Man some Leica purists are truly seething in these comments. It’s not just all about quality, for most it’s about quality-price as not everyone has just tons of disposable money laying around. This is a good video, really impressed with the widening selection of alternatives for the m-mount. Up until now I’ve only shot Leica and Voigtlander lenses, this might be a nice try
I have to say, I have been very impressed with my TTArtisan and 7Artisans lenses for for M mount, and are absolutely worth checking out by more photographers
@@benjhaisch Silver Summilux is 460.4g and black is 335g :D But while lens is sharp is nowhere near summilux imo :D rendering of the out of focus areas is the only reason why I've bought a lux. That's the difference between expensive and cheap glass.
I bought one of these direct from china based on this review. I'm blown away by the quality of this for the price. It back focused ever so slightly but was very easy to calibrate. Looks great on my M2 and a7iii. Great channel and review.
i owned that Leica 50 Summilux ASPH but a few months ago i had to go to the dentist in emergency and the bill was SO EXPENSIVE my only solution was selling this Leica lens. I'm now looking into a much cheaper alternative, hopefully in the future i will be able to afford an official Leica lens back. Thank's for your video.
Great review. I learned elsewhere of a way to calibrate for film bodies. Take a lens you already have that produces sharp results. Position the test 4 feet away exactly. Then put on the china lens. If it focuses at 4 feet then good. If not calibrate until it does. Then repeat at 10 feet. No scotch tape needed.
Nice review Ben. I think it’s good to see these options available in the market. That coupled with the prices of used contemporary digital Leica bodies lowering, makes it easier for people to obtain and enjoy shooting with Leica’s.
Hey Benj, not sure if you got an answer yet but the flare is caused by the bladed circle mechanism which sits above the aperture blades. Stopping down to f/1.7 gets rid of the effect because the aperture blades are far enough out to block reflections off the mechanism. Hope this makes sense since I don’t know of the actual terms for these parts.
What you see at the front of the blades is a _toothed_ ring with _cams_ that actuate the diaphragm blades. I doubt that's the real culprit as it's painted black (albeit not matte). However, the real culprit seems to be a bare metal ring that sits right behind the blades, that catches light if the blades are fully retracted at 1.4 and reflect back to the front elements. How you well note, closing 1/2 stop does away with the flare problem. Incredible that DJ Optical (the manufacturer) didn't catch it.
They are Ok for the money take a Summilux into difficult light situations and you will always choose the Summilux… its unbelievable good. Are the Leica lenses modern. No they are not that’s what people get confused about. But shooting with them is joy….😊
More of these third party lens reviews please. I just bought my first Leica (M10R) and as a hobby shooter that was a monumental financial stretch. A big part of my justifying an M over a Q2 was knowing that a lens like this TT 50mm existed. In my eyes it's basically the Summilux. You've proven that. And we know Thypoch or someone will come out with another version with closer focusing distance any day now; this segment is only growing. This TT lens now allows me to get to know the system and shooting style and really focus my GAS on what Leica glass I want to splurge on when I've saved up enough; which likely NOW won't be a 50mm 1.4 thanks to this offering. It just made it easier to shift my focus on perhaps the 35 FLE or APO as my first and possibly only Leica glass companion to the body.
For those commenting about the flare issue being the lens hood, that isn't the case and actually is only visible at f/1.4 and even stopping down 1/2 of a stop to f/1.7 solves the issue. There are only 3 vents in the lens hood and 6 gaps within the flare. This happens both with and without the lens hood at f/1.4. To see another sample at f/1.4 and f/1.7 I’ve uploaded some others to Dropbox. www.dropbox.com/sh/2wauucjll6ed7h7/AACSo-gXaJa_dllsoLlKCHeia?dl=0
Ben, at 9:59 Timeframe your 100% Crop from the Hasselblad MF Camera shows a lot of Purple Fringing, or CA, with the Leica Nifty Fifty Summilux Lens, the TT Artisans really less here, subtle.
Nice review. Sounds like something that I might be interested in for my M9. One thing though - if you are reviewing lenses and comparing them against other lenses you really shouldn’t use photos with presets applied. You talked about the colour differences between the Lux and the TT but the presets just made them both look the same. Same for the sharpness - difficult to judge when there is a grain effect applied. I get that you want to sell your presets but the review would be more useful to potential buyers of the lens if the images were SOC.
Fair, I’ll drop a link to the SOOC JPEGs in a bit. Personally, I’m interested in the end result but I can see what you’re saying otherwise. It’s also incredibly difficult to judge on a compressed video file regardless haha
@@benjhaisch Yeah it is tricky to judge on UA-cam. You can get an idea though - especially colour differences. Thanks for responding and sorting out the JPEGs - that’s good of you 👍🏻 Your presets are really nice by the way.
Great review! I own this TTArtisan 50mm F1.4 and also the Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm F1.5 ZM. I was using these on a mirrorless full frame but just ordered a M10. I can't wait to try them both out. I saw in your video that you also used the C Sonnar. I'll look through your channel to see if you had any review of the Sonnar but curious your thoughts on the two. Thanks 👍
I´ve bought this lens for my M10 and I´m also amazed from the build and imagequality BUT the key thing is, how a lens can handle light (like sun, streetlights in the dark...).For instance, I have a (crappy) Nikon 24-120 f4 for my D750, which is basically good but very terrible at night with street lights (flair....).
Hi Ben, thanks for a brilliant review of the TT 50mm, it looks absolutely amazing in comp to the Leica.. As u say, it’s not as quite good as the Leica - it looked a little cooler and seemed to lose sharpness in some of the 100%’s - but still amazingly good, especially given its very low price. (By the by, thanks for including the images, really very useful.)
Wow I was shocked at the significant amount of chromatic aberrations in the Summilux 50mm. I’ve always had the idea they had focused on correcting it for the price.
Great video! Also, you should see Peter Karbe's (Leica's head of optical development) reaction during his Art of the Leica Lens webinar when someone in the q&a session asked about what does he think about TTartisan lenses LOL. After seeing that webinar, I never question again why Leica lenses cost so much...
Ok. Second time watching this video since I’m looking for options for my M3. I noticed you’ve owned the Sonnar and Planar 50s. Wondering if you have insight on those or if you mentioned them in another video? I’ve been considering those two as solid options
can you tell me how this compares to the Zeiss Planar 50mm f/2? I have one available for 400$ used and am trying to decide if the Zeiss is worth the extra money.
Got one of these and it's certainly very sharp and contrasty; beautiful bokeh too. Couldn't resist the lure and the price. OTOH, my old-old-old Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.5 ASPHERICAL (v.1 LTM) displays waaay less chroma than the TTA, almost as little as the 'lux. I wonder if the newer M mount v. II, costing around $750 has better performance. The old one came with a decent shade that didn't intrude in the VF frame, the TTA and the Nokton II do not. Something that pis*es me off is that neither manufacturer provides the digital code pits that are necessary for the digi-emms to recognize the focal distance. I had to craft a pattern and get a dental rehabilitator friend to do the pits on my lenses.
Great review, thanks. I assume that with a mirrorless camera, like Fuji xt3, and an adapter there would be less vignetting and better corner sharpness.
very nice review, i have sigma FP with L mount, there is 2 version of this TTartisan 50mm 1.4 Mmount and 50mm 1.4 L mount. do u know if those are same lens quality? the L mount version is 30% cheaper, should i go with the M version with M-L adapter? or the L mount version with cheaper price, i just wanna know if the L mount version is same quality image version as M mount
Benj, great video! Hey perhaps rear flare at 4:14 that separates, is breaking up due to the perforated lens hood? Just a thought. Am very likely going to give this lens a try after your awesome review.
I didn’t notice it being any worse than most other high end lenses I’ve used like the first generation Canon L series. Maybe even better in some respects. It has some, but most lenses I’ve used do at some point when pushed to the limit.
I am surprised that the calibration ring is mostly seen as a mere cost-saving exercise. I see it as a definite advantage. At f1.4 tolerances are extremely tight. It is more likely than not that after some time of use your M-mount camera will not be within these tolerances. In most situations that won't matter much. But if it does (wide open!), you have a choice between adjusting the mount or the lense. The former is anything but a piece of homework. TT provides a simple DIY way of adjusting the lense -- brilliant! // I like the TT50/1.4. But it should be pointed out that the lense is noticably soft at 1.4, that it's sharpness at infinity is so-so, and that it suffers from an impossibly to correct wavy disortion. That said, the softness 1.4 may be taken as a tool for potraits, and the slight lack of sharpness at inf and the very slight distortion probably go unnoticed in real life. Not perfect but amazingly good considering the price. // I understand that designing a 50/1.4 is a challenge at a very different level compared to a 50/2. Thus, the Summilux 50/1.4 is outperformed on every parameter by a Summicron 50/2 (or a Zeiss Planar 50/2) -- except for that extra stop. TT tried to meet that challenge by using more glas than in in the Summilux. Leica used less glas with a smaller size contraint -- and did slightly better in all relevant respects. Such perfection is admirable, but costs a little surcharge 😓
Late to the party but that odd flare sort of matches up with the design of that lens hood. As a vented hood it has gaps in it doesn't it?! Could be wrong.
For people who shoot the mirrorless version, put a bigger lens hood on, massive improvement in image quality. I have it in E-mount. Made a deep hood. 49>58mm step up ring + 20mm long 58mm tube hood + Large 58mm collapsible rubber hood. It looks weird, but it works.
I have been scouring your Leica videos and others, your's are some of the best. I'm trying to decide on my first Leica lens, and keep coming back to this TT Artisan 50mm 1.4!!! Now if the 35 FLEII was available, it would be my first, but I think I will want this one nonetheless. I just love the color from it, the size, the look, the character in the photos. Anything else you think I should strongly consider other then the 2 lens I mentioned? And do you love your black M11 much better then the first Silver one you had?
The 50 Sonnar is one of the most unique lenses I've ever used. The sharpness was great as well as the contrast, but the bokeh was very "vintage" a little too much character for me tbh. The TTArt renders a little more modern. SUPER cool lens though. Was one of my favorites, but the bokeh just had too much character to be my primary lens.
@@benjhaisch Mmmhh, I'm to order this one of the voigtlander 50 mm 1.5,...I have seen images of it, and I kind of feel the same about the rendering of out of focus? Could be?
The separation in the lens flare is probably from the vented hood. If you’re calibrating on film, do not go to scotch tape route you’re just setting yourself up for heartbreak when it’s way way off. It’s just not flat enough to calibrate on. If you develop black and white, just set the camera up on a tripod, shoot a few frames, cut them out in a dark bag, do a quick develop and 30 second fix, slap them in on a window and use the lens in reverse as a loupe. If anything it’ll be slightly back focused, just mark the brass ring and the chrome lens mount with a fine tipped sharpie and use that as a reference for how much you’ve moved it. For reference on my 35mm it back focused from the eye about an inch, it only took the width of a fine tipped sharpie to correct it (like 1mm). Just do your adjustment, put the camera back on the tripod, shoot another couple frames, develop and check on the window again.
Haha I just did some more testing with it adapted on the EOS R and I think this lens just shot my expectations through the roof. It’s about what you’d think I’d be. Usable but really soft until about f/2.8-4ish
The Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron is the best one I’ve used for size/price (although, I’m currently in the market to upgrade it to the Leica version for increased edge sharpness)
Yeah, I did, there were more gaps than in the hood and the sizing was different as well. Maybe a fluke kind of a thing, but figured I’d include anyway.
Well done. I have to wonder if any minor softness I see between them could be down to rangefinder focusing and calibration. I'd be glad to redo the test with my Leica SL and CL (utilizing modern mirrorless focus assist) if you want to send me those lenses Benj! 😃
@@benjhaisch Thank you! bought it for my GFX50R, excited to try it in the coming days. I've been using the 35mm f1.4 as a walk-around and have been super happy with the giant-digital-leica-but-medium-format thing that you can create with the combination.
Might be interesting to compare it to the older, pre ASPF 50 Summilux, which is still pretty expensive used. I used to have one, and it was the best lens I owned, but that was on film only and before they started making lenses with aspherical elements.
Lack of CA in the Summilux??? Your own samples show plenty of CA in the Summilux! From the samples shown, it actually seems both lenses have quite similar levels of CA.
My guess is that since they sent you the lens they sent one they knew was sharp, centered, etc. at that price I would expect a lot of sample variance. Speculation of course, just know that they would send you the best copy.
It’s possible, of course. I did have to calibrate it myself as it was way off and there are even some minor cosmetic issues that I’d really assume they’d avoid if they were trying to send me a perfect copy, but again, it could technically be possible. I’ve heard very similar things from others as well though fwiw.
Actually 50 mm lens is not so hard to make. That's why 50mm lens are usually the cheapest in Nikon and Canon brands and providing best bargain quality. It is with leica qulity is difficult to put to practical test. Techinical perfection is difficult to justify in real world )
If you had the choise between this lens and the Zeiss Planar 50 2.0, wich one would you grab? I have the Zeiss Planar on my M2. It offers an amazing image quality, but sadly it doesn‘t fit the 50mm frame lines, which sometimes leads to branches and stuff leaning into the frame, wich i intentionally have excluded when composing. It drives me nuts sometimes. Thanks for your answer and it is (as always) a fantastic review. Best on this lens online. Thank you for that as well.
Shoot? What frame lines does it pull up?? 35? For the rec, I’d say the Zeiss Planar is an amazing lens and totally sharp/reliable with good character. It’s also smaller. If you want to save a few hundred and add the f/1.4 and don’t mind calibration, the TT is a great buy. Just depends on your wants and needs.
@@benjhaisch it is a little bit wider than a 50mm. So the 50mm frame lines show up, but the real Image shows more than what was included in the frame lines when looking through the viewfinder. It is more like a 46-48 mm. Hope you know what i mean?!
Have you compared the two? Personally I don’t like the size/design of the Voigtlander but I’ve heard good things. I’ll be keeping my Summilux as that extra 10% or so is magic and worth it to me though.
Once again, there are two competing issues at play: (1) The photographer's perception of a sharp, well-taken photo and everyone else. You have to have a really crappy lens to produce pictures that the average person thinks is bad. (2) And even then, the reviewer of the picture will likely not consider picture's sharpness, contrast, blah-blah-blah, if the composition or content doesn't make them feel something.
I've had a few lenses from TT artisans and 7 Artisans. It's all by DJ-optical. My experience with them is that they are rockstars in image quality but the handling was a little rough in mine with severe copy variations on stiffness of aperture ring and roughness in the helicoid for focusing. On every sample I've had there was either a hiccup or a rough spot in the focusing range going from minimal to infinity. But it's such a small price to pay for such great optical performance. They won't last like the Leica, zeiss or even voigtlanders, but hey they're a great 4th option that really showcases what the future might hold for affordable M mount and mirror lenses of the future. The 7 artisans 35mm 1.4 is a phenomenal performer, it's got that pre asph 35mm leica look to it but somehow sharper!!!
I think you might have answered this in the video, but to clarify, are you able to calibrate the lens using an adapter and a DSLR or Mirrorless camera?
I wasn’t expecting that because I made two very unpleasant experiences with this brand. Their service is not existing. If you have an issue with those cheap lenses you literally throw away money…
Random question does the ttartisan lens bring up the correct frame lines? I have a 7artisans 50 1.1 does not so i have to use liveview with it on my 240
Yeah, I’m curious about the 50/0.95 from them after testing this. If it is the same quality than I’d be super interested in trying it, but tbh carrying around such a huge lens on an M camera would be a pain.
I might buy this for my m3, how can I quickly calibrate it with a film camera? Would appreciate some advice on this :) I do have a leica LTM to canon M mount, as well as a leica LTM to leica M mount. Can I daisy chain these or would that cause too much spacing and throw alignment out of whack.
It's one from Gordy's. The connection isn't great though, so I'm trying to find a new alternative as I'm a little worried about the string breaking at some point.
7artisans and now TTartisans? WTF? So many artisans in China. I have a 7artisans 23m f/1.8 for my Fuji and it is an excellent lens. It was selling for $69 new when I bought is 2-3 years ago.
I was definitely NOT expecting these results from that lens. So good!
Right???
The 35 1.4 from ttartisans is insanely good as well
You have any tips or techniques calibrating them on a film Leica?
This is the best I’ve seen although I think Matt mentions it in one of this videos as well. ua-cam.com/video/tS8TOmoMeAc/v-deo.html
@@benjhaisch Awesome, thank you so much.
Greetings from Germany
Man some Leica purists are truly seething in these comments. It’s not just all about quality, for most it’s about quality-price as not everyone has just tons of disposable money laying around. This is a good video, really impressed with the widening selection of alternatives for the m-mount. Up until now I’ve only shot Leica and Voigtlander lenses, this might be a nice try
I have to say, I have been very impressed with my TTArtisan and 7Artisans lenses for for M mount, and are absolutely worth checking out by more photographers
Been waiting for someone who actually has the 50 Summilux to review this lens! Thanks for doing this!
100%!
felt like it would hopefully be useful!
@@benjhaisch Silver Summilux is 460.4g and black is 335g :D But while lens is sharp is nowhere near summilux imo :D rendering of the out of focus areas is the only reason why I've bought a lux. That's the difference between expensive and cheap glass.
@@iambeautiful8190 I have both… you won't be able to tell the difference. As hard as the truth may be.;)
I bought one of these direct from china based on this review. I'm blown away by the quality of this for the price. It back focused ever so slightly but was very easy to calibrate. Looks great on my M2 and a7iii. Great channel and review.
Glad it worked out for you! I’m continually impressed by it as well.
i owned that Leica 50 Summilux ASPH but a few months ago i had to go to the dentist in emergency and the bill was SO EXPENSIVE my only solution was selling this Leica lens. I'm now looking into a much cheaper alternative, hopefully in the future i will be able to afford an official Leica lens back. Thank's for your video.
I just got mine and didn’t need to calibrate it at all. I’m very impressed.
Great review. I learned elsewhere of a way to calibrate for film bodies. Take a lens you already have that produces sharp results. Position the test 4 feet away exactly. Then put on the china lens. If it focuses at 4 feet then good. If not calibrate until it does. Then repeat at 10 feet. No scotch tape needed.
A very good review, I like that at the 1/3 mark, you tells us the price. Thank you for your honesty on price, appearance, functionality and demo.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice review Ben. I think it’s good to see these options available in the market. That coupled with the prices of used contemporary digital Leica bodies lowering, makes it easier for people to obtain and enjoy shooting with Leica’s.
Massive thanks for the pre recommendations from you Benj!!! So happy with it 🙏🙏🙏
Great review. Thinking about buying a M10 pretty soon and this might be first lens! Appreciate it.
Me too! :)
Thanks for watching! It's honestly so much better than I anticipated.
@@benjhaisch Thank you for putting out such great work! Do they have summicron-like primes that you've tested?
Hey Benj, not sure if you got an answer yet but the flare is caused by the bladed circle mechanism which sits above the aperture blades. Stopping down to f/1.7 gets rid of the effect because the aperture blades are far enough out to block reflections off the mechanism. Hope this makes sense since I don’t know of the actual terms for these parts.
What you see at the front of the blades is a _toothed_ ring with _cams_ that actuate the diaphragm blades. I doubt that's the real culprit as it's painted black (albeit not matte). However, the real culprit seems to be a bare metal ring that sits right behind the blades, that catches light if the blades are fully retracted at 1.4 and reflect back to the front elements. How you well note, closing 1/2 stop does away with the flare problem. Incredible that DJ Optical (the manufacturer) didn't catch it.
People are "sleeping" on TTArtisan lenses - they are outstanding and extremely underrated, in my opinion (if rated at all).
They are Ok for the money take a Summilux into difficult light situations and you will always choose the Summilux… its unbelievable good. Are the Leica lenses modern. No they are not that’s what people get confused about. But shooting with them is joy….😊
More of these third party lens reviews please. I just bought my first Leica (M10R) and as a hobby shooter that was a monumental financial stretch. A big part of my justifying an M over a Q2 was knowing that a lens like this TT 50mm existed. In my eyes it's basically the Summilux. You've proven that. And we know Thypoch or someone will come out with another version with closer focusing distance any day now; this segment is only growing. This TT lens now allows me to get to know the system and shooting style and really focus my GAS on what Leica glass I want to splurge on when I've saved up enough; which likely NOW won't be a 50mm 1.4 thanks to this offering. It just made it easier to shift my focus on perhaps the 35 FLE or APO as my first and possibly only Leica glass companion to the body.
For those commenting about the flare issue being the lens hood, that isn't the case and actually is only visible at f/1.4 and even stopping down 1/2 of a stop to f/1.7 solves the issue. There are only 3 vents in the lens hood and 6 gaps within the flare. This happens both with and without the lens hood at f/1.4. To see another sample at f/1.4 and f/1.7 I’ve uploaded some others to Dropbox. www.dropbox.com/sh/2wauucjll6ed7h7/AACSo-gXaJa_dllsoLlKCHeia?dl=0
I bought it last week...i like it a lot
I have the TT 50mm 0.95, same impressions on IQ, and same vignetting as well. Great products.
I had the 0.95. The 1.4 ist far better, you should definitely try it out.
Was the split flare taken with or without the lens hood? It looks like the lens hood has a similar cutout to the cut in the flare
Agree
Ben, at 9:59 Timeframe your 100% Crop from the Hasselblad MF Camera shows a lot of Purple Fringing, or CA, with the Leica Nifty Fifty Summilux Lens, the TT Artisans really less here, subtle.
Such an incredibly helpful review. Appreciate the effort, brother. 🙏
Much appreciated!
Nice review. Sounds like something that I might be interested in for my M9. One thing though - if you are reviewing lenses and comparing them against other lenses you really shouldn’t use photos with presets applied. You talked about the colour differences between the Lux and the TT but the presets just made them both look the same. Same for the sharpness - difficult to judge when there is a grain effect applied. I get that you want to sell your presets but the review would be more useful to potential buyers of the lens if the images were SOC.
Fair, I’ll drop a link to the SOOC JPEGs in a bit. Personally, I’m interested in the end result but I can see what you’re saying otherwise. It’s also incredibly difficult to judge on a compressed video file regardless haha
@@benjhaisch Yeah it is tricky to judge on UA-cam. You can get an idea though - especially colour differences. Thanks for responding and sorting out the JPEGs - that’s good of you 👍🏻 Your presets are really nice by the way.
I’m sold on that steal of a 50mm! Thank you for the review and comparison!
Just bought one. I'm excited to try it.
Great review! I own this TTArtisan 50mm F1.4 and also the Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm F1.5 ZM. I was using these on a mirrorless full frame but just ordered a M10. I can't wait to try them both out. I saw in your video that you also used the C Sonnar. I'll look through your channel to see if you had any review of the Sonnar but curious your thoughts on the two. Thanks 👍
The flare separation is likely due to the lens hood with separations in it.
I´ve bought this lens for my M10 and I´m also amazed from the build and imagequality BUT the key thing is, how a lens can handle light (like sun, streetlights in the dark...).For instance, I have a (crappy) Nikon 24-120 f4 for my D750, which is basically good but very terrible at night with street lights (flair....).
Holy cow, what a bargain! This seems unreal for the money. Thanks for sharing. Jan.
Hi Ben, thanks for a brilliant review of the TT 50mm, it looks absolutely amazing in comp to the Leica.. As u say, it’s not as quite good as the Leica - it looked a little cooler and seemed to lose sharpness in some of the 100%’s - but still amazingly good, especially given its very low price. (By the by, thanks for including the images, really very useful.)
4:02 weird flare maybe from the lens hood?
Wow I was shocked at the significant amount of chromatic aberrations in the Summilux 50mm. I’ve always had the idea they had focused on correcting it for the price.
Great video! Also, you should see Peter Karbe's (Leica's head of optical development) reaction during his Art of the Leica Lens webinar when someone in the q&a session asked about what does he think about TTartisan lenses LOL. After seeing that webinar, I never question again why Leica lenses cost so much...
Hahaha oh I’m sure. Karbe is brilliant, some of my favorite lenses were designed by him.
Hey Ben, love the video. Can you share with us a viewfinder blockage comparison?
Thanks!
Already ordered my f.95 for Fuji, can't wait to try it out!
it's bang on sharp with the visoflex... but even an inch or two off distance the depth of field starts significantly
can you make a video, reviewing this lens on Fuji GFX?
Ok. Second time watching this video since I’m looking for options for my M3. I noticed you’ve owned the Sonnar and Planar 50s. Wondering if you have insight on those or if you mentioned them in another video? I’ve been considering those two as solid options
can you tell me how this compares to the Zeiss Planar 50mm f/2? I have one available for 400$ used and am trying to decide if the Zeiss is worth the extra money.
Nice vid...I think Peter Karbe said the 50mm f1.4 is an APO lens but it's just not said in the literature.
Awesome video. Perfect comparison!
Got one of these and it's certainly very sharp and contrasty; beautiful bokeh too. Couldn't resist the lure and the price. OTOH, my old-old-old Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.5 ASPHERICAL (v.1 LTM) displays waaay less chroma than the TTA, almost as little as the 'lux. I wonder if the newer M mount v. II, costing around $750 has better performance. The old one came with a decent shade that didn't intrude in the VF frame, the TTA and the Nokton II do not.
Something that pis*es me off is that neither manufacturer provides the digital code pits that are necessary for the digi-emms to recognize the focal distance. I had to craft a pattern and get a dental rehabilitator friend to do the pits on my lenses.
You use it on a bessa R2 etc
Great review, thanks. I assume that with a mirrorless camera, like Fuji xt3, and an adapter there would be less vignetting and better corner sharpness.
very nice review, i have sigma FP with L mount, there is 2 version of this TTartisan 50mm 1.4 Mmount and 50mm 1.4 L mount. do u know if those are same lens quality? the L mount version is 30% cheaper, should i go with the M version with M-L adapter? or the L mount version with cheaper price, i just wanna know if the L mount version is same quality image version as M mount
The L Version has probably no focus coupling
Hello fellow Pacific Northwest dude. Wow, that lens is definitely a bargain that punches above it's weight.
can this lens be adapted to the gfx system?
Benj, great video! Hey perhaps rear flare at 4:14 that separates, is breaking up due to the perforated lens hood? Just a thought. Am very likely going to give this lens a try after your awesome review.
I thought that at first as well, but the flare doesn’t line up with the perforations and it also flares the same without the hood ;)
...sharpness on the TTArtisans, at least in the center of the frame, is “ridiculous.” Does that mean it is good?
Yes 😂😂
Great work man. How bad is that chromatic aberration though? I sometimes shoot against really harsh neon and can't remove it all on some lenses.
I didn’t notice it being any worse than most other high end lenses I’ve used like the first generation Canon L series. Maybe even better in some respects. It has some, but most lenses I’ve used do at some point when pushed to the limit.
@@benjhaisch Definitely. Ok thanks 👍
I am surprised that the calibration ring is mostly seen as a mere cost-saving exercise. I see it as a definite advantage. At f1.4 tolerances are extremely tight. It is more likely than not that after some time of use your M-mount camera will not be within these tolerances. In most situations that won't matter much. But if it does (wide open!), you have a choice between adjusting the mount or the lense. The former is anything but a piece of homework. TT provides a simple DIY way of adjusting the lense -- brilliant! // I like the TT50/1.4. But it should be pointed out that the lense is noticably soft at 1.4, that it's sharpness at infinity is so-so, and that it suffers from an impossibly to correct wavy disortion. That said, the softness 1.4 may be taken as a tool for potraits, and the slight lack of sharpness at inf and the very slight distortion probably go unnoticed in real life. Not perfect but amazingly good considering the price. // I understand that designing a 50/1.4 is a challenge at a very different level compared to a 50/2. Thus, the Summilux 50/1.4 is outperformed on every parameter by a Summicron 50/2 (or a Zeiss Planar 50/2) -- except for that extra stop. TT tried to meet that challenge by using more glas than in in the Summilux. Leica used less glas with a smaller size contraint -- and did slightly better in all relevant respects. Such perfection is admirable, but costs a little surcharge 😓
Late to the party but that odd flare sort of matches up with the design of that lens hood. As a vented hood it has gaps in it doesn't it?! Could be wrong.
That was my first thought as well, but it happens regardless
Been waiting for this vid to drop! Do you know if I can calibrate it using an adapter on my Sony A7R to use on my M6? Thanks!!
In theory you could by using the distance scale and a tape measure but I probably wouldn’t trust it :/
@@benjhaisch Thanks for the reply! I figured as much :/ I'll keep searching lol
For people who shoot the mirrorless version, put a bigger lens hood on, massive improvement in image quality.
I have it in E-mount. Made a deep hood.
49>58mm step up ring +
20mm long 58mm tube hood +
Large 58mm collapsible rubber hood.
It looks weird, but it works.
Is the flare from the reflection of the lens hood? Looks like it would line up with it
Circular Rainbow flare should disapear once stopped down. As for separation in the flare.. Wouldn't be the hole design of the Amazon LENS HOOD ;) ?
It’s not from the hood but yes it disappears as it stops down
Why don't you try Voigtlander ? Truly brilliant...
I have been scouring your Leica videos and others, your's are some of the best. I'm trying to decide on my first Leica lens, and keep coming back to this TT Artisan 50mm 1.4!!! Now if the 35 FLEII was available, it would be my first, but I think I will want this one nonetheless. I just love the color from it, the size, the look, the character in the photos. Anything else you think I should strongly consider other then the 2 lens I mentioned? And do you love your black M11 much better then the first Silver one you had?
You can't beat this for the value. I don't have the M11s yet, but I do have both the black and silver M10 :)
Do you think there's a difference between Image quality between this TTartisan 50mm F1.4 M version and the others (L, Canon, Nikon, Sony mounts)?
Informative comparison. Thank you. How do you feel it compares to the Zeiss 50mm Sonnar f/1.5 ZM, in terms of sharpness, contrast (pop), and bokeh?
The 50 Sonnar is one of the most unique lenses I've ever used. The sharpness was great as well as the contrast, but the bokeh was very "vintage" a little too much character for me tbh. The TTArt renders a little more modern. SUPER cool lens though. Was one of my favorites, but the bokeh just had too much character to be my primary lens.
@@benjhaisch Mmmhh, I'm to order this one of the voigtlander 50 mm 1.5,...I have seen images of it, and I kind of feel the same about the rendering of out of focus? Could be?
@@charruaporelmundo I’ve only taken like 5 photos with the Voigtlander 50/1.5 ever so I don’t have enough info for you there, sorry!
The separation in the lens flare is probably from the vented hood.
If you’re calibrating on film, do not go to scotch tape route you’re just setting yourself up for heartbreak when it’s way way off. It’s just not flat enough to calibrate on. If you develop black and white, just set the camera up on a tripod, shoot a few frames, cut them out in a dark bag, do a quick develop and 30 second fix, slap them in on a window and use the lens in reverse as a loupe. If anything it’ll be slightly back focused, just mark the brass ring and the chrome lens mount with a fine tipped sharpie and use that as a reference for how much you’ve moved it. For reference on my 35mm it back focused from the eye about an inch, it only took the width of a fine tipped sharpie to correct it (like 1mm). Just do your adjustment, put the camera back on the tripod, shoot another couple frames, develop and check on the window again.
It’s not, I did think that as well though. Did some extra testing and it happened on and off
Using some ground glass works just fine without having to go back and forth developing stuff
How's the lense's night performane?
If I use a Leica mount to Eosr adapter can I calibrate this lens to use on my M6?
Totally digging these videos, good comparison. about to see if they have a 75 or 90 which have always been on my list to get
I just picked up the 7A 75/1.25 and the performance is... not the same... haha
@@benjhaisch how much worse is it?
@@benjhaisch possibly a good video topic or comparison with the leica 90 cron
@@benjhaisch dang bro... depressing LOL
Haha I just did some more testing with it adapted on the EOS R and I think this lens just shot my expectations through the roof. It’s about what you’d think I’d be. Usable but really soft until about f/2.8-4ish
Thanks... I really wish they dropped a compact 28mm. Do you know if any ? They all seem to be huge...
The Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron is the best one I’ve used for size/price (although, I’m currently in the market to upgrade it to the Leica version for increased edge sharpness)
Did you test flare without the lens hood? You might be getting some sort of occlusion from the gaps + supports in the hood.
Yeah, I did, there were more gaps than in the hood and the sizing was different as well. Maybe a fluke kind of a thing, but figured I’d include anyway.
Well done. I have to wonder if any minor softness I see between them could be down to rangefinder focusing and calibration. I'd be glad to redo the test with my Leica SL and CL (utilizing modern mirrorless focus assist) if you want to send me those lenses Benj! 😃
Haha! To take that out of the equation, I actually took all of these using live view to ensure consistent results :)
Benj, thanks for the review. Have you tried this one on the GFX? Very curious to see if it hard vignettes. Thanks!
ua-cam.com/video/o1ckTB9s23k/v-deo.htmlsi=fVC_6YXRtNsyQVUo it’s older but you can see it here!
@@benjhaisch Thank you! bought it for my GFX50R, excited to try it in the coming days. I've been using the 35mm f1.4 as a walk-around and have been super happy with the giant-digital-leica-but-medium-format thing that you can create with the combination.
Stop making me want to spend money Benj! ;)
I think i want this lens for my M3, but i have to be honest, calibrating it makes me hella nervous
Might be interesting to compare it to the older, pre ASPF 50 Summilux, which is still pretty expensive used.
I used to have one, and it was the best lens I owned, but that was on film only and before they started making lenses with aspherical elements.
I’d love to if I had access
@@benjhaisch Ask around; maybe someone will loan you one. It's a really lovely lens.
Awesome review
what camera strap you using ? look like pd ?
Strange flare pattern matches the lens hood.
It actually doesn’t exactly match. I’ve tested with and without the hood and it still exists
Lack of CA in the Summilux??? Your own samples show plenty of CA in the Summilux! From the samples shown, it actually seems both lenses have quite similar levels of CA.
My guess is that since they sent you the lens they sent one they knew was sharp, centered, etc. at that price I would expect a lot of sample variance. Speculation of course, just know that they would send you the best copy.
It’s possible, of course. I did have to calibrate it myself as it was way off and there are even some minor cosmetic issues that I’d really assume they’d avoid if they were trying to send me a perfect copy, but again, it could technically be possible. I’ve heard very similar things from others as well though fwiw.
Actually 50 mm lens is not so hard to make. That's why 50mm lens are usually the cheapest in Nikon and Canon brands and providing best bargain quality. It is with leica qulity is difficult to put to practical test. Techinical perfection is difficult to justify in real world )
If you had the choise between this lens and the Zeiss Planar 50 2.0, wich one would you grab?
I have the Zeiss Planar on my M2. It offers an amazing image quality, but sadly it doesn‘t fit the 50mm frame lines, which sometimes leads to branches and stuff leaning into the frame, wich i intentionally have excluded when composing.
It drives me nuts sometimes.
Thanks for your answer and it is (as always) a fantastic review. Best on this lens online. Thank you for that as well.
Shoot? What frame lines does it pull up?? 35?
For the rec, I’d say the Zeiss Planar is an amazing lens and totally sharp/reliable with good character. It’s also smaller.
If you want to save a few hundred and add the f/1.4 and don’t mind calibration, the TT is a great buy. Just depends on your wants and needs.
@@benjhaisch it is a little bit wider than a 50mm. So the 50mm frame lines show up, but the real Image shows more than what was included in the frame lines when looking through the viewfinder. It is more like a 46-48 mm.
Hope you know what i mean?!
@@genefurio4329 ahhh yes, totally makes sense.
The lens flare ? Did you had the lens hood on?m ? Could that match the gaps in lens flare ? Recommend TTA vs Vgtlndr ?
The flare doesn't actually line up with the hood, but that was my guess as well. it happens regardless of hood.
@@benjhaisch any recommendations on TTA vs Voigtlander 50mm f1.4
I’ve never honestly seen that much CA on a 50 lux before, like ever.
I hadn’t either to be honest. Sort of an extreme test
Hello,
do we have to adjust the focus for use on a camera with an evf ? For example : a Leica SL
You shouldn’t unless the lens can’t achieve infinity focus for some reason
@@benjhaisch thanks
Voigtländer 50 mm 1,2 Nokton is much better lens - better buy , would you sell your sumilux for the TT 50m 1.4?
Have you compared the two? Personally I don’t like the size/design of the Voigtlander but I’ve heard good things.
I’ll be keeping my Summilux as that extra 10% or so is magic and worth it to me though.
@@benjhaisch I tried the voigtlander, and I liked it. But the 5O Lux is amazing. I like your channel. I am keeping my 50 lux
Am I the only one here super excited about the lens flare?
Would grab one if I didn’t have to calibrate it. I only have film M cameras :(
Once again, there are two competing issues at play: (1) The photographer's perception of a sharp, well-taken photo and everyone else. You have to have a really crappy lens to produce pictures that the average person thinks is bad. (2) And even then, the reviewer of the picture will likely not consider picture's sharpness, contrast, blah-blah-blah, if the composition or content doesn't make them feel something.
I've had a few lenses from TT artisans and 7 Artisans. It's all by DJ-optical. My experience with them is that they are rockstars in image quality but the handling was a little rough in mine with severe copy variations on stiffness of aperture ring and roughness in the helicoid for focusing. On every sample I've had there was either a hiccup or a rough spot in the focusing range going from minimal to infinity. But it's such a small price to pay for such great optical performance. They won't last like the Leica, zeiss or even voigtlanders, but hey they're a great 4th option that really showcases what the future might hold for affordable M mount and mirror lenses of the future. The 7 artisans 35mm 1.4 is a phenomenal performer, it's got that pre asph 35mm leica look to it but somehow sharper!!!
I think you might have answered this in the video, but to clarify, are you able to calibrate the lens using an adapter and a DSLR or Mirrorless camera?
I don't see a way to properly do that to calibrate it to an M, but if you're only using it on a mirrorless, it shouldn't matter.
@@benjhaisch ahh, I see. Seems like it would be difficult to do then if you didn't have a digital M and only had an analog M. Thanks!
You can with scotch tape. This seems to be the best method I’ve seen so far ua-cam.com/video/tS8TOmoMeAc/v-deo.html
Missing the link for the straps :)
They’re in there!
@@benjhaisch wow my bad hahaha misread
I wasn’t expecting that because I made two very unpleasant experiences with this brand. Their service is not existing. If you have an issue with those cheap lenses you literally throw away money…
Wondering if I could make this lens work on a canon mount?
I’ll give it a try on the EOS R. I don’t remember if it has corner color vignetting issues.
@@benjhaisch Sweet! Would love to see what happens. Still love the 1.2 L would love to compare.
Random question does the ttartisan lens bring up the correct frame lines? I have a 7artisans 50 1.1 does not so i have to use liveview with it on my 240
Oh that’s bizarre. Yeah all of the lenses I’ve tested pull up the correct lines
Yeah, it’s maddening. It sits on my shelf although it’s an ok lens to shoot the family with
Sell it to someone that wants to use it on mirrorless and pick up the 50/1.4 :)
I am between this lens and the TT 50mm 0.95
Both seem crazy value for the money
Yeah, I’m curious about the 50/0.95 from them after testing this. If it is the same quality than I’d be super interested in trying it, but tbh carrying around such a huge lens on an M camera would be a pain.
@benjhaisch - come on man, suffer a little bit for your art 😊
I'm here cause I finished reading all the peta pixel comments and I wanted to see if it was nuts over here too lol
😂😂😂
I might buy this for my m3, how can I quickly calibrate it with a film camera? Would appreciate some advice on this :) I do have a leica LTM to canon M mount, as well as a leica LTM to leica M mount. Can I daisy chain these or would that cause too much spacing and throw alignment out of whack.
I do have a video on this, but the best way is to find a digital M body if at all possible.
@@benjhaisch No one in my circle has an M body. I ended up avoiding chinese lenses, not reviewers are reporting issues, ended up with a zeiss planar.
Benj out here making me spend my money
If it makes you feel any better I’ve definitely bought cameras after watching your reviews 😂
I have been behind the camera for fifty years. I just snagged this lens for my S1R for 199.00! This is gonna be interesting.
So good!
Damn. I guess once you shoot Leicas, Fujis are just toy cameras 😂 5:56
With these latest lenses, I may just be able to make the Leica plunge not so plungy. Count me in!
Fucking great objectivity. 7artisans should also offer a calibrated version for all analog Leica M owners. 😐
Off topic but which strap do you use for the Hasselblad?
It's one from Gordy's. The connection isn't great though, so I'm trying to find a new alternative as I'm a little worried about the string breaking at some point.
@@benjhaisch thanks, keep us posted if you find a good alternative! And great review btw.
7artisans and now TTartisans? WTF? So many artisans in China. I have a 7artisans 23m f/1.8 for my Fuji and it is an excellent lens. It was selling for $69 new when I bought is 2-3 years ago.
Haha I think they both actually come out of the same factory as both are usually marked with the DJ-OPTICAL designation on the front.