The HELIOS-44 of 2022? TTArtisan 50mm f/2 Review & Photos

When you think of a mass-manufactured, low-cost 50mm f/2 manual focus lens, you probably think of the Helios-44. However, modern Chinese lens brands have gained popularity in recent years for their affordability and high build quality, which leads to the topic of this video - is this new nifty fifty from TTArtisan the modern equivalent of the Helios-44?
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TTArtisan 50mm f/2: ttartisan.com/?list_9/TTArtis...
Download the photos from this review: drive.google.com/drive/u/0/fo...
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:45 - Lens tech specs
3:15 - Optical Design
4:24 - Ergonomics
5:37 - Sharpness
7:07 - Image Characteristics
9:19 - Bokeh
9:48 - Similarities with Helios-44
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[@yurypisar347]

Thanks for the review!) Love ttartisans and the other chinese brands for their price, quality and the ability to choose bayonet you need.

[@SovietLensReviews]

For sure, I just find it refreshing to see a FF Z-Mount lens that's less than $100 to be honest!

[@selkiemaine]

I have 3 TTArtisan lenses, and they've been great value and very usable. I have the 50mm tilt lens. It's too soft wide open, but I can just stop down a little and add a little more tilt for exactly the depth of field I want - I VERY much enjoy using it. I have been known to use it as a walkaround with just a degree or so of tilt thrown in to make the background interesting. I also have the little Fisheye - and it simply works well. No fuss and a great price. Lastly, I have the 90mm f/1.25, and to be honest, I don't get much use out of it, but I do want to keep trying - it should do amazing things with portraits. Again, like any old school lens, it's just a bit too dreamy absolutely wide open, and the depth of field gets SO shallow that it's a real challenge to use. It's also HEAVY. But, it absolutely does the job it's designed to do and does it superbly considering the price. If you don't mind a fully manual lens, and you pick the right model (some of the 50mm f/.95 lenses just SUCK), these new Chinese manufacturers are making great lenses at very fair prices. The Chinese lens I get the most use out of is the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 macro - I also have the Canon RF L, but the Laowa has a higher magnification and simply delivers more than the Canon can close up.

[@mgscheue]

Looks quite decent for the price. Nice review! Corner problems should be less an issue with APS-C sensors.

[@Victor842]

can you please do a video comparison?

[@aysommer]

Like your reviews, incredible hobby for not soviet man :)

[@SovietLensReviews]

Спасибо Артём)

[@anulearntech]

I think those soft corners are due to mechanical vignetting and the image circle being too small for 50mm f2 full frame than a lens feature. because its still a relatively sharp lens at the corners but suddenly drops in IQ at the extreme corners.

[@SovietLensReviews]

That makes sense and would explain why it doesn't improve much when stopped down.

[@anulearntech]

@@SovietLensReviews Also the vignetting of this lens never truly goes away. I guess this is one of the reasons why those premium lenses have larger filter sizes - to have better corner quality, less vignetting and less cats eye bokeh.

[@MarcoAries]

Too bad for the soft corners, reminds me of the Pentacon 29. I've been curious to try their lenses, but... well, they haven't answered me yet 😅

[@SovietLensReviews]

Hopefully they do soon!

[@anulearntech]

I think those soft corners are due to mechanical vignetting and the image circle being too small for 50mm f2 full frame than a lens feature. because its still a relatively sharp lens at the corners but suddenly drops in IQ at the extreme corners. check Dustin Abbot's review once.

[@fretless05]

Looking at the optical design, I'd say you got the wrong Helios lens. Take a look at the Helios 81N; the groups and the shapes of the optics are nearly identical.

[@ralphaaa80]

Is price point similar to price?

[@SovietLensReviews]

Yep, sort of the same thing

[@artsergo]

Алекс привет! А я снимал макро фото через макромех и зеркалку

[@jv7070ful]

It's to much money for a lens that is only sharp at f 11.

[@SovietLensReviews]

Yeah, I was hoping it'd be better around the f/4-5.6 range in the corners. The centre-mid edge is very sharp though, so still very usable for video, just not edge to edge pics.

[@anulearntech]

its relatively sharp at f2, except at extreme corners. I dont understand why would anyone want high sharpness at extreme corners.

[@Ni5ei]

So it probably looks way better on an APSC sensor.

[@emilnilsson7991]

Quality seems pretty damn bad.