7Artisans 35mm f1.2 Mark II first impression

I’ve been meaning to do a 7Artisans 35mm f1.2 II lens review for a while now but I thought I haven’t used the lens enough to justify it. So here I am not doing a review but giving you my first impression of this beautiful and affordable 35mm APS-C (50mm full frame equivalent) classic prime lens from 7Artisans.

There is a saying that cheap things are never good, but this lens begs to differ. Priced at just Php 6,999 ($131 USD), the 7Artisans 35mm f1.2 mark II is a bargain considering its fast aperture and superb built quality. Chinese lenses from 7Artisans, TTArtisans, and Meike are surprisingly built like a tank. This particular lens looks and feels solid while maintaining its compact form factor. One of the reasons I bought this lens is that it has a clicked aperture, a must for a photography enthusiast like me. Although you can buy a de-clicked version if you are more into videography. Oh, I forgot to mention that this is a full-manual lens hence, it cannot communicate with the camera body for the settings and metadata. No autofocus either.

7artisans 35mm f1.2 with Fujifilm xe3 — The 7Artisans 35mm f1.2 ii with a lens hood fitted on a Fujifilm XE3

7artisans 35mm f1.2 II lens — You can choose from a clicked and de-clicked aperture version

Since shifting to mirrorless cameras, I found myself fond of using manual lenses because of focus-peaking. This opened a lot of options for me since I’m cheap but still wanted to justify my gear purchases. At f1.2, focusing could be tricky but once you hit the spot, well, it hits the spot well. I’m no pixel peeper so I can’t scientifically assess the sharpness, but for me, this lens is sharp enough at f1.2 and improves a lot when stopped down. I think the sweet spot is at f2.8 if you want a balance between bokeh and sharpness.

Aside from its performance, this lens also looks good on a small-sized mirrorless camera. There are options to attach a focusing tab and a lens hood which will not only make the lens look even better, but also adds to its ease of use and performance. The hood does add a significant bulk to it, but hey, we all sacrifice something to be prettier right? Tell me in the comment section below if you prefer it with the lens hood on or not.

7artisans 35mm f1.2 II lens w lens hood — 7Artisans 35mm f1.2 II with and w/o lens hood (lens hood sold separately)

7artisans 35mm f1.2 II lens w/o lens hood — 7Artisans 35mm f1.2 II with and w/o lens hood (lens hood sold separately)

I mostly use this lens on portraits and in low light situations, but this is also a good street photography/documentary lens because of its classic focal length. For me, I think I prefer a much wider perspective for my everyday carry. But like I said, I haven’t used this lens that much so I might change my mind later. Color renditions are also pleasing and there are no noticeable distortions in the photos.