After selling my Contax G45 F2 on the handle to a younger partner, my hand has always felt incomplete without a proper lens. The Zeiss 55mm is great in all aspects, but it's that 1.8 aperture that makes it so bad. The 50mm f1.4 is just too expensive...
I looked through a wave of photos taken with this lens.
This shot was first seen in a friend’s circle, taken by a photographer who made a few pictures. It was a 7Artisans 50mm f1.1. Then I started learning about this lens and was shocked to find out that the aperture value is 1.1 and the price is under 2k. The same specs on a VOLIGTLANDER 50mm f1.1 cost nearly 5k. That caught my attention.
After checking the Taobao page, I found that this is a Leica M bayonet lens that supports manual focus and looks pretty good—just like a regular M-mount lens. It comes in black or silver. Our test samples are the black version.
Let me take a look at the 7Artisans’ careful design. Why did they go for an M bayonet instead of E? I think the idea was to use a Leica M to E adapter ring. This adapter is powerful and supports autofocus, which is a big plus. They took advantage of this high-quality autofocus ring.
For this test, we used a Sony A7II with the Tiangong autofocus ring. No Leica body, of course.
--------------------------------------------------
No out-of-the-box look.
--------------------------------------------------
Inside the box, there was a paper lens body, a small yellow screwdriver for adjusting focus. Most Leica M lenses have a small focus handle, making it easy to adjust.
The lens cap is all-metal, engraved with "7Artisans" in both Chinese and English. It feels heavy and solid, though the font layout is a bit messy.
The lens surface is aluminum, giving it a more rugged feel compared to the delicate Leica M lenses. However, the overall weight is still substantial and feels very premium.
The front lens ring has the 7Artisans 50mm f1.1 lens number engraved on it. The filter size is 55mm, and even at full aperture, the light intake is quite large. The coating on top has a yellow-green tint.
Looking at the back of the lens, you can see the inner mirror core made of copper. There are five grooves, and since this lens lacks electronic contacts, these grooves might be for protecting the original M digital body’s contacts.
When fully open, the aperture is still quite large and visually impressive.
The focus ring has a textured surface to increase friction, but surprisingly, the focusing feel is still acceptable. Since I mostly use autofocus, it doesn’t bother me much.
The overall feel is good. The focus gives 7-point aperture failure, and after hanging it up, it's still quite heavy. After all, it weighs over 400g, plus the Tiangong AF ring, making it a real test for the wrist.
==
Now let’s talk about the most important part: image quality. There are no scientific tests here, just visible differences.
The main selling point of this lens is its f1.1 aperture. Naturally, we tested the maximum aperture. Next, we looked at the lens’s ability to control flare and color fringing, which are common issues with large apertures. We used everyday scenes to show how the lens performs at different apertures.
At f1.1, the image appears slightly soft, but when we stop down to f1.4, the image becomes much sharper. At f2.0, the performance is even better.
But as a large-aperture lens, if you don’t shoot at f1.1, what’s the point? Even this “mindless†lens, people would prefer f1.4, showing that its usable aperture is really only f1.4.
F1.1
F1.4
F2.0
F4.0
Out-of-focus performance is also an important attribute of a large-aperture lens. At f1.1, the bokeh is quite large, and the center spot is relatively round. However, the edges look strange—unlike the typical lemon-shaped or perfectly round bokeh from other lenses (like the Nikon 58mm f1.4G or Sony GM). Instead, it looks like half a lemon.
There are also various strange light spots appearing. After using it for a while, I noticed a variety of these effects.
--------------------------------------------------
Here’s the out-of-focus condition at f1.1, f1.4, f2.0, and f4.0
--------------------------------------------------
F1.1
F1.4
F2.0
F4.0
The issue of two-linearity is also a serious problem. Although the focus is very soft, it cannot be changed. The second-linear control is a major issue. Even the official Taobao description of 7Artisans bluntly says, “a very slight two linear� ? ? ? ? Exm????
Since this lens uses 18 aperture blades, the center spot is always a regular circle, which is commendable. In contrast, many domestic lenses seem to stack blades just for show.
In terms of distortion, the control is not great, but you can get a general idea from this image.
Here are some of the shots taken with this lens over the past few days.
Here are some wedding photos taken with the 50mm f1.1 and 85mm f1.8 lenses. Everyone can take a look.
The 7Artisans 50mm f1.1, although f1.4 is available, offers a great option under 2k. If needed, it can still be used at f1.1 for dramatic effect. Personally, I think it's quite cost-effective. However, I do notice that the vignetting is still quite strong, and the color fringing is unusual. But in post-processing, these issues are manageable.
This shot was first seen in a friend’s circle, taken by a photographer who made a few pictures. It was a 7Artisans 50mm f1.1. Then I started learning about this lens and was shocked to find out that the aperture value is 1.1 and the price is under 2k. The same specs on a VOLIGTLANDER 50mm f1.1 cost nearly 5k. That caught my attention.
After checking the Taobao page, I found that this is a Leica M bayonet lens that supports manual focus and looks pretty good—just like a regular M-mount lens. It comes in black or silver. Our test samples are the black version.
Let me take a look at the 7Artisans’ careful design. Why did they go for an M bayonet instead of E? I think the idea was to use a Leica M to E adapter ring. This adapter is powerful and supports autofocus, which is a big plus. They took advantage of this high-quality autofocus ring.
For this test, we used a Sony A7II with the Tiangong autofocus ring. No Leica body, of course.
--------------------------------------------------
No out-of-the-box look.
--------------------------------------------------
Inside the box, there was a paper lens body, a small yellow screwdriver for adjusting focus. Most Leica M lenses have a small focus handle, making it easy to adjust.
The lens cap is all-metal, engraved with "7Artisans" in both Chinese and English. It feels heavy and solid, though the font layout is a bit messy.
The lens surface is aluminum, giving it a more rugged feel compared to the delicate Leica M lenses. However, the overall weight is still substantial and feels very premium.
The front lens ring has the 7Artisans 50mm f1.1 lens number engraved on it. The filter size is 55mm, and even at full aperture, the light intake is quite large. The coating on top has a yellow-green tint.
Looking at the back of the lens, you can see the inner mirror core made of copper. There are five grooves, and since this lens lacks electronic contacts, these grooves might be for protecting the original M digital body’s contacts.
When fully open, the aperture is still quite large and visually impressive.
The focus ring has a textured surface to increase friction, but surprisingly, the focusing feel is still acceptable. Since I mostly use autofocus, it doesn’t bother me much.
The overall feel is good. The focus gives 7-point aperture failure, and after hanging it up, it's still quite heavy. After all, it weighs over 400g, plus the Tiangong AF ring, making it a real test for the wrist.
==
Now let’s talk about the most important part: image quality. There are no scientific tests here, just visible differences.
The main selling point of this lens is its f1.1 aperture. Naturally, we tested the maximum aperture. Next, we looked at the lens’s ability to control flare and color fringing, which are common issues with large apertures. We used everyday scenes to show how the lens performs at different apertures.
At f1.1, the image appears slightly soft, but when we stop down to f1.4, the image becomes much sharper. At f2.0, the performance is even better.
But as a large-aperture lens, if you don’t shoot at f1.1, what’s the point? Even this “mindless†lens, people would prefer f1.4, showing that its usable aperture is really only f1.4.
F1.1
F1.4
F2.0
F4.0
Out-of-focus performance is also an important attribute of a large-aperture lens. At f1.1, the bokeh is quite large, and the center spot is relatively round. However, the edges look strange—unlike the typical lemon-shaped or perfectly round bokeh from other lenses (like the Nikon 58mm f1.4G or Sony GM). Instead, it looks like half a lemon.
There are also various strange light spots appearing. After using it for a while, I noticed a variety of these effects.
--------------------------------------------------
Here’s the out-of-focus condition at f1.1, f1.4, f2.0, and f4.0
--------------------------------------------------
F1.1
F1.4
F2.0
F4.0
The issue of two-linearity is also a serious problem. Although the focus is very soft, it cannot be changed. The second-linear control is a major issue. Even the official Taobao description of 7Artisans bluntly says, “a very slight two linear� ? ? ? ? Exm????
Since this lens uses 18 aperture blades, the center spot is always a regular circle, which is commendable. In contrast, many domestic lenses seem to stack blades just for show.
In terms of distortion, the control is not great, but you can get a general idea from this image.
Here are some of the shots taken with this lens over the past few days.
Here are some wedding photos taken with the 50mm f1.1 and 85mm f1.8 lenses. Everyone can take a look.
The 7Artisans 50mm f1.1, although f1.4 is available, offers a great option under 2k. If needed, it can still be used at f1.1 for dramatic effect. Personally, I think it's quite cost-effective. However, I do notice that the vignetting is still quite strong, and the color fringing is unusual. But in post-processing, these issues are manageable.Ceramic Parts,Advanced 95 Ceramic Materials,High Strength Ceramics,Durable Ceramic Components
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