Affordable “Nifty Fifty” – TTArtisan 50mm F1.4 ASPH Full-Frame Lens for Mirrorless Cameras Released

Lens News

by Georg GilsteinAugust 10^th, 2021

Chinese lens manufacturer TTArtisan presented their new affordable full-frame mirrorless 50mm F1.4 ASPH lens for Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon R and L-mount cameras.

The new lens seems to be optically identical with the TTArtisan 50mm F1.4 for Leica M mount. The difference is obviously the added lens mount options.
Looking at the font and color choice, it looks suspiciously similar to the Leica APO-Summicron-SL 1:2/50mm ASPH. But oh well, it’s less than 1/20 the price.

The lens is quite narrow but rather long for a 50mm prime lens. It is 68mm long and has a 57mm diameter.

The 50mm f/1.4 ASPH features 10 elements in 8 groups with 1 Aspherical Element, 1 Abnormal Dispersion Element, and 8 High Index Elements.

The close focus measures 2.3 feet or 70 cm. It has a 12 blade iris, which is quite high for a lens in this price range. Polygonal bokeh shouldn’t be a problem with this lens.

This probably won’t be the lens TTArtisan is most proud of as they produce lenses like a 50mm F0.95 or a 90mm F1.25 (in noticeably higher price ranges). But it’s nice to see a lens with a wide aperture for mirrorless systems in such a price range.

TTArtisan 50mm F1.4 APSH lens mount options

There are four mount options: Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon R, and Leica/Sigma/Panasonic L-Mount. You could count the Leica M-mount as a fifth mount option. As this lens covers full-frame, it should work with almost pretty much cameras with these mounts.

The aperture ring is at the front of the lens barrel and seems to be de-clicked. The lens is fully manual, there are no electronic contacts to the camera and thus no EXIF data. So don’t expect an electronic iris or autofocus, either.

TTArtisan ships this lens with the usual included items: A rear lens cap and slip-on front lens cap, a warranty card, and instructions are included in the box.

Pricing and availability

You can order this lens now in all offered mount variants on TTArtisan’s website now for 235$ each. This is a very affordable price for a 50mm 1.4 lens, especially one with a mirrorless mount directly attached. There are various affordable lens options for e.g. EF mount, but the average lens price for mirrorless systems is still very high. So if you’re looking for an affordable mirrorless nifty fifty, this might be interesting for you. (Please note that we haven’t tested the lens, so we can’t make any comments on its optical quality.)

Find more information about this lens on TTArtisan’s website: TTArtisan

What lenses would you like to see more of in the coming months? Let us know in the comments.