TTArtisan 35mm f/1.8 II: Funds Journey Lens

When it involves focal size alternative, my pictures goes in cycles. For a number of years now I’ve been taking pictures 28mm and 35mm, however lately determined it was time to maneuver again to the 50mm focal vary.

My favourite on a regular basis carry/journey digicam—which I seize for native strolls round city, or tackle lengthy backpacking journeys—is my trusty Nikon Z50.

I like the small type issue of the Z50 and wanted a small, mild lens for it that may give me round a 50mm focal size. I discovered it. TTArtisan has an AF 35mm f/1.8 APS-C lens that provides the complete body equal of roughly 52mm. Perfect!

First off, it is all steel and has a high quality really feel to it. It’s mild and compact, and has one thing that fits my type of pictures—a fairly shut minimal focusing distance of 15.7″ or 0.4 m.

Within minutes of attaching the lens to my camera and shooting the cat, I was impressed with the autofocus speed, and thought the price point for both build and image quality was insanely good. It’s just $125. For that money, it comes with two lens hoods.

Despite being a small lens, the focusing ring is large and easy to grab and use, turning very smoothly. It can be configured to control aperture or exposure compensation, if so desired.

When taking pictures extensive open at f/1.8, I seen a really nice, barely swirly bokeh, which jogged my memory of my Helios 44-2. It’s a classic lens look, with mushy and barely vignetted edges, but the middle of the body could be very sharp. Things tremendously enhance by f/4–f/5.6, and stopping all the way down to f/8 ends in a wonderfully sharp picture from edge to edge. I discovered myself taking pictures buildings and normal city scenes at f/8 as I wandered round, with top-quality outcomes, though I did get pleasure from opening issues as much as f/1.8 for that classic vibe.

Vignetting when extensive open is clearly evident. Apparently this bothers some, however I do not discover it an issue in any respect. If I’m taking pictures one thing at f/1.8, I’m not bothered concerning the corners, so long as the topic is sharp within the center.

I shot a number of high-contrast pictures to examine for chromatic aberration, however did not see something.

• Lens mount: Fujifilm X, Sony E, Nikon Z
• APS-C, f/1.8 to f/16
• 52.5mm (full body equal)
• Weight: 176 g
• Minimum focusing distance: 15.7″
• Filter size: 52mm
• All-metal construction

Competition is the Viltrox AF 35mm F1.7 Air. It’s made of plastic and doesn’t have such a quality feel. It’s a little longer too, and pricier at $199 (Z mount version).

Conclusion

What I Like

• It’s smaller, lighter, and cheaper than its immediate competitor
• All-metal construction
• Image quality is excellent

What I Don’t Like

• No manual focus switch, something I use all the time on my other lenses

Overall, I really like this lens. It may just be the best-performing everyday carry 35mm (approximately 50mm full frame equivalent) budget prime for APS-C format. Image quality, for the price, is excellent. I love the vintage characteristics wide open, and the clean, sharp results when stopped down. It offers the best of both worlds in this regard. I rate it 9/10. Honestly, if there were an MF/AF switch, it would be close to a 10/10 for me. It makes a perfect travel lens when weight and bulk are a major consideration, like a TTArtisan AF 35mm f/1.8.