@@benbunch4159racking iris can be an interesting special effect, especially if you combine it with a motorized variable ND to maintain exposure while changing DoF. However, far, far more common is just that you want to set a precise exposure that lies between aperture stops without worrying about the lens suddenly clicking over to its nearest clicked stop, or simply that you want to control it remotely with a motor and giving the DoP wireless control to sit away from the camera and watch a monitor while adjusting it.
@@obscuretenet So like, for vlogging? With a manual lens? Rack the shutter or the ISO or a variable ND. Changing the iris is going to change your DOF so should be your last option. People are pretty used to high shutter speeds as thats how phones often control exposure.
I lot of people hate these "Cheap" Chinese lenses but as a vintage lens user, I am happy there are companies making NEW vintage lenses as we see the original vintage lenses skyrocket in price for not real reason except some youtuber said "The Canon FD 50L is the best now pay $1500 for it!!!". Great review as always James.
I would assume somebody had a lot of stocks and trying to unload some at a good price. I love vintage lenses, just sometimes it wasn’t in the best shape when got it…the worst one being fungus infection…
@@Athrunwong beat up vintage lenses that have good optics I preffer than mint ones that are selling for top dollar. Example? Picked up a Canon FD 35mm f2 concave for $200 USD simply because it was ugly. Optics were perfect, especially since it came with a filter attached (which I threw away as soon as I got).
Sadly, this doesn't really do anything, since you still have air between the water surface and the lens within the hood. Fun design, I suppose. 140 for a really good macro lens is pretty insane, though.
This seems like a fun design. A number of vintage macro lenses I’ve used have really deeply recessed front elements to prevent flare, which the pointy lens hood would also do. I’m glad we got the underwater coin demo, I think you’ve started a new photography niche. Cheers! -Chris
Clickless apertures make lenses way more useful for videographers. It seems like a no brainer for companies to make them clickless so they can be enjoyed by both communities (photo and video).
I grabbed this lens used for about 100 bucks on MPB a bit less than a month ago and it's a real performer ! I borrowed the very comparable (on paper) Fujifilm Macro 60mm f/2.4, but it's all focus by wire, doesn't have a really close optical performance and nowhere near when it comes to macro magnification, all the while being much more expensive Fujifilm is known to put out some very good lenses, however at pretty high prices. Pretty good to see 3rd party lens companies filling the gaps for Fujifilm themselves !
@@snappiness unfortunately I used it so many times myself that I can instantly hear if someone else used it (or similar AI thing) too. I hope in the near future it's going to get transparent enough for us to not notice. I love what it does to dereverb voices, but the artifacts are too many to not go unnoticed...
I think if you want a high quality macro lens you better spend a bit more and get a LAOWA 60mm. It's optically better and goes down to 2x and does not have a (sorry) useless gimmicky hood that does nothing but probably cast shadows. The underwater idea does not work as you've shown, that's just some BS marketing.
agreed, would rather go for Laowa (or for older DSLR try to find 70mm Sigma EX DG Macro). But he got a point, this is budget lens, its 130$ (180$ for mark II version), so this version is almost 3x cheaper than Laowa.
@@anupew3276 true but I'm not so sure it's "worth it" even though it's so cheap. People will upgrade to a better lens sooner than later and then they might feel a bit foolish having spent money on that lens. Maybe they'd be better off just using a Raynox DCR-150 or DCR-250 instead, that's much more versatile and even cheaper and just as good and it keeps it value and you can use it with a better macro lens later on to get into extreme macro.
@@snappiness I was very skeptical about the brand but read a review of the 100mm 2x which showed very good results apart from issues with flare. The newer 90mm, which was a re-design of the 100mm for mirrorless cameras, seemed to be at least as good but with a better handling of flares. So I bought one and now I'm "a believer". The lens has surpassed my expectations, it's sharp at 2x wide open and there are no noticeable CAs. So truly an APO-corrected lens, it's not just some marketing BS. I've never seen such a great macro lens - though I have to say the image quality at infinity is not that great and I know some people will miss autofocus and -aperture. So if you can you should give it a try!
@@Crispy_Bee It depends, if you are someone just trying macro photography it would be better to buy that cheap lens with reasonable performance. Plenty of value there for someone like that and if after several months you find out that macro is not for you, you can probably still use it as a decent portrait lens for example or just sell it for 80-100$. With that cheap lens you dont risk much (concider its full price is like 2-4 evenings in a pub, not that much anyway). Raynox is too specialised piece of gear that you wont use outside macro. If you already know you are into macro and need a new lens for whatever reason then just go straight to Laowa.
I ordered one for MFT from them on eBay and they sent me the wrong lens - instead of Micro 4/3, they sent me an E mount Sony lens. Oh the joys of returning items to China.
After they promised to send me the correct mount so that I can change it from an E mount to a M 4/3, they stopped messaging me. I had said to mail the the correct mount and now silence from them. This company's Customer Service is a huge disappointment.
I actually bought this lens over the MK 2 version of it; mainly because I always prefer the aperture ring being closer to the camera body than the focus ring (especially if I have the choice). I'm sure from an optical engineering perspective there are times when it's easier to stick the aperture ring toward the lens front however in my experience from a photographer's standpoint the aperture ring should ALWAYS be as close to the camera body as possible. I am really glad I purchased this Mk 1 version. I really like it and I don't care at all that the design is a bit odd compared to most other lenses. The MK 1 lens being on sale because of the release of the MK 2 version made my decision even sweeter.
All macro lenses that aren’t pricey internal focus models (the newer Canon and Nikon 100/105 macros), lenses like the original Tamron SP 90 or Sigma 105, have an inner tube that extends as you focus closer. They’re just not normally as ugly as that 7Artisans lens. ;)
That lens hood is new, but extending front elements on macro lenses aren't that rare: back in the 90's I owned the 1st gen AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8 where the front of the lens telescoped out quite a bit at full magnification. The Fuji 60mm f2.4 Macro telescopes out so much that it comes with a super-deep lens hood to protect the extended elements from knocks.
I’m torn on the click vs smooth debate. I like that I have virtually unlimited precision when using the aperture to adjust exposure but hate when I think I have my f stop dialed in only to find out later my shit though f16 was a better choice.
When I saw the thumbnail I was like "Why this lens but not the Mark II version?" And when you dipped the lens hood into the water I was like "waaaaaaaaaat" So both Mark I and II has their own pros and cons. (I own the Mark II of this lens)
I really don't take video very often, every few months, maybe. But if lighting conditions change, due to sunset or whatever it might be, and you need to change the aperture, de-clicked makes such a huge difference. It really is noticeable and quite distracting. With mirrorless especially, where the number makes no difference because you can see the end result anyway, only beneficial. On a DSLR where there's a little guessing involved, fair enough, knowing your exact aperture is a bonus.
I shot macro in manual focus. It's a special technique ! Using 60mm on a smaller sensor has some advantage. But if you need to shoot insects, in the wild : Patience will be needed. I still prefer the offers from Sigma 105 OS F/2.8.
You have a lot of patience…the manual focus peeking is unreliable on Canon mirrorless and things get blown left and right outside making it super difficult to focus. You have to be brave to use manual focus on macro lense…
More affordable mirrorless camera lenses I love - ua-cam.com/play/PLqAV6q10bnbM_fP63g94m9-uoqbjtsT6U.html
i assume the declicked aperture is partly bc of the prevalence of video nowadays but i definitely prefer a clicked aperture
I assume that's it too.
Really don’t understand that for video. As a video professional I can’t think of a single time we’ve had to rack iris on set.
@@benbunch4159racking iris can be an interesting special effect, especially if you combine it with a motorized variable ND to maintain exposure while changing DoF. However, far, far more common is just that you want to set a precise exposure that lies between aperture stops without worrying about the lens suddenly clicking over to its nearest clicked stop, or simply that you want to control it remotely with a motor and giving the DoP wireless control to sit away from the camera and watch a monitor while adjusting it.
@@obscuretenet So like, for vlogging? With a manual lens? Rack the shutter or the ISO or a variable ND. Changing the iris is going to change your DOF so should be your last option. People are pretty used to high shutter speeds as thats how phones often control exposure.
I lot of people hate these "Cheap" Chinese lenses but as a vintage lens user, I am happy there are companies making NEW vintage lenses as we see the original vintage lenses skyrocket in price for not real reason except some youtuber said "The Canon FD 50L is the best now pay $1500 for it!!!". Great review as always James.
I would assume somebody had a lot of stocks and trying to unload some at a good price.
I love vintage lenses, just sometimes it wasn’t in the best shape when got it…the worst one being fungus infection…
@@Athrunwong beat up vintage lenses that have good optics I preffer than mint ones that are selling for top dollar. Example? Picked up a Canon FD 35mm f2 concave for $200 USD simply because it was ugly. Optics were perfect, especially since it came with a filter attached (which I threw away as soon as I got).
The same haters hate the uberexpensive Leica. Beggars can be choosers, go figure!
I picked this lens up for $40 on eBay recently! I've been using it for almost all of my b roll and its been amazing.
Sadly, this doesn't really do anything, since you still have air between the water surface and the lens within the hood. Fun design, I suppose.
140 for a really good macro lens is pretty insane, though.
I think the point is to use the hood to avoid reflections of the lens.
This seems like a fun design. A number of vintage macro lenses I’ve used have really deeply recessed front elements to prevent flare, which the pointy lens hood would also do.
I’m glad we got the underwater coin demo, I think you’ve started a new photography niche.
Cheers!
-Chris
Clickless apertures make lenses way more useful for videographers. It seems like a no brainer for companies to make them clickless so they can be enjoyed by both communities (photo and video).
Definitely like hearing the f-stop clicks...
D clicked apertures are for video and maybe not cost any less to make
There's a really smart design!
I grabbed this lens used for about 100 bucks on MPB a bit less than a month ago and it's a real performer ! I borrowed the very comparable (on paper) Fujifilm Macro 60mm f/2.4, but it's all focus by wire, doesn't have a really close optical performance and nowhere near when it comes to macro magnification, all the while being much more expensive
Fujifilm is known to put out some very good lenses, however at pretty high prices. Pretty good to see 3rd party lens companies filling the gaps for Fujifilm themselves !
Are you using Adobe Speech Enhance AI or other AI dereverb plugin on your voice? Either I'm crazy or I'm hearing AI artifacts which I cannot unhear...
Good ear - I was trying out Adobe Speech thingy, whatever it's called! That's good feedback if it was sounding weird to you.
@@snappiness unfortunately I used it so many times myself that I can instantly hear if someone else used it (or similar AI thing) too. I hope in the near future it's going to get transparent enough for us to not notice. I love what it does to dereverb voices, but the artifacts are too many to not go unnoticed...
I have this lens and I had no idea you could shoot it underwater or remove the hood like that.
Which lens with TTartisan 40mm f2.8 macro is better in terms of sharpness?
I wonder if this would be good for negative scanning.
I want more 3D printed adapter weirdness! Make a weird and terrible frankenlens out of a bunch of old broken vintage zoom lenses
Hi I have a question is this lens good for canon dsrl eso 2000 D
For macro only there are a lot of better and cheaper options
Are there? List them here for others!
Pentax 100mm f4 macro.
Nikons 50mm Z macro lens is a weirdo like that
Is this lens also available for e mount and canon m mount systems?
I think if you want a high quality macro lens you better spend a bit more and get a LAOWA 60mm. It's optically better and goes down to 2x and does not have a (sorry) useless gimmicky hood that does nothing but probably cast shadows. The underwater idea does not work as you've shown, that's just some BS marketing.
agreed, would rather go for Laowa (or for older DSLR try to find 70mm Sigma EX DG Macro). But he got a point, this is budget lens, its 130$ (180$ for mark II version), so this version is almost 3x cheaper than Laowa.
@@anupew3276 true but I'm not so sure it's "worth it" even though it's so cheap. People will upgrade to a better lens sooner than later and then they might feel a bit foolish having spent money on that lens.
Maybe they'd be better off just using a Raynox DCR-150 or DCR-250 instead, that's much more versatile and even cheaper and just as good and it keeps it value and you can use it with a better macro lens later on to get into extreme macro.
I've heard great things about Laowa. And they make some of those in DSLR mounts like K mount, which is enticing to me :)
@@snappiness I was very skeptical about the brand but read a review of the 100mm 2x which showed very good results apart from issues with flare. The newer 90mm, which was a re-design of the 100mm for mirrorless cameras, seemed to be at least as good but with a better handling of flares. So I bought one and now I'm "a believer". The lens has surpassed my expectations, it's sharp at 2x wide open and there are no noticeable CAs. So truly an APO-corrected lens, it's not just some marketing BS.
I've never seen such a great macro lens - though I have to say the image quality at infinity is not that great and I know some people will miss autofocus and -aperture.
So if you can you should give it a try!
@@Crispy_Bee It depends, if you are someone just trying macro photography it would be better to buy that cheap lens with reasonable performance. Plenty of value there for someone like that and if after several months you find out that macro is not for you, you can probably still use it as a decent portrait lens for example or just sell it for 80-100$. With that cheap lens you dont risk much (concider its full price is like 2-4 evenings in a pub, not that much anyway). Raynox is too specialised piece of gear that you wont use outside macro. If you already know you are into macro and need a new lens for whatever reason then just go straight to Laowa.
I ordered one for MFT from them on eBay and they sent me the wrong lens - instead of Micro 4/3, they sent me an E mount Sony lens. Oh the joys of returning items to China.
After they promised to send me the correct mount so that I can change it from an E mount to a M 4/3, they stopped messaging me. I had said to mail the the correct mount and now silence from them. This company's Customer Service is a huge disappointment.
Hi with ok for film scanning on camera
60mm macro... film scanning lens!
This might be the strangest lens I’ve seen… But I do love me some macro photos. 7Artisans doing some cool stuff. Thanks for the video!
I actually bought this lens over the MK 2 version of it; mainly because I always prefer the aperture ring being closer to the camera body than the focus ring (especially if I have the choice). I'm sure from an optical engineering perspective there are times when it's easier to stick the aperture ring toward the lens front however in my experience from a photographer's standpoint the aperture ring should ALWAYS be as close to the camera body as possible.
I am really glad I purchased this Mk 1 version. I really like it and I don't care at all that the design is a bit odd compared to most other lenses. The MK 1 lens being on sale because of the release of the MK 2 version made my decision even sweeter.
All macro lenses that aren’t pricey internal focus models (the newer Canon and Nikon 100/105 macros), lenses like the original Tamron SP 90 or Sigma 105, have an inner tube that extends as you focus closer. They’re just not normally as ugly as that 7Artisans lens. ;)
internal focus on the Mark II
long boi
That lens hood is new, but extending front elements on macro lenses aren't that rare: back in the 90's I owned the 1st gen AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8 where the front of the lens telescoped out quite a bit at full magnification. The Fuji 60mm f2.4 Macro telescopes out so much that it comes with a super-deep lens hood to protect the extended elements from knocks.
I’m torn on the click vs smooth debate. I like that I have virtually unlimited precision when using the aperture to adjust exposure but hate when I think I have my f stop dialed in only to find out later my shit though f16 was a better choice.
I would love to have focus ring clicked on a lens about 20mm to switch zones quickly in the dark... Have not seen one so far...
When I saw the thumbnail I was like "Why this lens but not the Mark II version?"
And when you dipped the lens hood into the water I was like "waaaaaaaaaat"
So both Mark I and II has their own pros and cons. (I own the Mark II of this lens)
Oh God... Is the price going to jump nao? Lol it does look cools though xD
Excellent review! Always great content here! Always new things to buy and discover! ;)
I prefer clicked apertures
Interesting. Think of all the dust that is being pulled into the lense cavity
HI James, nice lens! would be nice to have it with a pentax K mount!
Got this lens a while back to scan film negatives. Nice for what it is
I really don't take video very often, every few months, maybe. But if lighting conditions change, due to sunset or whatever it might be, and you need to change the aperture, de-clicked makes such a huge difference. It really is noticeable and quite distracting.
With mirrorless especially, where the number makes no difference because you can see the end result anyway, only beneficial. On a DSLR where there's a little guessing involved, fair enough, knowing your exact aperture is a bonus.
I do get the video advantages, it makes sense. I just don't shoot much video so I complain about it 🤣
I shot macro in manual focus. It's a special technique ! Using 60mm on a smaller sensor has some advantage. But if you need to shoot insects, in the wild : Patience will be needed. I still prefer the offers from Sigma 105 OS F/2.8.
You have a lot of patience…the manual focus peeking is unreliable on Canon mirrorless and things get blown left and right outside making it super difficult to focus.
You have to be brave to use manual focus on macro lense…
I recently purchased this lens and I love it; I was able to get up close and personal with a rain drop.
Sigma’s 70mm macro does something similar!
cool
I'll stick with my Mp-e 65
where can i get that shirt? lol
yeah but i have a pentax...
Just one? 😅
@@jacobdipietro375 2
More and more Chinese crop-sensor lenses, which are useless on quality, full-frame cameras. Not interested.
Yeah yeah, I know, make your own jokes. This lens is really cool.