This lens surprised me! TTArtisan 500mm f6.3 BUDGET telephoto lens.

[@tonysutton6559]

It's a pleasure to hear a totally honest review. It would be interesting if you could get your hands on a production model in 6 months time to see if the shortcomings have been ironed out as there are many people out there who can't afford the more expensive models.

[@photogenius]

Yep, a production version would be good, preferably with a Nikon Z or Canon R mount so I don't have to keep barring a camera 🙂 Thanks for watching Tony, I appreciate your support.

[@Danny-BigD]

Hello. Just got a Canon T6i and I was watching your "FOCUS LIKE A PRO". I NEVER knew I could press the little + button that zooms in and then focus .. OMG this is AWESOME!. It it was so hard to focus. I was getting better but MAN this is AWESOME ! Thanks mate!

[@willemdebeer2507]

I have been anxiously waiting for you to review this lens, as I feel your reviews are more genuine and honest.

[@photogenius]

Thank you so much. Reviews don't typically perform well on my channel - but I still like to share when something comes along that I feel will be of use to my audience. Best wishes Paul

[@janeastland803]

I have learned a lot from you and thank you very m7ch. I own a nickon d 200 and a d40. Yes there old. But I have learned a lot from you becuz other folks talk about other camera and it just don't understand there terms. So you are wonderful cuz you talk about nickon. Happy thurday. To a 70 year old woman you are a wonderful help

[@photogenius]

Thank you so much for the fantastic feedback and support. I'm so glad you enjoy the videos 🙂

[@testusersg]

It would be nice if TTArtisan can produce a budget 800 or 1000mm lens which will make more sense. Unless someone is on a very very tight budget, this lens doesn't make a lot of sense as there is a better lens in practically every way that is just maybe $550 more ($550 isn't really a lot for extreme telephoto that is not a mirror lens) but offers much much more. The sigma 150-600C, longer 600mm reach (main key feature), AF, same max aperture (canon RF is F11, not comparable), zoom, auto aperture etc.. If there is no sigma 150-600C, then this lens will make a lot of sense as any other options gotta cost a bomb.

[@astro143_]

I started looking at this lens when it started popping up because I really want to take better moon photos. What you were able to capture is amazing, and that was on full frame! I have an a6600, I am very excited for what the 750mm equivalent will look like through this lens.

[@photogenius]

I didn't have access to an APSC sensor camera to test- would love to know how you get on with it if you decide to buy one.

[@craigbutler2265]

Nice review Paul. There are certainly shortcomings with this lens, but the price cannot be beat. It will work for some people for sure.

[@photogenius]

Absolutely, it's far from perfect, but if the budget is tight then this is a good option.

[@jimzielinski946]

Amazing picture of the moon! Please ask the manufacturer to seriously consider making a model with the so-called "T" or "T2" mount. The T mount allows anyone interested in astro photography to adapt it to anything. Actually. If they only made it in T mount, they would only need one model and be able to ship it with any T adapter or let the buyer use their own. I already have a collection of nice mirror tele lenses which are fun to use, but im always open to getting a new tele lens if its price is cheap enough. Id order one immediately it they had it in T mount! Edit: I recently got their three element manual antique portrait clone lens in M42 mount. The all manual lens works exactly as described, perfectly. Even M42 would allow their new 500mm lens to adapt to anything.

[@laurencedunkley8097]

Cheer's Paul, interesting Len's, especially for the money. Not always a bad thing to revert to the basics, keeps the old grey cells functioning, if nothing else!.

[@photogenius]

I agree 100%, whilst I'm a big fan of technology and what it can do for us, occasionally doing things the old-school way is actually fun, makes you think, work harder and appreciate the results more. Best wishes and thanks for watching and supporting my channel.

[@barrygiddey9139]

Thanks for the video Paul-its a great insight into what's new-l liked that moon 🌝 shot as well-Thanks again we all appreciate it 👍

[@P.J.B.769]

Great video again Paul as usual.

[@photogenius]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you for your continued support.

[@seaeagles6025]

Hi Paul, This TT Artisan lens is a good lens for the price, sometimes having some limitations is a good thing especially being a Manual Focus lens. It's a good feeling when you get good shots, good for your confidence. If you can shoot with this lens you can shoot with any lens. As you saId with a bit of practice you can do great things with this lens. I don't mind watching Reviews, if you didn't show this video i wouldn't have known about this lens. Thanks for this video I've learnt something new. 😃

[@michaelholbrook4401]

Gear question not really related to this video but… back in the ‘80s, I had a 35mm Cosina pocket camera that had a very cool feature that I can’t seem to find in current DSLRs. It had timer dial with an infinity symbol that triggered the shutter when full light hit the film. The trick was to place a piece of electrical tape over the external light sensor, then the shutter would stay open as long as you held it, or alternatively, be somewhere very dark, then sudden light would trigger the shutter as well. I used to go out of town with this small pocket camera, set it on a wall during a nighttime lightning storm (I didn’t have a tripod back then) and simply hold the shutter until lightning struck. If I was lucky, lightning flashed in the direction the camera faced. I have prints of three such ground strikes, and two sky strikes made this way. What I’m wondering is… Is there a way with DSLs, to simulate this “hold the shutter open until x amount of light enters, then automatically close the shutter” scenario I had with that pocket 35mm Cosina?

[@photogenius]

I'm not aware of any digital camera that has the feature that your Cosina had, however you can get external triggers that trigger the shutter when lightning is detected. I have not personally tried any of these but have heard that lightningtrigger.com is reliable and works well. Hope that helps - best wishes and thanks for watching.

[@michaelholbrook4401]

I will look into it. If I wind up getting it and try it, I'll drop a comment. Thanks much for your reply! :) @@photogenius

[@dylanfgarrison]

Great review. I ordered this lens for unique cases in architecture. Can’t wait to get it.

[@dr.nico99]

Is the focus ring in the final release lens still really stiff?

[@theideaofevil]

I was looking at telephoto lenses for moon photos after some fun (and surprisingly good!) shots through a pair of binoculars through the a7c kit lens. This might as well have been made for me 😂

[@photogenius]

Thanks for watching, I like the inventive way of capturing an image through binoculars! 👏

[@MrTmiket0007]

Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful video like always

[@photogenius]

So nice of you, thanks.

[@tonykeltsflorida]

I got a 2x teleconverter for less than $60 USD. I use my 75-300 so I shot a 600mm f/5.6 photo of the end of our road 300 meters away. I want to get a good moon shot soon. That 500mm does look pretty good.

[@boredgrass]

For that price awesome! Another, I think, essential for the most important... "gear"... in all of photography: The "hardware" between the photographers ears: Wether we use a Pinhole, a Holga, our phone, or a + 16.000$ lens on a 6000$ body, only if we really learn and train to use our tools, and even adapt them to our needs, can we succeed! Perhaps you can make a clamp with a grip for the focus ring? I think the "weaknesses of htis lens can prove themselves to be good learning opportunities!

[@rlgenge]

Great review, not everyone can afford the top end primes or zooms. To solve the issue of cost I recently purchased a 1975 Canon 200mm F4 prime (80 euro + 24 euro adaptor), and coupled it to the Panasonic G9, yes it's manual focus, but the results are very pleasing. You have to adapt your approach to the subject (especially small birds and flying insects), but it's possible and good fun.

[@theevil-g-nius7085]

That moon shot was my favorite of all the shots you took! Amazing. I might invest in one of these when they come out just for lunar shots! Is there any talks of creating a lens for DSLRs too or is it simply mirrorless?

[@Durio_zibethinus]

Only mirrorless cameras are covered due to short flange distance.

[@traceycrack9104]

Thank you, this video is really helpful!

[@photogenius]

You're very welcome, thanks for watching.

[@momentsinanglingessence855]

Thank you for this review, it was very informative, the settings you recommended will help enhance the outcome of photos too. I am very tempted to save money by getting this lens. And well done on capruring the moon so beautifully, I'd thought about trying that before but will now! 👍

[@photogenius]

You're very welcome, thank you for the great feedback and support.

[@robertgiguere875]

Thank you! Great video. I’m thinking about starting bird/wildlife photography. My longest lense is the Tamron 28-200 on my a7iii. This looks like a perfect entry lense for a novice like me

[@chriscard6544]

Great image of the moon

[@photogenius]

Thank you very much.

[@judytaylor7560]

Thank you for the review.

[@photogenius]

You are very welcome, thanks for the support.

[@nicholashylton6857]

There is going to be an eclipse next April and this has given me some pause for thought!

[@photogenius]

And plenty of time to practise!! Best wishes and thanks for watching.

[@shaneweightman]

I recently paid 73 uk pounds for a f8 500 mirror lens ,, not the sharpest I’ve ever seen but good enough for that money, cheers for the video , shane uk

[@shiltoob]

Which one would be better? This or second hand vintage lens at the similar price point?

[@FranciscoMartinez-ws2hr]

Excellent video!

[@judgesteve6798]

Thank You for taking the time to do this review Paul VERY interesting!!! Any word on whether or not they'll manufacture one for Nikon F-Mount. For this amount of money I'd be all over it!!

[@DavidIG500]

Hello everyone, I have a question. Would it be possible to use the clear image zoom with the TTartisan 500 mm on a Sony alpha 6000? Thanks

[@photogenius]

Clear image zoom is not a feature I’ve had the opportunity to try, but as far as I know it should work regardless of the lens. Might be worth checking with your local dealer.

[@DavidIG500]

@@photogenius Okay Thanks.

[@waltheodoros]

Thanks for this nice review! :) Can you tell me which ball head mount you use here: 3:23 And can you tell me which monopod you are using here: 4:42 ? Is the same ball head attached on this monopod? I am looking for a good monopod with a ball head that will hold a Sony A6000 + TTartisan 500mm securely. Thank you :)

[@cgriggsiv]

Nice review Paul Here's a question for you young man Comparing this lens with the sun optics 433 since they are both fully manual Love to see what type of video you make with that especially the photo comparison

[@BFNLIONBUZZ]

Thanks for sharing this

[@photogenius]

You are very welcome.

[@MillisecondFalcon]

Thanks for the detailed review. I've had my eye on this since it launched and just ordered one direct from Pergear with a black Friday discount. I'm getting it mainly for the focal length for shooting the moon as I'm fairly new to photography and building up a small collection of lenses with different capabilities, so I'm delighted to get such a good deal on this. Your photos look great so I'm excited to see how the moon turns out for me.

[@photogenius]

As I mentioned in the video, it's not the easiest lens to work with, but you can get great results with patience - enjoy your new toy and thanks for watching.

[@zygmuntziokowski7877]

I am curious how good it would be taking pictures of the Moon? Also, I assume it is full frame lens?

[@genin69]

pity you didnt list the settings used on each shot, looks like you went between f8 and f11 but nobody knows

[@TribeCalledBeats]

Does anyone have this lens with Sony A7ii ? I can't get the little zoom feature to work. It works on my other manual lenses. This one says the lens isn't attached.

[@PrimalShutter]

Sad to hear about the stiff focus ring

[@jaycee6996]

As someone who started his photography decades before digital apart from my 200mm all my wildlife lenses were manual focus and manual aperture, from 350mm , 400mm, 500mm(mirror) to MTO1000A (1100mm). What I discovered was that to get good results required literally years of developing the skills needed. You can pan the MTO handheld but you have to be a lot steadier and stronger than I am now. The inertia of that weight in motion paradoxically helped to get sharper results. It is asking a lot to get someone with little experience of these lenses to get immediately good results. Overall the results were pretty impressive. With some relatively small improvements this could be a really useful lens.

[@sumeetlamba4603]

Given it’s a stripped down lens, won’t a Canon FD mount lens with an adapter be a better option. Canon quality and well under the $300 price point. Still manual focus and aperture. And at 5.6.

[@aymericc.126]

I'm trying to photograph the moon with this lens and a Canon EOS RP, it's horrible. It's very blurry, nothing to do with your photos in the video. I have the feeling of not being able to get a good focus. I use manual mode with an ISO of 400, and a shutter speed of around 1/250, I tried several apertures, without success. 🥺 Regards from Brittany in France

[@photogenius]

Ok, I'm determined to help you get a sharper image as I know this lens is capable of it - however being a manual focus lens, it is tricky. Here is what I suggest... I'm going to assume you are using a tripod to keep the camera steady. With the LCD screen flipped out and using Live View, line up the moon and then press the + button on the back of the camera to use digital zoom to effectively 'zoom-in' even further on the moon, then slowly turn the focus ring on the lens until the moon looks as sharp as possible. Final tip is to consider using the cameras timer to delay the image and help minimise camera movement. Watching my video on 'shooting the moon' may also help : kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3bQk3iJYs6SpdE Good luck and please let me know how you get on.

[@aymericc.126]

@@photogenius Yes I use a fairly stable tripod and I use Canon EOS Utility on my PC to get a large image to help me focus on the moon. I think there is too much atmospheric turbulence. I still can't focus sharply. My Canon EOS RP is a full-frame which is not ideal for having good resolution, I suppose. I carefully watched your video on 'shooting the moon' 😉 Thank you for helping me !

[@photogenius]

Keep trying - I'm sue you will nail it.

[@diegopendinorodriguez4829]

Is there canon ef mount?

[@lionheart4424]

You probably already know but yes, this lens comes in EF mount. I have it for my Canon 6D and I also use an adapter for my Fujifilm X mount.

[@janjamesramos247]

I'm waiting for the Fujifilm version. I think the price should be cheaper...

[@marcofreitas5321]

Too bad there's no f mount option😢, but nice video nonetheless 👍

[@Suprastar87]

Shame there's no Canon EF/S version

[@StevenKeery]

I'm guessing the lens is made in China. I think I would rather buy a better brand, second-hand lens than this slow lens with the slow focus ring. Thanks for reviewing it though.

[@carlwinslow5905]

It's made in China but I can tell you from someone that shoots majority of my slow moving ducks, geese, etc on a 1969 Nikkor-H, as amazing and well built that it is, this lens is probably exactly the same as that old Nikkor and probably a lot lighter.

[@washingtonradio]

It's old school lens. Seems to be a great lens for the price but with my eyesight I need autofocus - I know my limits.

[@pr1sm55]

Colors seem to be very washed out.

[@unleashthedragonwithin2057]

Far too many and long ads. Didn't watch.

[@gdv2268]

Buy youtube premium :)

[@ortaparmak]

I imagine it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to get sharp photos of fast-moving animals far away without autofocus, so I think it can't be a good wildlife photography lens.

[@haiderhusain9964]