7Artisans AF 50mm F/1.8
Main
7Artisans AF 50/1.8 – lens for mirrorless cameras with bayonet mount Leica l. With a metal body, aperture control ring and priced at around $230. Optically very good.
Very important: 7Artisans AF 50/1.8 is also available for full-frame mirrorless cameras with a bayonet mount Sony E (Sony FE)and Nikon Z (Nikon FX). Externally, the lenses differ only in the bayonet mount. Version for Leica l was shown last, a year after the release of the variants Sony E (Sony FE) и Nikon Z.
Automatic focusing is performed by a stepper motor. On the Leica SL camera, automatic focusing works well, the focusing speed is high. The “stickiness” and focusing accuracy with the Leica SL is at a good level.
The aperture consists of as many as eleven blades, which is rare for budget lenses of this type. This is the first autofocus fifty-fifty lens with 11 aperture blades that I have ever used. The aperture opening is always perfectly rounded.
The image quality is high. The very high resolution already at F/1.8 across the entire frame (even in the farthest corners and edges of the image) is surprising. At the same time, there is low distortion and good performance in backlight. Among the most serious shortcomings, we can highlight chromatic aberration (including spherochromatism) at open apertures, as well as a noticeable level of vignetting.
Appearance
Main technical characteristics of 7Artisans AF 50/1.8:
| Review Instance Name | Near the front lens: 7Artisans AF 50mm f/1.8 0.5m/1.64ft Ø62 |
| Basic properties |
|
| Front Filter Diameter | 62 mm, plastic thread for filters |
| Focal length | 50 mm |
| Zoom ratio | 1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom) |
| Designed by | for full-frame mirrorless digital cameras. The review shows the version for Leica L, but there are also options for Sony E (Sony FE)and Nikon Z (Nikon FX). |
| Number of aperture blades | 11 petals |
| Tags |
|
| Diaphragm | from F/1.8 to F/16, there is a ring for aperture control, rotates smoothly, has many intermediate values. There is a mode "A" for aperture control directly from the camera itself. To switch to the "A" mode, you need to apply additional force, which prevents accidental shift between manual and automatic aperture control modes |
| MDF | 0.5 meters |
| The weight | |
| Optical design | 11 elements in 9 groups
|
| Lens hood | Plastic, bayonet, petal, included in the delivery set. Can be installed in the opposite direction (partial access to the focusing ring is lost) |
| Manufacturer country | MADE IN CHINA (Made in China) |
| Period |
|
| Instructions | Included in delivery |
| Price |
Sample Photos
The camera used was a Leica SL (24 MP CMOS sensor). All photos in this review are shown without processing, according to the principles ZEROJPEG.
- Original photos in RAW format (Leica '.DNG') you can watch/download it from this link (30+ files, Google Drive gallery).
- Original photos in JPEG format ('.jpg') you can watch/download it from this link (80+ files, Google Drive gallery).
My experience
7Artisans AF 50/1.8 paired with Leica SL is simply wonderful. Perfect weight balance with the heavy SL. Optically very successful. You can fall in love with the 11 aperture blades. Sharp, pleasant. I would never have thought that for $230 you can grab such a quality solution.
There are currently a lot of autofocus fifty-fifty lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market. It can be very difficult to choose, and not all models are available for a particular bayonet mount. I consider one of the most balanced solutions for 2025 Viltrox AF 50mm 1:2.0 STM ASPH ED IF FULL FRAME. But personally I use MEIKE AF 50/1.8 and most likely I will keep the 7Artisans AF 50/1.8 for myself under the Leica SL, it is very good in pair with this camera.
Video review
Alternatives
Below is a list of all full-frame mirrorless lenses with autofocus support and a focal length of 45-55mm:
- Sigma 45 / 2.8 DG DN C (E, L)
- Sigma 50 / 2 DG DN C (E, L)
- Sigma 50 / 1.4 DG A (E, L)
- Sigma 50/1.2 DG DN A (E, L)
- Sigma 50/1.4 DG DN A (E, L)
- Sony 50 / 1.2 GM (E)
- Sony 50 / 1.4 ZA (E)
- Sony 50 / 1.4 GM (E)
- Sony 50 / 1.8 (E)
- Sony 50 / 2.8 Macro (E)
- Sony 50/2.5G (E)
- Sony 55 / 1.8 ZA (E)
- Canon 50 / 1.8 STM (R)
- Canon 50/1.4L VCM (R)
- Canon 50/1.2L USM (R)
- Nikon 50/1.2 S (Z)
- Nikon 50 / 1.4 (Z)
- Nikon 50/1.8 S (Z)
- Nikon 50/2.8 MC (Z)
- Panasonic 50/1.4 PRO CBL (L)
- Panasonic 50 / 1.8 (L)
- LEICA 50/1.4 SUMMILUX-SL ASPH. (L)
- LEICA 50/2 APO-SUMMICRON-SL ASPH. (L)
- LEICA 50/2 SUMMICRON-SL ASPH. (L)
- Samyang 45 / 1.8 (E)
- Samyang 50 / 1.4 (E)
- Samyang 50 / 1.4 II (E)
- Samyang 45/T1.9 V-AF (E)
- Viltrox 50 / 2 (E, Z)
- Viltrox 50 / 1.8 (E, Z)
- Meike 50 / 1.8 (E, Z, R, L)
- Meike 55 / 1.8 (E, Z, L)
- 7Artisans 50 / 1.8 (E, Z, L)
- Yongnuo 50 / 1.8 (E, Z, R)
- SG-image 55/1.8 (E)
- SongRaw 50/1.2 (E, Z, L)
Results
7Artisans AF 50/1.8 is a very affordable and high-quality fifty-dollar lens. Almost perfect, except for vignetting and chromatic aberrations at F/1.8.
main advantages
- Electronic focusing ring, internal focusing, quiet stepping focusing motor, good focusing speed, AF/MF focusing mode switch
- good build quality, metal body, metal bayonet mount, metal focusing ring, metal thread for filters
- included hood
- USB port for firmware upgrade, easy firmware upgrade method, USB TYPE-C cable included
- eleven aperture blades
- Smooth-running aperture control ring with “A” mode
- modern complex optical design
- slight changes in the viewing angle during focusing (so-called focus breathing)
- very good resolution starting from F/1.8 across the entire frame (even in the far corners) at any focusing distance (at infinity and at MDF)
- good price ratio and quality
main disadvantages
- huge size, heavy weight
- no image stabilizer
- the lens is poorly protected from environmental influences (for example, MEIKE AF 50/1.8 has a rubber bayonet seal)
- the sticker with the list of certificates and markings is easy to peel off
- a small amount of glare when working in backlight
- chromatic aberration on open diaphragms
- significant vignetting at F/1.8
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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.
On my Nikon Z model the AF/MF switch is very light and often switches unintentionally.
It seems tight here, I didn't experience any particular discomfort. How do you like the lens overall?
I really liked the lens, for $150 it's a gift (on ozone). The detailing on the z8 is gorgeous. I've come to terms with the size, and the native 50 1.8 s is about the same size.
The autofocus ring is just very tight.
My copy has a nice ring, maybe a year after the announcement for E/Z they finished the lens for L
There are characteristic irregularities in the bokeh on the sharp edges of the lemon, caused by undercorrected aberrations. I can't say which ones exactly, but the effect is known for many lenses. Overall, there is a feeling that the calculations here were a bit overdone.
Something about the Jpeg from Leica Sl is very sad, I downloaded raw, it’s a completely different matter.