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There are some things you should never cheap out on.
Televisions, for instance nobody wants to watch a smeary mess with awful viewing angles.
Paired with a complementary Fuji Film Simulation the TTArtisan 25mm can take a nice photo(Image credit: TechRadar)
Or auto repairs, because, y’know, you might die.
To that list add camera lenses.
At least that’s what I used to think.
Paired with a complementary Fuji Film Simulation the TTArtisan 25mm can take a nice photo(Image credit: TechRadar)
They’re generally made by Chinese firms and undercut the first-party options by hundreds of dollars.
The only caveat is that most are manual-focus only.
With some available for as little $60, the potential savings are huge.
But how good could a $60 lens really be?
And is a manual-focus-only model more trouble than it’s worth?
I decided to give one a go.
And you know what?
I’m a convert.
And of course it also gives you a decent amount of bokeh, of which more later.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong; the TTArtisan lens is beautifully built.
It is indeed made entirely from metal, including the lens mount and even the cap.
Unlike most clip-on lens caps, the one here is a fiddly and time consuming screw-on bang out.
It attaches to the 43mm filter ring and is one of my least favorite things about the lens design.
Both are nicely weighted, with a smooth motion as you turn and plenty of tactile feedback.
They’re not too stiff, but also feel like they’ll stay firmly in place.
Strangely, the aperture ring lacks a stop for F/11, jumping straight from F/8 to F/16.
It’s not just that it isn’t marked there’s literally no stop between 8 and 16.
If you shoot a lot at F/11 then, well, it’s possible for you to’t.
You do get an extra one at F/2.4, though.
The other really notable thing about it is how small and light it is.
It’s light, too just 186g / 6.5 ounces according to my kitchen scales.
The closest equivalent I own is my beloved 35mm F/1.4 lens.
That lens weighs about 206g, but is much bigger and more noticeable if you’re street shooting.
Or rather, the distinct lack of it.
But it needn’t be a problem.
Most of thebest camerashave something similar.
But for landscapes, posed portraits, buildings etc, it works just fine.
There’s certainly no reason to be scared of it.
Again, beyond my expectations.
And nor can it beat my 56mm F/1.2 for dreamy bokeh.
Paired with a complementary Fuji Film Simulation the TTArtisan 25mm can take a nice photo(Image credit: TechRadar)
But it’s not bad at all.
Photos from this lens have a nice look to them, with lots of contrast.
Bokeh is smooth and relatively unobtrusive.
It’s reasonably sharp when stopped down(Image credit: TechRadar)
There’s also some fairly heavy vignetting, which is again worse below F/4.
There’s also a bit of distortion, although nothing that can’t be corrected afterwards.
And it has a tendency towards flare when shooting into a bright light source.
Again, you can see a decent amount of detail on individual pine needles(Image credit: TechRadar)
Then again, this lens costs $64!
Will you get better shots with the Fujifilm XF 23mm F1.4?
Yes, obviously but that will set you back $800 / 829.
This crop again shows decent sharpness from the lens(Image credit: TechRadar)
Ditto the XF 23mm F/2 ($400 / 415).
But if you could’t afford those, the TTArtisan 25mm F/2 is a lot better than you might expect.
It’s ultra-small and light, beautifully built and takes decent shots at a highly usable focal length.
Vignetting is visible in some shots(Image credit: TechRadar)
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Bokeh is smooth(Image credit: TechRadar)
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