TTArtisan AF 75mm F/2 (review)
OVERVIEW
When TTArtisan reached out to me back in October to ask if I wanted to test out any of their lenses, I looked at their website to see what they offered and I came across their 75mm F2 AF lens. Out of the lenses they make, this one appealed to me the most because it is a relatively compact prime lens with a focal length that I have never used before (at least not in a prime configuration -- I shot a lot of 75mm on my Tamron 28-75mm but shooting at a focal length on a zoom lens feels much different than that same focal length on a prime lens).
The lens costs $178 USD, which is very affordable. It has AF, a clickable aperture ring from f2 to f16 (which doesn't exactly matter to me because I don't use aperture rings), and it also has a USB-C port on the rear lens cap for firmware updates which I think is handy. It's an all-metal body so the build does feel pretty nice, and it's basically the size of my palm which is an important thing for me because if I can, I try to avoid large lenses, especially for street photography. It's also available for Nikon Z and Sony E mount.
TTArtisan AF 75mm F/2 (Still from Youtube review)
PROS
Autofocus
AF is probably the most important thing for me because a lens’ AF performance is what I tend to notice the most when I'm out shooting with it. The AF performance can either hinder your workflow or make it seamless, and apart from a few tough compositions I was trying to shoot, this lens performed pretty well when it came to photos. The way I shoot with longer focal lengths is a bit slower and straightforward than when I shoot with wider ones, so when the point of focus in a scene was pretty clear, the AF was able to detect it without any issues. When it came to scenes where there were a lot of moving parts and more depth, the lens did have some trouble trying to pick a subject to focus on and it would hunt quite a bit.
When it comes to video, the AF is hit or miss but I don't exactly think this lens was designed with video in mind so I'm not sure how much I'd let that be a dealbreaker. I was able to film a few static video clips that turned out just fine, but for more dynamic shots and movements, this would definitely have trouble tracking a subject (if I had to guess).
BUILD QUALITY/DIMENSIONS
I think build quality is something you definitely notice right off the bat. This lens has an all-metal build which honestly surprises me for a lens at this price point so that’s a plus. If you like a lens with a bit of weight to it without it being overbearing, this checks that box. This is actually my first full-frame prime lens that has a constant aperture of F/2 and I find the size of the lens to be very digestible and fits in nicely with my other lenses. I wouldn’t say this would serve as a direct replacement to my Sigma 85mm F1.4, but if I want to bring a smaller lens with me that has some decent reach, this isn’t a bad option to have.
TTArtisan AF 75mm F/2 (Still from Youtube review)
IMAGE QUALITY/SHARPNESS
Now I’m not a pixel-peeper (unless there’s a reason for me to be), and if you aren’t either, you’re going to be happy with the image quality of this lens. The sharpness is good. It’s not Sony G-Master or Sigma Art level sharp, but it’s good. I tend to shoot most of my images around f/4-11, so naturally a lens will be sharper at those apertures. Even from shooting some photos at night at f/2, I didn’t notice a decrease in sharpness (but like I said, I’m not a pixel-peeper). With all that said, I add grain to almost every photo so sharpness really isn’t a big concern for me. For a lens that is under $200, this is some really solid value.
CONS
BUILD QUALITY
Remember a few paragraphs above this when I said the build quality of this lens was solid? Well it is. But there are some things about the build that are a bit annoying.
The first is that the markings on the aperture ring aren’t perfectly aligned with the center marking (see image below). This doesn’t affect performance whatsoever, but it’s a tiny detail flaw like this that you would never see on higher-end lenses. Now this doesn’t affect me (even though I did notice it), but I’m sure it might both some other people more.
On the topic of the aperture ring, I found it to be a bit too easy to turn the ring and change apertures. There were a few times where I accidentally bumped the ring with my hand without noticing and then was caught off guard by my image being very dark until I looked at the lens and noticed the aperture was set to f/16. Again, not a big deal, but I would personally prefer a bit more resistance if I’m going to use a lens with an aperture ring.
Misaligned aperture ring markings.
LACK OF WEATHER SEALING
I didn't find anything online on TTArtisan's website that said anything about weather-sealing, so I would assume that it is not weather-sealed, but at this price point, it would be silly to expect it. This part was a bit of a bummer because I brought it with me to London to get some more use out of it, but I got a decent amount of rain in London and so out of caution, I had to leave this lens back at the hotel. If you’re someone who loves shooting in inclement weather, you’re probably going to want to cover your camera with a plastic bag if you want to shoot in the elements.
GLASS
This lens does suffer from chromatic aberration, flaring, and ghosting but honestly you can minimize this by using the lens hood and trying to avoid pointing it directly into the sun. It was never a huge issue for me but it's something to keep in mind. This is typical with budget lenses so it’s not an issue specific to this lens, but hey, some people don’t mind a bit of flaring.
NO LIGHTROOM PROFILE CORRECTIONS
When I was editing photos, I noticed that there were no profile corrections for this lens in Lightroom. I emailed TTArtisan about this and they said they would consider it, so take that for what you will. While corrections are more necessary for wider focal lengths, it would still be nice to have and see how that could help the images from this lens. For the most part, that isn't a big issue whatsoever because there doesn't seem to be much distortion at this focal length in the first place.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is a very affordable lens and great if you want to try out a new focal length. There aren't many 75mm prime AF options for Sony at least, so this lens definitely fills a bit of a void in that sense. Obviously there are the downsides I talked about but if those aren't dealbreakers to you, I'd recommend giving this lens a try if you want something new.
I'm not sure if this lens will find a place in my steady street photography workflow, but in the times I did use it, I was able to take some photos I really liked and at the end of the day, that's what matters.
This pack is a collection of 6 different presets that I use to edit my photos, including 5 color looks and 1 monochromatic look. If you’re looking for presets that give you rich, bold colors and deep shadows, this is the pack for you.