Other TTArtisan 50mm F1.4 ASPH E-mount lens review by addy landzaat
 addy landzaat#46967 date: Nov-17-2023 | |
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| sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 3 overall: 4.4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Canon EF 50/1.8, Canon EF 50/1.4 Minolta A 50/1.4, Sony A 50/1.4 Sony Zeiss 55/1.8 Several old manual focus 50mm lenses Other modern primes between 28mm and 85mm |
| price paid: | €399,- (new) |
| positive: | Colour, bokeh |
| negative: | Flare, maybe sharpness (read on) |
| comment: | Well, this is a hard one to review. I have the (Leica) M-mount version with an adaptor on my A7r4. Some wide angle M-mount lenses behave badly on E-mount cameras, but this being a normal lens, I expect there is no difference with the E-mount version. With these caveats, let's get into it. This lens behaves very much like the 1980's 50mm primes mentioned above. A little (for some too much) compromises wide open, but perfectly sharp stopped down to, say, f/8. It is a little better behaved then the EF and A-mount lenses, but just a little better. More analytical reviews are correct to point out the lens simply isn't as sharp as modern lenses. Reviews more focused on the results agree it is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but that it is sharp enough. Colour is wonderful and the out of focus (bokeh) looks even better. I didn't notice much distortion, but I am sure there is some seeing the lovely bokeh. I feel it is a perfectly fine compromise. One thing to be aware of: the auto white balance gets thrown off by your aperture - I get a much warmer AWB setting wide open then stopped down to f/5.6 - see the sample page. Using the lens I did not notice much flare, but as all reviews mention it, I did a quick and dirty test - and yes, it is much worse compared to modern lenses like the Sony/Zeiss 55/1.8 and the Sony 35/1.8. The build is really nice. It is manual focus only (dûh) and the focus ring is well damped. The aperture ring has satisfying quiet clicks. It has a fully metal build that looks like a Leica lens. Conclusion: if you want the best behaved modern lens, look elsewhere. If you like manual focus and an old fashioned look but new and with slightly less compromises - look no further. Uncertain? Read all the reviews, opinions differ on this one. Edit May 2024: if you want to know about the strengths and weaknesses of this lens, see the linked article comparing 10 M-mount lenses. TLDR: The TTArtisan 50/1.4 is worse at infinity. Also check part two of the article for more in depth information: https://www.47-degree.com/focus-shift/leica-m-50mm-lens-comparison-part-1 |
rating summary
- total reviews: 1
- sharpness: 4.00
- color: 5.00
- build: 5.00
- distortion: 5.00
- flare control: 3.00
- overall: 4.40