Just got my X-mount 7artisans 25mm f/1.8 lens, new, for $70

2 weeks ago, I encountered pictures of the 7artisans 25mm 1.8 lens on another forum.

The pics, the combination of FL, aperture and price (in the 60-90$ range on ebay) made me curious, and no adapter required: the lens is also available in Fuji X-mount. Today, I got it in the mail. The lens comes in a nice box, build quality feels good (but not Leica-level of course), and interesting detail, the minimum focus distance is only 18cm! And it weighs only about 140 grams, so easy to slip into the lens bag!

I hope weather will allow me to take some pictures outside soon. Quick 1st impression is good though. Probably a nice and extremely affordable alternative for the 23 1.4 and 2.0 and the 27 2.8.

Quick size-comparison with the Fujinon 23 1.4:

A quick review here


Looking forward to yours as well

I don't do manual lenses but at $70.00 Hmmmm...

This is the link that initially caught my attention to this lens:

http://forum.mflenses.com/7artisans-25-1-8-and-sony-nex-6-and-fuji-x-m1-t77859.html

The other reason I bought it, is because I will get a sub-1.4 lens this winter, and the 7artisans 50mm 1.1 is one of the contenders (between the Mitakon 35 0.95, Kamlan 50 1.1, and some vintage stuff) This 25mm gives me a hands-on preview of what 7artisans is capable of in terms of manufacturing.

I played around a little now. Handling is good, althoug a focusing tab would have been awesome; but modern manufacturers do not seem to bother with that anymore, so I will not hold this against 7artisans, and certainly not at this price.. The clickless aperture has its fans and opponents, not sure where I stand in that respect. Size and weight are perfect, similar to my Summicron-C 40mm.

The lens is usefull from wide open, but as indicated in the link you provided, it will get softer towards the edges (in my book not a problem, as wide open typically means subject isolation) Color rendering seems also to work well with the Fuji, and contrast is good enough wide open.

I can't think of any other lens in the 20-30mm range, whether new or vintage, that has this package for just $70.

Due to my laziness right now for setting up my tripod, I cannot show anything at smaller apertures. But the lens is usable indoors for evening shots.

2 boring handheld snaps, SOOC, Astia filmsim, f/1.8, possibly some motion blur:


My victim for test-shooting protesting "o no, not another lens AGAIN!"


...and now looking the other way, ignoring me

...and 1 test-shot near minimum focusing distance, camera resting on a book, f/8, Astia SOOC JPG. Focussed on the "G"




Gotta love Scottish ales

Can you tell me where you got that price?

On ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/7artisans-...jifilm-FX-mount-X-Pro2-E1-T10-T2/182880729571

Thanks!

Sjak said:

2 weeks ago, I encountered pictures of the 7artisans 25mm 1.8 lens on another forum.

The pics, the combination of FL, aperture and price (in the 60-90$ range on ebay) made me curious, and no adapter required: the lens is also available in Fuji X-mount. Today, I got it in the mail. The lens comes in a nice box, build quality feels good (but not Leica-level of course), and interesting detail, the minimum focus distance is only 18cm! And it weighs only about 140 grams, so easy to slip into the lens bag!

I hope weather will allow me to take some pictures outside soon. Quick 1st impression is good though. Probably a nice and extremely affordable alternative for the 23 1.4 and 2.0 and the 27 2.8.

Quick size-comparison with the Fujinon 23 1.4:

Click to expand...

I also bought a similar copy(> 1 year ago) of similar construction from another supplier, my copy costs a little more, close to US$120. I believe the internal lens construction would be similar and the lens' performance similar too

I found my copy to be quite good (ie very sharp esp in the centre and outer region) even wide open at f1.8, the main drawback is the image not that sharp(blurry) at the edges. At the price you are buying it is a pretty good deal, besides the lens is very compact and light to carry around esp. for street photos. Enjoy your copy.

I bought a copy of this lens, but it is still in transit. I'm going to pair it and the Meike 50mm f/2 for my daughter. I have seen some really nice rendered images from the 25 f/1.8, so looking forward to see how it performs.

Sjak said:

This is the link that initially caught my attention to this lens:

http://forum.mflenses.com/7artisans-25-1-8-and-sony-nex-6-and-fuji-x-m1-t77859.html

The other reason I bought it, is because I will get a sub-1.4 lens this winter, and the 7artisans 50mm 1.1 is one of the contenders (between the Mitakon 35 0.95, Kamlan 50 1.1, and some vintage stuff) This 25mm gives me a hands-on preview of what 7artisans is capable of in terms of manufacturing.

I played around a little now. Handling is good, althoug a focusing tab would have been awesome; but modern manufacturers do not seem to bother with that anymore, so I will not hold this against 7artisans, and certainly not at this price..

Click to expand...

Have you seen 'Lens Tab'? They make awesome stuff I have purchased the 'Hefty' for the 14, 16 and 23mm maybe the 'Small' would work. In the U.K. Amazon want £120 for the lens

Here is a link for the tabs

https://www.lenstab.com/product/taab-mini/

Sjak said:

The clickless aperture has its fans and opponents, not sure where I stand in that respect. Size and weight are perfect, similar to my Summicron-C 40mm.

The lens is usefull from wide open, but as indicated in the link you provided, it will get softer towards the edges (in my book not a problem, as wide open typically means subject isolation) Color rendering seems also to work well with the Fuji, and contrast is good enough wide open.

I can't think of any other lens in the 20-30mm range, whether new or vintage, that has this package for just $70.

Due to my laziness right now for setting up my tripod, I cannot show anything at smaller apertures. But the lens is usable indoors for evening shots.

2 boring handheld snaps, SOOC, Astia filmsim, f/1.8, possibly some motion blur:


My victim for test-shooting protesting "o no, not another lens AGAIN!"


...and now looking the other way, ignoring me

Click to expand...

Optimus Prime Lens said:

Have you seen 'Lens Tab'? They make awesome stuff I have purchased the 'Hefty' for the 14, 16 and 23mm maybe the 'Small' would work. In the U.K. Amazon want £120 for the lens

Here is a link for the tabs

https://www.lenstab.com/product/taab-mini/

Click to expand...

Thanks for reminding me of those! I will take the lens on my next trip. I will get an idea how often it will get used in a setup that includes my regular walkaround-combo of the Fuji 18mm and the Leica 40mm 2.0. If it manages to get regular use despite this competition, I will look into a tab. Otherwise, I cant really justify investing in a lens this cheap

And wow, GBP 120 :-O that's twice the price and then some....

Recently, I took the 7artisans 25 on a short vacation. It's proved a very versatile lens. At f/1.8 it remains useful for night time street shots. The very short minimum focus distance is convenient e.g. for dinner-shots.

On 2 days of the trip, my kit was the 7artisans 25, a Summicron-R 90 and a Samyang 12mm. This was a very solid kit covering everything I may want to shoot in a wide range of situations.