I bought this lens a few weeks ago and I am more than happy with my purchase. It has limitations for sure but you can work around them. The vignette is pronounced wide open but can be used creatively and can be removed in post fairly easily. Flaring is an issue for sure but a decent third party lens hood and a moment to recompose can minimise or eliminate it entirely. Brilliant photographers of the past had to deal with these limitations every time they took a photo. I can understand why a professional photographer would need a more consistent tool for paid work but for an amateur like me on a limited budget its a great buy.
Vignetting is a real issue with my copy of this lens at F2.8. At f4 it can be dealt with but at f2.8 the only real option is to crop the image. Luckily it's mainly confined to the top left and right. The bottom can be dealt with in software. The lens hood makes it worse as does a filter. Flare can be avoided or used for effect but the black corners at the top are always evident wide open. Everything else is either ok or quite good and a great price. This is when used with a Sony A6300. My Sigma 30mm F1.4 lens is better in all optical respects but is bigger, weighs more, is not as wide, so not as versatile for me. For now the Sigma is back on the camera but I may change my mind. Update 19th June I tried this lens on the older Sony A5000 without the supplied hood and there are no black corners. There is a good amount of vignette but nothing absolutely black. So it appears to be camera dependent. I also noticed that on the A5000 the focusing was not absolutely accurate and occasionally was way out. This is not the only lens I have issues with on the A5000. Using manual focus I could get better pictures most of the time. The A5000 is getting old and is well behind the current models.
I'm in love with this TTArtisan 27mm/f2.8 lens. It's so small that it's almost unnoticeable on my camera, yet it packs a punch. The pictures are sharp and clear, with beautiful colors that give them a film-like look. The slight dark corners and swirl effect make the images more artistic. The autofocus is very convenient, and the build quality is solid. The aperture ring gives me a great tactile experience and more control over my photography. It's an ideal lens for my daily shooting adventures.
I bought one for my Sony aps-c cameras. I updated the software and as a result, I have a rather nice pancake lens. Sure, not the sharpest lens but for travel/street/family events, it is more than adequate. Once attached, the Sony a6700 becomes an even smaller package, partly due to the rangefinder design of the body and the very short lens. It's almost the size of a cellphone.
Sold my 'street' set up (X-E3 and 18 f2) to help fund an upgrade to my 'work' set up (X-T5 and 23mm LM WR).. the T5 + 23 has been everything I'd hoped for and more, as good a combo as I've ever used, but it's not something I'm apt to carry around with me casually.. I think this little 27 fits the bill for what I'd use it for, and I can't see spending $400+ for the Fuji version.. I also saw recently that TTartisans has a few more AF lenses coming for Fuji
The biggest issue I've had with this lens, which no reviews seem to mention, is the way the vignetting is so bad that it actually meters incorrectly at any aperture other than wide-open when in aperture priority mode. If you are in auto for settings other than aperture the camera will preview the lens at wide open until you half press the shutter button. At that point the lens snaps to its working aperture and because the vignetting clears up at higher apertures you will end up over exposing huge parts of the image. If you try to TTR expose with this lens and adjust your exposure compensation just right to not clip your highlights, be prepared for a rude awakening when you press the shutter and suddenly your skies blow out. Sometimes there is enough of a change that it will even cause a major shift in white balance.
Yeah, it's really hard to beat at this price. Viltrox review is up next week. That's a heck of a lens, but it's an entirely different beast to this one.
Great, - exaggerations. As someone said. We old photographers from film era and none autofocus dealt with issues he obviously has problems with or see as obstacles. A walk about lens as this one for street photography, I recommend indeed.😊
Hi mate, enjoyed your review. Im currently on holiday in Portugal (from UK) with my XT4 and this lens and the flare issues are indeed pretty laugh out loud poor! I was wondering, is there any after market hood options for this lens? Wont be too much of a problem back home as we never get any sun 😂 cheers
Didn't notice the flare in the UK sun, eh? ;) My aftermarket lens hood solution is my hand. When I see the flare, I simply try to shade the lens. It's likely that TTArtisan have made the hood as large as it can be without getting in the frame, so best to just shade the lens.
Hi Dylan, do you know of a way to bring up the zoomed view in the camera's LCD/EVF with this lens to adjust focus (the same way it shows up when we touch the focus ring on a 'official' lens set to MF)? I find it difficult to use wide aperture with this lens because I don't have good feedback of how in focus the camera is.
TH-cam just recommended me yours video. I'm not a fujifilm user, but even that I found your video interesting. Very well thought out review. Love your pictures. 😀
As always, it's great to have your considered opinion on gear and photography. I have one request, and this is the first time I've ever made it on TH-cam - can you shoot and upload in 4K please? While most YT content really doesn't need to be above HD, we're now getting to the point where many if not most desktop monitors and higher end laptops are 4k panels and HD content looks pretty mushy at full screen. When assessing the merits of lenses in particular, I think 4k is warranted, even with the unavoidable YT compression. Just my opinion of course, but I think we're now at an inflection point where 4K is worthwhile for some types of content.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Thanks for that! I saw a lot of videos about this lens and people often don't update because they have mac devices, so it's great to see a video review with the most update firmware, thanks :)
Fair that you wouldn’t use it for client work but I don’t think TTArtisan designed this lens for client work :D for client work you can use a big professional lens, nobody will mind but this one is for those that want a low profile lens to turn a capable camera into a understated everyday carry. I’d use this when going for a walk with the dog, on the way to work, when out with friends. If a small lens like this wouldn’t exist, I wouldn’t even carry a camera, so it’s either these images or no images at all. It looks capable at F8 to be really sharp and even does some decent soft nostalgic portraits when close to friends. Glad they made this lens, especially for that price. This plus the Viltrox 27 is a package of just €650 and you can choose if you prefer IQ or size
Certainly interested in this lens. I hope ttartisan release a 18mm F2 pancake and internal focus mechanism like Fuji lens. Viltrox is going to release a 20mm 2.8 but isn't a pancake, at least seems like will be cheap and a good option for street photography with aps-c cameras.
I just can warn everyone to buy the lens … mine lastet for four days in street use after a very very minor contact in public transport the AF stoped working … the build quality is plastic in a very very bad way. I ordered the same day the Fuji one. Though the images were good, but why such a plastic build low quality… which is obviously super unsafe… I have Fuji lenses from the 70s working like ever in rough conditions…😮
I have the titanium version of the TT. No such issue yet, hope I don't get that issue, but it was so cheap it's worth the "risk." I think for street photography it's totally adequate.
That's probably it's biggest positive. The Fujifilm one is, hoenstly, overpriced for what it offers. If you're not getting it in the kit, I feel it's about double the price it should be.
I bought this lens a few weeks ago and I am more than happy with my purchase. It has limitations for sure but you can work around them. The vignette is pronounced wide open but can be used creatively and can be removed in post fairly easily. Flaring is an issue for sure but a decent third party lens hood and a moment to recompose can minimise or eliminate it entirely. Brilliant photographers of the past had to deal with these limitations every time they took a photo. I can understand why a professional photographer would need a more consistent tool for paid work but for an amateur like me on a limited budget its a great buy.
Absolutely. That was my conclusion to a word.
Got the lens and dont find the vignette pronounced?
Vignetting is a real issue with my copy of this lens at F2.8. At f4 it can be dealt with but at f2.8 the only real option is to crop the image. Luckily it's mainly confined to the top left and right. The bottom can be dealt with in software. The lens hood makes it worse as does a filter. Flare can be avoided or used for effect but the black corners at the top are always evident wide open. Everything else is either ok or quite good and a great price. This is when used with a Sony A6300. My Sigma 30mm F1.4 lens is better in all optical respects but is bigger, weighs more, is not as wide, so not as versatile for me. For now the Sigma is back on the camera but I may change my mind.
Update 19th June
I tried this lens on the older Sony A5000 without the supplied hood and there are no black corners. There is a good amount of vignette but nothing absolutely black. So it appears to be camera dependent. I also noticed that on the A5000 the focusing was not absolutely accurate and occasionally was way out. This is not the only lens I have issues with on the A5000. Using manual focus I could get better pictures most of the time. The A5000 is getting old and is well behind the current models.
do you know if other lens hoods designed for Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 R will fit on the TTArtisan of the same size?
Same exact experience on my end _ for the price it is an absolute gem!
I'm in love with this TTArtisan 27mm/f2.8 lens. It's so small that it's almost unnoticeable on my camera, yet it packs a punch. The pictures are sharp and clear, with beautiful colors that give them a film-like look. The slight dark corners and swirl effect make the images more artistic. The autofocus is very convenient, and the build quality is solid. The aperture ring gives me a great tactile experience and more control over my photography. It's an ideal lens for my daily shooting adventures.
Great video! Love the structured, concise and balanced approach. Your chapter structure should become the standard for lens reviews!
I bought one for my Sony aps-c cameras. I updated the software and as a result, I have a rather nice pancake lens. Sure, not the sharpest lens but for travel/street/family events, it is more than adequate. Once attached, the Sony a6700 becomes an even smaller package, partly due to the rangefinder design of the body and the very short lens. It's almost the size of a cellphone.
Sold my 'street' set up (X-E3 and 18 f2) to help fund an upgrade to my 'work' set up (X-T5 and 23mm LM WR).. the T5 + 23 has been everything I'd hoped for and more, as good a combo as I've ever used, but it's not something I'm apt to carry around with me casually.. I think this little 27 fits the bill for what I'd use it for, and I can't see spending $400+ for the Fuji version.. I also saw recently that TTartisans has a few more AF lenses coming for Fuji
The biggest issue I've had with this lens, which no reviews seem to mention, is the way the vignetting is so bad that it actually meters incorrectly at any aperture other than wide-open when in aperture priority mode.
If you are in auto for settings other than aperture the camera will preview the lens at wide open until you half press the shutter button. At that point the lens snaps to its working aperture and because the vignetting clears up at higher apertures you will end up over exposing huge parts of the image. If you try to TTR expose with this lens and adjust your exposure compensation just right to not clip your highlights, be prepared for a rude awakening when you press the shutter and suddenly your skies blow out.
Sometimes there is enough of a change that it will even cause a major shift in white balance.
Have this for a walkaround lens and at this price, happy with the compromises. Look forward to your Viltrox 27mm F1.2 review!
Yeah, it's really hard to beat at this price. Viltrox review is up next week. That's a heck of a lens, but it's an entirely different beast to this one.
Great, - exaggerations. As someone said. We old photographers from film era and none autofocus dealt with issues he obviously has problems with or see as obstacles. A walk about lens as this one for street photography, I recommend indeed.😊
Can’t wait for your review of the viltrox 27mm f1.2
Hi mate, enjoyed your review. Im currently on holiday in Portugal (from UK) with my XT4 and this lens and the flare issues are indeed pretty laugh out loud poor! I was wondering, is there any after market hood options for this lens? Wont be too much of a problem back home as we never get any sun 😂 cheers
Didn't notice the flare in the UK sun, eh? ;)
My aftermarket lens hood solution is my hand. When I see the flare, I simply try to shade the lens. It's likely that TTArtisan have made the hood as large as it can be without getting in the frame, so best to just shade the lens.
Hi Dylan, do you know of a way to bring up the zoomed view in the camera's LCD/EVF with this lens to adjust focus (the same way it shows up when we touch the focus ring on a 'official' lens set to MF)?
I find it difficult to use wide aperture with this lens because I don't have good feedback of how in focus the camera is.
It will depend on how you have your buttons set. A press of the rear dial should do it.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer oh I have probably messed up with the default buttons then. Amazing, I'll try to set it up. Thanks so much!
TH-cam just recommended me yours video. I'm not a fujifilm user, but even that I found your video interesting. Very well thought out review.
Love your pictures. 😀
As always a great overview of a new lens for X mount. Cycling is great for seeing the environment in a different way.
As always, it's great to have your considered opinion on gear and photography. I have one request, and this is the first time I've ever made it on TH-cam - can you shoot and upload in 4K please? While most YT content really doesn't need to be above HD, we're now getting to the point where many if not most desktop monitors and higher end laptops are 4k panels and HD content looks pretty mushy at full screen. When assessing the merits of lenses in particular, I think 4k is warranted, even with the unavoidable YT compression. Just my opinion of course, but I think we're now at an inflection point where 4K is worthwhile for some types of content.
And I appreciate it's a PITA for storage and production pipeline.... sorry.
Awesome video! Did you update your lens firmware for the review?
Of course! First thing to do after any electronic device comes out of a box.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Thanks for that! I saw a lot of videos about this lens and people often don't update because they have mac devices, so it's great to see a video review with the most update firmware, thanks :)
Thanks for this solid review! Do you have plans to review Fuji's 16-80mm lens anytime? Thank you.
So Dylan, I've read several reviews on this lens and it sounds pretty good. Do they, or will they ever fit this lens to a Canon camera? Thanks.
Cheers Dylan, quality review.
Fair that you wouldn’t use it for client work but I don’t think TTArtisan designed this lens for client work :D for client work you can use a big professional lens, nobody will mind but this one is for those that want a low profile lens to turn a capable camera into a understated everyday carry. I’d use this when going for a walk with the dog, on the way to work, when out with friends. If a small lens like this wouldn’t exist, I wouldn’t even carry a camera, so it’s either these images or no images at all. It looks capable at F8 to be really sharp and even does some decent soft nostalgic portraits when close to friends. Glad they made this lens, especially for that price. This plus the Viltrox 27 is a package of just €650 and you can choose if you prefer IQ or size
There are many Korean pics. =) I'm thinking about buying that lens or not.
Thanks Dylan
Certainly interested in this lens.
I hope ttartisan release a 18mm F2 pancake and internal focus mechanism like Fuji lens.
Viltrox is going to release a 20mm 2.8 but isn't a pancake, at least seems like will be cheap and a good option for street photography with aps-c cameras.
It’s pretty bad on my old xm1 but decent on the XT-5
I just can warn everyone to buy the lens … mine lastet for four days in street use after a very very minor contact in public transport the AF stoped working … the build quality is plastic
in a very very bad way. I ordered the same day the Fuji one. Though the images were good, but why such a plastic build low quality… which is obviously super unsafe… I have Fuji lenses from the 70s working like ever in rough conditions…😮
I have the titanium version of the TT. No such issue yet, hope I don't get that issue, but it was so cheap it's worth the "risk." I think for street photography it's totally adequate.
@@ams914 titanium version?
@@beyourself9162 Yes, they released a titanium version. Same price or close to it as the plastic.
You don’t need a Leica M now
Apart from the price I'm not sure what the USP of this lens actually is
It's small. I find myself using it a lot when I'm out and about.
That's probably it's biggest positive. The Fujifilm one is, hoenstly, overpriced for what it offers. If you're not getting it in the kit, I feel it's about double the price it should be.
Are you living in Korea?
They released a firmware upgrade just about recently to fix the vignetting issue 👍🏼
Are you referring to the Lens Profile for Adobe software? So far, there is no firmware update that addresses this in camera.
Hello from the UK