TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4 Lens Review - Bargain Priced APS-C Lens Review With Sample Images

[@Risayogi]

Using this lens (or other similarly cheap manual focus lenses) is really fun. Soft and pretty hard to focus when wide open, horrible light leaks, weird colors, weird bokeh. Combined with Fujifilm’s film simulations, you’ll get the instant camera quality photos, but with bokeh. Perfect for Instagram. I love it.

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Thanks! I was using 50mp

[@forneverarrow]

I like your review, though I disagree on two points: 1) the lens cap is brilliant! Maybe it was your copy bad, but mine has the right amount of stiffness to stay in place and it’s crazy convenient in comparison with the typical clip in lens caps. 2) the image quality is more than impressive. Don’t forget, the lens costs about 1/5th of the price for a Sony, Fuji or Zeiss prime. And the most important, it’s designed for vintage rendering not for professional level of sharpness. It’s not a Sigma or G Master replacement but an artistic piece of glass. Wide open is tac sharp only in the very center, getting progressively softer towards the edges. It even has a significant field curvature, like most of the true vintage lenses (it’s a Sonnar design). From f/2.8 it gets really sharp, even for modern standards (at f/8 it surpasses my other Zeiss primes). If I had to mention something negative that would have been the distortion (not the vignetting because I like it for artistic purposes). It’s fixable in Lightroom (a +6 to +8 setting is enough) most of the time but I don’t like the fact that you need to crop slightly at the edges afterwards. It’s noticeable if you shoot buildings but for other types of shots you can keep it uncorrected. I have it for my Sony a6000 and is now permanently mounted on it. It’s vintage feeling suits perfectly my style and for the price is a no brainer. Is also a risk free option compared to old vintage lenses (native mount, no dirt or fungus) and at a fraction of the cost for a Voigtlander, Zeiss or Meyer Optic.

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Thanks! I appreciate your excellent feedback! You are right, it's very impressive for such an inexpensive lens! I've never been a fan of the screw thread lens caps though lol. :)

[@suzatlarge]

I just found this review and enjoyed it. I got this lens a month ago in E mount. I'm glad I did. It's usually on my old silver NEX-5R, making a fun, cheap, and small run and gun combo. So far my experience with it is pretty well reflected by your review although the lens cap I got fits sungly and doesn't fall off.

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Thank you!

[@jordanwilliams1546]

Thank you I’ll be getting this as my first prime lens

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Enjoy!

[@jordanwilliams1546]

@@PeteCocoPhoto I changed my mind and went with the TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4

[@kuramafox1290]

Thanks for making this review Pete. I wanted to ask if this lens is good for video? Does this have any focus breathing issues? Appreciate you covering manual focus lenses. Should This be my first manual focus lens? Would love a reply. Im an apsc video shooter.

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

I haven't tried it with video but you can definitely use it for that purpose if you are manual focusing. I think it's a great buy for the price, but it's not going to be at the quality level of the Fuji lenses of course.

[@kamilkruczek8280]

You got me with that amazon comparison :D just bought this lens :)

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Haha glad you appreciate my humor... some people don't! LOL

[@shinji2001xyz]

Great review! I had a good laugh about the wife spending a lens-worth of good on Amazon by the time I watch your video 🤣

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Thank you! That joke was based on a true story! 😆😆😆

[@8827180]

amazing result and good test

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Thank you!

[@jakubstrumillo]

Reminds me my old Jena Zeiss Lenses especially Pancolar "Zebra" :)

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Yep definitely those old school vibes! Feels old school too!

[@jakubstrumillo]

@@PeteCocoPhoto i actually work with vintage FD lenses :)

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

@@jakubstrumillo nice I love those old FD lenses!

[@BIMLounge]

Fun review! Thanks!

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Thanks for watching!

[@josecolon8143]

So… does it have the Coco seal of approval? 🤗

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

It definitely gets the Coco and DAD seal of approval! 😆

[@josecolon8143]

@@PeteCocoPhoto 💎💎💎💎

[@itsgussy]

lol I’m with you on the Amazon purchases lol

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Haha all in good fun!

[@vegangoutdoor5047]

Great review! Got a X-PRO1 and a X-T3- I'll test the lens tomorrow ;-)

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Awesome dude! Enjoy!

[@DethronerX]

Video started really cool, but by 4:33 I had to stop it, because its just talking and could have had photo samples with the talking already and since half the video is done, im not watching the second half even if it has the best photos ever taken

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Fair enough, but what if, starting at 4:34, I revealed the meaning of life??? Then you missed out.

[@DethronerX]

@@PeteCocoPhoto 😂😂 just because of the best joke ill watch it

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

@@DethronerX Haha thanks! This is an older vid so not my best but making these vids is always a work in progress.

[@Blah-blah-sure]

Yeah! This lens is way better than her useless bag of Amazon junk! Right, guys?

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Actually spelt flour is quite useful

[@koumou57]

😄😄😄😄

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

🙂

[@nenicenerd]

база

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

?

[@jaegerschtulmann]

Frankly the lens wide open looks like garbage!

[@PeteCocoPhoto]

Haha what can you do 🤷‍♂️

[@Interbeing_CDN]

I can't speak for the Fuji version, but I use the Z mount version of this lens on a Nikon Z30 and by f 2.8 the IQ is pretty good, with the sweet spot being f 5.6-8.0. For $100, this lens has proved to be a great value and I use it for street photography using zone focusing and love it. I also have the 11mm fisheye, which has similar characteristics, albeit a little softer all the way around. It is a really fun lens nonetheless, and it can be used very creatively with good results also.