Are These New Chinese Lenses Any Good? (Laowa, Thypoch, and 7Artisans)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 มิ.ย. 2024
- Chinese lens manufacturers have a reputation for making extremely affordable, optically compromised manual focus lenses. That’s all starting to change, and to demonstrate that Chris Niccolls is taking a look at the Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D AF, 7Artisans 50mm f/1.8 AF and Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4. These are the cutting edge of Chinese lens manufacturing, so how do they compare to first party offerings?
Rental equipment provided by The Camera Store
www.thecamerastore.com
Read Chris's full opinions on these lenses on PetaPixel: petapixel.com/2024/03/21/chin...
Check out these lenses for yourself:
Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Thypoch 35mm f1.4 Simera: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
7Artisans 50mm f/1.8 AF: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
0:00 - Intro
1:13 - Laowa 10mm f/2.8 AF
5:12 - Thypoch 35mm f/1.4
8:34 - 7Artisans 50mm f/1.8 AF
12:18 - The wrap - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
"Can you think of a time when Amazon didn't love us back?" 🤣
That part killed me! 😂
I did a double take when he said that… LOL!
I gasped audibly when I heard that remark,,,so brazen, so audacious, so foolhardy!
For anyone that doesn't get the joke, Chris and Jordan were originally with DPReview, which was owned by Amazon. Amazon then planned to shut down the website until it was acquired by the current ownership.
Wasn’t that just DPReview?
The Thypoch is only this soft on Sony mirrorless cameras, not on Leica M cameras. This is a known issue with adapted M-mount rangefinder lenses, regardless of manufacturer, because they are designed for steeper light angles and the thinner sensor filter stacks of Leica's digital rangefinder cameras.
Phillip Reeve has a review of the Thypoch where the difference in sharpness between the lens on a Sony A7Rii and a Leica M10 is clearly visible in the test images.
It’s tack sharp on the Z8 at f1.4 focused at infinity (infinity lock)
Yup, its so sad to see them switch to a sony for the test. They had a Nikon! Its thinner filter stack is way better for M lenses.
The best lens testing platform IMO are the Leica SLs, super thin protective glass and patented microlens for the CMOS, they are designed to handle rangefinder lenses with extreme entry angles.
Agreed, horrible test for that lens.
Same issue with Voigtlander M-mount lenses. They are sharp on M-mount but soft on Sony. But Voigltander modified the glass for Sony e-mount, so they are just as sharp as the the M-mount. Just don't try to adapt Voigtlander M-mount lenses on Sony.
I'm loving what Chinese manufacturers are bringing to the camera world. I jumped in on the Viltrox 27mm 1.2 for XF mount and couldn't be happier. Love to see more from China, great review Chris and Jordan!
I tried the 28 from Viltrox but maybe I got a bad one, the AF was really bad. I still like that they are available though, it keeps the premium brands on their toes.
@@Harvester88 I have owned about 8 xf Fuji lenses and none are as tack sharp wide open as the 27mm Viltrox 1.2. Maybe your copy was bad.
Chinese lenses are getting much better. they reminds me of Sigma, Tamron and Tokina back in the 80's and 90's. Laowa in particular, they are just so good optically.
Good
Laowa is fantastic. I have two of their lenses and use them all the time. Their quality FAR exceeds the price. They're now one of the first companies I look to when lens shopping. 👍
The Laowa 10 mm f/2.8 is incredible for action sports: very wide for dramatic shots, filter thread to protect the front element, auto focus and surreal minimum focus distance!
Amazing
I have asked above but may I repeat here - can you use that for group photo; usually wide angle need quite a bit of "fat" people on the edge. If it is rectilinear would it solve this issue?
@@kwccoin3115 rectilinear means that straight lines stay straight (whereas with a fish eye they would turn into curves).
@@kwccoin3115 No it wouldn't.
@@kwccoin3115 I used the 10mm to shoot group photos, surprisingly no distortion at all.
Nice. Next - Viltrox please!
Suggestion: you could do future episodes like this covering one manufacturer at the time but with 3-4 most attractive/popular lenses from each.
Beautiful color and look in this video. Well done, Jordan. 👍
That 35mm Thypoch indicator is so nifty. Wish the IQ held up to the design. If you guys do a round 2, some suggestions that I think hold up very well to first-party:
- Viltrox 75mm f1.2
- Viltrox 27mm f1.2
- TTArtisan 35mm f2 APO
+1
The lens used on this video looks amazing, the 3D pop especially in the beginning with Chris is sitting on the bench. The bokeh is gorgeous!
Nice review! I just ordered my first Loawa lens a few days ago: The 65mm macro for APS-C. Very exciting, can't wait! And also excited to hear that PetaPixel will review more third party lenses in the future!
Gotta say I really love the format of this segment: a fun, casual overview of an interesting variety of products. More please! (and not necessarily just lenses, either…)
Just came to upvote your comment after Chris & Jordan mentioned you in the latest podcast @ 01:26:00
Jordan, your filming has become quite impressive over the past year. And Chris, your delivery is spot on as usual.
Good to see some reviews / first looks at these not so mainstream lenses.
Looking forward to more
I've been waiting for your guys to cover lenses like these! Lots of hidden gems out there.
Praying this doesn’t push the prices up 😂 but they are honest with the softness. Which in my experience can be corrected.
True
I really appreciate this video for just bringing Chinese lenses as a topic of discussion in context of the professional photography world. I actually like photography, but I don't do it professionally. It's just a hobby of mine. But there are just so many taboos around Chinese lenses that any mention of them is met with x,y,and z reasons why they are inferior to OEM glass. To be quite honest I don't want to spend 500+ on lenses for a camera that only sees use on special occasions. I've gotten some fantastic shots on cheap $70 prime lenses and if it were not for their cheap prices, I would not have gotten into photography at all.
The framing and colors are on point in this video, Jordan. Great job.
My 100 mm Laowa. F 2.8, x 2 macro is amazing. It connects with my Canon for aperture control. With DSLR and mirrorless. Is unforgivably sharp!
This is my go-to lens for scanning film. It's sharp enough to scan Velvia!
Rumor has it, Viltrox will release 135mm 1.8 and other Pro series 1.2 E mount. Would love to see the Viltrox review.🤤
That focal plane display is beautiful...
Looks awesome, also looks like a dust magnet unfortunately :(
I just LOVE my Laowa 7.5 f2 for m4/3! Sharp,no distorsions,great build quality and light.
Viltrox 75mm f1.2 & Viltrox 27mm f1.2. Beautiful build & excellent image quality.👌
Yes, but it can be argued that Viltrox costs almost double.
@@Vendetta725how much other 1.2 lenses cost?
@@---md1zr I was talking about Viltrox Pro series lenses. Of course, well known brand offerings cost 2 to 4 times morw than what Viltrox can offer. Professional users, I can understand. But for beginners to enthusiasts like myself? I thank Viltrox that it came into my life.
As for how much, you can get the idea from posted SRP from various dealers. The trick there is to watch our for bagain discounts and sale events.
I own an Fuji XT5 and recently bought some Viltrox Pro Lenses, their 27mm and 75mm to be exact and they are just insane. The bokeh is beautiful and the lens is beautifully sharp.On top of that it is ridiculously lower priced compared to original Fuji lenses. Same thing with the Sigma 10-18 mm 2.8 Lens for APC. I have the XT5 copy, and that was just superb whilst shooting architecture. I have dabled in 7artisans as well and their 35mm 0.95 is nice, though the bokeh is a little busy, but for the price I would consider it an exceptional lens to have in terms of cost to performance ratio.
I have the 75 mm for my X-T5 and it's great.
Yes, both Viltrox lenses are great… and big and heavy 😏
Same here. For my Nikon Z-mount.
Would love to see any of the Light Lens Lab recreations in your next roundup!
Good video and interesting lenses. Have some Chinese lenses - especially from the time the Nikon z lineup was a bit smaller. Cudos to Jordan for positioning Chris with his red shirt mostly with a red element in the frame. You guys really care about the quality of your videos.
Just got the Viltrox 20mm 2.8 for the Nikon Z and for the price ($158 USD) it's actually quite good, so I'm surprised at some of these brands. Some can be real gems like Viltrox (for the most part).
One of the surprising newcomers to the lens market is Yongnuo, which I thought that they only specialized in flashes and lighting, but apparently have been getting more and more into lenses. Oddly, the one I don't hear much about anymore is Meike, Samyang/Rokinon and a few others. I do have a TTArtistan 7.5mm fisheye which is a nice "toy" lens to play around with (and it was cheap, like $150).
I am waiting and hoping that one of these companies will do a Nikon Z 35mm pancake lens with AF. I know there are some third party options from Viltrox and a few others, but non are small and compact (even if they are slower like f/2.8 or f/4 I would be fine with that personally). So hopefully someone will do a Z 35mm pancake lens at some point, and preferably one with AF.
At least the 7Artisans 50mm has an aperture ring. That's one thing I wish Nikon would include especially on some of their "retro" styled lenses (yes you can reprogram the rings on the regular lenses to change aperture but it's not the same as a dedicated ring, or better yet, a clicky aperture ring, like the Fuji's have). I would say though that the Nikon Z 50mm is still worth the $529 price (at least on sale). Yes the 7Artisans is cheaper but when you compare the sharpness and overall characteristics of the Nikon version, if it's a lens you might shoot things like portraits with or in varying lighting conditions where there might be opportunities for flare, it may be worth it to spend the extra $250-$300 for the Nikon version (after all, most people buy lenses for the longer term, so spending $300 extra up front may be worth it in the long run if you are the type that keeps your lenses for many years).
I have been using that Viltrox for the last couple of months. It is my first native Z lens and it does incredible things. I love it. It fell down a little in my astro test but conditions were not great. Looking forward to doing that again.
Great review. I briefly saw another lens (28mm) somewhere in your B roll - what was that and can you recommend it? Asking for a friend that prefers 28mm to 35..
Great idea! Finally, a reliable review of those cheaper lenses.... would also be interested in your opinion on Viltrox lenses
Thank you. Viltrox lens review please.
Yes yes! The 27mm and 75mm 1.2 Fuji lenses from them are top notch and fill a market void left by Fuji. Extremely sharp lenses.
@@jonathans.9372 13mm 1.4 too. The dramatic rendering of that wide view + short DoF up close is just crazy. I love mine so much.
there's rumor that viltrox will release a 135 f1.8 lens optically comparable to 135gm. I'm super excited
@@zball_6396I do hope it's Full Frame coz that would be just awesome. I'm still waiting for Viltrox 16mm f1.8 FF for Z-mount.
Laowa starts to get more expensive so I'd be careful for their newest gear. 7artisan 50mm get a good mark for my need, practically sharp and covers Z mount.
I'm happy with this reviews, thanks 😊
Depreciates quickly too.
Chris' photographer stance is so majestic
Of these brands personally i'd only purchase a Laowa product. Super cool people working their that come up with UNIQUE products nobody else is thinking of.
Just got the TTArtisans 28 mm f/5.6 and it feels like a solid piece of brass. Amazing for the price. And I love what Light Lens Lab has been doing, too.
Thanks for the great review! Are you able to compare the 7Artisans to its Viltrox rival?
I think the Samyang 45mm f1.8 would be a nice alternative to that 7Artisans. Still, it's cool seeing 7A broadening their horizons.
Does Jordan have an opinion on the Laowa 10mm for video? I'm thinking capturing certain types of b-roll with it could be useful.
Great video! Given I have an L-mount camera (Sigma fpl) , the Thypoch is the only one of the three that could work for me, it seems extremely stylish, but hard to justify the price on that performance. I have the Laowa 90mm 2x macro, and I am extremely impressed with the quality of that lens, I really hope the continue to make more L-mount lenses. I have the Lumix 50mm F1.8, which is fairly compact and performs extremely well considering the price, I wonder how it compares to the 7Artisans.
Any chance you guys will review some of the Lens Light Labs lenses? I’m interested in how they are to work with and the image quality given how they are supposedly made using the original plans and glass making techniques to build ‘homages’. Their Speed Panchro II looks especially interesting.
It's nice that you test the sun stars, but I can't remember one single time I shot my camera deliberately to the sun :D If it was something I desired, than maybe I'd get that one lens that does it best, but of all the lenses I ever bought, it was probably the least important thing on the list :) That 7Artisans 50mm is a killer. I wish you would cover Viltrox 75mm 1.2, everybody says it's a top lens. I think it's great you try out these different less well known lenses, a big like!
I second/third Viltrox. I currently have their 23mm f/1.4 on a Zfc and it seems to be doing well, it would be interesting to see an objective appraisal of it and their other glass.
I bought a Viltrox 20mm 2.8 and a YongNuo 85 1.8. No need to pay $$$ for Sony or Sigma lenses anymore. Can't wait for more Chinese lenses!
I bought Viltrox 85mm f1.8 rather than Yongnuo's offering. I did also bought Viltrox 20mm f2.8 both for Z-mount.
The Yongnuo 85mm F1.8 S DF DSM has been judged by DXO Labs the 6th best lens of all brands and focal lengths with a score of 51 points (the first, the Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 S has a 55 points score). I have this lens which cost me only 385 euros on Amazon. It as a very good autofocus and is incredibly sharp !! Il love it !
Small correction: The 7Artisans 50mm 1.8 is both longer and heavier than the Nikon 50mm 1.8. It seems like you guys were thinking of the 1.2 which is massive. But the Nikon 1.8 is 3" by 3.4" and 415g, the 7Artisans lens is 2.83" by 4.09" and 421g; at least that's what I'm finding for the e-mount version. I imagine the Z-mount version is marginally longer and heavy.
Werent 1.8 nifty fiftys supposed to be small in general?
When y'all review any 50mm f1.8 lenses, I'd love to hear your thoughts on comparison to the Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8.
I know it's not exactly 50mm, but for me - and quite a few Sony shooters I know - that Zeiss 55 is our "Nifty 50" of choice on E Mount.
I have several 7Artisans lenses for Fuji. Extremely happy with them - especially for the price.
I'm not certain how other manufacturers deal with image stabilization, but on Pentax, if you connect a lens that has no electronic information, the first screen you get at boot, is to enter the focal. That way the camera can stabilize for the lens, regardless if it has contacts or not.
I'd be curious to know how other cameras deal with stabilization on the manual lenses, share below please!
Could you do a overall review of new-ish lenses that have come out for APSC or other formats? That would be awesome
Need to do a Viltrox Lens Rodeo, just sprinting through all the AF lenses they have for aps-c (f/1.4) full frame (f/1.8). Get it out of the way and then add Viltrox Pro line lenses to your active rotation. You know, content for the content god since the big 3 are slow rolling us...
I've gotten a couple from TTartisan, Mitakon Zhongyi and 7 Artisans.
They are all about as good as a 70's lens. Without autofocus in most cases.
Though one thing I notice a lot with Chinese lenses and speedboosters is that they get the lens mount slightly wrong.
Like it will fit the camera. But won't retain lens caps on the body side of the lens.
There is also usually a bit of play, but no light leaks that I've noticed.
What lens did you use to film this episode on? Looks great 👍
Panasonic 35mm f/1.8 and 100mm f/2.8. Both are fantastic!
- Jordan
I just bought 9mm f5.6 7artisans and I really enjoyed using it with my dji rs3
Will you have a chance to get any of the new Viltrox lenses for the review?
The Laowa 10mm AF is amazing. Opening up a larger space in landscape photography. AF is fast and accurate. I don’t see distortion. I heard Astro is ok too? Only thing expected is when it is wide open at f2.8, vignetting is heavy.
The Lumix S5IIX is looking good 👌
Indeed this episode look beautiful. Just curious what was the lens.
i have a laowa 15 zero d and i love it. it's really fun to use
I have a fish eye from 7Artisans, 10 mm f2.8 Manual Lens with a leather pouch. Gorgeous and fun lens.
Reviews of the Viltrox lens would be great appreciated...
Can you check out the Pergear 14mm 2.8 II lens next?
Couple of interesting options. Especially the 50mm 1.8.
There's a bit too much toneh in the intro
Looks like a green screen.
@@meme4oneCalgary at the end of winter would benefit from a green screen! 😊
Tony Northrop gon block you, bro
More videos on third part lenses, please!!
What about Viltox, are they good value?
The Laowa 10mm is interesting lens. They definitely have stepped up the game. The 7 Artisans 9mm looks interesting, kind of pricy for a full manual lens though. But it is great to see 3rd party lens makers making and offering alternative options for photographer.
That infinity lock tab is crucial for quick focusing by feel (faster than auto focus in my case) I prefer all lens have a manual focusing tab that allows users where to mount it. On the city streets without missing any shots my action is as fast as my visual confirmation.
Cheap, LIGHT, fast zooms with IS/VR next please!
Not surprised Chris doesn't know how to pronounce the Chinese brands, he still hasn't learned to pronounce Nikon after all these years 🤣
See if you can get hold of the Astralab 50mm f1.2 lens for M mount, I would say this is one of the best wide aperture lenses I've used to date in terms of image quality and rendering. Wide open is dreamy but maintains sharpness yet the contrast is low because of the wide aperture. Stop down, the lens is sharp and contrasty like most modern lenses, what's surprising is the vignette is surprisingly good even at wide open where many fast aperture lenses suffer. However, the black paint finish lens I bought may not have the best finish when compared to the Light Lens Lab 50mm f1.2 (cost 2.5 times more), but the Astralab rendering is much much better IMHO.
Thanks for the brief review on Astralab 50mm F1.2, I might consider getting this one over the LLL 50mm F1.2. I own the LLL Elcan because of its small size, light weight and good image quality
@@jliang70 You're welcome, I too have both LLL 35mm f2 as well as the 50mm Elcan, both are great lenses and well aware of LLL's great built quality. Even though it's heavier and a larger lens than the LLL 50mm f1.2, I still prefer the optical quality/rendering of the Astralab 50m 1.2. Would be great to see if you have the same finding once you get a chance to compare these two lenses together.
There's a new breed of Leica/M mount lens shooters, as these lenses are small and can easily be adapted to so many mirrorless cameras. Plus on top, with advanced lens design software and modern manufacturing techniques, many lens manufacturers are now able to make 'dream' lenses at very reasonable prices once was an impossible task.
I have a TTartisan 50 2.0 E mount. No auto focus, only manual control. The pictures it takes look like those 80s retro film camera pics, greenish, soft, purple edge, ghost shadow, everything. But guess what, it's only 50 usd! I just love the interesting results it gives me.
looking forward for Viltrox reviews !
I have more than a couple TTartisans lenses for different mounts. Both full manual, that give a nice vintage feel while being native mount and having some modern coatings, and 2 AF lenses (z-mount 27mm f2.8 and 32mm f2.8 for my Z fc to go with my set of voigtlanders). Not only the cheaper options either, for my M10-D I picked up the 35mm f2, 50mm f1.4, 90mm f1.25, and 50mm f0.95, with the faster lenses being around 750 USD on a good sale. Are they going to beat Leica glass? Obviously not, but how much is a Leica 50mm f0.95? Like 13,000 USD new, which for me is nowhere near worth the cost, especially when I picked up the M10-D for dirt cheap off a friend with more money than sense (their words, they thought they wanted the "analogue film feel", I also got my X-Pro3 off them, and now they have an X100VI that finally is enough modern convenience while "feeling" analogue). The M-mount lenses have served me well as a compliment to my other non-leica m-mount, like my voigtlanders and one of my favorite lenses ever, the Minolta 40mm f2 (originally for one of my favorite cameras ever, the Minolta CLE).
As for the other brands, Laowa's are too wide for me and I even shoot MFT, and 7Artisans felt like a worse TTartisans back years ago. Not that they're bad now, at least for me my 35mm f1.2 and 24mm f1.4 work great as manual lenses for what they cost me. I've wanted to try the 25mm f1.8 for around 70 USD to test against the 25mm f2 ttartisan I got early for 50 USD. Would be interesting to compare the two cheap equiv 50mm lenses for MFT.
Hello, any plan to test meike 85mm f/1.4?
6:09 This depth-of-field indicator design was lifted straight out of Kern lenses from Switzerland; the Kern company was better known as maker of drafting instruments.
Yup, you're right. BTW, I have several of those Kern Switars / Yvars on my Bolex 8mm cameras.
yes finally some videos about more interesting ideas
I've always liked Laowa lenses from an optical standpoint, but the lack of autofocus has been an issue for the things I shoot. I'd love to see some of the more normal prime lenses get autofocus.
I have two 50mm manual focus lens from Light Lens Lab and 7 Artisan。 The 7artisan is 50mm F0.95 it is a character lens that you either love or hate, it is never sharp regardless of the aperture, it has a lot of CA but it can produce acceptable and also dreamy images. I like the light lens lab Elcan 50mm F2 a lot, it is a small compact 50mm and probably the smallest 50mm I have seen, it weighs barely 230g and solidly crafted, the small size make it almost perfect for street photography, it has that vintage type rendering, produces beautiful skin tone, very good for close up portrait. They are not like modern autofocus lens that you can examine almost every pores on the skin. For me modern glass are sometimes too technically perfect.
had the Venus Optics Argus 25mm F/0.95 APO Lens for micro four thirds. It was great wide open but the focal plane was so very shallow that it was an impractical lens. If the camera or subject moved at all the sharp focus point was lost.
Try the Thypock on an M series or Nikon Z or SL2/s or SL3 much more corrected than on the Sony sensors
Any word on the ZV-E10 Mark II?
I'd also look at the number of these are listed on the "for Sale" section
6:33 That's quite a yellow test chart shot. Was it because the camera body screwed up with white balance, or because the lens was just yellow itself?
Just got a Laowa and it thoroughly surprised me how sharp it actually is
While you are checking out these Chinese lenses, look at 1st party lenses and see where they are made. That will open your eyes.
A small grinder can fix that Thypock lock with little trouble. Then it's gone forever. Will these m series lenses work on the Pentas screw mount bodies?
Great video. Hopefully soon, Canon will resolve their issues with third party lens makers and we’ll see some of these. As Canon has roughly half the ILC market, I would imagine other lens makers are lining up for that eventuality, now that Canon has expressed an interest,
Would have loved to see Viltrox lenses.
Finally you make it!
Chinas optics industries have really stepped up and been impressive the last half decades. Not just consumer optics, but laser optics and specialty industrial optics. Pretty wild, but it's good to have more options in the world.
I bought a 35mm f0.95 for my R7 about a year ago. For the 9 times a year I want a nice portrait. It does that beautifully. When I get brain damage and want to adjust everything on a lens dial I enjoy this lens so much I have even done some landscape shots - at higher f stops it is great. Dont know if copies vary but mine is fantastic for the price and very well made. Or I am just a way better photographer than Ytubers reviewing such lenses because many of them make it sound like this lens is like a kodak browny or something.
More cheap lens reviews please! And please include Jordan for video tests!
Seems 2024 is finally the year we get real competition for the Japanese lens monopoly!
There are also rumors, that in 1-2 years the Chinese will also start to sell their own cameras (L-Mount or MFT i suppose).
Please review more Chinese AF lens
I would like to see 3rd party lenses reviews for X mount
Did the 10mm good for group photo (without even adjustment) as it is really no distortion ?
They meant fisheye / cushion etc. distortion, not the inherent perspective distortion on the sides making faces (asymmetrically) wide
Laowa 90 2x is my go-to macro. Supeeeerb.
Yongnuo 85mm F1.8 is an interesting lense that is not costly but punching above its weight I think
you shuld do 9mm full frame showdown laowa 9mm f/5.6 vs 7artisans 9mm f/5.6
Hi , Mr.Chris & Mr.Jordan can you review some Voigtlander X / Z mount MF lens ?
This company makes a great range of lenses and would hope to see you review their products.
Thank you !
Funny you should ask, we’re testing some right now!
any plans to review a light lens lab lens?
Light Lens ab told MacFilos that they have some kind of special technology for ground ASPH units that enabled them to exceed Leica's replica with their own replica
We need a 10mm closeup of Jordan!
what about viltrox, they make lenses also....
I got tt artisan F1.2 n it's awesome