The 7artisans 25mm F1.8 is a compact manual focus prime for Fujifilm X, Sony E, Micro Four Thirds and Canon EF-M mount lenses. It has a total of 5 elements plus a 7-blade aperture, 0.18m minimum focus distance and a aluminum frame that weighs 143g.
7artisans 25mm F1.8 MF Lens for Sony, Fujifilm [New Fullbox] Black & Silver là ống kính nhỏ gọn, linh hoạt, hoàn toàn phù hợp để chụp chân dung, phóng sự và quay phim hàng ngày đòi hỏi một góc nhìn tự nhiên. Các lợi ích khẩu độ tối đa f/1.8 tối ưu hoạt động trong nhiều điều kiện ánh sáng khác nhau và cũng cung cấp khả năng kiểm soát độ sâu trường ảnh lớn hơn để cô lập đối tượng tập trung chọn lọc.
DISCLAIMER: Below are my own thoughts and opinions on the 7artisans 25mm f/1.8 lens. I paid for the lens with my own money and I am not sponsored or associated with 7artisans. By no means are my views scientific and should be taken with a grain of salt. Whether you agree or disagree, please let me know in the comments below!
Camera: Fujifilm X-E2 Lens: 7artisans 25mm f/1.8 Focal length: 37.5mm [in 35mm equivalent] Focusing: full manual
The Good: My first impressions of handling the 25mm is that the lens is solid and well-built. The lens body is entirely metal with a metal lens hood that screws in securely. I opted for the silver version and it came with a matching silver bayonet lens hood [purchased via Aliexpress]. The lens itself is tiny and makes my X-E2 even less intrusive when shooting on the street. The aperture ring is clickless and well-dampened making it difficult to accidentally bump your F stop. The focus ring is heavily-dampened and has a healthy throw making it easy to fine focus on fine details. In comparison, my Voigtlander 35mm Nokton Classic lens has an overly sensitive focus ring with a short throw, making fine adjustments difficult to nail. As a bonus, the minimal focus distance is as close as about 1 inch, making this capable of being a pseudo macro lens.
The Bad: Quality control at the China-made factory is not the best. Be sure to thoroughly inspect your lens after receiving it as you may need to exchange your lens for another copy. When looking at the front element, my lens has a spot under the glass off to the side which may be something that dripped onto the glass during production. Luckily, it does not affect image quality and cannot be seen in images. Other consumers have complained of poor construction or improperly calibrated lenses, so be sure to thoroughly put your copy through it’s paces when you receive it. The rear design of the lens has a bad design and rear lens caps do not securely lock and stay on, often falling off when in your camera bag. At first I thought it was due to the 7artisans’ rear lens cap design, but oem Fuji caps do not securely stay on either.
Image Quality: I tried searching but was unable to find anyone else able to verify, but I suspect 7artisans may have copied the Zeiss Biogon formula when creating this lens. To my eye, images share a familiar bokeh and could pass as a cousin to the Zeiss. When shooting wide open, the lens has a touch of vignetting and adds some nice character. The culmination of these different details helps the lens create some moody images with some soul. This lens is definitely NOT for the pixel peeper. You can still get tack sharp images in the center of the frame or if you focus stack multiple images in post, but don’t expect this ultra budget lens to compete with more expensive brands. When shooting on either end of the aperture range, expect some softness due to diffraction.
Conclusion: Buy it. Simple as that. When I originally bought this lens, it only cost me 45$ shipped from Aliexpress. As of Feb 2019, prices have increased to 70$-80$ from most online vendors, mostly due to receiving loads of positive reviews from early adopters who were willing to try out 7artisans’ lenses. Even at this increased price, i’d still highly recommend this lens and argue that it’s still a good deal. If you’re looking for a superbly compact lens for your small mirrorless body, this is the perfect companion. My Fuji X-E2 with 7artisans 25mm f/1.8 lens mounted makes for a great stealthy street photography setup.
See below for some street photography samples [click to enlarge].
There are a number of inexpensive prime lenses coming out of China. After purchasing the Meike 35mm f/1.7 and, for the most part, really liking it, I thought I’d try the even cheaper 7artisans 25mm f/1.8 for my Fujifilm X-Pro2. Can a low-end lens be any good?
7artisans was founded by seven photographers who wanted to make lenses, so they did. They have several different offerings, all of which are very inexpensive yet intriguing. The 25mm lens for Fujifilm has an equivalent focal length of 37.5mm, which is slightly less wide-angle than the X100F, but a similar focal-length.
Despite the fact that they are two different companies, there are a lot of similarities between the Meike and 7artisans lenses that I own. They both have solid build quality, they are both manual-focus only, they both have click-less apertures, they both are super sharp in the middle, they both are super soft in the corners wide-open, they both have significant vignetting wide-open, they both have noticeable pincushion distortion, they both produce nice bokeh, and they both are at peak performance between f/2.8 and f/8. It’s almost as if the same people designed both lenses, although, supposedly, that’s not the case.
7artisans 25mm f/1.8
One difference that I found is Meike controls lens flare better, which is not necessarily saying much. If you like flare, both of these lenses are for you. The 7artisans lens produces lots of flare whenever there is a bright light source nearby. It’s almost a bit over-the-top, and if you don’t like lens flare, be sure to buy a hood for this lens [something that I did after a couple weeks of use]. I like lens flare sometimes, but it was much too much with this 7artisans lens.
What you get with the 7artisans 25mm f/1.8 is a new lens that looks and feels vintage [maybe early-1980’s-ish], and produces results that have a vintage quality. It’s not precision engineered like most modern glass, so it has flaws, and those flaws give your photographs character, something that’s missing from most modern lenses. Whether or not that character is something you want for your photographs is for you to decide. I personally appreciate it. I also appreciate manual-focus, and those not used to it might not care for it.
I like the Meike 35mm f/1.7 slightly more than the 7artisans 25mm f/1.8, but it also costs a little more, too. At just $70, the 7artisans offering is $20 cheaper, and for that price, it’s pretty darn fantastic. It’s possibly the least expensive lens option for your Fujifilm X camera, as I don’t know of any that are cheaper; however, this is a lens that you could capture some great pictures with because it has very sharp glass. It does have some faults and quirks, but, considering how little it goes for, it’s easy to overlook those issues, and perhaps even embrace them. If you have a limited budget but would like to add some quality glass to your collection, the 7artisans 25mm f/1.8 is a good option that you should consider.
Succulent Abstract – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 7artisans 25mm
Succulent Monochrome – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 7artisans 25mm
Vase On A Dark Table – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 7artisans 25mm
Window Reflection Sunset – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 7artisans 25mm
Red Shed & Lens Flare – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 7artisans 25mm
Evening In The Urban Garden – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 7artisans 25mm
Rainbow Over The Green Mountain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 7artisans 25mm
Drops of Water Lily – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 7artisans 25mm
Yellow Tipped Peddle Bloom – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 7artisans 25mm
Picked Flowers In The Window – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 & 7artisans 25mm
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