Review of TTArtisan AF 35/1.8 ED II (second version, for APS-C, FujiFIlm X, Sony E, Nikon Z)

Navigation

1. In short
2. Main Specifications
3. Assembly
4. Focusing
5. Firmware Upgrade
6. Image quality
7. Photo examples (+ source files)
8. Price
9. My experience
10. Video review
11. Results
12. User Comments
13. Add your review or question on the lens

In this review I will refer to the TTArtisan AF 35/1.8 ED II lens as 'TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II'. The photos of the TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II's appearance were taken from the official site.

It's important: This review shows the TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II version for Sony mirrorless cameras with bayonet mount Sony e-mount and with firmware version v.07. At the same time, there are modifications of this lens for mirrorless cameras of the systems APS-C Nikon Z (Nikon DX) и fujifilm x. Also, from May 16, 2025, you can find the TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II in a silver case frame.

In short

TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II is a modern lens for mirrorless cameras with a cropped APS-C sensor (the ratio crop factor Kf=1.5x). According to its parameters, TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF is a very attractive solution. First of all, TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF is designed for creative photo and video shooting. Automatic focusing is carried out using a stepper motor. With new cameras from Sony, autofocus works great (in photo shooting mode). The image quality is at a decent level, although it has a few small problems.

Main differences between: TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II and TTArtisan 35/1.8AF (first version):

• The II version is based on a new optical design and shows better optical results.
• The II version has a much smaller body size and weighs about 25 grams less.
• The II version has a smaller MDF, which is 40 centimeters, against 60 centimeters for TTArtisan 35/1.8AF
• Version II uses a different hood (now the hood is plastic and can be installed in the opposite direction)
• The II version is cheaper (approximately 120-150 dollars)
• Version II is about a year newer

The price of the new TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II is low and amounts to approximately 120-150 dollars.

Such 35mm lenses are in great demand and can be considered standard solutions for everyday photography tasks.

• for the system APS-C Sony E-mount The TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II lens is an alternative to the original autofocus similar lens Sony E 1.8/35 OSS (Optical Steady Shot, SEL35F18, E-mount) (2012, about $450).
• for the system APS-C Nikon Z (Nikon DX) there are no original similar solutions (as of the end of 2024), and therefore the TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II lens will be in high demand for this system
• for the system APS-C FujiFilm X The TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II lens is an alternative to the original F autofocus lensUJINON ASPHERICAL LENS SUPER EBC XF 33mm 1:1.4 R LM WR (2021, about $800) and Fujifilm FUJINON ASPHERICAL LENS SUPER EBC XF f=35mm 1:1.4 (2012, about $600).

It's important: when searching and choosing autofocus optics for Sony E-mount APS-C Use these very useful links:

• All autofocus lenses for Sony E / Sony NEX (original and from third-party manufacturers)
• All TTARTISAN lenses

Alternatives

Below are all the fast 30-35mm autofocus lenses for mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor:

1. Carl Zeiss Planar 32/1.8 Touit (E, X, 2012)
2. Sony 35/1.8 OSS (E, 2012)
3. FujiFilm 33/1.4 XF (X, 2021)
4. FujiFilm 35/1.4 XF (X, 2012)
5. FujiFilm 35/2 XC (X, 2019)
6. FujiFilm 35/2 XF (X, 2015)
7. Canon 32/1.4 (EF-M, 2018)
8. Leica 35/1.4 SUMMILUX (L/T/TL, 2016)
9. Samsung 30/2 (NX, 2010) [overview]
10. Sigma 30/1.4 (E, X, Z, L, EF-M, RF-S, MFT, 2016) [overview]
11. Sigma 30/2.8 EX DN (E, MFT, 2012)
12. Sigma 30/2.8 A DN (E, MFT, 2013)
13. Tokina 33/1.4 (E, X, 2021)
14. 7Artisans 35/1.4 (E, X, 2025) [overview]
15. Viltrox 33/1.4 (E, X, Z, EF-M, 2020)
16. Viltrox 35/1.7 (E, X, Z, 2024) [overview]
17. Yongnuo 33/1.4 (E, X, Z, 2024)
18. Yongnuo 35/1.8 (Z, 2024)
19. TTArtisan 35/1.8 (E, X, Z, 2023) [overview]
20. TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II (E, X, Z, 2024) [overview]
21. Meike 33/1.4 (E, X, Z, 2024) [overview]
22. Sirui 33/1.2 (E, X, Z,, 2023)

Main technical characteristics of TTArtisan AF 35/1.8 ED II:

Review Instance Name	On the lens barrel: AF 1.8/35 Near the front lens: TTArtisan AF 35/1.8 ED 0.4m/1.31ft Ø52mm On the box: TTArtisan AF 35mm f1.8 II
Basic properties	E (E-mount) - designed for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras AF (Acles Focus) - the lens supports auto focus II - second version of the lens STM (Scarpets Motor) - focusing stepper motor IF (Iinternal Focusing) - internal focus DMF (DDirectly MAnnual Pass Focus) - direct manual focus ED (Extra Low Dispersion) - low dispersion elements in the optical scheme H.R.I. - elements with an ultra-high refractive index Special Coated optics, with protection of the front lens from water and dirt USB-port to update the firmware on the lens cover supplied (serves as a docking station) Electronic focus ring Included hood Important: lens from a third-party manufacturer, which imposes some restrictions on its use
Front Filter Diameter	52 mm
Focal length	35mm Equivalent Focal Length Sony E APS-C / APS-C Nikon Z (Nikon DX) / APS-C FujiFilm X is 52.5 mm
Zoom ratio	1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom)
Designed by	for cropped mirrorless digital cameras. Theoretically, the lens is suitable for all digital mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses and mount SONY E/FE и APS-C Nikon Z (Nikon DX) и APS-C FujiFilm X
Number of aperture blades	9 rounded petals
Tags	bayonet mount mark hood attachment mark
Diaphragm	from F/1.8 to F/16 without aperture control ring
MDF	0.4 meters
The weight	173 grams (measured, only the lens itself, version for Sony E APS-C)
Optical design	10 elements in 7 groups, including 2 low dispersion elements and 2 elements with an ultra-high refractive index
Lens hood	Bayonet-type lens hood included in delivery
Manufacturer country	MADE IN CHINA (Made in China)
Period	From the end of 2024
Instructions	Included in delivery
Price	About $150, see current prices on Aliexpress

The actual aperture ratio (T-stage) is quite high, and is at the T/1.9 level.

Aperture F/1.8 approx. three stops wider aperture of F/5.6, which is used in some 'dark' standard lenses. Each stop gives a doubling of the light-gathering power: 1.4 -> 2 -> 2.8 -> 4 -> 5.6. In numerical terms, this means that the TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF should be 10 times lighterthan stock lens Sony 16-50mm f / 3.5-5.6 PZ OSS or Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ OSS II, which at a focal length of 50 mm can use a maximum relative aperture of only 1:5.6. Calculating the difference in relative apertures (calculate the aperture ratio) is elementary: (5.6 * 5.6) / (1.8 * 1.8) = 10. The creative potential of such a lens is difficult to overestimate. Photo enthusiasts often use it as a portrait lens. Many simply want a fast prime in addition to their 'whale' lens.

Assembly

The lens came for review new in its original box. The package does not include a USB cable for updating the firmware.

TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II has metal mountThe lens body (including the focusing ring) is also metal.

The TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II weighs about 170 grams. The build quality is high. The lens feels great in your hands.

A durable plastic lens hood is included in the package. Bayonet type lens hood, snap-on reliablyThe hood can be installed in the opposite direction (in transport mode), in which case access to the focusing ring is almost completely lost.

The front and rear protective covers are plastic, massive, and easy to use.

The rear protective cover has contacts for the lens microprocessor and a USB port for updating the firmware, folds like a DOC station.

The aperture consists of 9 blades. At values ​​of F/1.8-F/4 the hole takes a fairly round shape. The aperture works quickly, does not stick, but creates a small excessive noise from frequent opening/closing.

It's important: When the lens is detached from the camera, or when the camera is turned off, or when the camera is in 'sleep' mode, the aperture blades are always closed down to f / 16.

Focusing

The lens has a built-in STM focusing stepper motor. The motor runs very quietly.

Auto focus speed average, closer to high. The focusing speed is sufficient for comfortable work in most photo tasks.

On camera Sony a7 I didn't have any particular problems with focusing. Face focusing works perfectly. Once the lens loses focus, refocusing is done fairly quickly. But on Sony a3500 and the Sony NEX F3 lens focuses poorly, but this is more of a problem with the cameras themselves, which only have contrast focusing.

It's important: In difficult shooting conditions, as well as when shooting dynamic scenes, the focusing quality with the TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II can be noticeably worse than with similar original lenses, such as Sony E 1.8/35 OSS (Optical Steady Shot, SEL35F18, E-mount). Even in simple shooting conditions, the autofocus tenacity of the TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II will depend greatly on the camera used. Perhaps new firmware for the lens will correct this situation over time. The previous model focused better on older cameras.. I love inexpensive lenses, and old inexpensive cameras. Old and new inexpensive photographic equipment allows beginners and amateur photographers to easily and simply touch the wonderful world of photography. Sometimes it is worth showing ingenuity and figuring out what will work with what, and what will not work, this will allow you to invest correctly and achieve maximum results with minimal costs.

The focusing ring is metal, wide, with veins. Electronic focusing ring, rotates very easily, has no extreme positions. The ring can be rotated with only one finger. There is virtually no lag in the electronic focusing ring.

During auto focus focus ring remains stationary.

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

The minimum focusing distance is 40 cm and the maximum magnification ratio is 1: 8.

Focus Features:

1. Important: The focusing performance of the TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II is highly dependent on the camera used.
2. TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF has a strong 'Focus Breathing' effect (changes in the angle of view during focusing). When focusing towards the middle focus area, the angle of view decreases.
3. there is a small Focus Shift (focus shift, change in focusing distance due to aperture) - when closing the aperture, the focus is lost (moves away)
4. TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II does not have a hard stop (hard infinity mechanical stop) that allows you to accurately and quickly focus the lens to infinity under any external temperature conditions. For precise focusing to infinity, you cannot simply bring the focusing ring to the extreme position. This is a common problem with lenses with an electronic focusing ring.
5. Unknown compatibility with teleconverters.

Firmware Upgrade

The lens comes with a special rear protective cap, which also serves as a station for manipulating the lens firmware. The cap is equipped with a port USB TYPE-C 2.0 (a common port used by many smartphones and other devices). When connected to a computer, the lens is recognized as a 'TTArtisan' drive with a capacity of 1.96 MB. The drive contains a DeviceInformation.txt file - a text file with information about the lens and firmware, as well as the firmware file itself UserProfile.dat.

To update you should download the firmware file from the official website and copy it to the 'TTArtisan' drive, wait 5 seconds, then make sure the text file shows the new firmware version. You may need to update the drive and/or connected devices. At the time of writing this review, there was no firmware update for this lens.

Image quality

Overall, the image quality of the TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF is high.

Resolution

• in the center of the frame at F/1.8 the lens is wonderful in terms of resolution
• there is a drop in sharpness at the farthest edges of the frame at F/1.8, which is poorly restored by stopping down the aperture
• low coma level at F/1.8

Distortion

• small pincushion distortion
• the overall level of distortion is at a level typical for such lenses
• the nature of distortion is unified, easily corrected in the editor

Vignetting

• strong vignetting is observed only at f / 1.8
• vignetting almost disappears at f / 4
• vignetting is easily fixable in the editor
• the lens has a small coverage area when working on full frame (example on FULL FRAME at F/1.8 and focusing on infinity)

Aberration

• there is a small amount of chromatic aberration at open apertures
• the strongest chromatic aberration appear in the far corners of the image
• there is a moderate friging (HA in the out-of-focus area), disappears after F/5.6
• aperture down to f / 5.6 significantly reduces the amount of HA

Rest

• the aperture opening at F/1.8-F/4 is quite round and smooth
• the lens does not tolerate side and back light well, although better than previous model (example)
• in many scenes, the lens can create a pleasant / neutral bokeh

There is no lens profile for the lens in popular RAW converters, but most likely the profile will appear shortly or you can create it yourself.

Sample photos on APS-C

Camera used Sony a3500 (20 MP Sony Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor), Sony NEX-F3 (16 MP Sony APS-C HD CMOS sensor), Sony a7 (24 MP Full Frame Exmor HD CMOS sensor, 10 MP in APS-C mode). All photos in this review are shown without processing, according to the principles ZEROJPEG.

• Original photos in RAW format (Sony '.ARW', 12-bit, lossy compression) you can watch/download it from this link (60+ files, Google Drive gallery).
• Original photos in JPEG format ('.jpg') you can watch/download it from this link (60+ files, Google Drive gallery).

It's important: on my camera Sony a3500, and probably on some others, the camera sensor suffers greatly from color shift. The edges of the image are colored pink/pink-purple. Color shift does not depend on the focusing distance. This is a shortcoming of the camera sensor, the lens has nothing to do with it. TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II has a very small rear lens, which leads to a large angle of incidence of rays on the sensor. Not all sensors can handle this.

Prices

Prices for TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II on Aliexpress you can see at this link.

My experience

I've been using this lens for about a month now. It's a nice upgrade. previous version, it's great that they reduced the weight, MDF and slightly corrected the problems when working with backlight. The lens is still sharp and easy to use, but overall I liked the previous version better.

Of the inexpensive similar solutions, my favorite so far remains MEIKE 33mm F1.4 Auto Focus Lens NEO Series APS-C STM (2024) и Sigma 30/1.4 (E, X, Z, L, EF-M, RF-S, MFT, 2016). But MEIKE 33/1.4 will only work with the latest Sony Alpha cameras and will not work with the older line SonyNEX and Sony Alpha cameras without phase detection focus sensors (a3000, a3500, a5000). TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II works with almost all cameras.

Video review

Results

TTArtisan 35/1.8 AF II – affordable standard fixed gear, costing about $150. The main disadvantages of the previous version TTArtisan 35/1.8AF were partially corrected.

main advantages

1. internal focusing, electronic wide focusing ring
2. quiet and fast stepper focusing motor, tenacious automatic focusing (on cameras of the latest models)
3. good/excellent build quality: metal bayonet, metal body
4. included hood
5. USB port for firmware upgrade, easy firmware upgrade method
6. nine-petal diaphragm
7. modern complex optical design with special optical elements
8. nice / neutral drawing, which can be used as a good artistic technique during portraiture
9. high resolution in the center of the frame already at F/1.8
10. good value for money

main disadvantages

1. there is no AF/MF focus mode switch (for example, there is MEIKE 33/1.4 STM)
2. there is no aperture control ring (for example, there is MEIKE 33/1.4 STM)
3. there is no image stabilizer (for example, there is one in Sony E 1.8 / 35 OSS)
4. the lens is poorly protected from environmental influences (for example, MEIKE 33/1.4 STM rubber seal of bayonet)
5. poor autofocus performance with older Sony E NEX/ALPHA cameras that do not have phase detection focusing sensors
6. chromatic aberration in the far corners of the image
7. strong vignetting at F / 1.8
8. significant focus shift
9. significant drop in resolution at short focusing distances
10. poor resistance to backlight

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.