica lenses or Fujifilm lenses. They only can be destinguished from another upon close examination. I am not going into details here. Designing an exterior barrel is very easy if you have access to computers but no. They are riding on someone elses marketing train and this is something I cannot support. DJI with their drones and gimbels - great stuff - even though I don't own it. Thirdly, Japan's economy also grew after WW II and their industrial sector was as polluting as in many others countries in Europe. There is no doubt. Today, their environmental protection is also on a very high standard. Fourthly, I would write a comment about anything, also about Japanese lenses. Image quality is something personal. Most people go for sharpness only and don't look how they render colours, transistions between foreground and background. Japanese lenses are manly sharp (subjective opinion here). Fiftly, I have also been blaming the West that they accept China's very polluting behaviour. The West produces the products as cheap as possible in order to retain a high profits. The West is not interested in an evironmental protection in China or equip their factories with such a technology to reduce poisenous or unhealthy emissions. Lastly, I have never said that $300 would be cheap. Myself, I don't know anyone who is using a Leica. I only tried it at a shop. I can tell you that it is a different experience. If you have the chance to try a Leica, please do so, even though it is out of reach. Your mind will change. I also want to encourage you to read about Leica lenses/diffences between German lenses and Japanese lenses. You might be very surprised because they have had a different approach.
I always ask myself who's the customer for this kind of lenses, they really sell more then a couple dozens? Leica user would never buy this thing ever, even if it was the last lens on the planet, they would prefer to burn their cameras rather then attaching that thing, and I cannot think of anyone spending 300$ + adapter to use a f5.6 manual focus prime on their mirrorless, when they can buy a used CaNikon AF 28mm f2.8 EF/F for half that money, or F1.8/2 for the same money. In comparison, my used RF 35 f1.8 IS and RF 16 f2.8 were paid 360€ and 200€ respectively..why tf they do manufacture something that basically no one is EVER going to buy? Just for adv? To circulate company's name and being reviewed? I think the only copies they have manufactured were the ones they sent away for testing...
Eh, low production probably, but it seems to sell well enough - on Chinese portals at least. Reviews often with a picture of a digital M, or M3. So that's the market - people who bought the Leica for the body, but still need some glass (and consider the 3k pricetag for the original a ripoff). And this one's rangefinder coupled too, so that's the niche.
You're telling me that there's a 28mm f5.6 lens out there that costs over $3,000? Forgive the language, but that is absolute bullshit. I could be a billionaire and that would still be absurd in my eyes.
I fail to see anything impressive about this lens, other than the very fact of such an unsharp dark piece of kit costing more than a nifty fifty. It's like hello form the film era
This lens is so disappointing, do not buy it. It's a waste of money. Let me explain it more. I bought this lens once and when I used my mobile flash light to check the lens I saw many little spots and dusts inside the lens, so I returned the lens and asked them to replace it with another brand new lens. In the second brand new lens, I could still find many spots, so this time i totally returned it and got a full refund. China knows how to mass produce a thing without troubling themselves to do quality check!!! I'm going to buy a vintage lens instead.
I think it very much worth noting that digital M lenses assume razor-thin digital M sensor stacks, and that anything wider than 50mm will tend to suffer greatly on the edges when adapted (i.e., performance will be much better on an M body). Kolari will mod sensor stacks on bodies like Sony to reduce their thickness and increase adapted M edge performance.
Seems strange they would make a cheap lens alternative that is designed to work on expensive bodies when most people looking for this type of cheaper lens wouldn’t have the right camera bodies or the modifications you described.
@@rws531 ZEISS and Voigtlander have both done very well with inexpensive M lenses and TTArtisan and 7Artisans are too. Just check out the best-seller list at B&H. The TT 28/5.6 is a very popular lens and I own one for my M10.
@@rws531 It actually makes sense. I've owned it on a Leica M10 as a simple lens to use for street photography. Since I don't use it quite as much, I don't feel the need to get the very expensive Leica lens. This lens is built just as well, with 90% of the performance and 100% of the aesthetics, why not! The Leica summaron's is a vintage remake anyway.
@@rws531 The same could be said for me spending $2000 on an a7III when they came out just to have a $20 Nikon 50mm lens from the 70s on it most of the time, but you use what you feel like using. If it does the job the way you want it to, no need to spend more than you have to, even if you're willing to spend $7000 on a body alone.
There is also analog shooters that are not paying 2k for Leicas. If you have a
Like the others have said, wide-angle rangefinder lenses in particular have issues in the corners when adapted because they never expected to have a sensor with extra glass behind them. They really, _really_ expected film, and the digital lenses expect equally thin sensor stacks. You'd need to get your camera modified with a thin sensor stack mod if you want to review wide-angle M-mount lenses without a Leica body on hand.
It likely wouldn't make _too_ big a difference in this specific case, but it would make one, and if any other tests of this exact same issue are any indication, it would be measurable.
some rangefinder wide angle lenes have terrible time adapting to Sony full frames. I am assuming this lens is one of that case. Looks cute on the camera though
The (less cute) looking 7Artisans 28mm/F5.6 lens is being sharper. Fine review Chris!
I really like my copy. I picked it up used for $150. It isn’t a clinical masterpiece, but it’s a fun lens.
what is fun exactly? I think it's just cute.
no its not, cope
I was told (but I can not verify) that Leica M mount lenses (whoever the manufacture is) in general work best on Panasonic cameras outside of Leica due to partnership sharing. I have no evidence to support that claim, but if you happen to get your hands on a Panasonic S-series camera, it would be a good evaluation.
excellent review and quite sincere, all other reviewers fail at telling the full truth.....many thanks
I use this on my Leica M3. My version is made of brass but painted black so as the paint wears off you get the idea.
Can u test the 7artisans Cine Vision lenses 1.05? Would be very nice
Firstisan. Oh, the pleasures of being a Patreon. You, non-patreon viewer, come over here and enjoy the perks!
9 months ago?
Ohhhhhh, this gear review gets my gears turning!!! xD Thanks as always Chris!!! :D
I am suprised about some negative comments here. Perhaps quality control is an issue such that there are good and bad specimens around. If so, I have been lucky. I made well-controlled tests of my ttA 28 against the Summicron 28 (v1), the Ultron 28 (v2) (and the somewhat odd Orion-15) . Just to be brief, let me only mention centre performance at f5.6 and infinity: The Ultron is clearly sharper than the Summicron and the ttA is just about as sharp as the Ultron. Naturally, sharpness falls off towards the edges but nothing that would even remotely justify awarding the ttA trash status. The lens does flare if you provoke it. The hood, however, is quite effective (and cute). I am happy with my ttA: It performs and handles very well and is beautifully made.
On the subject of lens adapters, have you seen the Megadap Sony E to Nikon Z Autofocus Adapter v2 that WEX video Photo have just started stocking?
would be great to see it tested on a Z7 if you have the time.
I have a z6 that has lost most of it's value now, but I love astrophotography with it, and the video features including output aren't half bad - still the cheapest RAW output camera I can find.
Using my Sony lenses would be sweet if it works.
I'm also curious to know if it would handle my Tamron 35-150 f2-2.8 at 1.3kg.
I know the techchart one suffered with warping from heavier lenses, but if they used Ar400 steel or something it would have been better.
I can't find stats referring to max weight capacity of the adapter or lens mounts generally anywhere.
Nice review…I’m surprised how sharp it is! Looks a bit like the Industar-22 from the 1950s
nice. Please more TTArtisans and 7artisans Videos.
Nice simple video! Can you please do a review on the new Tamron 50-400 mm for the Sony system?
Could you test the TTartisan 25mm f2? It looks like a great cheap and small walk around lens, however I'm concerned the image quality is just a little too bad
You'd be proven wrong
Tough crowd. I’ve been considering one of these to use on my M10 as a first foray into 28mm
Good choice for street. It's so light and very nice to handle.
I would skip this and get the Ultron II 28f2. You’ll never sell that lens. It is magic. In terms of IQ, The same and sometimes better than the Summicron but smaller and made of brass.
28mm is like 35mm but more useful.
Any chance you'll review some Leica M lenses?
No sunstar test again?
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw this one is so cute.... if i didnt just lack the time i would be such a fanatic about fun special lenses even willing to buy a few different bodies (heck i am happy i didnt knew fujifilm that well when i bought my canon , those looks.... ) just to play with em all. Luckily or unluckily, i even lack the time to check and edit all my pictures in time. Just finished a set from last august so i now can put together my photobook :D
Assuming one buys this lens to take photos and not just for its aesthetic value it does’t seem to add any value in terms of creating a distinctive look or feel. I own the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 for APS-C which costs much less and it creates images with character especially in low light and low contrast.
Comparing your 50mm to a 28mm seems silly at best. The value is in that if you want a 28mm, then this is a much better option than your 50mm smh.
It sort of works well on a Leica M in a streetwise Sunny 16 rule type shoot.............I think it is worth the cost especially for moody B&W.........
I don't know how the original Leica lens performs but thanks to Chris again this copycat of that lens deserves to be displayed on the shelf rather than used for taking pictures.
This lens is a much better performer on Leica M cameras. The Sony’s thicker sensor stack (protective layer, infrared blocking layer, etc.) is the cause of the smeary corners.
The Leica version is very similar in performance because it's a vintage remake. The corners are as dark and the sharpness is about the same. 90% of Leica shooters (not purists) will buy this over the Leica lens.
This lens was created as both an homage to the original Leica lens and a lens strictly suited to street photography. I own it and use it on my Leica M240. It renders colours nicely and is even better suited for black and whites which I mostly shoot. We don’t need perfect corners for street photography. If the corners are that much of an issue they can be corrected in post. All in all I’d say TTArtisan did a great job with this lens and it’s at the right price point. This lens is definitely for creative shooting and not for professional or studio shooting. Street photographers unit! 😂
I wish more autofocus tiny lenses exist not manual. For me manual has to be enormous for comfort. Don’t get the idea of this
It's a bit pointless testing this on a Sony camera. These M mount lenses always perform terribly in the corners on Sony cameras. I've seen this lens tested on an M240 vs the Leica lens it's a copy of, and it performs a lot better on a real M mount camera. Not as good as the original Leica though!
Works on Fujifilm cameras ?
Yes, it's a fully manual lens. Just buy a Leica M to FX adaptador.
@@HarryPowerColt I want it to work without the adapter, like others that were made for fujifilm
As Christopher said, this lens is only available for Leica M Mount right now, so you must use an adapter.
@@HarryPowerColt So I'll have to wait for a compatible version.
@@DavidLeicamFotografia Unlikely you'll get it. TTArtisan has announced an LTM version of the lens, but even that is not out yet. For better performance and still a tiny and even cheaper lens, I'd recommend looking into a TTArtisan 28mm f2.8, it has autofocus on Fuji X and it's tiny too. Chris did a review of it as well.
I get what they're trying to do here but no one with a leica is buying one of them and i doubt any mirrorless users want to spend £300 on a slower lens than their kit lens.
The fact that Leica makes a 28mm f/5.6 says people will in fact spend that much on an f/5.6 lens.
😎👌
the pagani design of lenses. Looks like the expensive thing, but it just achieves the bare minimum. I guess it's still better than nothing
Any big-brand 28mm lens from the 80s will outperform this thing. You'll get sharp corners and at least one stop more light, all for well under $100 USD.
Is it not a case you get what you pay for.
I don't know what you are talking about. The Leica version is the original. TTFartisan steals this industrial design and cuts corners in developing such a lens and can therefore cut prices that way. Further Leica is further obliged to follow environmental protection acts whereas TTFartisan can flush everything down the Yangzte River. The Chinese can pay their workers what they want but they also demand for instance a 996 mentality. This is adding up to offer something at a very low price. Have this 996 mentality introduced in the UK then your prices will drop also.
Then have a look around what company is the UK is able to produce such products. The only British manufacterer I think which is able to do this is Cooke Optics and then have look at their prices.
Suddenly Leica's price becomes realistic again.
Your wording is really hiddeous because you don't seems to value things and craftmenship within a developed nation. I only can shake my head. Maybe you should move to China and have look how basically the West is poluting our planet?
> value things and craftmenship within a developed nation.
First of all, how do you test for "craftmenship" in a rather strict review style? Especially when you get a lens to review?
As someone who did not grow up rich enough in this so called "developed nations", I care about the price to performance only. Bunch of rich people telling me I should have different values, cutting my life experience down, wanting to keep it to yourself? Well, I can show you the door if I'm polite enough.
Leica and the likes are expensive for the sake of being expensive, which is shown with how Japanese lenses are often superior in image quality, and you will not blame them for polluting their own environment - that's a completely different thing, than China.
And lastly, 300 USD for this lens isn't terribly cheap - given how much better performing and cheaper lenses you can get on digital mounts. It's a fashion statement more than a working lens. Again, it's to funnel money out of Leica owners, they have too much money and they will think this is a bargain.
@@spaqin
Firstly, Leica lenses are made by hand. According to my knowledge there are certain lenses that employ lens element that are polished by hand because it cannot be done with machines yet. This results in a high price. And this is what I consider craftmenship for instance.
Secondly it is true that Leica is expensive for the sake of it. In my opinion however, TTartisan (also 7artisan and Viltrox) is stealing an industial design. This is the very essence of my comment. They all produce lenses that look very similar to Leica lenses or Fujifilm lenses. They only can be destinguished from another upon close examination. I am not going into details here. Designing an exterior barrel is very easy if you have access to computers but no. They are riding on someone elses marketing train and this is something I cannot support. DJI with their drones and gimbels - great stuff - even though I don't own it.
Thirdly, Japan's economy also grew after WW II and their industrial sector was as polluting as in many others countries in Europe. There is no doubt. Today, their environmental protection is also on a very high standard.
Fourthly, I would write a comment about anything, also about Japanese lenses. Image quality is something personal. Most people go for sharpness only and don't look how they render colours, transistions between foreground and background. Japanese lenses are manly sharp (subjective opinion here).
Fiftly, I have also been blaming the West that they accept China's very polluting behaviour. The West produces the products as cheap as possible in order to retain a high profits. The West is not interested in an evironmental protection in China or equip their factories with such a technology to reduce poisenous or unhealthy emissions.
Lastly, I have never said that $300 would be cheap. Myself, I don't know anyone who is using a Leica. I only tried it at a shop. I can tell you that it is a different experience. If you have the chance to try a Leica, please do so, even though it is out of reach. Your mind will change. I also want to encourage you to read about Leica lenses/diffences between German lenses and Japanese lenses. You might be very surprised because they have had a different approach.
I always ask myself who's the customer for this kind of lenses, they really sell more then a couple dozens?
Leica user would never buy this thing ever, even if it was the last lens on the planet, they would prefer to burn their cameras rather then attaching that thing, and I cannot think of anyone spending 300$ + adapter to use a f5.6 manual focus prime on their mirrorless, when they can buy a used CaNikon AF 28mm f2.8 EF/F for half that money, or F1.8/2 for the same money.
In comparison, my used RF 35 f1.8 IS and RF 16 f2.8 were paid 360€ and 200€ respectively..why tf they do manufacture something that basically no one is EVER going to buy? Just for adv? To circulate company's name and being reviewed? I think the only copies they have manufactured were the ones they sent away for testing...
Eh, low production probably, but it seems to sell well enough - on Chinese portals at least. Reviews often with a picture of a digital M, or M3. So that's the market - people who bought the Leica for the body, but still need some glass (and consider the 3k pricetag for the original a ripoff). And this one's rangefinder coupled too, so that's the niche.
Horrid lens
You're telling me that there's a 28mm f5.6 lens out there that costs over $3,000? Forgive the language, but that is absolute bullshit. I could be a billionaire and that would still be absurd in my eyes.
Weird map with no real puzzle. All you do is going forward.
I fail to see anything impressive about this lens, other than the very fact of such an unsharp dark piece of kit costing more than a nifty fifty. It's like hello form the film era
This lens is so disappointing, do not buy it. It's a waste of money. Let me explain it more. I bought this lens once and when I used my mobile flash light to check the lens I saw many little spots and dusts inside the lens, so I returned the lens and asked them to replace it with another brand new lens. In the second brand new lens, I could still find many spots, so this time i totally returned it and got a full refund. China knows how to mass produce a thing without troubling themselves to do quality check!!! I'm going to buy a vintage lens instead.
Yeah, it looks pretty, but as per usual for TTArtisan, optically, it's rubbish. Pretty sure the TT stands for 'totally trash'
Very true.
Utterly useless lens.