Review of 7Artisans AF 85mm f/1.8 (Leica L, Sony E, Nikon Z)

Navigation

1. In short
2. Main Specifications
3. Assembly
4. Focusing
5. Firmware Upgrade
6. Image quality
7. Sample Photos
8. My experience
9. Similar lenses
10. Price
11. Video review
12. Results
13. User Comments
14. Add your review or question on the lens

In this review I will refer to the 7Artisans AF 85mm f/1.8 lens as the 7Artisans 85/1.8 for short.

It's important: This review shows the 7Artisans 85/1.8 version for mirrorless cameras with a bayonet mount Leica l (Alliance of Producers Leica l, Panasonic L и Sigma L) and with firmware version V1.10. At the same time, there are modifications of this lens for mirrorless cameras of the systems Nikon Z и Sony E / FE.

In short

7Artisans 85/1.8 – the second autofocus lens from 7Artisans for full-frame mirrorless cameras with a bayonet mount Leica l (Alliance of Producers Leica l, Panasonic L и Sigma L). The first one was very good 7Artisans AF 50mm F/1.8.

7Artisans 85/1.8 – a short telephoto lens, usually this focal length is called 'classic portrait'. Internal automatic focusing, quiet and fast enough stepping motor of focusing. Excellent build quality. Eleven aperture blades with a control ring. Programmable FN button. Optically good, very sharp in the center of the frame already at F/1.8 (without any reservations). Of the obvious disadvantages – mediocre focusing tenacity when used on a Leica SL camera.

7Artisans 85 / 1.8 costs about 300 dollars and can serve as a replacement for Panasonic LUMIX S 1: 1.8 / 85mm (price around 500-600 dollars). And in general, 7Artisans 85/1.8 is one of the best inexpensive portrait solutions under Leica l.

Alternatives

Below is a list of all such autofocus lenses for full-frame cameras with a bayonet mount. Leica l (alliance Leica l, Panasonic L, Sigma L), aperture F<=2 and focal length 75-95 mm.

• LEICA 75 / 2
• LEICA 90 / 2
• Panasonic 85 / 1.8
• Sigma 85/1.4 A
• Sigma 85/1.4 A DN
• Meike 85 / 1.8
• Meike 85/1.8 PRO
• Meike 85/1.4
• 7Artisans 85 / 1.8
• TTArtisan 75 / 2

Main technical characteristics of 7Artisans 85/1.8:

Review Instance Name	On body: 7Artisans 85mm F1.8 Near the front lens: 7Artisans AF 85mm f/1.8 0.8m/2.62ft Ø62mm
Basic properties	Focus stepping motor Internal focus Electronic focus ring ED, HRI elements in the optical circuit USB-port for firmware update Rounded petals aperture Fn - programmable button AF/MF focus mode switch Aperture control ring Included hood Important: lens from a third-party manufacturer, which imposes some restrictions on its practical use
Front Filter Diameter	62 mm, metal thread for filters
Focal length	85 mm
Zoom ratio	1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom)
Designed by	for mirrorless cameras with bayonet mount Leica l, there are also versions for mirrorless cameras with Nikon Z and Sony E/FE mounts
Number of aperture blades	11 rounded petals
Tags	bayonet mount mark hood attachment mark aperture value marks
Diaphragm	F / 1.8 to F / 16 There is a ring for aperture control, it 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 shifting between manual and automatic aperture control modes. There is a click when switching to the “A” position. There are marks for F/1.8, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 and two additional intermediate values ​​between each pair of numbers. Intermediate values ​​between F/1.8 and F/2 set the value of F/1.8 and F/2
MDF	0.8 meters
The weight	445 grams (lens, two protective caps, lens hood, version for Leica l) 485 grams (lens only, version for Leica l)
Optical design	10 elements in 7 groups. The scheme includes: 2 ED low dispersion elements 2 ultra-high refractive index elements
Lens hood	Bayonet type, included in delivery
Manufacturer country	Not indicated, but it is known that the lens is made in China
Period	From July 24, 2024 (version for Sony E/FE, Nikon Z) From May 9, 2025 (version for Leica l) All 7Artisans lenses
Prices	View on AliExpress

There are currently about ten different autofocus, high-aperture lenses on the market with a focal length of around 85 mm for a bayonet mount. Leica l, which are aimed at portrait photography.

Assembly

The lens arrived for review completely new, in the factory box. In the box, the lens is secured with a strong foam clamp. The protective caps are made of thick plastic. The front cap is inconvenient, it can be easily lost.

7Artisans 85/1.8 has metal mount. All marks and inscriptions on the lens engraved and filled with paint.

The focusing ring is wide and metallic. The lens feels very solid in the hands. There is a light-cutting hood on the rear lens side, preventing unnecessary flare and light scattering.

The weight of 7Artisans 85/1.8 is 450 grams.

The diaphragm consists of as many as 11 blades. It always produces a well-rounded opening.

The body has a bayonet mount mark and a quick-mount hood mark. The lens uses a plastic hood that must be fixed in special grooves located near the front lens element. The hood can be installed in the transport mode upside down, but in this position, access to the focusing ring is partially lost.

The lens has a connector USB TYPE C for connection to a computer (see the corresponding section below in the text).

The lens barrel has programmable Fn button. On some cameras, this button can be reprogrammed for different tasks. On some cameras, it may not work at all.

Focusing

For focusing, the 7Artisans 85/1.8 uses stepper focus motor. Autofocus should work with all cameras with a bayonet mount Leica l.

The focusing speed is high, quite comfortable for work. On the Leica SL camera, the focusing tenacity is mediocre.

It's important: in difficult shooting conditions, as well as when shooting dynamic scenes, the focusing quality with the 7Artisans 85/1.8 may be noticeably worse than with original similar lenses. Even in simple shooting conditions, the autofocus tenacity with the 7Artisans 85/1.8 will greatly depend on the camera used. Perhaps over time, new firmware for the lens will correct this situation.

Auto focus silent.

Lens uses electronic focus ring. The focusing ring is metal and wide. When reaching the extreme positions, the ring does not rest, but continues to rotate. The focusing ring is tight, does not respond well to rotation, focusing manually is quite inconvenient. There is a slight delay (lag) when changing the direction of rotation.

On the case there is a focus mode switch MF / AF.

During auto focus focus ring remains stationary, and it can be rotated freely without any effect on focusing (if the desired mode is enabled in the camera menu). During manual focusing, a focusing distance scale appears on the display of some cameras.

The lens has internal focusing, the front and rear lenses remain stationary during focusing. It is possible to use various filters without any problems.

The closest focusing distance is 80 cm, while the maximum magnification for close-up photography is 1: 7.7, which is the usual value for such a lens.

7Artisans 85/1.8 has strong 'Focus Breathing' effect (changing the angle of view during focusing). When focusing towards the MDF, the angle of view decreases. When quickly refocusing from infinity to MDF and back, for example, during video recording, on the display or in EVI there is a characteristic beating / breathing of the picture.

Focus shift (shift-focus) was not noticed during operation and testing.

Firmware Upgrade

On the bayonet side, the 7Artisans 85/1.8 has a USB port that can be used to update the software (firmware/microprogram) of the lens.

The connection is made using a common USB TYPE C port (many mobile phones use this one).

The firmware update will most likely improve the compatibility of the lens with new cameras, improve the autofocus performance, and eliminate some other disadvantages.

Important: To update the lens firmware (software):

1. Turn off the camera, detach the lens
2. Connect the lens to your computer using a USB cable. The lens should be detected as a '7Artisans' drive
3. Find the file 'README.txt' on this drive and check the current firmware version (it is possible that the firmware version does not require updating)
4. You should download the firmware file from the official website and copy it to the '7Artisans' drive (file with the extension '.dat', which should be downloaded from the official 7Artisans website). Wait until the copying is complete
5. Once the copying is complete, the '7Artisans' drive will automatically turn off and reconnect after about 5 seconds, after which you can check the current firmware version.
6. Disconnect cable
7. Attach the lens to the camera
8. Turn on the camera

Image quality

Optically, the 7Artisans AF 85mm f/1.8 is a quality lens.

Resolution

• good resolution at an open aperture in the center of the frame, not bad at the periphery of the image. There are no noticeable drops in sharpness at F/1.8 even in the far corners of the frame (although a drop was observed in the version for the Sony E bayonet mount)
• good resolution in the corners of the frame at closed apertures in the region of F/2.8-F/8
• most likely, the lens was designed so that it creates the best sharpness at medium and long focusing distances. At especially close focusing distances (in the MDF area), sharpness deteriorates

Distortion

• distortion moderate, pincushion
• the nature of distortion is unified, easily corrected in the editor
• it is difficult to notice distortion in the pictures

Vignetting

• vignetting is most pronounced on F / 1.8 and focusing on infinity
• vignetting decreases with focus towards MDF
• vignetting almost disappears at values ​​after f / 4

Aberration

• the lens creates a small amount of chromatic aberrations, both longitudinal and transverse
• fringing (coloring of contrasting out-of-focus areas in green and purple) completely disappears at F/2.8

Rest

• the star ray effect is not very pronounced
• the lens works well in backlight, only in the most difficult conditions can you get glare that spoil the picture
• the blurry disks closer to the edges turn into “lemons”

Sample photos on Full Frame (Sony a7 III, JPEG + RAW)

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

I put together a mini-kit for my Leica SL from the Chinese 7Artisans AF 85mm f/1.8 and 7Artisans AF 50mm F/1.8. Overall, I liked the 85mm more (it is physically larger than the 7). I can't say anything bad about these lenses. They work well. Sometimes the 85Artisans AF 1.8mm f/XNUMX may have some focus wandering during continuous high-speed feed.

The lenses are phenomenally sharp at f/1.8 in the center of the frame. Christopher Frost noted a significant drop in resolving power at the far edges of the image with the Sony E version of the lens, but my Leica L copy of the 7Artisans AF 85mm f/1.8 is surprisingly good even at the far edges of the image at f/7.

All autofocus 85s

Choosing a good 85mm portrait lens is very important for a large number of photographers. I pay a lot of attention to this issue, therefore I have prepared this list of all such autofocus lenses for full frame cameras with F <= 2 and a focal length of about 85 mm.

Nikon (F, Z mounts)

1. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8 AF Nikkor [December 1987]
2. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8D AF Nikkor [March 1994, Thailand/Japan]
3. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.4D AF Nikkor [November 1995]
4. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.4GN AF-S Nikkor SWM IF Nano Crystal Coat [August 2010]
5. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8G AF-S IF SWM Nikkor [January 2012]
6. Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm 1: 1.8 S [July 2019]
7. Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm 1: 1.2 S [January 2023]

Canon (EF, RF mounts)

1. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1:1.2 L USM [September 1989
2. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1: 1.8 USM [July 1992]
3. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1:1.2 L II USM [March 2006]
4. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1:1.4 L IS USM [November 2017]
5. Canon lens RF 85mm F1.2L USM [May 2019]
6. Canon lens RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS (DEFOCUS SMOOTHING) [October 2019]

Sony / Sony Zeiss ZA / Minolta (E / FE, A mount)

1. Sony FE 1.4/85 GM (SEL85F18GM) [February 2016]
2. Sony FE 1.8/85 (SEL85F18) [February 2017]
3. Sony FE 1.4/85 GM II [August 2024]
4. Sony SAL85F14Z / Carl Zeiss Planar 1,4 / 85 ZA T* [June 2006]
5. Minolta AF 85mm 1:1.4 (22) (AF lens 85) / Minolta Maxxum / Dynax / G / G+D / G+RS / G+D+LE and other versions of the same lens, A mount [1987]

Sigma (different mounts)

1. Sigma EX 85mm 1: 1.4 DG HSM (two sub-versions with different body finishes, for Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony A, February 2010)
2. Sigma 85mm 1: 1.4 DG | A [Art] (for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sigma SA, Sony E, Leica L, September 2016)
3. Sigma 85mm 1: 1.4 DG DN | A [Art] (for Sony E, Leica L, August 2020)

Viltrox (different mounts)

1. Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm F1.8 STM (Sony E/FE + Fujifilm X, 2018)
2. Viltrox AF 85/1.8 STM ED IF (Nikon Z, Canon RF, December 2020)
3. Viltrox AF 85/1.8 II STM ED IF (Sony E/FE + Fujifilm X, July 2020, light version XNUMX)
4. Viltrox AF 85/1.4 VCM ASPH ED IF Full Frame (85mm 1:1.4) PRO (Sony FE, June 2025)

Pentax (K mount)

1. SMC Pentax-FA* 1:1.4 85mm IF AUTO FOCUS PENTAX 85 [1992]
2. HD PENTAX-D FA * 85mm 1: 1.4 ED SDM AW [May 2020]

Panasonic (L mount)

1. Panasonic LUMIX S 1: 1.8 / 85mm [November 2020]

Zeiss (various mounts)

1. Zeiss Sonnar 1.8 / 85 T * (Batis 1.8 / 85) [April 2015, built-in stabilizer, Sony E/FE mount, 11/8]
2. Carl Zeiss Planar 1,4/85 ZA T* (Sony SAL85F14Z) ​​[June 2006, Sony A/Minolta A mount, 8/7]
3. Carl Zeiss Planar 1,4 / 85 T * [November 2002, Contax N mount, 10/9]

Samyang / Rokinon (different mounts)

1. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 EF (for Canon EF, scheme 9/7, June 2018)
2. Samyang AF 85/1.4F (for Nikon F, scheme 9/7, April 2019)
3. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 FE (for Sony E, scheme 11/8, March 2019)
4. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 RF  (for Canon RF, scheme 11/8, May 2020)
5. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 FE II (for Sony E, scheme 11/8, July 2022)

Yongnuo/YnLens (different mounts)

1. Yongnuo YN85mm F1.8 (YN85mm F1.8) [9/6, Canon EF, February 2017]
2. Yongnuo YN85mm F1.8 (YN85mm F1.8N) [9/6, Nikon F, May 2019]
3. Ynlens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM (YN85mm F1.8S) [9/8, Sony E, August 2020]
4. Ynlens YN85mm F1.8R DF DSM (YN85mm F1.8R) [9/8, Canon RF, May 2021]
5. Ynlens YN85mm 1:1.8Z DF DSM (YN85mm F1.8Z) [9/8, Nikon Z, March 2022]
6. Yongnuo 85F1.8S DF DSM [9/8, Sony E, August 2022]

Meike (Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Nikon Z, FujiFilm X)

1. MEIKE 85mm AF 1: 1.8 [review] (Canon EF / Canon EF-S, April 2018)
2. MEIKE 85mm AF 1: 1.8 [review] (Nikon F, Aug 2020)
3. MEIKE 85mm 1:1.8 Auto Focus Lens FF STM [review] (for Sony FE/E + Nikon Z, FujiFilm X, June 2022 + March 2023) +- copy under the name Vistilen
4. MEIKE 85mm 1:1.8 AF STM PRO (for Sony FE/E + Nikon Z, Leica L + FujiFilm X, fall 2024, spring 2025) +- copy under the name Vistilen
5. MEIKE 85mm 1:1.4 Auto Focus Lens FF STM (for Sony FE/E, Nikon Z + Leica L, September 2023, July 2024) +- copy under the name Vistilen

Tamron (different mounts)

1. Tamron SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD Model F016 (for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony A [without VC function], March 2016)

Tokina (Sony E / FE mount)

1. Tokina atx-m 85mm F1.8 FE (for Sony E, most likely a complete analog Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm F1.8 STM, January 2020)

AstrHori (Sony E/FE mount)

1. AstrHori AF 85mm 1:1.8 [December 2022]

7Artisans (different bayonets)

1. 7Artisans 85mm F/1.8 AF STM [FE, Z, L, July 2024]

SIRUI (different bayonets):

1. Sirui Aurora 85mm F1.4 AF FF [Sony E, Nikon Z, FujiFilm X, October 2024]

Brightin star

1. Brightin Star AF 85mm 1:1.8 BLK [Sony E, Nikon Z, May 2025]

Rollei

1. Rollei VAF 85mm F1.8 STM [Sony E, Nikon Z, June 2025]

Separately, you can still highlight non-classic 85s:

1. macro lens Canon Lens RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM [2020, RF]
2. longer LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-SL 1: 2/90 ASPH. (2018, Leica l)
3. less aperture Sony 85 / 2.8 SAM (SAL85f28) [2010, A]
4. shorter SMC PENTAX FA 1:1.8 77mm Limited (1997, K)
5. shorter HD Pentax-FA 1: 1.8 77mm Limited (2021, K)
6. shorter Samyang AF 75 / 1.8 FE (2020, E) + Samyang AF 75/1.8X (2023, X)
7. shorter TTArtisan AF 75/2 ED (2024, E, Z, L)
8. cropped Samsung Lens 1:1.4 85mm ED SSA i-Function [2011, NX]
9. cropped and longer FUJIFILM FUJINON LENS SUPER EBC XF 90mm 1: 2 R LM WR [2015, X]
10. cropped and shorter Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF STM ED IF [2022, X, E, Z]
11. cropped and shorter Sirui 75/1.2 [2024, X, E, Z]
12. cropped, less aperture, macro lens Nikon DX AF-S Micro Nikkor 85mm 1: 3.5G ED VR SWM IF Micro 1: 1 [2009, F]
13. many 90/2.8 class macro lenses

Video review

Price

The price of the 7Artisans AF 85mm f/1.8 is about 300 dollars, which is a very attractive offer. View prices for 7Artisans AF 85mm f/1.8 on Aliexpress from the official dealer 7Artisans can be at this link.

Results

7Artisans AF 85mm f/1.8 – a lens with a very good ratio price quality. Great for portrait photography, can serve as a good alternative to other similar lenses.

10 main advantages:

1. low cost (about 300 dollars)
2. excellent build quality, metal body
3. bayonet hood included
4. stepping motor focusing, quite fast and quiet, internal focusing, fixed focus ring during autofocus
5. AF/MF switch
6. Aperture control ring, 11 aperture blades
7. USB port for firmware upgrade
8. programmable FN button (its functions depend on the camera used)
9. complex optical design
10. good sharpness in the center of the frame already at F/1.8 (really not causing any questions), nice bokeh, very slight drop in sharpness in the corners and edges of the frame

10 main disadvantages:

1. big weight
2. no built-in image stabilizer
3. there are no new firmware for the lens yet
4. there is no profile for this lens in popular RAW converters yet
5. strong 'Focus Breathing' effect (changes in viewing angle during focusing)
6. the lens housing is poorly protected from the external environment
7. the sticker with logos and markings on the back of the lens is easily peeled off
8. mediocre focus retention with some cameras
9. a drop in resolution during focusing in the MDF area (the lens is optimized for work at medium and long focusing distances, but not at close ones)
10. some minor optical imperfections

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.