7Artisans AF 85mm F1.8 STM Review | High Quality Budget Option Under $300?

[@AlexanderRay92]

It's amazing they made their 85 smaller than their 50 but also fixed the purple fringing

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Agreed.

[@ralphsaad8637]

The colors look surprisingly rich from the lens

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Agreed.

[@DarkAvenger1234]

The comparisons were great, love the deep dives.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

My pleasure.

[@sbeckmesser]

Fine review of a very enticing lens. A few questions: 1. Do you think the loss of focus tracking with oncoming subjects during stills can be corrected by a firmware update? 2. How is its tracking in video recording? 3. Do you think this behavior would be different with a different Sony body? Your A7RV's autofocus abilities is pretty much the same as my A7CII and A6700. Would tracking performance be even worse with non-AI-driven Sony bodies?

[@izavo6188]

First of all thank you for your review, I must say your testchart is still the best I have seen and the fine detail in the banknotes really illustrates the realworld textureresolution of the lenses. Your breakdowns are always extensive, even for cheaper lenses. The only thing I sometimes miss is a bokehtest with small lights, like holes between leaves or fairy lights illustrating how the bokehballs look and change in the frame. Also a flare/ghosting test in videoform would be nice to illustrate the “danger zones” but that is a nitpick. One question remains, at least in europe I can't find any information about firmware updates. There are also none for the 50mm, do you have information where they provide them, if any? Because like you said the lenses are very interesting optically but lack the software to back them up it seems.

[@UlisesDB]

Great video as all of yours. Congrats ! I am looking for a "light" portrait lens to take on trips, and I am hesitating between this one and the Samyang 75mm f1.8 which are priced similarly in Europe. Which one would you recommend for nicer rendering ? Thanks.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Good question. The truth of the matter is that both lenses are nice. I think you'll get slightly softer bokeh with this lens, and maybe a bit better AF with the Samyang.

[@kreygscott]

Great review. My concern with this lens is the weather sealing. Great for studio work but not suited for outdoor photography. Thanks Dustin. God Bless.

[@bizpixvegas7651]

Thank you Dustin. Another excellent review. I am intrigued. I have been toying around with getting the Sigma 85 f1.4 but for substantially less the 7Artisans 85 seems to go toe-to-toe with the Sigma. I bought the TT Artisan 56mm f1.8 lens as a stop gap and totally happy with it but I need a full frame 85. Did you have a chance to test the 7Artisan's focus speed in low light? From my tests, that is where the Sigma out shines the TT artisan. I would be curious to know how the 7Artisan's focus performed in low light

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

The Sigma will be faster in low light, yes, but not radically so.

[@bizpixvegas7651]

@@DustinAbbottTWI Thank you Dustin.

[@stkuj]

Have you tested the Yongnuo 85 1.8 yet? I'd like to see a comparison.

[@irondiver2034]

I was about to ask the same thing. The DXO mark on the yongnuo is really good.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I haven't. I'm about to review their 50mm F1.8 for Fuji X.

[@DigiDriftZone]

I considered this lens but I ultimately chose the TT Artisan 75mm f/2 for a much more compact and cheaper lens that gives 90% of what this one does :)

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Fair enough.

[@looppp]

how's this compare to the sony 85 1.4? i'm in the market for an 85 portrait lens

[@paololarocca7684]

very interesting lens, it's a pity that the aperture is clickless, anyways, have you considered doing a review of the 7artisans 9mm ? in the Sony catalogue there aren't many options below 16mm (besides the two large and expensive 12-24 zooms...)

[@diegocaracasfc]

Would you recommend this one over the new sirui Aurora?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I haven't had a chance to test the Aurora yet, so I can't answer that.

[@diegocaracasfc]

What about the Yongnuo YN85mm f/1.8S DF, compared to the 7artisan? ​@@DustinAbbottTWI

[@_HalfDuck_]

I heard that the Viltrox 75mm F1.2 was awesome, but the 7Artisians is cheaper and is for Full Frame, so I'm thinking if I should buy this one instead for my Sony APSC

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's fine, though the Viltrox is definitely a special lens.

[@asa9268]

Its sharper than its 50mm counterpart?all im concerned is image quality and sharpness..r4 user here

[@boristahmasian1644]

R4 user here too. I have tried the Sigma 85 which costs a lot more. This lens seems to go toe-to-toe with it for a lot less money. F1.4 vs f1.8 difference is not a deal breaker. You still get a nice bokeh. Let me know what you think if you end up getting the 7Artisan 85.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Yes, this is the sharper of the two lenses.

[@rhalfik]

I saw.a review that clearly showed that this lens hass better light transmission on every aperture than Viltrox. The question that remains for me - 7artisans or Tokina? Also there seems to be a sample variation issue with these cheap lenses. Every review seems to show a different performance... Roughly similar but some say that Tokina is less sharp, others that 7artisans, and you say that Viltrox is not the same as version II, wen though the optical formula is supposed to be the same.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

In the case of the Viltrox, yes, the optical design was the same, though at the levels I'm testing at (200% on high resolution cameras), even slight sample variation will be apparent.

[@MartinV.]

Great Video

[@berndsczepanski]

Thanx

[@AlexanderRay92]

How'd they make their 85 smaller than their 50!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Probably because the 50 was unnecessarily big.

[@kevinheg8814]

How does it compare to the Sony 85 1.8?

[@rhalfik]

I didn't compare them, but I know this sony well enough to predict that Sony is less sharp, although still acceptable and consistent across the frame. CA and flaring on Sony are not great. AF although not faster is more accurate. The weight and size is a win for Sony too. IQ on Sony is the definition of average, AF is also average but reliably so.

[@tommasodevirgilio6883]

That Meike is ridicously awful! What the hell? I didn't expect it :(

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Definitely not in the same class as this lens.

[@HappeningPhotos]

Samyang’s 75/1.8 is $309.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's true, though it is currently on sale and that isn't the regular price. It's also not an 85mm lens.

[@HappeningPhotos]

⁠@@DustinAbbottTWI Yeah, I know. But it’s worth consideration by someone looking for a small F1.8 short tele, especially if they want something that is light and compact. It makes a great complement to my Samyang 85mm/1.4 for those times when I want to travel light. As for the sale price, it is frequently available and may be even lower around Black Friday.