7Artisans 35mm 1:1.4 review (APS-C, Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon EF-M, FujiFilm X, Micro 4/3)

Navigation

1. In short
2. All 7Artisans lenses
3. Main Specifications
4. Assembly
5. Focusing
6. Image quality
7. Sample Photos
8. My experience
9. Alternatives
10. All Sony APS-C E cameras
11. All original lenses for Sony APS-C E
12. Price
13. Results
14. User Comments
15. Add your review or question on the lens

Please note that the 7Artisans 35mm 1:1.4 lens is available with different mounts. This review shows the 7Artisans 35mm 1:1.4 version for mirrorless cameras Sony E with APS-C sensor... At the same time, 7Artisans 35mm 1: 1.4 is also available with bayonets Fujifilm x, Canon EF-M, Nikon Z и Micro 4 / 3. Please note that 7Artisans 35mm 1:1.4 is available in black and silver body colors. The black body version is shown in this review.

In this review, I will abbreviate the 7Artisans 35mm 1: 1.4 lens 7Artisans 35 / 1.4.

In short

7Artisans 35 / 1.4 is a modern fast lens for cropped mirrorless cameras with manual focus. One of the most inexpensive such fixes for cameras with an APS-C sensor and a maximum aperture of F / 1.4.

35 mm is a convenient focal length that allows you to use the 7Artisans 35/1.4 as a standard (regular) lens for a huge number of different photo tasks.

7Artisans 35/1.4 is interesting for its low price, high-quality assembly and maximum aperture ratio of 1:1.4. It has minor optical flaws, but in general it should fully satisfy all the needs of amateur photographers.

This lens is sometimes referred to by the prefix 'Mark II', perhaps the prefix is ​​​​used in order not to confuse 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 with older full-frame lenses 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 (46 mm, 2019) and 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 (49 mm, 2020). All three lenses use different optical designs.

Most likely 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 was created to compete with very successful models TTArtisan 35 / 1.4 и Meike 35 / 1.4. Before the release of 7Artisans 35 / 1.4, 7Artisans only had more expensive cropped 35s: 35/1.2, 35 / 1.2 II и 35/0.95.

All 7Artisans lenses:

For mirrorless cameras with APS-C or Micro 4/3 sensor:

1. 7Artisans 4.5 mm F/2.8 (announcement) [EF-M, E, X, M4 / 3]
2. 7Artisans 7.5 mm F/2.8 Fish-Eye (overview) [EF-M, E, X, M4 / 3, versions 2017 и 2019]
3. 7Artisans 7.5 mm F / 2.8 Fish-Eye II (announcement) [EF-M, E, X, Z, M4 / 3]
4. 7Artisans 12 mm F / 2.8 (overview) [EF-M, E, X, M4 / 3]
5. 7Artisans 12 mm F / 2.8 II (announcement) [EF-M, RF, E, X, Z, M4/3]
6. 7Artisans 18 mm F/6.3 (announcement) [EF-M, E, X, M4 / 3]
7. 7Artisans 18 mm F/6.3 NEW (announcement) [E, X, Z]
8. 7Artisans 24 mm 1:1.4 (announcement) [EF-M, RF, E, X, Z, M4/3]
9. 7Artisans 25 mm F/1.8 (overview) [EF-M, E, X, M4 / 3, black / silver]
10. 7Artisans 25 mm F/0.95 (overview) [EF-M, Z, E, X, M4 / 3, RF, L]
11. 7Artisans 35 mm F/0.95 (overview) [EF-M, Z, E, X, RF, M4 / 3]
12. 7Artisans 35 mm F/1.2 (overview) [EF-M, E, X, M4 / 3, black / silver]
13. 7Artisans 35 mm F/1.2 II (overview) [Z, EF-M, E, X, M4 / 3, other optical design]
14. 7Artisans 35 mm F/1.4 (overview) [Z, EF-M, E, X, RF, M4/3, black/silver]
15. 7Artisans 50 mm F/1.8 (overview) [EF-M, E, X, M4 / 3, versions with 10 and 12 petals]
16. 7Artisans 50 mm F/0.95 (overview) [EF-M, Z, E, X, RF, M4 / 3]
17. 7Artisans 55 mm F/1.4 (overview) [EF-M, E, X, M4 / 3, Leica L, black / silver]
18. 7Artisans 55 mm F / 1.4 II (announcement) [EF-M, E, X, Z, M4 / 3]
19. 7Artisans 60 mm F/2.8 Macro (overview) [EF-M, RF, Z, E, X, RF, M4 / 3]
20. 7Artisans 60 mm F / 2.8 Macro II (announcement) [EF-M, Z, E, X, RF, L, M4/3]

For mirrorless full frame cameras (Full Frame):

1. 7Artisans 10 mm F / 2.8 Fisheye ED [RF, Z, E, L]
2. 7Artisans 15 mm F/4 ASPH [RF, Z, E, L]
3. 7Artisans 28 mm F/1.4 [Leica M only]
4. 7Artisans 28 mm F / 5.6 wen [Leica M only]
5. 7Artisans 35 mm F/1.4 [EF-M, Z, E, X, M4/3]
6. 7Artisans 35 mm F / 1.4 wen [Leica M only, different optical design]
7. 7Artisans 35 mm F/2 (overview) [E, X, black / silver]
8. 7Artisans 35 mm F/2 (overview) [Leica M only, different body design]
9. 7Artisans 35 mm F/2 MARK II (announcement) [Leica M only, different body design]
10. 7Artisans 35 mm F/5.6wen (overview) [Leica M + E, Z, L, RF, black, black & gold, silver & black, silver & gold]
11. 7Artisans 50 mm F/1.05 APO (overview) [RF, Z, E, L]
12. 7Artisans 50 mm F/1.1 (overview) [Leica M only, black / silver + 'Limited Gold'+'RED DRAGON SPECIAL EDITION']
13. 7Artisans 75 mm F/1.25 [Leica M only]

For SLR cameras with APS-C sensor:

1. 7Artisans 7.5mm 1:3.5 FISH-EYE (announcement) [only for EF/EFS]

Cinema lenses [E, L, Z, RF, X, M4/3]:

1. APS-C: 12mm T2.9, 25mm T1.05, 35mm T1.05, 50mm T1.05
2. Full frame: 35mm T2, 50mm T2, 85mm T2

Drone Lenses:

• APS-C: 7Artisans 25 mm F / 5.6 (ali) [E, for drones]
• Full frame: 7Artisans 35 mm F / 5.6 (ali) [FE/E, for drones]

These lenses are easiest to find on Aliexpress at Authorized Dealer 7Artisans.

Main technical characteristics of 7Artisans 35/1.4 APS-C MARK II

Review Instance Name	Near front lens: 7Artisans 35mm 1:1.4 Ø49 On body: 35mm On the lid: 7Artisans Mount side: E-mount
Basic properties	The lens uses a Sony E mount and is suitable for Sony mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor Manual focus only Manual iris control Metal mount, metal case, metal front cover Multi-Enlightened Optics
Front Filter Diameter	49 mm
Focal length	35 mm EGF for cameras Sony E, Nikon Z, Fujifilm with APS-C sensor is 52.5 mm EGF for cameras Canon EOS M is 56 mm EGF for system cameras Micro 4/3 is 70 mm
Zoom ratio	1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom)
Designed by	A variant from the review for Sony cropped mirrorless cameras. This lens exists with mounts: Sony E Fujifilm x Canon EOS-M Nikon Z Micro 4 / 3
Number of aperture blades	9 rounded petals
Tags	bayonet mount mark (red dot on the chrome part of the mount) focusing distance scale, only in meters: 0.35, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 2 meters and infinity mark depth of field scale for f / 1.4, 2, 4, 16 aperture scale on the aperture ring with a white dot for reference
Diaphragm	from F / 1.4 to F / 16, controlled using the aperture control ring. There are marks for F / 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 8, 11 (not explicitly), 16. The ring rotates smoothly
MDF	0.35 meters, maximum magnification ratio of approximately 1: 8.3 (measured)
The weight	226 grams (lens without caps, Sony E version, measured)
Optical design	8 elements in 5 groups The optical design is clickable for magnification.
Lens hood	Must be screwed into the front filter thread; marking unknown
Manufacturer country	Made in China (there is no data on the country of manufacture on the lens itself)
Period	Since summer 2021
Price	View on Aliexpress at an authorized 7Artisans dealer

F / 1.4 is 2/3 stops brighter than the more common F / 1.8 on many other similar lenses, such as the original lens Sony 35mm F / 1.8 OSS... Moreover, the original Sony 35mm F / 1.8 OSS It has price tag around $ 500.

It's important: F/1.4 aperture here is 'true', with light transmission around T/1.6. I compared 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 with a lens Sigma 30mm 1: 1.4 DC DN C (Contemporary). At f / 1.4, the lenses give almost the same exposure (ceteris paribus). Lately I've been careful about the maximum relative aperture, there have already been many cases of cheating with the indication of the real maximum aperture by some Chinese manufacturers: 7Artisans 35 / 0.95, 7Artisans 50 / 1.05, Pergear 35 / 1.6.

Assembly

The lens came to the review completely new, in a sealed box. The box contains the lens itself with front and rear caps and a small instruction manual. There is a soft foam holder in the middle of the box. The design of the box is stylish and beautiful. Initially, the box is girded with an additional beautiful cardboard wrapper, which serves as a seal.

In general, the lens well assembled. 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 has metal mount for bayonet, and the lens case itself is completely made of metal, anodized aluminum is used.

Important: lens mount also painted black (dark brown), which makes the design of 7Artisans 35/1.4 complete and pleasant enough. Typically, these lenses have a metal mount without color.

All marks and labels on lenses engraved.

The front lens cap is metal, without latches, just fits snugly against the body frame. There is a special fabric seal on the inside of the lid. The cover is fixed tightly. Removing and installing the cover is pleasant.

The weight of the lens is just over 200 grams. In the hands of the lens feels like a solid thing.

The filter diameter is 49 mm. By itself, the 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 is quite compact, well suited for small Sony cameras with an APS-C sensor.

The diaphragm consists of 9 blades and forms a round hole at any value, while in the photographs in the blur zone, rather round disks of blur are obtained at any aperture value. The diaphragm can only be controlled manually using a special ring. Aperture ring rotates smoothly no clicks and fixed values, you can set any intermediate value in the range of F / 1.4-F / 16, which is very useful during movie shooting.

It's important: unlike other lenses, where the aperture ring rotates with clicks, and the transition between any pairs of aperture numbers has the same step, the step between some pairs of 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 numbers is different. It shrinks rapidly from F/4 to F/16. This makes it difficult to conveniently and quickly set intermediate values ​​​​between F / 4-F / 16. And for the F / 5.6 mark, there was no place on the scale at all, and only a dot is used for the F / 11 mark.

It's important: aperture control ring is located from the front of the lens, behind the focus ring. This arrangement of the aperture ring is quite convenient. On other lenses, such as 7Artisans 35 / 1.2, the aperture control ring is close to the mount and it is not always convenient to rotate.

Focusing

The focus ring is metal, ribbed, comfortable. The ring spins on 90 degrees (1/4 of a full turn). Focusing is smooth and enjoyable.

During focusing, the trunk of the lens runs forward but does not spin. During focusing, the entire lens block moves.

On the ring there is a scale with a focusing distance, but only in meters. There is a depth of field scale, the depth of field scale is abnormally wide and most likely more decorative than informative. The minimum focusing distance is 35 centimeters, and the maximum magnification ratio is approximately 1: 8.3.

7Artisans 35 / 1.4 has a small 'Focus Breathing' effect (changes in viewing angle during focusing). During focusing towards the MDF, the viewing angle decreases.

Focus Shift (change in focusing distance due to aperture) is missing.

Hard stop (hard infinity mechanical stop) for fast and accurate focusing under any operating temperature conditions, the lens does not have.

Focus peaking with 7Artisans 35/1.4 and Sony a3500 and a Sony NEX-6 works well at F / 1.4.

Image quality

On covered apertures, the 7Artisans 35/1.4 easily handles a 20 megapixel APS-C sensor Sony a3500 and 16 MP Sony NEX-6. In the center of the frame, 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 is already sharp at F / 1.4.

Sharpness

1. F/1.4 lens has good resolution
2. with aperture down to f/2.8 resolution becomes excellent
3. there is a slight drop in sharpness towards the edges and corners of the frame, but even in the far corners of the frame at F / 1.4 the lens holds up much better than many similar lenses
4. good contrast
5. palpable coma

Distortion

1. there is a small barrel-shaped distortion
2. distortion is unified, easy to edit in the editor

Vignetting

1. a strong vignetting on f / 1.4
2. vignetting decreases with focus towards MDF. Most noticeable when focusing on infinity
3. vignetting almost completely disappears at F / 4.0
4. vignetting easily fixable in the editor

Aberration

1. there is a noticeable amount of chromatic aberration
2. there is a noticeable frigging (the color of contrasting elements in the out-of-focus area is purple or green)

Rest

1. on covered apertures it is difficult to achieve a beautiful effect of a 18-ray star
2. from bright light sources you can get a small amount of glare, while they can be of enormous size
3. the lens can produce pleasing bokeh
4. lemons (cat's eyes) in bokeh

Important: at the time of the creation of this review, there was no 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 profile for popular RAW converters. You can create a profile yourself or wait for its release.

Sample Photos

Sample photos on Sony NEX-6 (16MP Sony Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor), specially for this review, prepared Natalia (Instagram)... All photos are JPEG from the camera.

Original JPEG images can be view / download from this link (60 files). Original RAW (.'ARW') images can be download / watch this link (59 files).

My experience

7Artisans 35 / 1.4 on apertures F / 1.4-F / 2.8 is many times better than this 7Artisans 35mm F / 1.2.

7Artisans 35 / 1.4 - a manual alternative to the native Sony E 35 / 1.8 OSS, as well as an alternative for many autofocus counterparts, such as Sigma C 30 / 1.4 [overview], Viltrox 33 / 1.4 и Tokina 33 / 1.4. First of all, 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 is used for everyday, creative and artistic photo tasks, including can be used with a stretch for portrait shooting. The creative potential of 7Artisans 35/1.4 is very high.

Focusing on focus peaking at 1.4 is easy and much easier, for example, than with a lens 7Artisans 55 / 1.4.

I can safely recommend it to anyone looking to get an inexpensive, fast, versatile lens for their mirrorless crop camera.

TTArtisan 35 / 1.4, Meike 35 / 1.4 or 7Artisans 35/1.4? All three are very interesting. For me personally, 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 turned out to be the most pleasant.

Alternatives

7Artisans 35 / 1.4 is a super-budget replacement for autofocus cropped lenses for mirrorless cameras:

1. Sony 35 / 1.8 OSS (for Sony E mount)
2. Canon 32 / 1.4 STM (for Canon EF-M mount)
3. Zeiss 32 / 1.8 Toit (Planar) (for Sony E and Fujifilm X mounts)
4. Sigma 30 / 1.4 DC DN (for Sony E, Canon EF-M and Micro 4/3 mount)
5. felttrox 33 / 1.4 STM (for Sony E, Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z mounts)
6. fujinon 35 / 1.4 XF R (for Fujifilm X mount)
7. fujinon 35/2 XF R WR (for Fujifilm X mount)
8. fujinon 35/2XC (for Fujifilm X mount)
9. tokina 33 / 1.4 atx-m (for Fujifilm X, Sony E mounts)
10. Panasonic и Olympus do not make fast 35-current under Micro 4/3
11. Do you know any other similar high-aperture autofocus lenses for cropped mirrorless cameras? Please indicate them in the comments, I will add to the list

Similar manual focus lenses and similar aperture for mirrorless crop cameras with APS-C sensor, there are already quite a few. Alternatively, I would point out the following options:

1. TTArtisan 35 / 1.4
2. Meike 35 / 1.4 и Meike 35 / 1.7
3. Pergear 35 / 1.6
4. 7Artisans 35 / 1.2 и 7Artisans II 35 / 1.2
5. 7Artisans 35 / 0.95
6. Zhongyi SpeedMaster 35 / 0.95
7. Samyang 35 / 1.2
8. Neewer 35 / 1.2, Neewer 32 / 1.6 и Neewer 35 / 1.7
9. Brightin Star 35 / 1.2 и Brightin Star 35 / 1.7
10. Laowa 33 / 0.95

All Sony E-mount cameras with APS-C sensor

• NEX-3, NEX-C3, NEX-F3, NEX-3Women
• NEX-5, NEX-5N, NEX-5R, NEX-5T [fifth series on AliExpress.com]
• NEX-6, NEX-7
• a3000, a3500
• a5000, a5100
• a6000, a6100, a6300, a6400, a6500, a6600, a6700 [6000 series on Ali]
• ZV-E10
• FX30
• QX1
• Hasselblad lunar

All Sony E lenses for APS-C

Fix Lenses:

1. Sony 11 mm f / 1.8 [2022, black, AliExpress price]
2. Sony 15 mm f / 1.4 G [2022, black, AliExpress price]
3. Sony 16 mm f / 2.8 [2010, silver, AliExpress price]
4. Sony 20 mm f / 2.8 [2013, silver, AliExpress price]
5. Sony 24 mm f / 1.8 ZEISS ZA [2011, black]
6. Sony 30 mm f / 3.5 MACRO [2011, silver, AliExpress price]
7. Sony 35 mm f / 1.8 U.S.S [2012, black, AliExpress price]
   
8. Sony 50 mm f / 1.8 U.S.S [2011, black/silver, AliExpress price]

Zoom Lenses:

1. Sony 10-18 mm f / 4 U.S.S [2012, black, AliExpress price]
   
2. Sony 10-20 mm f / 4 G PZ [2022, black, AliExpress price]
3. Sony 16-50 mm f / 3.5-5.6 PZ U.S.S [2012, black/silver, AliExpress price]
4. Sony 16-55 mm f / 2.8 G [2019, black, AliExpress price]
5. Sony 16-70 mm f / 4 U.S.S ZEISS ZA [2013, black, AliExpress price]
   
6. Sony 18-50 mm f / 4-5.6 [2014, black]
7. Sony 18-55 mm f / 3.5-5.6 U.S.S [2010, black/silver]
8. Sony 18-105 mm f / 4 G PZ U.S.S [2013, black, AliExpress price]
   
9. Sony 18-110 mm f / 4 G PZ U.S.S [2016, black]
   
10. Sony 18-135 mm f / 3.5-5.6 U.S.S [2018, black, AliExpress price]
    
11. Sony 18-200 mm f / 3.5-6.3 U.S.S [2010, silver, AliExpress price]
12. Sony 18-200 mm f / 3.5-6.3 U.S.S LE [2012, black, AliExpress price]
    
13. Sony 18-200 mm f / 3.5-6.3 PZ U.S.S [2012, black]
    
14. Sony 55-210 mm f / 4.5-6.3 U.S.S [2011, black/silver, AliExpress price]
15. Sony 70-350 mm f/4.5–6.3 G U.S.S [2019, black, AliExpress price]

Third-party autofocus lenses for Sony E APS-C:

• Zeiss Touit Distagon 12/2.8 | Zeiss Touit Planar 32/1.8 | Zeiss Touit Makro Planar 50/2.8M
• Hasselblad E 3.5-5.6/18-55 OSS LF | Hasselblad E 3.5-6.3/18-200 OSS LF | Hasselblad E 2.8 / 16 LF
• Sigma C 16 / 1.4 | Sigma A 19 / 2.8 | Sigma EX 19/2.8 | Sigma C 30 / 1.4 | Sigma EX 30/2.8 | Sigma A 30 / 2.8 | Sigma C 56 / 1.4 | Sigma A 60 / 2.8 | Sigma C 18-50 / 2.8
• Tamron 11-20 / 2.8 | Tamron 17-70 / 2.8 VC | Tamron 18-200 / 3.5-6.3 VC | Tamron 18-300 / 3.5-6.3 VC
• Viltrox 13 / 1.4 | Viltrox 23 / 1.4 | Viltrox 33 / 1.4 | Viltrox 56 / 1.4 | felttrox 75/1.2
• Tokina 23 / 1.4 | Tokina 33 / 1.4 | Tokina 56 / 1.4 | Tokina 11-18 / 2.8
• Samyang 12 / 2
• Yongnuo 16 / 1.8, Yongnuo 50 / 1.8
• TTArtisan 27 / 2.8

Many interesting manual solutions are provided by Chinese manufacturers and brands. 7Artisans, TTartisan, Meike, Neewer, PerGear, Kamlan, Brightin star, Mitakon Zhongyi, Venus laowa other. Autofocus Speed ​​Boosters are also interesting Viltrox Canon EF -> Sony E 0.71X и Metabones Canon EF -> Sony E 0.71X... List of full-frame cameras and lenses Sony FE (Full Frame E) here

Price

7Artisans 35 / 1.4 costs around $ 70. The easiest way buy 7Artisans 35 / 1.4 at Aliexpress.comFor example, at the official dealer of 7Aartisans here at this link.

Results

7Artisans 35/1.4 has a good price/quality ratio. For amateur photographers, it should be an excellent solution as a manual standard lens for every day.

10 main advantages

1. low price tag (only about 70 dollars)
2. maximum aperture F / 1.4 (very high aperture, no original lenses Sony E APS-C with f / 1.4)
3. convenient focal length for working on cameras with an APS-C sensor (EGF about 50 mm)
4. good build quality: the lens barrel is completely made of metal, including a metal bayonet mount and a metal front cover
5. smooth focusing ring
6. compact dimensions, filter diameter only 49 mm
7. nine aperture blades
8. smooth aperture adjustment
9. there is a depth of field scale, a focus distance scale
10. good sharpness in the center of the frame starting from F / 1.4

10 main disadvantages

1. small step at the aperture ring between apertures F / 4-F / 16. The aperture ring is easy to accidentally catch and knock down the set value
2. the focus ring rotates only 90 degrees, the ring pitch is poorly stretched in the range from 2 meters to infinity
3. no CPU pins to form the correct EXIF
4. there is no F / 5.6 value on the aperture control ring. The distance scale is marked only in meters.
5. A threaded (non-bayonet) hood must be used, no hood included
6. there is no lens profile for popular RAW converters, the lens is not 'hardwired' into modern cameras
7. front cover without latches, easy to lose
8. tangible chromatic aberration
9. backlight glare
10. drop in sharpness at f / 1.4 at the edges and corners of the image

UPDATED: came out Meike 35/1.4 review.

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram