*** Misinformation Alert *** I want to point out that I have wildly over stated the increase in prices of photo and video gear over the past 10 years. While the manufactures have put huge efforts into developing and marking their high end, more expensive cameras, and the market seems to have changed, with normal consumers buying higher end cameras, if you look at "like for like" cameras or lenses, and adjust for inflation, in many cases the prices a very similar. A more accurate representation might be that the companies are trying to sell more higher end cameras to compensate for the lower sales numbers. This does not change the fact that these new budget lenses are good enough for most uses, at 30% of the price, but I wanted to correct my incorrect statements I made in this video.
what's really interesting is that sigma started to build a premium product line (the art series) because their business was failing from only budget lenses
I bought the TT ARTISAN AF27 and AF35, these are great lenses! First thing I like is the compact and lightweight design. Second definitely is the affordable price. AF56 may be is the next one to get.
King of clickbait! You play the game well and I changed my mind on how I feel about it. Your videos are so informative and considerate of people with lower budgets that I respect the fact that you're able to pull people in with outrageous claims and get them to stay for the nuanced and well thought out points.
Well, some Sigma lenses are so well made than they are even better than native ones. Sigma earned their place in the premium lens market IMO. I bought a TTArtisans 35mm f1.4 manual focus just for fun, and it's very good considering the cost.
@@markwiemels I am loving these "cheap" Chinese lenses to be honest. My 7artisans 50mm f1.05 has a special place in my heart and I want more of this "junk". Because lets be honest, if it said Japan instead of China they'd probably be twice as much.
I had that Sigma v1 lens, it was my favorite of all time, the new one is even better. Preordered it as soon as it was announced, it's well worth $1199. I remember Samyang tried to sell their 24-70/2.8 for much less, failed miserably. Price isn't everything.
@@classic.cameras I love my 56mm TT Artisan. Japanese vs. Chinese, the price would be 4X-5X if not more! I own a bunch of Tamron zooms for my Sony and love them. They are made in China and are fine quality mechanically and optically. They are pricy compared to these "Cheap, low priced" lenses. Looking forward to the Chinese manufacturers, taking on Tamron and Sigma in the zoom department.
In 2022 I bought my first Fuji (a X-T1) and for the price of buying a zoom lens or a better prime lens, I bought 5 TT Artisan or 7Artisans lenses. I’ve found that I prefer shooting manual focus only and now I basically only shoot using the TT 50mm F1.2. Last month I bought a X-E1 and am currently waiting for my new 50mm F2 to arrive so that I have a compact and light street photography rig. I love their lenses and will probably buy more in the future.
I'm with you. I started with two manual budget lenses and 1 autofocus lens. Found the budget manual so close in quality and such a nice experience I prefer shooting manual only for the most part. Now, if one of these companies can figure out how to make high quality zoom lens, a nice 23-56 I can travel with and never take off, that game will be forever changed
I bought the TT ARTISAN AF27 and AF35, these are great lenses! First thing I like is the compact and lightweight design. Second definitely is the affordable price.
Something you forgot in the formula/calculation/price, is the devaluation factor of these Sigma,Tamron, TTA,... lenses, in comparison to the Nikon, Canon,... brands... Interesting video, thanks. ❤
Great video and excellent points! What an incredible time for budget lenses (and autofocus too!!) Looking forward to seeing the companion video with all three. I hope they start making more autofocus lenses 🙏
Boom of budget and quality lens is the reason I bought those 2nd hand mirror less cameras. Now it's a lot easier to enjoy the fun of photography. Thanks for those lens manufacturers!
I heard once (like 10-15 years ago) that the reason Sigma moved upmarket and started to make higher-end more expensive lenses was so they could keep paying a good salary to their workers. Given salaries in China (and the exchange rates) it makes sense that it's Chinese companies making these cheaper (yet still good) lenses I suppose.
Wages in China are not that low now, the lower end products are not even made in China in most cases and have moved to weaker economies such as Vietnam. In many areas of tech, the Chinese products and production quality lead their industries. The once low paid workers are page much more than in neighboring countries which has eliminated poverty in China and has created a large middle class consumer market that is the largest in the world. Western brands have to adjust features and performance to meet the preferences of the Chinese consumer market because it is by far the largest consumer market that contains fully 1/2 of the consumers for mid to high end products. European car brands are all in serious trouble because none offer the advanced features Chinese consumers demand. More than 1/2 of production from Mercedes were sold to Chinese buyers until EV sales grew to 44% of new car sales and European brands can't compete on tech in EV of China or Tesla. The image that most non-travelers in the west have is that China is poor and makes low end cheap products. That was generally true in past decades but not anymore. The cities are without a doubt the most modern in the world and has the most tech savvy customers who will not settle for the lower tech products of the US and Europe. The largest population has also become the first to fully eliminate poverty.
I have literally been buying up all their lenses before they realise how cheap they are and put the price up. The 17mm f1.4 is like a new vintage lens. Same with the 35mm f1.4. For shooting film they’re epic. PS thank you for mentioning the lens in the title. Or at least the company ❤🙏🏼👍🏻
They could really stand out by including a mechanical aperture ring with an accurate hyperfocal distance scale, infinity stop, and an aperture control lever.
Focus by wire is going to make the distance scale difficult to pull off but +1 on the aperture ring, it's just a piece of metal with grooves and an optical pickup, shouldn't cost more than a $2 optical mouse to add the feature
I think it is important to be open-minded. Too many people are so brand conscious that they would rather pay more for the brand name than buy the same lens from a subcontractor with the unknown label. Cosina is a classic example of that. They were and still are a subcontractor for many brands, including Zeiss, and for decades failed to sell the same lenses under their label. Cosina then bought the Voightlander label and has had some success selling lenses that I think are mostly competing with Leica on the M mount. I'm hearing a lot of people talking about the Chinese lens companies in recent years which is a good thing. Ideally pay attention to reviews and save your money! (You can always tape over the label if that embarrasses you.)
I want a wide angle lens from them. I broke my 16 1.4 sigma and don’t want to spend as much as that had cost me. I have the 35 1.8 from TTArtisan and I love how good the lens is for the price you can’t beat it!
I just got the TTArtisans MF 17mm f1.4 and I really like it! Tiny bit soft if you're selling photos or blowing them up, but for personal use and artistic pursuit it has a lovely character
This whole marsh of the "Third party " is great. Im using fuji and i never ever sell my Viltrox Trinity (13mm,27mm,75mm) these lenses are so great and im happy that more third party companys are joining this trend.
I hope one of these Chinese companies creates 200mm F2 for e mount. That's the missing lens for this mount!!!. I can pay them even ~$1000 if it has good AF.
I'm new to the X mount, hobby use, and have TTArtisan and Viltrox lenses then two of Fujifilm XC lenses. I only have the one XF lens type the 18mm. I don't see the point in spending 2 or 3 times as much for the premium OEM lenses. Good observations in the video.
No matter what you purchased ten years ago be it a camera, lens, car,food rent a d so on has gone up in price, the quality of Sigma and every other manufacturer and I can say this over the last 16 years as I still have the very first camera l purchased a Pentax K100D super and kit lens, people that are new to photography at this point in time have no idea how lucky that they are to have the quality and selection of glass and cameras.
Mark, I bought the lens when it was on special. I happened to have my cousin's Sigma 85 f1.4 lens at the same time. I compared results and could not tell the difference for a series of portraits I did. The Sigma is faster in focusing. Otherwise, they are very close in image quality. Price difference... huge!!! I still want a Sigma 85 but for now the TTArtisan is my go to lens for portraits. BTW, I am using an A7RIV in APSc mode which gives me 26MP files which is plenty.
These Chinese lenses are great for primes, but they are not ready for zoom lenses yet due to the design complexity. Sigma and Tamron are king in this department when it comes to third party.
I recently picked up a second hand 27 2.8 from TTartisan and I can't wait to give it a go. The fuji branded one was 2-3 times the price, the reviews I've seen doesn't really show a huge difference other than weather sealing and maybe some focus noise
This was a great video. TTArtisans is certainly going to be the next Sigma. Even if they're not making lenses for every mount immediately with wide aperture and autofocus, getting a good adapter can also go extremely far for budget users who are still trying to decide on the body of their choice but maintaining the glass they like.
I love love love your commitment to the budget range! I am a student so I do not have a lot of money for my hobby. I bought the TTartisan 27mm 2.8 because of your review, I love that little pancake so much :) and I got it for 100€ on ebay! I'm still using my old a6000 and its the best allrounder setup :)
How's the standby battery life on TTArtisan autofocus lenses? I had the 27mm f2.8 for Sony and loved it, but ultimately sold it because it was draining the batteries on my cameras even when they were off (a5100 and a6700). They released a firmware update that didn't entirely solve the problem, and continued to tell me over email that I wasn't actually experiencing any drain.
This just follows the larger trend of Chinese manufacturers entering the market at the bottom, but increasing their quality progressively, to the point that they are starting to be the best within some markets. Just like Japan copied western cameras decades ago, and improved to the point of capturing most of the camera market.
I dont even own a Fungifilm yet and im already addicted to the content, marathoning X lense vids... Fungifilms is like those zombie cordyseps ...Please give me back my will Fungifilm its been a few days and m starting to worry this isnt gonna end🙏
Sigma lenses are not just on par but often optically superior to the “first party” lenses. They are often sharper and have the best flare resistance of all. The coating department is where the newer chinese competitors usually fall far behind, as You have mentioned. But You are right that this lens is much better that its predecessors…
Funny this morning I responded to an eBay offer to decline a Sigma 1.4 as I’d just gotten one of these and used it on a shoot quite happily and here comes THIS video😂😂😂
Answering since no one else has. I'd suggest the 35mm lens, it's an excellent all around focal length, it is an excellent focal lens for a variety of different types of photography (including street, environmental portraiture, reportage, etc) I would pick one up and spend time with it as your only lens, until you are content that you are capturing what you previsualized 70-80% of the time. Then you can consider other lenses. Also spend the time to learn how to do post processing, cataloguing and archiving. Cheers
It is always good for us consumers to have more competition. But then the market is not really booming, so it is not so good for the manufacturers. I have bought some uncommon lenses which I otherwise would not be able to afford. Thanks for diving into this segment, I think there are many bobbyists like myself who are just waiting for a budget friendly alternative. In my case it re-vigorated my passion in photography.
for me Trinity holy grail budget lens (Meike, TT, 7Artisans) are my go to buying choice since Sigma, Tamron and Native lens are Best but not best in price hahahaha
99% of lenses are better than 99% of photographers. Meaning, there are very few lenses that cant actually meet the needs of only very few photographers. Plenty of renowned photographers daily drive third party lenses from brands like TTartisans and 7Artisans that can cost mere fractions of the lenses they aim to mimic.
Yes, this is a good lens. Yes, it's a great price. Incredible bang for the buck and a must-buy for anyone on APS-C who doesn't already own the Sigma 56/1.4. But TTArtisan is a long, long way from becoming Sigma.
Absolutely ! this is just their first good Af primes, great value sure ! nice ! but also super basic and boooring. The day they release quality zoom lens with correction profiles, have a complete prime FF line up and get a real after market service, maybe then... Except Viltrox is already faaaaar ahead in that road , if anyone it will be them among the all chineses that can become the closest to a new "Sigma".
I have the 7Artisans AF 50mm 1.8 for full frame. Just €250,- in Europe. I'm absolutely loving that thing. Sharp, focus works well enough and beautifull rendering.
I've got no experience with TTArtisan though, but I do like to stress that aside from their products the aftersales service of Sigma is generally really, really good.
I have a Quantaray 19-35 f3.5 EF lens which is just a ritz camera branded Tamron lens. I honestly really like it. Works great on my full frame camera for photo and video, but it’s amazing on my C300. I wish TTartisan made more EF stuff but I know it’s a dying platform now.
I got mine for less than 150 incl tax & shipping. I love iton my Fuji X-A7. If the autofocus is slow I cannot tell. Actually seemed pretty fast sometimes. I cannot believe the price and quality ofnthis lens. I also have their 27mm and love that lens as well. Personally, would recommend for any beginner or someone on a budget. I have been shooting for over a decade.
The market of lenses and of the cameras with interchangeable has not schrinked . It has increased in the last years in numbers ( because of the switch to mirrorless) and in price . Those informations are available for every one. The market whcih has dramatically shrinked is the market of fixed lens cameras .
Really I would recommend buy the best lenses one by one they will improve quality and allow the new starter to change up body without having to replace lenses.
Hi Mark I have a Sony A6000 that the family own and be sitting in the cupboard untouched for years. I am wanting to use it on some up coming travel overseas and hiking adventures I just have the kit lens that came with the camera but want to get a prime lens. I want something that is compact , under $300AUD , auto focus so my girlfriend can also use it easily I was thinking of the TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 or the Samyang 35mm f.28 as these are both compact, autofocus, under budget brand new / second hand and I think the focal length will give good versatility for landscapes, street and portraits Ideally after that one lens only to bring along, point and shoot style , so there not too much thinking involved and more just enjoying the moment I would not shoot any video on the a6000 Any thoughts or other suggestions are most welcome
@@markwiemels would you pick TTArtisan 35mm over Samyang 35m? Or does the Samyang win out because of how compact it is? Also TTArtisan vs Samyang in regarding to flares? Which performs better?
@@markwiemels between 27mm (40mm full frame) and 24mm (35mm full frame) which of the two would you decide for a one lens only travel? Landscapes, street and hiking in mind
Not gonna lie, I don't think I agree with a lot of the claims you made at the beginning of your video with literally no data to back that up. Cameras haven't gone up in price because of the shrinking market, that's just not true. And Sigma's lens prices haven't "doubled or even tripled" since they started offering their ART series. Especially if you adjust for inflation. I just googled the Canon 5D Mark III's launch price in 2012 and it was $3,500. Adjusted for inflation, that's around $4,800. An equivalent to Canon's 5D Mark III would be the Sony a7IV, which is currently at around $2,300. Even if you compared the 5DMK3's launch price to the Sony A7RV (which is a bit unfair) the a7RV at $3,500 is STILL over a thousand dollars less than the 5DMKIII's launch price. I really don't understand your claims because if anything we're currently living in a time where cameras are CHEAPER than ever, not MORE expensive. And same thing applies to Sigma's ART lenses. If you compare the prices of the first ART series lenses for DSLRs to the ART series for mirrorless systems then adjust for inflation, Sigma's new lenses haven't really gone up in price. Maybe by a few hundred dollars? But CERTAINLY not doubled or tripled, that's simply not true. It only took me like 5 minutes of research to confirm this. What gives? And last but not least, I truly believe that that title deserves to go to Viltrox, not TTartisan. Viltrox has been absolutely shaking the lens market right now with their wildly affordable but high quality primes. I personally own the 27MM and 75MM 1.2 for Fuji and truly believe they're the next Sigma.
Thanks for pointing this out! You are absolutely right. While I have found some lenses that have doubled (since you made this comment), most have just held pace with inflation, some are even less when adjusting for inflation. I think my perception has been totally skewed by the push of the manufactures to sell the higher end cameras. Plus, the fact that photography has become such a luxury expense now, that we are seeing people buy high end full frame cameras as their "first" hobby camera. If you look at like for like, as you have said, there is very little difference once adjusting for inflation. Thanks for taking the time to point this out.
The manual lens is not for optical perfection, they're for the character look We can no longer purchase new in box sonnar or gauss design lens, for mirrorless no less, no need to fuss with adapters and stuff
AF could be the main issue, we cannot advocate with 'beta' / half-baked firmware because we dont know when is the product will got updated and will get better or not
3:25 what is missing here is that the "80% as good" number is in the eye of the beholder. If "has autofocus and a large aperture, is reasonably sharp" gets you there, good for you. To others, (this specific lans notwithstanding) bad coatings causing massive flare in many outdoor situations and massive LoCA making out of focus areas look like a clown birthday party make some cheap lenses more like 10%, which makes them a bad deal for these people. It's what matters to you, or where you are on your photography journey - maybe you'll learn to see LoCA at a later time and then you'll buy twice. The question is whether we are going to see complete sets at the level of this particular lens, with usability features like aperture rings included.
Build quality is good, the hood design is really annoying when you wanna use filters, I run a polarizer a _lot_ so it's a pain. AF is fine, yeah a little slow but drop the light level and try to get some use of that big aperture? Ugh. The AF gets really, really shakey. My Sigma 30mm 1.4 beats the pants off that 56 TTA in low light AF performance, even wide open the Sigma focuses like a beast and it's not *that* much more than the TTA. Bright light? Okay, the TTA is a decent focusing, reasonably optically decent unit with really good subject separation wide open and nice bokeh but if I had the choice I wish I'd saved up and bought the Sigma 56mm 1.4 as it would wipe the _floor_ with that TTA. The TTA56 is a great lens in a few applications and a mediocre one otherwise. Build quality is up with older Sigmas but TTA need to step up their AF game and 1.8 max aperture is not as impressive as it used to be.
The Chinese manufacturers are building up their expertise but it’s not just about price and quality but an ethical one. China doesn’t trade fairly they subsidise until they get market domination they have done this is countless industries. They also “steal” IP I’ve seen this at Photokina where a Chinese engineer was using a micrometer to measure a product from Arca Swiss and wrote down notes! I reported him and he was kicked out of the fair. This is not an isolated case they have done this to Land Rover, JCB, GM etc. If you want all the jobs in China knock yourself out and buy their products but I will not be.
*** Misinformation Alert *** I want to point out that I have wildly over stated the increase in prices of photo and video gear over the past 10 years. While the manufactures have put huge efforts into developing and marking their high end, more expensive cameras, and the market seems to have changed, with normal consumers buying higher end cameras, if you look at "like for like" cameras or lenses, and adjust for inflation, in many cases the prices a very similar. A more accurate representation might be that the companies are trying to sell more higher end cameras to compensate for the lower sales numbers. This does not change the fact that these new budget lenses are good enough for most uses, at 30% of the price, but I wanted to correct my incorrect statements I made in this video.
Those who bought the cheaper cameras have likely just switched to phones or they just use the old camera they bought ten years ago.
I dunno, Canon gear is so expensive
No problem pal
Hope DJI start to make cameras to break the price monopoly by the Japanese brands.
Based, and extremely true. Sigma was a “budget” OEM as a way to make other brands “premium”, then grown into a premium brand.
10 or more years ago Sigma haven't been releasing any lenses that were worth buying. Price is not the only (and not the major) factor.
TTArtisan will for sure grow into one of the "go-to" lens companies. Amazing quality.
They’ll first have to change their name.
@@Whaever_1981to TTS
@@Whaever_1981why?
Mark which one is you recommended between TTartisan 56mm f1.8 or 35mm f1.8 for beginner. Im using sony zve10 btw.
@@knalpotbocor16835mm with auto focus
what's really interesting is that sigma started to build a premium product line (the art series) because their business was failing from only budget lenses
Yes, you can't compete on price alone. These Chinese manufacturers don't seem to understand that yet.
It was more so because of the production margins than the actual sales volume itself.
@@ElementaryWatson-123 you're underestimate Chinese.
@@ElementaryWatson-123 Viltrox is doing it correctly then
@@ElementaryWatson-123 sigma is japanese....
I bought the TT ARTISAN AF27 and AF35, these are great lenses! First thing I like is the compact and lightweight design. Second definitely is the affordable price. AF56 may be is the next one to get.
King of clickbait! You play the game well and I changed my mind on how I feel about it. Your videos are so informative and considerate of people with lower budgets that I respect the fact that you're able to pull people in with outrageous claims and get them to stay for the nuanced and well thought out points.
Well, some Sigma lenses are so well made than they are even better than native ones. Sigma earned their place in the premium lens market IMO.
I bought a TTArtisans 35mm f1.4 manual focus just for fun, and it's very good considering the cost.
Yes, I agree, I talk about that in the video.
Hilarious timing for that thumbnail. My subscription is swarmed with the new Sigma 24-70 II.
$1200 lens vs $150 lens.
@@markwiemels I am loving these "cheap" Chinese lenses to be honest. My 7artisans 50mm f1.05 has a special place in my heart and I want more of this "junk". Because lets be honest, if it said Japan instead of China they'd probably be twice as much.
I had that Sigma v1 lens, it was my favorite of all time, the new one is even better. Preordered it as soon as it was announced, it's well worth $1199. I remember Samyang tried to sell their 24-70/2.8 for much less, failed miserably. Price isn't everything.
@@classic.cameras I love my 56mm TT Artisan. Japanese vs. Chinese, the price would be 4X-5X if not more!
I own a bunch of Tamron zooms for my Sony and love them. They are made in China and are fine quality mechanically and optically. They are pricy compared to these "Cheap, low priced" lenses. Looking forward to the Chinese manufacturers, taking on Tamron and Sigma in the zoom department.
finally someone talking facts about price
Really have been tempted on buying one, especially a wide aperture one for low lights. around 100 USD for F1.2 is insane.
In 2022 I bought my first Fuji (a X-T1) and for the price of buying a zoom lens or a better prime lens, I bought 5 TT Artisan or 7Artisans lenses. I’ve found that I prefer shooting manual focus only and now I basically only shoot using the TT 50mm F1.2. Last month I bought a X-E1 and am currently waiting for my new 50mm F2 to arrive so that I have a compact and light street photography rig. I love their lenses and will probably buy more in the future.
I'm with you. I started with two manual budget lenses and 1 autofocus lens. Found the budget manual so close in quality and such a nice experience I prefer shooting manual only for the most part. Now, if one of these companies can figure out how to make high quality zoom lens, a nice 23-56 I can travel with and never take off, that game will be forever changed
@@dante2771 indeed, I’d love a manual, lightweight zoom lens!
I bought the TT ARTISAN AF27 and AF35, these are great lenses! First thing I like is the compact and lightweight design. Second definitely is the affordable price.
Great timing, yesterday I've bought a new X-T50 and today I've ordered this TTArtisan lense. 😊
Something you forgot in the formula/calculation/price, is the devaluation factor of these Sigma,Tamron, TTA,... lenses, in comparison to the Nikon, Canon,... brands... Interesting video, thanks. ❤
For sure something that should be considered, especially if you buy the name brand lenses used, often the value will hold very well.
Great video and excellent points! What an incredible time for budget lenses (and autofocus too!!) Looking forward to seeing the companion video with all three. I hope they start making more autofocus lenses 🙏
Boom of budget and quality lens is the reason I bought those 2nd hand mirror less cameras. Now it's a lot easier to enjoy the fun of photography. Thanks for those lens manufacturers!
I heard once (like 10-15 years ago) that the reason Sigma moved upmarket and started to make higher-end more expensive lenses was so they could keep paying a good salary to their workers. Given salaries in China (and the exchange rates) it makes sense that it's Chinese companies making these cheaper (yet still good) lenses I suppose.
Wages in China are not that low now, the lower end products are not even made in China in most cases and have moved to weaker economies such as Vietnam. In many areas of tech, the Chinese products and production quality lead their industries. The once low paid workers are page much more than in neighboring countries which has eliminated poverty in China and has created a large middle class consumer market that is the largest in the world. Western brands have to adjust features and performance to meet the preferences of the Chinese consumer market because it is by far the largest consumer market that contains fully 1/2 of the consumers for mid to high end products. European car brands are all in serious trouble because none offer the advanced features Chinese consumers demand. More than 1/2 of production from Mercedes were sold to Chinese buyers until EV sales grew to 44% of new car sales and European brands can't compete on tech in EV of China or Tesla. The image that most non-travelers in the west have is that China is poor and makes low end cheap products. That was generally true in past decades but not anymore. The cities are without a doubt the most modern in the world and has the most tech savvy customers who will not settle for the lower tech products of the US and Europe. The largest population has also become the first to fully eliminate poverty.
@stanspb763 Internet Rule 2019: "If someone saying china is good. That one is chinese."
I have literally been buying up all their lenses before they realise how cheap they are and put the price up. The 17mm f1.4 is like a new vintage lens. Same with the 35mm f1.4. For shooting film they’re epic. PS thank you for mentioning the lens in the title. Or at least the company ❤🙏🏼👍🏻
As opposed to figuratively buying?
What’s the focus breathing like? Looking for a lens for video on for my XH2.
im excited for the new viltrox full frame 1.4 lens line
I picked up this lens not long ago, and it's been amazing. So sharp, it's just right for portraits.
Finally I have decided to buy this TTartisan lens after seeing the video review you made. Thank you for the information provided Mr. Mark
For someone that just got into photography, TT and Viltrox is great for me. Get to try different focal in a lower price range.
With this square hood it looks 🔥!
Picked up this lens not long ago. Very sharp for portraits.
Viltrox is the best chinese lens manufacturer rn. I love my 75mm and want to get their 27mm but its huge
They could really stand out by including a mechanical aperture ring with an accurate hyperfocal distance scale, infinity stop, and an aperture control lever.
Focus by wire is going to make the distance scale difficult to pull off but +1 on the aperture ring, it's just a piece of metal with grooves and an optical pickup, shouldn't cost more than a $2 optical mouse to add the feature
I think it is important to be open-minded. Too many people are so brand conscious that they would rather pay more for the brand name than buy the same lens from a subcontractor with the unknown label. Cosina is a classic example of that. They were and still are a subcontractor for many brands, including Zeiss, and for decades failed to sell the same lenses under their label. Cosina then bought the Voightlander label and has had some success selling lenses that I think are mostly competing with Leica on the M mount. I'm hearing a lot of people talking about the Chinese lens companies in recent years which is a good thing. Ideally pay attention to reviews and save your money! (You can always tape over the label if that embarrasses you.)
Sadly most of these lenses are not available on the ef-m mount
Unfortunately EF-M is a dead mount. You’re better off converting from EF or other mounts to EF-M at this point
I want a wide angle lens from them. I broke my 16 1.4 sigma and don’t want to spend as much as that had cost me. I have the 35 1.8 from TTArtisan and I love how good the lens is for the price you can’t beat it!
I just got the TTArtisans MF 17mm f1.4 and I really like it! Tiny bit soft if you're selling photos or blowing them up, but for personal use and artistic pursuit it has a lovely character
Great time for budget shooters. Was out of the hobby for a while and I am stunned that I can get fast auto lenses for that money nowadays.
This whole marsh of the "Third party " is great. Im using fuji and i never ever sell my Viltrox Trinity (13mm,27mm,75mm) these lenses are so great and im happy that more third party companys are joining this trend.
What is the best focal length for casual user and beginner, 35mm f1.8 or 56mm f1.8?
I hope one of these Chinese companies creates 200mm F2 for e mount. That's the missing lens for this mount!!!.
I can pay them even ~$1000 if it has good AF.
That’s the problem, they won’t and if they do, it will cost as much. Anyone can make a 50 fast prime…
I'm new to the X mount, hobby use, and have TTArtisan and Viltrox lenses then two of Fujifilm XC lenses. I only have the one XF lens type the 18mm. I don't see the point in spending 2 or 3 times as much for the premium OEM lenses. Good observations in the video.
No matter what you purchased ten years ago be it a camera, lens, car,food rent a d so on has gone up in price, the quality of Sigma and every other manufacturer and I can say this over the last 16 years as I still have the very first camera l purchased a Pentax K100D super and kit lens, people that are new to photography at this point in time have no idea how lucky that they are to have the quality and selection of glass and cameras.
Does TTArtisan have a competitor to the Sigma 18-50mm lens? Please do a zoom lens suggestion
they don't make zoom lenses
Mark, I bought the lens when it was on special. I happened to have my cousin's Sigma 85 f1.4 lens at the same time. I compared results and could not tell the difference for a series of portraits I did. The Sigma is faster in focusing. Otherwise, they are very close in image quality. Price difference... huge!!! I still want a Sigma 85 but for now the TTArtisan is my go to lens for portraits.
BTW, I am using an A7RIV in APSc mode which gives me 26MP files which is plenty.
These Chinese lenses are great for primes, but they are not ready for zoom lenses yet due to the design complexity. Sigma and Tamron are king in this department when it comes to third party.
I bought a TTArtisan 35mm f1.8. Don't judge lens by its name and price. Compared to my Fuji lenses, TTartisan got my attention.
I recently picked up a second hand 27 2.8 from TTartisan and I can't wait to give it a go. The fuji branded one was 2-3 times the price, the reviews I've seen doesn't really show a huge difference other than weather sealing and maybe some focus noise
This was a great video. TTArtisans is certainly going to be the next Sigma. Even if they're not making lenses for every mount immediately with wide aperture and autofocus, getting a good adapter can also go extremely far for budget users who are still trying to decide on the body of their choice but maintaining the glass they like.
I love love love your commitment to the budget range! I am a student so I do not have a lot of money for my hobby. I bought the TTartisan 27mm 2.8 because of your review, I love that little pancake so much :) and I got it for 100€ on ebay!
I'm still using my old a6000 and its the best allrounder setup :)
Hey Mark, can I ask this lens has Waterproof or Wr feature ?
Excellent video, thank you! Note, however (as you did in the video’s title): “TTArtisan” (singular) vs. 7Artisans (plural).
How's the standby battery life on TTArtisan autofocus lenses? I had the 27mm f2.8 for Sony and loved it, but ultimately sold it because it was draining the batteries on my cameras even when they were off (a5100 and a6700). They released a firmware update that didn't entirely solve the problem, and continued to tell me over email that I wasn't actually experiencing any drain.
Please please please make some L mounts TTartisan, this looks so good!
This just follows the larger trend of Chinese manufacturers entering the market at the bottom, but increasing their quality progressively, to the point that they are starting to be the best within some markets. Just like Japan copied western cameras decades ago, and improved to the point of capturing most of the camera market.
I dont even own a Fungifilm yet and im already addicted to the content, marathoning X lense vids... Fungifilms is like those zombie cordyseps ...Please give me back my will Fungifilm its been a few days and m starting to worry this isnt gonna end🙏
Boy do I remember when Sigma and Tamron were considered budget lenses! Now they are on par and some better than Canon, Nikon goass
I just went to the B and H website to see what TTArtisan lenses the had and the number of lenses they have listed is 101. Ben
Sigma lenses are not just on par but often optically superior to the “first party” lenses. They are often sharper and have the best flare resistance of all. The coating department is where the newer chinese competitors usually fall far behind, as You have mentioned. But You are right that this lens is much better that its predecessors…
Funny this morning I responded to an eBay offer to decline a Sigma 1.4 as I’d just gotten one of these and used it on a shoot quite happily and here comes THIS video😂😂😂
Which one is you recommended for beginner, TTartisan 56mm f1.8 or 35mm f1.8?
Answering since no one else has. I'd suggest the 35mm lens, it's an excellent all around focal length, it is an excellent focal lens for a variety of different types of photography (including street, environmental portraiture, reportage, etc)
I would pick one up and spend time with it as your only lens, until you are content that you are capturing what you previsualized 70-80% of the time. Then you can consider other lenses.
Also spend the time to learn how to do post processing, cataloguing and archiving.
Cheers
Please do make a comparison soon between this lens and the Viltrox 56mm 1.7. I'll wait for it before I decide which one to get 😊
Should be out Monday, all going well.
It is always good for us consumers to have more competition. But then the market is not really booming, so it is not so good for the manufacturers. I have bought some uncommon lenses which I otherwise would not be able to afford. Thanks for diving into this segment, I think there are many bobbyists like myself who are just waiting for a budget friendly alternative. In my case it re-vigorated my passion in photography.
the thumbnail is cold lol
now we need this to be happening in the camera body market as well :)
In india it's priced higher than sig56. sig56 is 37k INR/444 USD & this 7A lens is about 40k INR/480 USD.
in amazon through the link😐
for me Trinity holy grail budget lens (Meike, TT, 7Artisans) are my go to buying choice
since Sigma, Tamron and Native lens are Best but not best in price hahahaha
Great video Mr.Gates 👏👏👏
99% of lenses are better than 99% of photographers.
Meaning, there are very few lenses that cant actually meet the needs of only very few photographers.
Plenty of renowned photographers daily drive third party lenses from brands like TTartisans and 7Artisans that can cost mere fractions of the lenses they aim to mimic.
Ich besitze das Sigma c 56mm f1.4 am MFT und bin absolut zufrieden damit, schnell und soft wie im KB
Yes, this is a good lens. Yes, it's a great price. Incredible bang for the buck and a must-buy for anyone on APS-C who doesn't already own the Sigma 56/1.4. But TTArtisan is a long, long way from becoming Sigma.
Absolutely ! this is just their first good Af primes, great value sure ! nice ! but also super basic and boooring. The day they release quality zoom lens with correction profiles, have a complete prime FF line up and get a real after market service, maybe then... Except Viltrox is already faaaaar ahead in that road , if anyone it will be them among the all chineses that can become the closest to a new "Sigma".
would absolutely be excited for a comparison with the sigma and viltrox, Northrup roundup style!
Testing it out this weekend 😏
I have the 7Artisans AF 50mm 1.8 for full frame. Just €250,- in Europe. I'm absolutely loving that thing. Sharp, focus works well enough and beautifull rendering.
Canon ef 50 1.8 is less than 130€ here...
@@NikosPer indeed very good value, but also cheaply built, optically not as good and most important, it doesn’t fit on my Nikon Z5 😉
@@timdokter3893 it doesn't matter, i ve made exceptional photos with it, it just works!
I would like to see a Brightingstar Review about the 9mm Ultrawide for Canon :)
I've got no experience with TTArtisan though, but I do like to stress that aside from their products the aftersales service of Sigma is generally really, really good.
Viltrox pro line - are the Lenses catching interest @ $500 or less. 💡
Now they just need some LONGER glass.
Long fast zooms 👍🏻
I would like to see a wide fast prime with AF like an 18mm
@MattJacobs my Viltrox 13mm is awesome. And very happy with the sigma 18-50 was good option at the time
They have a 500mm :))
Please compare all Mark. I am debating all 3 to replace my converted canon efs 50mm f1.8. Thank you. 😊
Can I put it on my Nikon Z5?
I have a Quantaray 19-35 f3.5 EF lens which is just a ritz camera branded Tamron lens. I honestly really like it. Works great on my full frame camera for photo and video, but it’s amazing on my C300.
I wish TTartisan made more EF stuff but I know it’s a dying platform now.
Just wondering, was the lens designed for APSC? I’m wondering about unnecessary heft
yes
Now I wonder what will become of Viltrox now that TTArtisans have bridged that market segment with lower prices.
Finally I’ve been waiting for this
Got mine. Love it.
Unrelated but I’ve taken the exact same photo that is at 9:11 in the video, obv with a different lens but I still found that hilarious
I got mine for less than 150 incl tax & shipping. I love iton my Fuji X-A7. If the autofocus is slow I cannot tell. Actually seemed pretty fast sometimes. I cannot believe the price and quality ofnthis lens. I also have their 27mm and love that lens as well. Personally, would recommend for any beginner or someone on a budget. I have been shooting for over a decade.
Fuji X-A7 - man I hope we'll see budget bodies from Fuji again, the X-A7 and X-T200 were fantastic value at the time
The market of lenses and of the cameras with interchangeable has not schrinked . It has increased in the last years in numbers ( because of the switch to mirrorless) and in price . Those informations are available for every one.
The market whcih has dramatically shrinked is the market of fixed lens cameras .
Really I would recommend buy the best lenses one by one they will improve quality and allow the new starter to change up body without having to replace lenses.
Several years ago, I bought a TT Artisans 50 mm f/1.4 lens for the Leica M mount. I wasn’t impressed by the image quality and sold it.
Do they make any larger Lens size like 300 or 500?
Hi Mark
I have a Sony A6000 that the family own and be sitting in the cupboard untouched for years. I am wanting to use it on some up coming travel overseas and hiking adventures
I just have the kit lens that came with the camera but want to get a prime lens.
I want something that is compact , under $300AUD , auto focus so my girlfriend can also use it easily
I was thinking of the TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 or the Samyang 35mm f.28 as these are both compact, autofocus, under budget brand new / second hand and I think the focal length will give good versatility for landscapes, street and portraits
Ideally after that one lens only to bring along, point and shoot style , so there not too much thinking involved and more just enjoying the moment
I would not shoot any video on the a6000
Any thoughts or other suggestions are most welcome
Yah, both good choices. 27mm is a little wider and more versatile.
@@markwiemels would you pick TTArtisan 35mm over Samyang 35m? Or does the Samyang win out because of how compact it is?
Also TTArtisan vs Samyang in regarding to flares? Which performs better?
@@makagio have not tested the Samyang.
@@markwiemels between 27mm (40mm full frame) and 24mm (35mm full frame) which of the two would you decide for a one lens only travel? Landscapes, street and hiking in mind
@@makagio I have a strong preference for 27, but this is a purely personal choice.
Not gonna lie, I don't think I agree with a lot of the claims you made at the beginning of your video with literally no data to back that up. Cameras haven't gone up in price because of the shrinking market, that's just not true. And Sigma's lens prices haven't "doubled or even tripled" since they started offering their ART series. Especially if you adjust for inflation.
I just googled the Canon 5D Mark III's launch price in 2012 and it was $3,500. Adjusted for inflation, that's around $4,800. An equivalent to Canon's 5D Mark III would be the Sony a7IV, which is currently at around $2,300. Even if you compared the 5DMK3's launch price to the Sony A7RV (which is a bit unfair) the a7RV at $3,500 is STILL over a thousand dollars less than the 5DMKIII's launch price. I really don't understand your claims because if anything we're currently living in a time where cameras are CHEAPER than ever, not MORE expensive.
And same thing applies to Sigma's ART lenses. If you compare the prices of the first ART series lenses for DSLRs to the ART series for mirrorless systems then adjust for inflation, Sigma's new lenses haven't really gone up in price. Maybe by a few hundred dollars? But CERTAINLY not doubled or tripled, that's simply not true. It only took me like 5 minutes of research to confirm this. What gives?
And last but not least, I truly believe that that title deserves to go to Viltrox, not TTartisan. Viltrox has been absolutely shaking the lens market right now with their wildly affordable but high quality primes. I personally own the 27MM and 75MM 1.2 for Fuji and truly believe they're the next Sigma.
Thanks for pointing this out! You are absolutely right. While I have found some lenses that have doubled (since you made this comment), most have just held pace with inflation, some are even less when adjusting for inflation. I think my perception has been totally skewed by the push of the manufactures to sell the higher end cameras. Plus, the fact that photography has become such a luxury expense now, that we are seeing people buy high end full frame cameras as their "first" hobby camera. If you look at like for like, as you have said, there is very little difference once adjusting for inflation. Thanks for taking the time to point this out.
I wonder if its better than my zeiss 55mm 😅
Does the square lens hood work on it? What is it??
Yes, it's a lens hood, it's just a different style. Often called a "crushed can" lens hood.
I only have a Canon M50, if I got a lens adaptor to use this lense on my canon, would it work?
The manual lens is not for optical perfection, they're for the character look
We can no longer purchase new in box sonnar or gauss design lens, for mirrorless no less, no need to fuss with adapters and stuff
AF could be the main issue, we cannot advocate with 'beta' / half-baked firmware because we dont know when is the product will got updated and will get better or not
I have some tests in a more recent video comparison.
The big question is this, is 80% of anything you really want good enough, or will you be kicking yourself for not saving more to get what you wanted?
What are the mounts? I don't see that in the description....
X mount and E mount
3:25 what is missing here is that the "80% as good" number is in the eye of the beholder. If "has autofocus and a large aperture, is reasonably sharp" gets you there, good for you. To others, (this specific lans notwithstanding) bad coatings causing massive flare in many outdoor situations and massive LoCA making out of focus areas look like a clown birthday party make some cheap lenses more like 10%, which makes them a bad deal for these people. It's what matters to you, or where you are on your photography journey - maybe you'll learn to see LoCA at a later time and then you'll buy twice. The question is whether we are going to see complete sets at the level of this particular lens, with usability features like aperture rings included.
Build quality is good, the hood design is really annoying when you wanna use filters, I run a polarizer a _lot_ so it's a pain. AF is fine, yeah a little slow but drop the light level and try to get some use of that big aperture? Ugh. The AF gets really, really shakey. My Sigma 30mm 1.4 beats the pants off that 56 TTA in low light AF performance, even wide open the Sigma focuses like a beast and it's not *that* much more than the TTA. Bright light? Okay, the TTA is a decent focusing, reasonably optically decent unit with really good subject separation wide open and nice bokeh but if I had the choice I wish I'd saved up and bought the Sigma 56mm 1.4 as it would wipe the _floor_ with that TTA. The TTA56 is a great lens in a few applications and a mediocre one otherwise. Build quality is up with older Sigmas but TTA need to step up their AF game and 1.8 max aperture is not as impressive as it used to be.
If it aint good on sale date in terms of focus performance, I do not by on future improvements being promised. .
I have an updated video with the new firmware and real world testing.
Fine if you are shooting APS-C.
Viltrox yes, but not cheesy TTArtisan
MCG! love it 🏉
Tamron would be my choice :)
exacto
The Chinese manufacturers are building up their expertise but it’s not just about price and quality but an ethical one. China doesn’t trade fairly they subsidise until they get market domination they have done this is countless industries. They also “steal” IP I’ve seen this at Photokina where a Chinese engineer was using a micrometer to measure a product from Arca Swiss and wrote down notes! I reported him and he was kicked out of the fair. This is not an isolated case they have done this to Land Rover, JCB, GM etc.
If you want all the jobs in China knock yourself out and buy their products but I will not be.
Yeah….i can’t say your wrong. They steal like a mofo.