Pixel Peeping the 7 Artisans 25mm f1.8 Lens

fmw · Oct 30, 2017

I was impressed with the lovely and inexpensive 7 Artisans Fisheye lens and promised myself I would try more of their products as they became available in the U.S. Amazon is now shipping the very inexpensive 25mm f1.8 in the Fujifilm mount so I ordered one. How inexpensive? $69. $69? That can't be right. Yes it is right and the shipping is included in the price. It must be an awful performer, right? Wrong. read on.

The diminutive 25mm wide angle is made of metal and features a multicoated 7 element design in 5 element groups. It is an APS-C format unit with no electronics. That means the photographer is limited to manual focus and manual or aperture priority metering. It is actually made of metal. The focus ring is smooth. The aperture ring, unfortunately, has no detents so you will want to check your setting visually to be sure it hasn't moved. It is small. No lens hood is included but there are all kinds of 46mm Leica compatible hoods available on the internet for less than $10.

Is it sharp? Yup. It sure is. below are images for your pixel peeping pleasure. First is my famous garden shed with a 100% crop of the wagon parked in front. Following that is a shot of some late blooming flowers with a 100% crop of the left edge of the frame.

There must be something negative to say about it. Yes, there is. The lens dislplays a tiny bit of barrel distortion which you won't likely see in higher end modest wide angle lenses. It corrects easily in software so it isn't really a reason to reject the lens.

I don't know if you have a use for a well made, crisp, sharp modest wide angle for a $69 price tag but I sure do. I've blown $7 for a 46mm thread metal vented Leica compatible hood for it. Shipping included in that as well.

It is available for other APS-C cameras also and micro 4/3. What have you got to lose?

Derrel · Oct 30, 2017

$69??? I thought you had dropped a "1" at the beginning of the price!

Wow.

It's quite handsome in its design and manufacturing. Such a deal!

fmw · Oct 31, 2017

Derrel, I think it is more than a deal. It is indicative of the interest the Chinese lens manufacturers have in addressing the third party camera lens business. The same Chinese manufacturers who have been producing lenses for the camera manufacturers and third party lens designers are about to launch competition against them. For now we have manual lenses. In the future I think they will have focusing motors and compatible electronics. Obviously they know how to do it. I think we will see some changes in the camera lens business going forward.

jcdeboever · Oct 31, 2017

I'd buy a 12mm at that price if they offered one. Pretty impressive

Braineack · Oct 31, 2017

only looks soft in the extreme corners. not bad.

fmw · Oct 31, 2017

jcdeboever said:
I'd buy a 12mm at that price if they offered one. Pretty impressive

So would I. Stay tuned. I doubt we've heard the last from these guys.

Gary A. · Oct 31, 2017

A lot of cluck for the buck ... and a DOF scale!

fmw · Oct 31, 2017

Gary A. said:
A lot of cluck for the buck ... and a DOF scale!

Kind of takes you back to the old days, huh?

fmw · Nov 5, 2017

Braineack is right about the corners. I made some test images of a brick wall which is always a good test target. Yes the barrel distortion is still there. The corners are soft at every aperture. Additionally there is some vignetting wide open which goes away by f4. Finally, I found some purple fringing in the corners on a landscape shot. The fringing is only in the corners.

So, while the lens is basically sharp it falls down in the corners and likes to be stopped down. I think my best comment would be that the lens would be dandy if they had made the image circle a little larger. As it is, it doesn't compete with brand name 35mm primes optically but certainly can make fine images, particularly for its price.

cgw · Nov 8, 2017

If this trend continues--and quality improves--it may may well pressure Fuji to trim prices or to consider a budget Fujinon line. Great glass but pricey for garden variety mid-speed f2-2.8 primes.

fmw · Nov 8, 2017

cgw said:
If this trend continues--and quality improves--it may may well pressure Fuji to trim prices or to consider a budget Fujinon line. Great glass but pricey for garden variety mid-speed f2-2.8 primes.

Hardly garden variety. Garden variety primes are made for full frame DSLR's.

cgw · Nov 10, 2017

fmw said:
cgw said:

If this trend continues--and quality improves--it may may well pressure Fuji to trim prices or to consider a budget Fujinon line. Great glass but pricey for garden variety mid-speed f2-2.8 primes.

Click to expand...

Hardly garden variety. Garden variety primes are made for full frame DSLR's.

In my 'hood, the 35/2 WR is C$500-600 depending on Fuji's generosity. Nice lens but the pricing certainly presents opportunities for off-brand makers. That's my only point.

fmw · Nov 13, 2017

cgw said:
fmw said:

cgw said:

If this trend continues--and quality improves--it may may well pressure Fuji to trim prices or to consider a budget Fujinon line. Great glass but pricey for garden variety mid-speed f2-2.8 primes.

Click to expand...

Hardly garden variety. Garden variety primes are made for full frame DSLR's.

Click to expand...

In my 'hood, the 35/2 WR is C$500-600 depending on Fuji's generosity. Nice lens but the pricing certainly presents opportunities for off-brand makers. That's my only point.

Fuji's unit sales are pretty small compared to the Canon and Nikon giants. It is easy to understand why their production runs are shorter and their production costs higher.

You also need to remember that you are comparing a metal lens with an aperture ring to plastic, fully electronic lenses. Fuji isn't a good choice for those looking for a budget system. It is a good choice when you compare ergonomics, image quality AND build quality. I wish they were less expensive too but they simply aren't.