That's just great. When I bought my MFT olympus it was a conscious decision to ditch large full frame body and a bunch of heavy lenses in favor of a small body with a standard zoom. And now I have an MFT body with a quickly growing collection of primes... with another one on the way.
Thank you for your comparison, 23mm field curvature is pain to deal with. So this 25mm is a game changer for ttartisan, and a cheaper price's always welcomed.
Game changer is maybe saying too much, the 25/2 also is not perfect (corner sharpness, straylight performance at f/2). Would be interesting if someone made a lens that maybe is 2x the price (so still very affordable) but then cures the small quality issues we still see with the 25/2 or also the 50/2.
Thanks for the video. I bought both lens, and kept the 25mm, returned 23mm f1.4, because it is smaller and lighter. however, the biggest problem for these cheap manual lens is the flare when it is wide open. The flare is horrible at night time. You have to lower down to 2.8 or more. Makes F2 not very usable.
I love these videos! There are not a lot of channels covering the TTArtisan Lenses in such a detail as you are. I am on a very tight budget, so I am always looking for cheap and affordable lenses. Got my X-T3 used on eBay for around 670€ for the body, last year - which was a lot for me already. I have the TTartisan 35 and the 50 already, but I desperately need a wider lens soon. Thinking about the 17 or maybe one of these two lenses in this video - I really like the pancake design of the 25! Thanks anyway for all these comparisons!
Thanks for your feedback! The 17/1.4 is much wider than these two, of course. Its barrel design is more similar to the 35/1.4. I did a review about the 17mm some time ago, in case you didn't see it: ruclips.net/video/OJ8aVDbtUxk/видео.html
Thanks Tom! Yes, I already watched your 17mm video. I think it is just a case of thinking about it for a while, which I need more. I just like the 25mm more because of the pancake form factor. But I guess the 17mm would be more useful overall, especially for landscape photos. I used to have the very cheap 15-45 kit lens, so I am used to a very wide 15mm, but some months ago it broke on me...the zoom got stuck when I turned the camera on, a while ago, and I couldn't get it fixed. So I guess a bit of a tighter 17mm would be a a better replacement for me. I guess I just need to sleep on it, a day or two. Allthough the 17mm is nearly twice as expensive as the 25mm. Anyway, thanks a lot for your helpful videos!
I hope you post the instructional video of how you fix the infinity focus soon. I have the 23mm and 35mm versions and both of them the hard stop is off. So I have to back off slightly to achieve proper focus. Makes it harder to just do it without checking viewfinder each shot. I know it's a matter of loosening the 3 set screws but a detailed step by step guide would be great. Thank you, I may still pickup the 25mm since I like it's size.
Nice comparison Tom! i skipped on the 23mm but got 25mm as soon as it hit the market, not waiting for reviews. Once i got it i was pleasantly surprised that it did not required focus adjustment like 50mm and 35mm. For 25mm i was sold on form factor since its just smaller lens than 23mm and pairs with my old xe1 just great. The 23mm is a bit of lackluster imho with its strange field curvature.
Hi Michal, I agree that the 25/2 is a great choice today. Especially given that your lens doesn't need any adjustment for infinity. And yes these lenses fit the X-E series perfectly!
I use the 25 mm bought it for 65 Dollars and for this - its a winner. Did a lot of street with it, and it works OK in low light too, but very good when the light is just right. I have my doubts that a lens which is 10 times the price is really 10 times better. IMO in many reviews people do not get the manual focus right at open-a. Its not perfectly sharp but its far away form what I saw in some reviews. 25 mm is really bang for the bug. I would have paid there or four times the 65 bucks, if the lens would be faster - for me it does not has to be the modern over sharpness. For now I stick with 25 mm and I am curious if TTA will come around with a faster smallish lens for street photography.😮❤
Thanks for sharing your experience with this lens! And I agree that it would be great if there would be a really faster 23-25mm lens that is not so much bigger! Maybe the new 7Artisans 24/1.4 is interesting for you? I did 2 more recent videos where I use that lens, so if you want, check them out as well!
Thank you for this, I was torn between these two and you helped make my decision easier.....now all I need to decide is TTArtisan 25mm f2, 7Artisans 25mm F1.8 or Pergear 25mm f1.7!
Surprisingly little difference especially in the bokeh. I am surprised. I got the 25 mm already and it looks like I don't need to switch for the bigger 23 mm.
I own the 25mm. Picked it up for pennies about a year ago. While I wouldn't use it for serious projects, it is a very fun lens to use and always surprises me with a few great shots whenever I use it. It lives on my walkabout camera (XT20). Would recommend it to anyone on a budget but it's not a does everything lens.
Thomas, you know how longer focal lengths give more background blur, and the miniscule 2 millimeters difference is enough to make the 25 f 2.0 seem like a 23 f 1.8 or 1.7, which is not radically different to the 1.4! Bart, Los Angeles, Ca.
I absolutely agree! Still there is more to it in this case, not just the small differences in focal length. By the way, I now produced another video comparing these two lenses and the new 7Artisans 24/1.4 … in that video you can also see that there is a noticeable difference in speed between the 7Artisans and TT Artisan f/1.4‘s. I do think the TT Artisans 23/1.4 is just a bit slower than it ought to be!
Sometimes you wonder why one pays hundreds or even thousand of dollars buying expensive lenses, I am sure there are reasons. I suggest you make a video compare expensive to cheap lenses, under what circumstances one uses cheap lenses and when to use expensive ones. e.g. Paid service use expensive ones and casual shooting use cheap lenses. Overall good review. Most photographers prefer to use really expensive lenses, just to show of, but if one can capture great images using cheap one I think the thrill is far greater.
The cheap lenses do have some small issues. But (1) you can work around them easily in 99.9% of all cases and (2) sometimes, expensive lenses also have issues. Voigtländer didn't send me a 23/1.4 or 35/1.2 yet :) ... Most expensive lenses also come with auto focus. The shooting experience is completely different, hard to compare. I agree it is interesting to compare a modern "expensive" auto focus lens with a cheap manual-focus lens. Many will say though that it's comparing apples with oranges ...
Thanks!.... I believe its the fact that the their 24.5mm vs 27.5mm respectively. I did a calculation at 2 meters. The 23 f1.4 have 0.45 meters vs 0.54 for the 25 f2 Thats only roughly 18 inches vs 21 inches DOF. Not much at all.
Hello Tom. Thank you for this video. I have the 23/1.4, and I am pleased with it, on both X-Pro 1 and 11:41 X-E1. I was just wondering which one is best for landscape showing less field curvature, 23/1.4 or 25/2?
Many thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it! And by the way, if you're in the market for these lenses, also check out my newer video where I also show the new 7Artisans 24/1.4: ruclips.net/video/zMwYJNE8QoQ/видео.html
what a lovely review.... all points covered so well! new subscriber here. Thanks. One thing in the future might be interesting is to see the lens autofocusing with the sound as well hehe thansk
Thanks a lot! I do not review AF lenses often so far. The ones I already got are so quiet that there’s not a lot to record but still I will think of your suggestion in the future!
I bought both of these 2 weeks ago and was really surprised how SOFT the detents (clicks) are on the aperture rings. To me, they are nearly click-less. Any other TT owners experience this as well? I am wondering if I got bad copies or if this is the way these lenses are designed.
I hope anyone else can also comment on this yes! The lenses that I have got have nice aperture clicks - not very hard but certainly not almost click-less. But again, I'd also love to hear from others - the issue is that I can only review one single sample, sometimes maybe two, but there might be sample-to-sample variations that I miss!
Actually I was also surprised about these results. Especially as I made a comparison with the Zonlai and Kamlan f/1.8 lenses before and there the background blur of the 23/1.4 was much more, just as you would expect!
I think you're referring to the field curvature. The 25/2 doesn't have that characteristic. In my video there are several landscape shots at all the different apertures. Watch it in 4k and you can maybe already see how the 23/1.4 has some weakness in an area between the center and the borders of the frame, and the 25/2 doesn't have that problem. At f/8, however, both lenses are sharp across the frame. The only problem with the 25/2 is that the four edges of the frame are almost never 100% sharp. Apart from that it is sharper than the 23/1.4 for distant shots like landscapes. In the end, both lenses are not perfect in terms of sharpness, but hey there has to be some room for improvement considering they are sub $100 ...
@@tomscameras Thank you very much for the detailed response! Indeed the 25 seems to be better in that regard! And this should also be the reason for this behavior. The lens is awesome especially for the price!
Thank you for your great review! I have already the 7artisans 25 f1.8 lens so I would be interested wich one is the better choice. What I do like in my 7artisan lens is the outstanding center sharpness, bokeh and the close minimal focus distance. The mid frame and the edge sharpness is much worse.
Great comparison! I already knew the 23mm had a midzone sharpness dip but I didn't know the bokeh would be so similar. I would expect a bigger difference here, not much of a difference in 23mm vs 25mm FOV so 1.4 vs 2.0 bokeh should show more noticeable differences. The real test of bokeh was the portrait shot at about 3:37. The 2.0 has less bokeh but it's a bit softer in character which is a nice trick - check the bush in the center and the bush line on the right. Also, notice the huge chromatic aberrations in the upper right on the 1.4, the 2.0 doesn't suffer from that nearly as bad. I once thought the 23mm would be the one to get but now I might prefer the 25mm. Thanks!
Actually I was a big fan of the 23/1.4 when it was new, but yes, since the 25/2 is out, I hardly use the 23mm anymore. It would be nice if they maybe design an updated version of the 23/1.4 at some point!
I have a question about flair in daylight. The 25mm is very vulnerable to getting a "light stain" when pointed in direction of the sun. It does not look experimental or professional, just like a stain in the top of the image. Do you know what they are called, and have you a way to compare them? I suspect they also would have the great creative potential
I think you're talking about "veiling flare", see this link: photographylife.com/what-is-ghosting-and-flare You can reduce that by shading the front lens element either with a lens hood or also with your hand. And yes it can sometimes ruin a specific shot but often just a really slight amount of reframing or repositioning your camera (plus shading the front lens elements) will cure it!
Yeah I think it is lensflare. It would be nice to make a video about that! Seems that more elements in the prime, more ghosts, and so on. Maybe this 25mm is very compact, so different. I will look for an SD filter or a hood or a hand
I plan on going to tokyo soon and I am very conflicted on which TT artisan lens to get (23 1.4, 25 f2, or 35 1.4. I currently have the kit lens (18-55) But I am a little concerned that since I wish to do lots of light photography mainly in tokyo and kyoto that f2.8 minimum might struggle a bit and force me to increase the iso too much. I know these things are kinda subjective but any chance you could give a quick opinion on this? Also I am kind of considering the sigma f1.4 since it has autofocus but i heard that many lenses struggle in lowlight with AF anyway so maybe I could get away with saving the money and going for TTartisan
Oh that’s a hard question: my personal suggestion is that the TT Artisan 35/1.4 is the number one manual focus lens anyone should get to supplement their AF lenses! It’s cheap, versatile and the optics are fantastic! But you should be aware that manual focusing can be tricky if you are not used to it. So a fast Auto Focus lens might also be a good idea, like for example the Viltrox 33/1.4.
Nice movie, beautiful and useful. But please! What about adjustable infinity stop on 25/2. Flying out is so irritating. If it possible to define where to stop, I will sooo happy.
I have 23 1.4 and I know exacly about ca issue and edge coner sharpness below f5.6 f5.6 is sharp across the frame but I can use 1.4 on nighttime for background blur and don't care about edge sharness I try 25f2 the lens is very compact I almost love it but the coner sharpness is also f5.6 if I'm not own 23 1.4 diffinitely buy 25 f2 for lighter my camera don't have ibis and 1.4 is nice to have
It really depends on the setting! Yes, I do find f/1.4 or even f/0.95 (with the 35mm lenses) sometimes really helpful when there is a very low light scene! And then there are literally weeks where I never miss that ultra-fast apertures ...
Hi. I just received the 25mm F2 and I'm really optimistic!! It fits well and seems promising for my basic needs. Thanks for supporting me with the decision-making!
Yes. It works well. My advice is that you should check that infinity setting first because then you know that all the other distance markings are correct as well. And best use it at f/5.6 or f/8. Then depth of field will cover slight focus errors!
Thanks so much. I tried today with Peaking set at high and at F8. Everything in viewfinder is highlighted in bright red (peak color) so far so good!!!!
Well done, can you provide a link to video where you adjust to infinity focus accurately? I sold this lens out of frustration that infinity is not infinite but would like to try again
Hard to tell the difference on a 27" iMac... (no pixel peeping). Like the pancake format of the 25mm & 50mm, now we just also need a 12mm in that format/functionality/price.
Yes, that's the point: Even though these lenses might not be "perfect", the question just is how much perfection you really need. Photography is more than just collecting precise data ... I agree that a compact 12mm or maybe 14mm would be a great addition. It doesn't need to be f/2 at that wide focal length.
Hey Tom, I am trying to learn how to shoot with manual lens. Among those 25 35 50, which one you think is better to start with. I like to shoot bridge, building, bugs and flowers.
Hey! Do you already have a camera and if so, which lenses do you use the most so far? That could give you an idea about what sort of focal length you'd prefer. If someone doesn't have any special ideas, I would recommend a 35/1.4 APS-C for a first manual lens. The reason is that this is the classic "standard lens", it can give a lot of background blur (good for portraits, but sometimes also for flowers!). Also most 35/1.4 APS-C lenses like the one from TT Artisan are optically very good and also very affordable. I also recommend that you don't regard that manual lens as a replacement for your current lenses, but just as an addition for special occasions. So you don't see it as a lens that has to "do it all". For example, a 35mm APS-C lens is not universally good for architecture or landscapes. If you're in London staying at the river Thames, it might deliver you a lot of interesting views, but if you're in a tight old town in Naples, then the 35mm APS-C is maybe kind of useless (or only good for small details). As for bugs: You really want a macro lens there. No, the TT Artisan 35/1.4 doesn't take you close enough unless you're shooting a hercules beetle!
@@tomscameras thx Tom for your detailed answer. Now I'm using Z30 with the 1650 kit lens mostly. This kit lens is good in daytime. But it is too hard to get bokeh also bad in low light. My initial choice is the 50 1.2. But I am just concerned that it is too hard to nail the focus.
@@CaesarZheng for low light and for nice background blur, a 35/1.4 would be a great addition. A 35/0.95 is even better but it is much bigger and more expensive, that’s why I recommend the 35/1.4. The 25/2 is also very versatile as a first manual focus lens. Maybe try to set your kit lens to 25mm and to 35mm and take a few photos like that to get a feeling for the different field of view for yourself!
@@londonmusicweekend The X100V is a modern classic. Seems a lot of photographers are thinking the same, judging from a look at the second hand market 😂
Hmm if the 23/1.4 would be a f/1.8 in reality, then the Zonlai 22/1.8 and Kamlan 21/1.8 would be less than f/2 in reality … cause in my comparison back then, those two delivered even less background blur than the TT Artisan 23/1.4 did.
Between 1.4 and 2.0 you have +1 EV! Not +1/3 stop. 1.4, 2.0 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8... all those have full one stop change Koln on this video somehow reminds of Berlin. You need to make another bokeh tests on amazing christmass market. :) Bokeh lenses will love that
Yes. In theory you have one full f-stop between f/1.4 and f/2. But in practice, very few lenses (even expensive ones) will do that. Keep in mind it’s f/1.4 and not T/1.4, the number is just a measurement of the geometric size of the effective aperture in comparison to the focal length. But it’s measured on the center, not towards the corners. Where all super-fast lenses will vignette a lot. So you almost never get a full stop in real life between f/1.4 and f/2. In this case, with the TT Artisan 23/1.4 vs. 25/2, you get just one third of a stop! So I assume it is a case of where the f/1.4 is maybe also not 100% as advertised (maybe in reality it is more f/1.5 or even f/1.6?) plus it is a case of where the 25/2 might actually be more than advertised, maybe it is rather an f/1.8 or f/1.9, because my impression is that it does give quite a lot of background blur for its nominal specifications.
@@tomscameras Oh, I get it. :) That might be true, the bokeh between those lenses, wasn't too much diverse. Thanks for the review, can't wait for the next one! ;)
Any chance you could tell me which you prefer now having both of them? I plan on mainly using it for night street photography in japan :) @@keithvlogs1
ja vielen dank, meine frage ist beantwortet. Guter vergleich von diesen beiden Objektiven, sehr gut erklärt 😊 Och schreibe in deutsch denn jemand der Heinz Erhard liebt, kann nur von Deutschland kommen, mein Lieblings dichter. Werde mal nachschauen ob sie auf amazon canada sein buch halten. Danke für diese schöne Erinnerung an deutsche Kultur 😊
I actually bought the 25/2 yesterday after watching several reviews. I must admit yours was most helpful. The lens is really good for what it is@@tomscameras
All my sample photos are taken in RAW and processed in Lightroom. But note that I do NOT correct for: (1) distortion, (2) chromatic aberration, (3) vignetting. So you can see the real characteristics of the lens. However, I do use custom settings for contrast, saturation and white balance. But if I would shoot JPG, I could also adjust all those in-camera ...
Okay, ich interessiere mich für beide Objektive und plötzlich sind die Testbilder vor meiner Haustür gemacht worden 🙂. Werde sie dann wohl auch am Brüssler testen 😄
Thanks for your feedback! I appreciate it. By the way, I also made a newer video about these lenses, including the new 7Artisans 24/1.4 as well: ruclips.net/video/zMwYJNE8QoQ/видео.html
It depends on who’s shooting my videos! Sometimes we just use iPhones and sometimes a Sony A7R4 with different lenses. Sound is from a DJI wireless microphone in most of my more recent videos!
You can use this lens in M or A mode: A means that you select the aperture yourself, but the camera can adjust the shutter time automatically (and also the camera can adjust ISO if you want it to).
Well the manufacturers rate their lenses speed themselves and it’s not always super accurate. So the TT Artisan 25/2 is a bit faster than it says and the 23/1.4 is a bit slower.
I'm sorry, I didn't try out the Pergear 25 so far. So I'm referring you to another review, maybe it helps you to get more information on the Pergear: www.35mmc.com/26/07/2021/pergear-25mm-f-1-8-review/ Personally, I love the two "killer features" of the TT Artisan lenses, (1) clicked aperture and (2) hard stop at infinity. Even though (2) is a bit debatable, depending on how good you manage to adjust that focus ring yourself. But once it works, it makes shooting these manual lenses much easier, in my opinion.
Nice comparison video, Thomas! Interesting that TT Artisan brought out two so-similar lenses. I'm glad I waited, because I like the image look of the 25 mm better. It looks like it's a bit shorter than the 23 mm too. Is there much of a weight difference?
Hey Donald! The weight difference is negligible. The 23/1.4 is about 220 grams and the 25/2 is around 180 grams ... the size difference is also small but still pretty noticeable. I also really love that the 25/2 and 50/2 are exactly the same design. (If you get the 23/1.4 in black, it doesn't look extremely different either, though.) I'd love if TT Artisan would make a 14/2, for example, in exactly the same style. Those three would be a great and pretty complete travel photography setup!
@@sergio7285able ah, okay. That doesn't sound so nice. I mean there is always a TINY movement of the lens but it should not be different to any other lens that you use. If it's too bad in your case, I'd advise you to directly contact the vendor of your lens, or also TT Artisan directly.
Yes, my other lenses don’t make this. Maybe mine has a little problem, it can happen🤷🏻♂️. But it is a very good lens, for this price. I ask at my vendor to change it for another one. Thankyou @tomscameras, great video and great channel👏🏻
Hi, which One is better for close up video, só you have a good bokeh , but Also a suficiente wide field of view, vloggstyle, but in tripod. Is the 17 a better options? Or Will my nose be too big to get decente bockeh Thanks
It really depends on home much field of view you want to get. If you’re filming yourself with the camera in your hand, 23mm on APS-C most likely will be too close. A good way to check out which field of view you need is to try your smartphone. Most likely it will have a 24mm to 28mm equivalent lens. For example, on most iPhones the „1x“ lens is a 26nm equivalent. If you like that field of view, then get e.g. the TT Artisan 17/1.4 or the Sigma 16/1.4, which offers autofocus which can be very useful again if you’re filming yourself. If you however think that you would like a lens witth a bit less wide field of view than your smartphone, a 23/25 mm lens on APS-C would be exactly what you want.
Hi Tom, thank you very much for doing this. I got one question, will a lens like Voigtlander 23mm F1.2 be worth it in your opinion? I know it is more expensive, but have you test it?
Unfortunately I didn't get the occasion to shoot any of the new Voigtländer lenses yet. Maybe they think my RUclips channel is still too small to provide me with a sample lens. 😀 But then, there are not that many reviews of the Voigtländer Fuji X lenses so far in general. I've seen some not-that-convincing reviews of the 35/1.2, but the 23/1.2 seems to be rather better. I'd assume (again: without having it tested myself!) that the Voigtländer will beat the TT Artisan 23/25 lenses. If it's enough to warrant the extra price, is an individual decision. Though I have a hard time to believe that the Voigtländer 35/1.2 will really beat the TT Artisan 35/1.4. IMO the TT Artisan 35 is their best APS-C lens so far. Keep in mind the Voigtländer's offer electric contacts for EXIF information (good if you have an IBIS!) and automatic zoom-in when focusing. That, however, only works with some of the newer Fuji bodies. For example, it works with the X-E4, but not the X-E3!
@@tomscameras Really thank you for your reply. I like the TTartisans 23mm but I am wondering if it is worth spending the extra money on the Voiglander 23mm. I hope someday you have that lens available for testing. Thank you! keep up the excellent work. Much support by me
I've been reading some reviews and the voigtlander looks like a great option to get the 1.2 aperture at a very small compact size (smaller than the XF 23 f/2!). The main complaints I'm seeing are due to field curvature where the center is in focus but the sides won't be, or if you focus on one side, the other side will be soft. For a $600 lens this seems crazy to me, but I'm still tempted by it
@@NickCheng93 I really love Voigtländer lenses, especially those for the full frame cameras. So I was very excited when Voigtländer started to offer lenses for the Fuji X system: the 35/1.2 and the 23/1.2. As you already point out, the issue here is that these lenses apparently are also not optically perfect, yet they are so much more expensive than the lenses from the new Chinese manufacturers. But I totally get that the Voigtländer lenses still have appeal for some: Not everyone's very budget conscious, and a $600 expenditure might be very okay for many photographers. Some will welcome that they're made in Japan, not China, and also let's not forget that they're fully manual with a nice manual clicked aperture ring, but also come with electric contacts which are awesome for two reasons: You don't need to enter the focal length manually if your camera has IBIS, and you can use automatic focus assist (like an automatic magnifying function) that kicks in every time when you just start to turn the focus ring. I hope I'll get the opportunity to give the Voigtländer lenses a test drive once ...
I haven't shot all these, unfortunately. It's kinda hard to keep track of all the lenses that are offered, especially 25mm and 35mm. As you might have seen in my videos, I do like the TT Artisan offerings because of the clicked aperture and (in most cases) adjustable infinity hard stop. Both these features make shooting a manual lens so much easier! That's why I tend to only review other lenses when they offer some special features, like for example the 7Artisans f/0.95 APS-C lenses, or their 4mm super-extreme fisheye.
Hi Tom, a good video as usual. My only thought is - you compare lenses 1:1 by their same aperture, hence F2...no offense. ;-) The 23/1.4 is the better lens for real, with color rendering, and much less flare into sunlight. Funny thing though - i posted under the TTArtisan channel months ago my aliexpress findings about a way cheaper, round lens hood, because i've had bought the square hood from TTA, and was not being satisfied. Now, TTA wrote about "re-introducing round lens hood" some weeks ago, and it's exactly that lens hood. :) Have a great weekend ! PS: I'd like to see you testing their new TTA 27/2.8 AF for Fujifilm, much appreciated !
As you see from my comparison shots, the difference in aperture seems to be much less than one full f/stop. And also if you have such a relatively fast lens, you’ll want to use it at open aperture often in practice. That’s why I am comparing f/1.4 vs. f/2 here. The 27/2.8 is already on my agenda!
@@tomscameras +1. i understood you completely, tom. But for 1:1 comparsions, even if the lenses do have different speeds, one compare them at the same aperture, this is standard practice since decades, no offense. Thanks, i am way interested into the 27/2.8 AF. Fuji Rumors already made a 1:1 samples comparsion (Mini Review) with the Fujinon 27/2.8 II in contrast, the TTA for the asking price (
@@marcp.1752 Well did you see the series of landscape shots in my video? There’s all apertures right down to f/8 for both lenses! What else can you ask for? 😃
Yes! These lenses prove the point! Still I am sure that the 25/2 is just a bit brighter than it’s f/stop would suggest … while the 23/1.4 is maybe on the „dark“ side, also when compared to other „f/1.4“ lenses. I mean, about any f/1.4 lens will not be a T/1.4, but even when taking this into account, the TT Artisan 23/1.4 seems a tad too slow to me …
25mm is a slightly longer focal length than a 23mm, obviously. So perspective foreshortening is slightly higher and unfocussed areas seem to exhibit higher blur or this boring "bokeh" concept all the dullard photo gear junkies keep banging on about. Mystery solved.
I'm not sure, the difference between 23mm and 25mm is visible, but still very small. So to speak, it's a smaller difference than f/1.4 to f/2. Overall, I had expected that a 23/1.4 lens should create more background blur then a 25/2. Sure, you can overdo using shallow depth of field, but that's another long ongoing discussion since the first DSLR cameras with APS-C sensors became available to amateur photographers around 20 years ago :)
@@tomscameras I know I know mate, I was being facetious of course. I wonder what Susan Sontag or Walter Benjamin would have to say about this important matter?
Now that's what i call a comparison. Kudos to the reviewer
Many thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it!
I was already leaning to the 25,but you solidified my decision. Thank you for doing this comparison 🙏
Thanks for your feedback, hope you'll have a lot of fun with your 25mm lens!
Ditto - this video convinced me!
That's just great. When I bought my MFT olympus it was a conscious decision to ditch large full frame body and a bunch of heavy lenses in favor of a small body with a standard zoom.
And now I have an MFT body with a quickly growing collection of primes... with another one on the way.
Thank you for your comparison, 23mm field curvature is pain to deal with. So this 25mm is a game changer for ttartisan, and a cheaper price's always welcomed.
Game changer is maybe saying too much, the 25/2 also is not perfect (corner sharpness, straylight performance at f/2).
Would be interesting if someone made a lens that maybe is 2x the price (so still very affordable) but then cures the small quality issues we still see with the 25/2 or also the 50/2.
@@tomscameras I agree. Hope they will make more interesting lineups in the future.
Ich muss sagen, du bist einer der wenigen Deutschen Reviewer, denen man wirklich zuhören kann und dein Englisch ist sehr angenehm, weiter so!
Oh, dankesehr! Es freut mich wirklich, daß Dir meine Videos gefallen!
Das kann ich so als Englischlehrer nur bestätigen 👌
Thanks for the video. I bought both lens, and kept the 25mm, returned 23mm f1.4, because it is smaller and lighter. however, the biggest problem for these cheap manual lens is the flare when it is wide open. The flare is horrible at night time. You have to lower down to 2.8 or more. Makes F2 not very usable.
Yes! The "ring" flare I show in my individual review of the 25/2. It is gone when you are around f/2.4.
Best lens reviews on youtube relaxed and pleasant to watch loads of info here
Oh, many thanks !! 🙏😀
I love these videos! There are not a lot of channels covering the TTArtisan Lenses in such a detail as you are. I am on a very tight budget, so I am always looking for cheap and affordable lenses. Got my X-T3 used on eBay for around 670€ for the body, last year - which was a lot for me already. I have the TTartisan 35 and the 50 already, but I desperately need a wider lens soon. Thinking about the 17 or maybe one of these two lenses in this video - I really like the pancake design of the 25! Thanks anyway for all these comparisons!
Thanks for your feedback! The 17/1.4 is much wider than these two, of course. Its barrel design is more similar to the 35/1.4. I did a review about the 17mm some time ago, in case you didn't see it:
ruclips.net/video/OJ8aVDbtUxk/видео.html
Thanks Tom!
Yes, I already watched your 17mm video. I think it is just a case of thinking about it for a while, which I need more. I just like the 25mm more because of the pancake form factor. But I guess the 17mm would be more useful overall, especially for landscape photos. I used to have the very cheap 15-45 kit lens, so I am used to a very wide 15mm, but some months ago it broke on me...the zoom got stuck when I turned the camera on, a while ago, and I couldn't get it fixed. So I guess a bit of a tighter 17mm would be a a better replacement for me. I guess I just need to sleep on it, a day or two. Allthough the 17mm is nearly twice as expensive as the 25mm.
Anyway, thanks a lot for your helpful videos!
Do you like the 35? @@pipippu89
Which wide lens did you go with?
Tom you produce great reviews that I find super useful. Thanks!
Thanks a lot for your feedback! 🙏
I hope you post the instructional video of how you fix the infinity focus soon. I have the 23mm and 35mm versions and both of them the hard stop is off. So I have to back off slightly to achieve proper focus. Makes it harder to just do it without checking viewfinder each shot. I know it's a matter of loosening the 3 set screws but a detailed step by step guide would be great. Thank you, I may still pickup the 25mm since I like it's size.
I did two RUclips shorts about it, maybe they already help. But yes, I really still have to do the final "long" video about this topic!
Would like to see that one too 👍
Nice comparison Tom! i skipped on the 23mm but got 25mm as soon as it hit the market, not waiting for reviews. Once i got it i was pleasantly surprised that it did not required focus adjustment like 50mm and 35mm. For 25mm i was sold on form factor since its just smaller lens than 23mm and pairs with my old xe1 just great. The 23mm is a bit of lackluster imho with its strange field curvature.
Hi Michal, I agree that the 25/2 is a great choice today. Especially given that your lens doesn't need any adjustment for infinity. And yes these lenses fit the X-E series perfectly!
Looks like 25 is overall winner counting that for me for all-around lens its size is first priority as well.
Incredibly helpful video, thanks! I will go for the 25mm, looks like it will be a nice match for my small X-E2.
Thanks a lot for your feedback. I really love shooting my 25/2 and hope you‘ll have a lot of fun with it. A perfect match for the X-E series!
I use the 25 mm bought it for 65 Dollars and for this - its a winner. Did a lot of street with it, and it works OK in low light too, but very good when the light is just right. I have my doubts that a lens which is 10 times the price is really 10 times better. IMO in many reviews people do not get the manual focus right at open-a. Its not perfectly sharp but its far away form what I saw in some reviews. 25 mm is really bang for the bug. I would have paid there or four times the 65 bucks, if the lens would be faster - for me it does not has to be the modern over sharpness. For now I stick with 25 mm and I am curious if TTA will come around with a faster smallish lens for street photography.😮❤
Thanks for sharing your experience with this lens! And I agree that it would be great if there would be a really faster 23-25mm lens that is not so much bigger! Maybe the new 7Artisans 24/1.4 is interesting for you? I did 2 more recent videos where I use that lens, so if you want, check them out as well!
Thank you for this, I was torn between these two and you helped make my decision easier.....now all I need to decide is TTArtisan 25mm f2, 7Artisans 25mm F1.8 or Pergear 25mm f1.7!
Clear review, thank you for such detailed comparison. Just made my mind.😊
Many thanks for your feedback! :)
Surprisingly little difference especially in the bokeh. I am surprised. I got the 25 mm already and it looks like I don't need to switch for the bigger 23 mm.
Yes, you're right. The 23/1.4 was designed before the 25/2 came out ... in this case, maybe "the newer the better" ...!
Gracias por el trabajo. Compré el 25mm recién gracias a tus videos!!
You’re very welcome! I wish you a lot of fun with this lens! 😀
From the video. For my money the 25 f2 looks amazing.
Yes, it is inexpensive and pretty good nonetheless!
If nothing else, the style of the 25mm f2 is way better. The 23mm may be ‘retro’ but it’s not a good looking lens.
Yes, that "zebra" design is not everyone's taste! But there is also an all-black version of the 23/1.4.
you'll prefer black version of 23mm f1.4, to silver version of 23mm f1.4.
I own the 25mm. Picked it up for pennies about a year ago. While I wouldn't use it for serious projects, it is a very fun lens to use and always surprises me with a few great shots whenever I use it. It lives on my walkabout camera (XT20). Would recommend it to anyone on a budget but it's not a does everything lens.
Thanks for your detailed feedback. You sum up very well what this lens is about and for whom it might be the perfect choice!
Thomas, you know how longer focal lengths give more background blur, and the miniscule 2 millimeters difference is enough to make the 25 f 2.0 seem like a 23 f 1.8 or 1.7, which is not radically different to the 1.4! Bart, Los Angeles, Ca.
I absolutely agree! Still there is more to it in this case, not just the small differences in focal length. By the way, I now produced another video comparing these two lenses and the new 7Artisans 24/1.4 … in that video you can also see that there is a noticeable difference in speed between the 7Artisans and TT Artisan f/1.4‘s. I do think the TT Artisans 23/1.4 is just a bit slower than it ought to be!
Sometimes you wonder why one pays hundreds or even thousand of dollars buying expensive lenses, I am sure there are reasons.
I suggest you make a video compare expensive to cheap lenses, under what circumstances one uses cheap lenses and when to use expensive ones.
e.g. Paid service use expensive ones and casual shooting use cheap lenses.
Overall good review. Most photographers prefer to use really expensive lenses, just to show of, but if one can capture great images using cheap one I think the thrill is far greater.
The cheap lenses do have some small issues. But (1) you can work around them easily in 99.9% of all cases and (2) sometimes, expensive lenses also have issues. Voigtländer didn't send me a 23/1.4 or 35/1.2 yet :) ...
Most expensive lenses also come with auto focus. The shooting experience is completely different, hard to compare.
I agree it is interesting to compare a modern "expensive" auto focus lens with a cheap manual-focus lens. Many will say though that it's comparing apples with oranges ...
Thanks!.... I believe its the fact that the their 24.5mm vs 27.5mm respectively.
I did a calculation at 2 meters. The 23 f1.4 have 0.45 meters vs 0.54 for the 25 f2
Thats only roughly 18 inches vs 21 inches DOF. Not much at all.
Yes, I also have the feeling that these lenses are more close in their specifications than the official numbers suggest !
Fantastic comparison. Thank you!
Many thanks! 🙏
really nice reviews with plenty of information, samples and metrics
Many thanks! :)
Hello Tom. Thank you for this video. I have the 23/1.4, and I am pleased with it, on both X-Pro 1 and 11:41 X-E1. I was just wondering which one is best for landscape showing less field curvature, 23/1.4 or 25/2?
I would give the 25/2 the nod here.
Great comparison, was just wondering about these 2 lenses.
Many thanks! You're welcome!
One extra little point in favour of the 25/2 is the size. It's almost a little pancake.
Great review.
Thanks Daniel! And yes, the size is fantastic. Also it's a nice pair with the 50/2!
very pleasant color grading, good on eye to watch, also useful review, thank You
Many thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it! And by the way, if you're in the market for these lenses, also check out my newer video where I also show the new 7Artisans 24/1.4:
ruclips.net/video/zMwYJNE8QoQ/видео.html
As always a nice review Tom!
Many thanks :)
what a lovely review.... all points covered so well! new subscriber here. Thanks.
One thing in the future might be interesting is to see the lens autofocusing with the sound as well hehe thansk
Thanks a lot! I do not review AF lenses often so far. The ones I already got are so quiet that there’s not a lot to record but still I will think of your suggestion in the future!
I bought both of these 2 weeks ago and was really surprised how SOFT the detents (clicks) are on the aperture rings. To me, they are nearly click-less. Any other TT owners experience this as well? I am wondering if I got bad copies or if this is the way these lenses are designed.
I hope anyone else can also comment on this yes! The lenses that I have got have nice aperture clicks - not very hard but certainly not almost click-less. But again, I'd also love to hear from others - the issue is that I can only review one single sample, sometimes maybe two, but there might be sample-to-sample variations that I miss!
Very interesting to see not much difference in bokeh, and only 1/3 of a stop between the two. The 25 has a better form factor as well!
Actually I was also surprised about these results. Especially as I made a comparison with the Zonlai and Kamlan f/1.8 lenses before and there the background blur of the 23/1.4 was much more, just as you would expect!
the 23 had weird issue of things that should be out of focus being in focus again. I wonder if the 25 is better in that regard! :)
I think you're referring to the field curvature. The 25/2 doesn't have that characteristic. In my video there are several landscape shots at all the different apertures. Watch it in 4k and you can maybe already see how the 23/1.4 has some weakness in an area between the center and the borders of the frame, and the 25/2 doesn't have that problem.
At f/8, however, both lenses are sharp across the frame.
The only problem with the 25/2 is that the four edges of the frame are almost never 100% sharp. Apart from that it is sharper than the 23/1.4 for distant shots like landscapes.
In the end, both lenses are not perfect in terms of sharpness, but hey there has to be some room for improvement considering they are sub $100 ...
@@tomscameras Thank you very much for the detailed response! Indeed the 25 seems to be better in that regard! And this should also be the reason for this behavior. The lens is awesome especially for the price!
Thank you for your great review!
I have already the 7artisans 25 f1.8 lens so I would be interested wich one is the better choice. What I do like in my 7artisan lens is the outstanding center sharpness, bokeh and the close minimal focus distance. The mid frame and the edge sharpness is much worse.
Great comparison! I already knew the 23mm had a midzone sharpness dip but I didn't know the bokeh would be so similar. I would expect a bigger difference here, not much of a difference in 23mm vs 25mm FOV so 1.4 vs 2.0 bokeh should show more noticeable differences. The real test of bokeh was the portrait shot at about 3:37. The 2.0 has less bokeh but it's a bit softer in character which is a nice trick - check the bush in the center and the bush line on the right. Also, notice the huge chromatic aberrations in the upper right on the 1.4, the 2.0 doesn't suffer from that nearly as bad. I once thought the 23mm would be the one to get but now I might prefer the 25mm. Thanks!
Actually I was a big fan of the 23/1.4 when it was new, but yes, since the 25/2 is out, I hardly use the 23mm anymore. It would be nice if they maybe design an updated version of the 23/1.4 at some point!
Thank you for the great video :) I was wondering about getting both. Looks like I will probably just get the 25 f2 Ty :)
You're welcome! One thing's for sure: You don't need both of them! :)
I have a question about flair in daylight. The 25mm is very vulnerable to getting a "light stain" when pointed in direction of the sun. It does not look experimental or professional, just like a stain in the top of the image. Do you know what they are called, and have you a way to compare them? I suspect they also would have the great creative potential
I think you're talking about "veiling flare", see this link:
photographylife.com/what-is-ghosting-and-flare
You can reduce that by shading the front lens element either with a lens hood or also with your hand. And yes it can sometimes ruin a specific shot but often just a really slight amount of reframing or repositioning your camera (plus shading the front lens elements) will cure it!
Yeah I think it is lensflare. It would be nice to make a video about that! Seems that more elements in the prime, more ghosts, and so on. Maybe this 25mm is very compact, so different. I will look for an SD filter or a hood or a hand
I plan on going to tokyo soon and I am very conflicted on which TT artisan lens to get (23 1.4, 25 f2, or 35 1.4. I currently have the kit lens (18-55) But I am a little concerned that since I wish to do lots of light photography mainly in tokyo and kyoto that f2.8 minimum might struggle a bit and force me to increase the iso too much. I know these things are kinda subjective but any chance you could give a quick opinion on this? Also I am kind of considering the sigma f1.4 since it has autofocus but i heard that many lenses struggle in lowlight with AF anyway so maybe I could get away with saving the money and going for TTartisan
Oh that’s a hard question: my personal suggestion is that the TT Artisan 35/1.4 is the number one manual focus lens anyone should get to supplement their AF lenses! It’s cheap, versatile and the optics are fantastic! But you should be aware that manual focusing can be tricky if you are not used to it. So a fast Auto Focus lens might also be a good idea, like for example the Viltrox 33/1.4.
Nice movie, beautiful and useful. But please! What about adjustable infinity stop on 25/2. Flying out is so irritating. If it possible to define where to stop, I will sooo happy.
got it on very you channel :)))
I hope it worked out for you!
Discovering your channel.. Big up Tom !!!
Many thanks Nick!
I have 23 1.4 and I know exacly about ca issue and edge coner sharpness below f5.6
f5.6 is sharp across the frame but I can use 1.4 on nighttime for background blur and don't care about edge sharness
I try 25f2 the lens is very compact I almost love it but the coner sharpness is also f5.6
if I'm not own 23 1.4 diffinitely buy 25 f2 for lighter
my camera don't have ibis and 1.4 is nice to have
And have you tried the 25mm f2 in low light, for shows? Does the 1.4 aperture help a lot in lowlight settings
It really depends on the setting! Yes, I do find f/1.4 or even f/0.95 (with the 35mm lenses) sometimes really helpful when there is a very low light scene! And then there are literally weeks where I never miss that ultra-fast apertures ...
@@tomscameras yeah..but that pancake 25mm looks quite amazing actually
Hi. I just received the 25mm F2 and I'm really optimistic!! It fits well and seems promising for my basic needs. Thanks for supporting me with the decision-making!
Have you used the 25 2.0 in ZONE FOCUS like for street photography?
Yes. It works well. My advice is that you should check that infinity setting first because then you know that all the other distance markings are correct as well. And best use it at f/5.6 or f/8. Then depth of field will cover slight focus errors!
Thanks so much. I tried today with Peaking set at high and at F8. Everything in viewfinder is highlighted in bright red (peak color) so far so good!!!!
Well done, can you provide a link to video where you adjust to infinity focus accurately? I sold this lens out of frustration that infinity is not infinite but would like to try again
I have this short video here, maybe it helps:
ruclips.net/user/shortsp50Q77dMVms?feature=share
Hard to tell the difference on a 27" iMac... (no pixel peeping). Like the pancake format of the 25mm & 50mm, now we just also need a 12mm in that format/functionality/price.
Yes, that's the point: Even though these lenses might not be "perfect", the question just is how much perfection you really need. Photography is more than just collecting precise data ... I agree that a compact 12mm or maybe 14mm would be a great addition. It doesn't need to be f/2 at that wide focal length.
Hey Tom, I am trying to learn how to shoot with manual lens. Among those 25 35 50, which one you think is better to start with. I like to shoot bridge, building, bugs and flowers.
Hey! Do you already have a camera and if so, which lenses do you use the most so far? That could give you an idea about what sort of focal length you'd prefer.
If someone doesn't have any special ideas, I would recommend a 35/1.4 APS-C for a first manual lens. The reason is that this is the classic "standard lens", it can give a lot of background blur (good for portraits, but sometimes also for flowers!). Also most 35/1.4 APS-C lenses like the one from TT Artisan are optically very good and also very affordable.
I also recommend that you don't regard that manual lens as a replacement for your current lenses, but just as an addition for special occasions. So you don't see it as a lens that has to "do it all".
For example, a 35mm APS-C lens is not universally good for architecture or landscapes. If you're in London staying at the river Thames, it might deliver you a lot of interesting views, but if you're in a tight old town in Naples, then the 35mm APS-C is maybe kind of useless (or only good for small details).
As for bugs: You really want a macro lens there. No, the TT Artisan 35/1.4 doesn't take you close enough unless you're shooting a hercules beetle!
@@tomscameras thx Tom for your detailed answer. Now I'm using Z30 with the 1650 kit lens mostly. This kit lens is good in daytime. But it is too hard to get bokeh also bad in low light.
My initial choice is the 50 1.2. But I am just concerned that it is too hard to nail the focus.
@@CaesarZheng for low light and for nice background blur, a 35/1.4 would be a great addition. A 35/0.95 is even better but it is much bigger and more expensive, that’s why I recommend the 35/1.4.
The 25/2 is also very versatile as a first manual focus lens. Maybe try to set your kit lens to 25mm and to 35mm and take a few photos like that to get a feeling for the different field of view for yourself!
@@tomscameras Thank you Tom, after watched your 35/1.4 review I made an order of it.
I’ve bought the 25 today. I think I’ve done the best choice 😂
Hi Luca, hope you're having a lot of fun with it!
@@tomscameras I am, thanks. I still prefer the X100V on that focal lenght but... it's good value fot the price paired with the X-E3
@@londonmusicweekend The X100V is a modern classic. Seems a lot of photographers are thinking the same, judging from a look at the second hand market 😂
Great review - I love your style!
Many thanks! :)
Somewhere I met information that 23mm is actually 1.8. Therefore, there is a slight difference in the side.
Hmm if the 23/1.4 would be a f/1.8 in reality, then the Zonlai 22/1.8 and Kamlan 21/1.8 would be less than f/2 in reality … cause in my comparison back then, those two delivered even less background blur than the TT Artisan 23/1.4 did.
Between 1.4 and 2.0 you have +1 EV! Not +1/3 stop. 1.4, 2.0 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8... all those have full one stop change
Koln on this video somehow reminds of Berlin. You need to make another bokeh tests on amazing christmass market. :) Bokeh lenses will love that
Yes. In theory you have one full f-stop between f/1.4 and f/2. But in practice, very few lenses (even expensive ones) will do that. Keep in mind it’s f/1.4 and not T/1.4, the number is just a measurement of the geometric size of the effective aperture in comparison to the focal length. But it’s measured on the center, not towards the corners. Where all super-fast lenses will vignette a lot. So you almost never get a full stop in real life between f/1.4 and f/2.
In this case, with the TT Artisan 23/1.4 vs. 25/2, you get just one third of a stop! So I assume it is a case of where the f/1.4 is maybe also not 100% as advertised (maybe in reality it is more f/1.5 or even f/1.6?) plus it is a case of where the 25/2 might actually be more than advertised, maybe it is rather an f/1.8 or f/1.9, because my impression is that it does give quite a lot of background blur for its nominal specifications.
Oh and I am expecting a new lens with a lot of bokeh very soon, I hope I can review it before Christmas (but that might be a tight schedule)! 😀
@@tomscameras Oh, I get it. :) That might be true, the bokeh between those lenses, wasn't too much diverse.
Thanks for the review, can't wait for the next one! ;)
I have the 23/1.4. No need to upgrade to the slightly better 25/2 unless I am having serious GAS pains.
Absolutely true! :)
tthe 25mm f2 is so cheap though. its 50£ right now on black friday sale
@@keithvlogs1 it’s actually insane how cheap lenses like these are! So if you haven’t got it yet, then now is the time it seems!
@@tomscameras Yes! I just bouht my 25mm f2 today. Black friday sale on amazon makes it £50 :D cant go wrong with value. cheers.
Any chance you could tell me which you prefer now having both of them? I plan on mainly using it for night street photography in japan :) @@keithvlogs1
ja vielen dank, meine frage ist beantwortet. Guter vergleich von diesen beiden Objektiven, sehr gut erklärt 😊 Och schreibe in deutsch denn jemand der Heinz Erhard liebt, kann nur von Deutschland kommen, mein Lieblings dichter. Werde mal nachschauen ob sie auf amazon canada sein buch halten. Danke für diese schöne Erinnerung an deutsche Kultur 😊
thanks, really informative review!
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏
I actually bought the 25/2 yesterday after watching several reviews. I must admit yours was most helpful. The lens is really good for what it is@@tomscameras
You make great reviews!
Many thanks!
very good videon 👍 did you sooc or postprocess with lightroom?
All my sample photos are taken in RAW and processed in Lightroom. But note that I do NOT correct for: (1) distortion, (2) chromatic aberration, (3) vignetting. So you can see the real characteristics of the lens.
However, I do use custom settings for contrast, saturation and white balance. But if I would shoot JPG, I could also adjust all those in-camera ...
thanks for the note explanation. I still hope this lens gives the vintage look. but apparently not.. 🙂
Okay, ich interessiere mich für beide Objektive und plötzlich sind die Testbilder vor meiner Haustür gemacht worden 🙂. Werde sie dann wohl auch am Brüssler testen 😄
Hehe, was für ein Zufall! :) Hast Du schon eines der beiden Objektive ausprobiert?
Thanks for your report!
Thanks for your feedback! I appreciate it. By the way, I also made a newer video about these lenses, including the new 7Artisans 24/1.4 as well:
ruclips.net/video/zMwYJNE8QoQ/видео.html
Hi Tom, I just wonder what is your setup you're using for your videos ?
It depends on who’s shooting my videos! Sometimes we just use iPhones and sometimes a Sony A7R4 with different lenses. Sound is from a DJI wireless microphone in most of my more recent videos!
Now it would be interesting compare TTartisan 23mm 1.4 and 7Artisans 24mm 1.4…
Yes, you are right!
And guess what: I'm already working on a review of the new 7Artisans 24mm f/1.4 and also a comparison with the TT Artisan! 😃
thnak you so much tom for this comparisons 😇
Many thanks, I am glad you enjoy my videos!
@@tomscameras yes i am. 😃
3:13 It appears the bokeh balls of TT Artisan 23/1.4 are more rounded than 25/2. The same could be observed at 2:00
Yes, the bokeh is overall similar, but of course not identical. I hope you find the comparison shots useful!
@@tomscameras A super useful review. Thank you very much.
Which mode it need to use when using this manual lens ?
M or S mode ?
You can use this lens in M or A mode: A means that you select the aperture yourself, but the camera can adjust the shutter time automatically (and also the camera can adjust ISO if you want it to).
thanks for the review.
You’re welcome! Thanks for your comment!
How is f1.4 only 1/3 a stop faster?
Well the manufacturers rate their lenses speed themselves and it’s not always super accurate. So the TT Artisan 25/2 is a bit faster than it says and the 23/1.4 is a bit slower.
excellent video, thank you for the review
Thanks Francisco!
I loved this. Thank you. Subbed
Many thanks for your support!
Excellent review
Thank you, I appreciate your feedback!
How does 25 f2 compare with pergear 25 f2
I'm sorry, I didn't try out the Pergear 25 so far. So I'm referring you to another review, maybe it helps you to get more information on the Pergear:
www.35mmc.com/26/07/2021/pergear-25mm-f-1-8-review/
Personally, I love the two "killer features" of the TT Artisan lenses, (1) clicked aperture and (2) hard stop at infinity. Even though (2) is a bit debatable, depending on how good you manage to adjust that focus ring yourself. But once it works, it makes shooting these manual lenses much easier, in my opinion.
Nice comparison video, Thomas! Interesting that TT Artisan brought out two so-similar lenses. I'm glad I waited, because I like the image look of the 25 mm better. It looks like it's a bit shorter than the 23 mm too. Is there much of a weight difference?
Hey Donald! The weight difference is negligible. The 23/1.4 is about 220 grams and the 25/2 is around 180 grams ... the size difference is also small but still pretty noticeable. I also really love that the 25/2 and 50/2 are exactly the same design. (If you get the 23/1.4 in black, it doesn't look extremely different either, though.)
I'd love if TT Artisan would make a 14/2, for example, in exactly the same style. Those three would be a great and pretty complete travel photography setup!
Therefore I take the 7Artisans 25/1.8
If you’re okay with the de-clicked aperture ring, the 7Artisans surely will also be a good choice!
Nobody have a problem with the bayonett ? My lens don’t lock well, make a little movement when I change the aperture or focusign
What camera bayonett are you using?
I have Fuji x-e1, and my lens is the ttartisan 25mm f2.
@@sergio7285able ah, okay. That doesn't sound so nice. I mean there is always a TINY movement of the lens but it should not be different to any other lens that you use. If it's too bad in your case, I'd advise you to directly contact the vendor of your lens, or also TT Artisan directly.
Yes, my other lenses don’t make this. Maybe mine has a little problem, it can happen🤷🏻♂️.
But it is a very good lens, for this price. I ask at my vendor to change it for another one.
Thankyou @tomscameras, great video and great channel👏🏻
I like the way you think, Tom. Did I understand right, you are the son of a famous comedian?
Haha! I should ask my ancestors 😃
Great video
Many thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it!
That whistling siblist
5:18 and 5:36 in case anyone wants a side by side. Open another browser window.
Hi, which One is better for close up video, só you have a good bokeh , but Also a suficiente wide field of view, vloggstyle, but in tripod. Is the 17 a better options? Or Will my nose be too big to get decente bockeh Thanks
It really depends on home much field of view you want to get. If you’re filming yourself with the camera in your hand, 23mm on APS-C most likely will be too close. A good way to check out which field of view you need is to try your smartphone. Most likely it will have a 24mm to 28mm equivalent lens. For example, on most iPhones the „1x“ lens is a 26nm equivalent. If you like that field of view, then get e.g. the TT Artisan 17/1.4 or the Sigma 16/1.4, which offers autofocus which can be very useful again if you’re filming yourself.
If you however think that you would like a lens witth a bit less wide field of view than your smartphone, a 23/25 mm lens on APS-C would be exactly what you want.
Hi Tom, thank you very much for doing this. I got one question, will a lens like Voigtlander 23mm F1.2 be worth it in your opinion? I know it is more expensive, but have you test it?
Unfortunately I didn't get the occasion to shoot any of the new Voigtländer lenses yet. Maybe they think my RUclips channel is still too small to provide me with a sample lens. 😀 But then, there are not that many reviews of the Voigtländer Fuji X lenses so far in general. I've seen some not-that-convincing reviews of the 35/1.2, but the 23/1.2 seems to be rather better.
I'd assume (again: without having it tested myself!) that the Voigtländer will beat the TT Artisan 23/25 lenses. If it's enough to warrant the extra price, is an individual decision. Though I have a hard time to believe that the Voigtländer 35/1.2 will really beat the TT Artisan 35/1.4. IMO the TT Artisan 35 is their best APS-C lens so far.
Keep in mind the Voigtländer's offer electric contacts for EXIF information (good if you have an IBIS!) and automatic zoom-in when focusing. That, however, only works with some of the newer Fuji bodies. For example, it works with the X-E4, but not the X-E3!
@@tomscameras Really thank you for your reply. I like the TTartisans 23mm but I am wondering if it is worth spending the extra money on the Voiglander 23mm. I hope someday you have that lens available for testing. Thank you! keep up the excellent work. Much support by me
I've been reading some reviews and the voigtlander looks like a great option to get the 1.2 aperture at a very small compact size (smaller than the XF 23 f/2!). The main complaints I'm seeing are due to field curvature where the center is in focus but the sides won't be, or if you focus on one side, the other side will be soft. For a $600 lens this seems crazy to me, but I'm still tempted by it
@@NickCheng93 I really love Voigtländer lenses, especially those for the full frame cameras. So I was very excited when Voigtländer started to offer lenses for the Fuji X system: the 35/1.2 and the 23/1.2. As you already point out, the issue here is that these lenses apparently are also not optically perfect, yet they are so much more expensive than the lenses from the new Chinese manufacturers.
But I totally get that the Voigtländer lenses still have appeal for some: Not everyone's very budget conscious, and a $600 expenditure might be very okay for many photographers. Some will welcome that they're made in Japan, not China, and also let's not forget that they're fully manual with a nice manual clicked aperture ring, but also come with electric contacts which are awesome for two reasons: You don't need to enter the focal length manually if your camera has IBIS, and you can use automatic focus assist (like an automatic magnifying function) that kicks in every time when you just start to turn the focus ring.
I hope I'll get the opportunity to give the Voigtländer lenses a test drive once ...
Ttartisan 25mm vs 7artisans 25mm vs pergear 25mm vs meike 25mm????
I haven't shot all these, unfortunately. It's kinda hard to keep track of all the lenses that are offered, especially 25mm and 35mm.
As you might have seen in my videos, I do like the TT Artisan offerings because of the clicked aperture and (in most cases) adjustable infinity hard stop. Both these features make shooting a manual lens so much easier!
That's why I tend to only review other lenses when they offer some special features, like for example the 7Artisans f/0.95 APS-C lenses, or their 4mm super-extreme fisheye.
Excellent and super review ❤.. especially the f stop comparison..👍👌🙏
Thank you very much for your feedback! 🙏
Hi Tom, a good video as usual. My only thought is - you compare lenses 1:1 by their same aperture, hence F2...no offense. ;-) The 23/1.4 is the better lens for real, with color rendering, and much less flare into sunlight. Funny thing though - i posted under the TTArtisan channel months ago my aliexpress findings about a way cheaper, round lens hood, because i've had bought the square hood from TTA, and was not being satisfied. Now, TTA wrote about "re-introducing round lens hood" some weeks ago, and it's exactly that lens hood. :) Have a great weekend !
PS: I'd like to see you testing their new TTA 27/2.8 AF for Fujifilm, much appreciated !
As you see from my comparison shots, the difference in aperture seems to be much less than one full f/stop. And also if you have such a relatively fast lens, you’ll want to use it at open aperture often in practice. That’s why I am comparing f/1.4 vs. f/2 here.
The 27/2.8 is already on my agenda!
@@tomscameras +1. i understood you completely, tom. But for 1:1 comparsions, even if the lenses do have different speeds, one compare them at the same aperture, this is standard practice since decades, no offense.
Thanks, i am way interested into the 27/2.8 AF. Fuji Rumors already made a 1:1 samples comparsion (Mini Review) with the Fujinon 27/2.8 II in contrast, the TTA for the asking price (
@@marcp.1752 Well did you see the series of landscape shots in my video? There’s all apertures right down to f/8 for both lenses! What else can you ask for? 😃
@@tomscameras Yes Tom, everything is fine. 🙂
Voigtlander 23 1.2 is crying in the corner due to the price
I didn't have the chance to try the Voigtländer, but yes, the price is pretty high in face of all these alternatives.
is this Autofocus?
No, manual focus! Also no electric communication between lens and camera!
@@tomscameras thank you sir
25 / F2 Size & weight seems smaller
Yes it is a bit smaller!
F stop is not equal to T stop.
Yes! These lenses prove the point! Still I am sure that the 25/2 is just a bit brighter than it’s f/stop would suggest … while the 23/1.4 is maybe on the „dark“ side, also when compared to other „f/1.4“ lenses. I mean, about any f/1.4 lens will not be a T/1.4, but even when taking this into account, the TT Artisan 23/1.4 seems a tad too slow to me …
25mm is a slightly longer focal length than a 23mm, obviously. So perspective foreshortening is slightly higher and unfocussed areas seem to exhibit higher blur or this boring "bokeh" concept all the dullard photo gear junkies keep banging on about. Mystery solved.
I'm not sure, the difference between 23mm and 25mm is visible, but still very small. So to speak, it's a smaller difference than f/1.4 to f/2. Overall, I had expected that a 23/1.4 lens should create more background blur then a 25/2.
Sure, you can overdo using shallow depth of field, but that's another long ongoing discussion since the first DSLR cameras with APS-C sensors became available to amateur photographers around 20 years ago :)
@@tomscameras I know I know mate, I was being facetious of course. I wonder what Susan Sontag or Walter Benjamin would have to say about this important matter?
2:23 "German comedian". sure. The guy probably accidentally made a joke once....
Haha! Well Heinz Erhardt is really famous over here!
Hey, I was the 700th Like
Hey there! Many thanks! Wow, 700 likes! Many thanks to each and everyone of you! 🙏
My too. It’s a draw!
Yes, I also still use them both, even though in the end I more often use the 25 ...
25mm is a total shit, worthless lens. Blurry as hell!
Sounds like you do have a faulty lens. Did you try a second sample?