As far as 27mm goes, the best pick remains the Fujinon XF27mmF2.8 R WR. The only more affordable alternative I’d consider is the TTArtisan 27mmF2.8. But neither the AstrHori nor the 7Artisans 27mm are appealing to me.
A fellow FR-reader (thanks for sharing) stumbled on a review made half a year ago of the upcoming 7Artisans 27mm F2.8 which we reported about here.
The review, for the Sony E mount version, is in both languages, German and English (the red text is in English) and you can read it at nikolaus-burgard.
His summary:
7Artisans has also achieved a very good “autofocus debut” in the APS-C-Sensor camera-range with the AF 27mm f2.8.
I will briefly summarize the objective test results again:
Very good sharpness in the center of the image from open aperture, excellent from f4.
The edges are sharp from an open aperture of f2.8, but for perfectly sharp corners you have to stop down to f4. The slight midzone dip has also completely disappeared at f5.6.
The microcontrasts are always very good.
The vignette is clear at wide open aperture, but completely negligible from f5.6.
Unfortunately, the distortion is clearly barrel-shaped with a mustache, but hopefully there will be a correction profile from the manufacturer soon.
When it comes to color errors, lateral chromatic aberrations are not a problem at all,
the longitudinal chromatic aberrations can appear in the form of slight green bokeh fringing, but are never problematic.
The lens isn’t bad in backlight, but if you overdo it you’ll get flares and reflections here, too.
The autofocus was “unremarkably good” in my test. The eye autofocus for portraits was also very snappy and fast.
Subjectively speaking, the technically clean, “modernly rendered” images without any annoyances such as outlining or bokeh bubbles really appeal to me; that’s what I expected from a modern “40mm” (fullframe-equivalent). Of course, with these technical parameters of a slight wide angle at “only” f2.8, you shouldn’t expect any shallow depth-of-field miracles.
I particularly like taking photos of people with the 7Artisans AF 27mm f2.8 – and they are easy to achieve because of the good eye autofocus.
Given the price of €149 / $129, 7Artisans can be said to have made a really successful debut in the autofocus world of APS-C sensor cameras – because the performance speaks for itself and the price is sensationally cheap in relation to this.
It might not be a bad lens optically, but sadly the fact that it lacks of an aperture ring is a dealbreaker for me.
7Artisans is going to launch several AF lenses for APS-C cameras including for Fujifilm X mount as reported by the Chiense social media account CameraBeta here.
The other lenses, as far as I can remember, are new entries in terms of rumors.
Once again, while I find it great that more companies make X mount autofocus lenses, I wish they would come up with something more unique and original than lenses that have been proposed in all possible and minimal variations by many other brands already.
Also, as far as I can see, none of them has an aperture ring, so none of the lenses is of interest for me.
But that’s as usual just my opinion. Let me know in the comments what you think about.
7Artisans is now teasing the 7Artisans AF 35mm f/1.4 APS-C autofocus lens.
Some specs:
AF 35mm F1.4
APS-C
autofocus
dimensions
– ø: 68mm
– Length: 43mm
Weight: 180g
Just for comparison, the Fujinon XF33mm f/1.4 has a diameter of 67 and a length of 73.5 and it weights 360g.
As opposed to many other autofocus lenses in this range, at least this one looks rather compact and light, making it stand out a bit from the other 33/35mm f/1.4 offerings.
𝙇𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 2-𝙞𝙣-1: 7artisans 50mm F1.4 combines a conventional lens with a large imaging circle with a tilting mechanism. When the tilt angle is 0 degrees, it is a conventional 50mm f1.4 large aperture lens; When Tilt or Shift, it turns into a special Tilt-Shift lens compatible with mirrorless cameras.
𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙞𝙡𝙩-𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙁𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚: The 7artisans tilt lens also features a special Tilt-Shift feature that allows you to tilt and twistit for unique viewpoints and Lilliputian visuals, delivering clarity and resolution for portraits,buildings, landscapes,and video.
𝙁1.4 𝙇𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚 𝘼𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚: As a wide aperture lens, the 50mm F1.4 tilt lens captures breathtaking portraits and night scenes with blurred backgrounds.
𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙧 𝙀𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙑𝙞𝙚w: With its large f/1.4 aperture and adjustable shift axis, this lens produces a significant blur effect. By cutting space and moving the axis, it can create unique lipt or miniature views, adding a new dimension to your photography. Its 360° rotation and Tilt-Shift axis enable you to change the focal plane and achieve various effects with superb blur capabilities for photos and videos.
𝙀𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙋𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮: Full metal and multi-coating ensure durability and excellent picture quality. Filter Size is Φ46mm, which can be used with UV, ND, CPL and other filters. The lens structure is 7elements in 6groups, Distortion is only 1.9%, which can provide clarity and resolution for portraits, buildings, landscapes and videos.
Well, it looks like the development is finally done and those 7Artisans AF lenses are already out for testing, according to reports shared at the Chinese social media account on Weibo 独立摄影师联合会 here.
Full List of Third Party AF X Mount Lenses
— Available, Coming Soon, Rumored —
This Autofocus Adapter from 7artisans Photoelectric allows a Canon EF or EF-S-mount lens to be used on a FUJIFILM X-mount camera. Gold-plated copper electronics provide enhanced performance and support phase detection and contrast detection autofocus. The adapter also supports image stabilization and enables swift aperture control. If an attached lens is capable of generating Exif metadata, this adapter is designed to transfer that information so that it can be saved with image files generated by the lens and camera. Additionally, the adapter includes a tripod foot with 1/4″-20 threads to reduce stress on the camera mount when placed on a tripod.
The 7artisans 12mm F2.8 II features a 100-degree wide angle of view, which is an all-manual lens well-suited for landscape, interior, and architectural subjects requiring a broad field of view.
Bright Aperture: Bright f/2.8 maximum aperture suits working in a variety of lighting conditions and also contributes to the sleek form factor.
The 5-blade diaphragm contributes to a smooth and pleasing bokeh quality.
