TTArtisan 50mm f/2 Pancake (FF/APSC/M43)

TTArtisan 50mm f/2 Pancake official webstore: ttartisan.myshopify.com/produ... (affiliated link)
New Zealand: www.ttartisan.co.nz/products/...
Camera gear used to film this video:
Panasonic Lumix GH6 | Leica 15mm f/1.7
Synco D2 Microphone: link.syncoaudio.com/Richard-D2
Zeapon Micro2Plus Slider + PONS Panhead: www.zeapon.com/products-detai...
Disclaimer: The product sample I used in this video was sent to me by the manufacturer for this review. I do not need to return the sample but I also did not receive any money from the company
Instagram: / photo_by_richard
Facebook: / photobyrichard
0:00 Introduction
0:41 Design & Operation
2:56 Image Sharpness
4:07 Close up
4:48 Bokeh
5:37 Vignetting
6:26 Chromatic Aberration
7:04 Distortion
7:22 Lens Flare
8:29 Sunstars
8:52 Coma
9:13 Videography
9:53 Sample Photos & Final Thoughts

[@vampolascott36]

Your results are much better than I expected. I've been curious about TTArtisan quality. Thanks for your testing and review.

[@kaminobatto]

Hmmmm.... 4 burgers or this lens?.... No, I think this lens wins :D As usual thank you for a very detailed review! Maybe I see the shortcomings a bit differently; the vignette will help frame your shot, the field curvature will help emphasize your subject focus on the centre, and the flaring/glaring will give you some artistic look, even with the loss of contrast. Overall, I see this thing oozes character and is a very fun lens to have if you want to use its limitations creatively, or if you save the price of a lunch to buy your first lens!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

ha ha Yamen I love your thinking! I do love burgers though but yes i think the point is, this is a ridiculously cheap lens. I don't mind most of the flaws too, maybe apart from the flare/glare which could be a little bit too much sometimes but for $69 there is no doubt gonna be some short coming.

[@actstuntcam]

Awesome review. Typical of the excellent work we've come to expect. Cheers, Cam from NZ :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Kia Ora! And Thank you Cam!

[@ThePhotographersStone]

I dont shoot for money I shoot for fun. I have several systems mft, nikon z, fuji. I buy these ttartisans 25mm and 50mm for each of them. I shoot them all manual. These lens are so fun and make me want go out with each system and actualy make photography.

[@doughuras5407]

Very quick and thorough review. Lots of useful information. Thank you.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you for watching!!

[@messinismarios]

such a great video - great info and presentation, i'm definitely sold on the lens! thanks a lot.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SourPlanet]

I love this lens. I shoot street around NYC using the A7c and it's a perfect match. The whole kit is like 1.2lbs. F8 or F11 and zone focusing... then you're free to just compose on the fly and focus on storytelling. Super fun little lens.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Oh i would love to visit NYC and do some street photography with this lens!

[@SourPlanet]

@@TheRealRichardWong It's a cheatcode for sure. Such a photographable city. And no one cares what you're up to at all. Shoot anywhere, shoot anyone, very different settings to explore as you train around the area. Highly recommended! I loved it so much I had to just move here.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

One day i will be there! Unfortunately for someone like me who lives in NZ, it's the exact opposite side of the world :( ONE DAY!

[@orange42]

Thanks for all the advice on the S5. Loving it! Pondering the 85mm now that I have the 20-60, 50, and 70-300.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

wow wow wow you going crazy! haha Oh I got some wide angle prime lens review for L-mount coming quite soon as well! :)

[@orange42]

@@TheRealRichardWong in m43 I usually have to go to the rokinon fisheye for astro or home interior. Something would be good for that

[@Lets-Take-Pictures]

Cool little lens. I really like small lenses, so I think the trade-offs are worthwhile; small and cheap, at the expense of corner performance. At that price, I think I might try buying one and reverse one of the elements to get wild swirly bokeh, like people do with Helios lenses. On Nikon Z mount, the 40mm f2 offers a similar story but with better corners, flare resistance and autofocus. It’s not a whole lot more expensive from my perspective, but I’d say each one is probably a good deal for the price.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

oh if you do buy one and reverse an element, i would LOVE to see your results, please do contact me if you do that. yes agree the Nikon 40 f/2 is definitely great value for money lens

[@40mmSummarit]

Good video! I have the TTartisan 25mm f/2 for Fuji, which is almost its twin in looks. I'm adding the 50mm for a very small walk around set with my Fuji T-1.

[@izzieb]

This lens doesn't seem too bad optically, but given the vignetting and field curvature, I feel like the optical design wasn't intended for full-frame - even if the image circle just about covers it.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I'm guessing TTArtisan probably trying to make the lens as small as possible so they are pushing the optical design as compact as possible as well.

[@hexagonixon]

at 6:38 if you look at the green "cityshop" sign on the right side you can see how it goes from a light green to a dark green as you go from the center to the right of the frame. This perfectly demonstrates my main problem whith these lenses: they loose contrast in the middle to very unpleasant extents. It is also harder to correct in post, since there are no pre-bulilt tool for this like there is for vignetting or chromatic aberration.

[@hermitmonk52]

Thanks for a terrific review! I felt the same that even if the images were poor the look and feel of the lens would justify the ticket price. However, the images are beautiful, very similar, as another commenter said, to the 70s and 80s Zuiko. Just for the record though, on my Fujifilm X 24mp cameras I can see no vignetting although obviously the corners are soft. I’d assumed this might be because I was only getting the centre of the image on my cropped sensor. The first impression is not hurt your eyes sharpness but a lot of detail is resolved. I would guess more than the Olympus. I’d love to see a comparison between these, the 50 and/or 25 with the recent Cosina/Voigtlander manuals. Best Wishes.

[@rutlegs]

I've just purchased a used 25mm/f2 for 34 bucks from KEH. It hasn't arrived yet but I'm pretty excited about it!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@marcp.1752]

Hi Robin, thanks for the test, another great review, as always. I'd like to see you reviewing also the new TTArtisan 25mm F2, i can see it as "shoot it all lens" and as being a small pancake design, especially onto the Fujifilm X-E and X-A series, but also onto the M1, like mine. ;-)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi Marc, i will see if i can review the TTArtisan 25mm f/2 :)

[@marcp.1752]

@@TheRealRichardWong That would be great, Richard. I always enjoy your reviews since years. I guess, the 25/2 TTA might be optically a bit worse than the 23/1.4, but i really need that small pancake for my A1, or M1 here. I think, it might good enough @F/8, but i'd enjoy your review about this lens - and perhaps a comparsion with the TTArtisan 23mm F1.4 then. 🙂 I wish a fine sunday. Greetings, Marc

[@wmccinema]

I hope this company makes tiny cinema lens. I bought the 25mm and modified it into cine lens. This lens is fun and amazing!

[@amermeleitor]

Seems like the old rangefinder lenses adapted to mirrorless. Even with all the optical faults I think is a good buy: it's compact and good enough for the price

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes I think it's important to consider the price and size of the lens.

[@choyhongtan9]

Hi thanks! Real life photo indeed look nice from this lens

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you!

[@barbgannon3252]

Lovely review

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you

[@kentmemories]

excellent review

[@TheRealRichardWong]

thank you

[@oc2phish07]

I have the TT Artisan 17mm F1.4 and 50mm f1.2. I could be very tempted by this lens because of its size but I don't really need another 50mm lens and the overall performance may let it down just a bit. Great review though Richard.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching :)

[@Nedski42YT]

Richard, this lens reminds me of the Pentax SMC M 50mm f2 lens. Have you ever considered comparing one of these modern lenses to the 40 year old Pentax lenses?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

i think they would be a really fun thing to do!! Unfortunately i don't have one myself or know of anything that has one. but you definitely gave me some ideas what i can do with my reviews in the future!

[@tonyhafaka3524]

Optical performance better than I thought 🤔 maybe I should get one

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching again Tony!

[@25myma]

Reminds me of my Pergear 50mm f1.8 I got on ebay...for ~44 USD, after a double Black Friday discount; bit soft wide open, shows contrast drop on anything but candle light..but for the money, you just got to shut up and enjoy it😁

[@TheRealRichardWong]

haha yes, there are limitations with cheap lenses. we just have to aware, accept and try to work around it if we don't like the limitations.

[@jklphoto]

Amazing, reminds me of my Olympus OM 50mm f1.8 F.Zuiko Auto-S lens from the late 1970s. Wonder how they would compare optically?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I would be interested to know too :)

[@jklphoto]

@@TheRealRichardWong doesn't appear to be an adapter for OM lenses to L-mount. Maybe for your Sony? It would be very interesting to compare older lenses like the Zuiko with these new Chinese lenses. Especially reminded me of my OM lenses because the aperture ring was in outer position and the small size predates AF motors.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Probably can use a olympus om to leica m adapter then a Leica M to Leica L adaptor 😂

[@sdhute]

My copy for z mount will be delivered. However was thinking the L mount version would be awesome to make the FP even smaller

[@TheRealRichardWong]

yeah it would be great with the FP! Since it's only $69, why not order one more if you like your Z mount copy ? :)

[@sdhute]

@@TheRealRichardWong yes going to do that it will make the FP a little beast with this small manual focus lens

[@TheRealRichardWong]

awesome let me know how this little combo works for you! Oh and i do have an affiliated link at the top if you are ordering from factory directly

[@nadabird5349]

Is really bad glare an intrinsic quality of pancake lenses? I just got this lens and I kinda regret getting it instead of the Canon FD 50mm 1.4 w/ adapter, because the glare is really horrendous even on a cloudy day. Really unsure if I want to keep it, but I probably will just 3D print a hood for it and keep it, but that beautiful form factor goes away :(

[@Hans_patel3]

Bro i have 7Artisans 50Mm 0.95 Z mount lens but I’m confused which adapter i buy for autofocus please tell me ??

[@TheRealRichardWong]

If your lens is z mount and you want to use on a Nikon z , unfortunately there is no adaptor possible as you have no space for the adaptor

[@vishwanathk9525]

plz reply sir , i can use this lens for fuji xt 200

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes . If you follow the link I post in video description, you can see there is a Fuji X mount

[@charlesaeneas]

You wouldn't want to add a protective filter to this lens as that would more than double its cost! How on earth do they do it as this price?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

yes agree definitely doesnt make sense to add a protective filter.

[@user-ws3mu4jo6w]

i had three of these lenses, all were new and had a wrong infinity-position, and the pictures at infinity were not sharp. i had to repair the lens by myself

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hey Klaus, the infinity marking on the cheaper manual focus lens is almost NEVER accurate.. You can't rely on it for accurate focusing.

[@uniktbrukernavn]

Thank you for testing corner sharpness by refocusing the lens, it would be strange for a lens to have "inverse field curvature" to accommodate a flat wall 15 feet away; the distance from camera to center of the wall vs corner wouldn't be the same. Although modern lenses are being designed to be sharp when shooting flat objects several feet away because modern lenses are judged wide open, even wide angle lenses. But the truth is most lenses would improve a lot if refocused by using liveview. Well sharpness anyway, not contrast, distortion, and chromatic aberration.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

For a very long time I was really not sure if i should test the corner sharpness by re-focusing the lens or not, for the reasons you mentioned. Actually even today I am still not sure what is the "correct" way to test. So recently I decided I will test the corner sharpness by showing both focus at the cornner and focus at the center results and let you guys see and pick the result that is suitable to you :)

[@SovietLensReviews]

The bokeh looks good on this one, and it's nice having an f/2 aperture, but wow, that corner sharpness is very unimpressive - and the vignetting, coma, fringing - leaves a little to be desired from the looks of it. I'll stick with my $30 Industar-50-2 50mm f/3.5 pancake lens I think!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

The Industar-50-2 is a really cool compact lens, especially if you can find a nice sharp copy then it's really great value for money. And i just LOVE that Russian old school design! However one problem using those old SLR/m42 mount pancake lenses on a mirrorless camera is that, once you added the adaptor, the lens (with the adaptor) easily becomes two times the original size so it becomes a bit more like a cupcake now :(

[@SovietLensReviews]

@@TheRealRichardWong Great point Richard! The adapter really does de-pancake them.

[@franramm]

TTartisan have another 50 mm , TTArtisan 50mm F1.4 ASPH. Full Frame, in ur opinion who is better?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi @franramm. sorry the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 is one of the very few TTArtisan lens I haven't reviewed so I can't say which is better

[@yankgr]

The 50mm 1.4 is slightly better, it was made for apsc and is 1 full stop faster, a lit bit sharper, but pricier, bigger and heavier.

[@gs7828]

We NEED small compact lenses on mirrorless!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I certainly don't mind more compact lenses!

[@khurramkhan3796]

Is it really a F2 lens, my camera reads it as 2.8 even at F2

[@TheRealRichardWong]

it is a fully mechanical lens so there is no electronic contacts to tell your camera what aperture it is. What camera do you use?

[@gothamindembaum]

1.6ft is damn close to focus for a lens like this if you are sitting down at a diner you can put the camera right up to the face of the person across the table. No idea what you mean here.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Comparing with the most popular 50mm f/1.8-f/2 lenses's minimum focus distance: Canon (50 1.8) 0.98ft Fujifilm (50 2) 1.28ft Nikon (50 1.8) 1.32ft Panasonic (50 1.8) 1.48ft Panasonic (50 1.8) 1.48ft Sigma (50 2) 1.51ft TTArtisan's minimum focus distance 1.64ft is longer than all these lenses.

[@samreay7257]

Bro, did you just stop a phat Kia Ora on me?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Kia ora!

[@DamianBrown]

I have one but it's not a pancake lens :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

So what is it ? Cupcake? Birthday Cake? Banana Cake? :D

[@DamianBrown]

@@TheRealRichardWong 😃😃😃😃 now I'm hungry

[@Ni5ei]

It's not expensive but I'd rather buy a vintage Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Series E pancake lens for around the same price (or even less).

[@TheRealRichardWong]

yeah a mint conditiion Nikon 50 1.8 E would be similar price, but a problem is that even if you ignore the price of the adaptor, once you added the adaptor to use on a mirrorless camera, it would double the thickness of the lens so not really a pancake anymore.