Considering the 7Artisans 35mm f2

[Toastybunzz]

By the way, what hood (if any you tried)?

Marcelo.

Yeah the flaring was quite a bummer, you get what you pay for. Granted it's not every image but it would get you in situations where you think you'd be safe. I was using one of those circular metal vented hoods but it didn't do much aside from protecting the front element. A more substantial hood would have helped if you can find a generic one that would fit.

 

[lxmike]

have been offered a Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 Nocton for £340, I amvery tempted

 

[Bill Blackwell]

I am considering the 7 Artisans 35mm f2 but I must admit I am a little worried regarding focusing issues. ...

I owned the 7A briefly. I sent it back because the focusing barrel had a snag about half-way to infinity. Had I kept the lens this issue would have driven me nuts.

 

[cboy]

Calibration of artisans lenses are more difficult with film than digital(even digital would be PITA). I get that the user has more control but isnt that really passing the QA onto the consumer so the manufacture cant be liable for focusing issues??. Id suggest its not worth the OPs time; ive seen many artisan lenses on the used market...
As others suggested the skopar is great straight out of the box 😉

 

[mpaniagua]

have been offered a Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 Nocton for £340, I amvery tempted

I'm having one for Christmast. I would say price is good.

Marcelo

 

[james.liam]

I'm having [Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 Nokton] for Christmast. I would say price is good.

Marcelo

That's a good option for film.

Canon 35/2 LTM might be another option to consider for an M2. Great little lens; modern, but not too much.

 

[rumbliegeos]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but since the issue of calibrating 7 Artisan lenses without a digital M body has been discussed here, could this be a workaround:

buy an inexpensive used mirrorless body
get a Leica M adapter for it
calibrate the the lens with this setup?

I definitely cannot afford a digital M, but I am interested in getting the 50mm 1.1 given the images I have seen on this forum. And I would be shooting it on an M2. I realize using a mirrorless plus adapter for calibration would add some potential variability in adjustments.

 

[Toastybunzz]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but since the issue of calibrating 7 Artisan lenses without a digital M body has been discussed here, could this be a workaround:

buy an inexpensive used mirrorless body
get a Leica M adapter for it
calibrate the the lens with this setup?

I definitely cannot afford a digital M, but I am interested in getting the 50mm 1.1 given the images I have seen on this forum. And I would be shooting it on an M2. I realize using a mirrorless plus adapter for calibration would add some potential variability in adjustments.

It's possible but I don't know how accurate it would be. The easiest way would be to make up a small piece of ground glass and stick it on the film gate and then check your focus with a loupe. I would make sure to do a test roll of film to make sure it's working. I did mine on film, tripod the camera, shoot some test frames, cut out in a dark bag and do a quick dev. It only took me maybe 30 minutes max.

It could also work just fine out of the box, not everyone is needing to recalibrate these things.

 

[jsrockit]

I get that the user has more control but isnt that really passing the QA onto the consumer so the manufacture cant be liable for focusing issues??. Id suggest its not worth the OPs time;

Yeah, I'd have to agree... I'd rather pay more for a lens that works right away for photography instead of one that expects me to set up my own quasi-lens lab.

 

[lxmike]

Well I have 'hummed and harred' and taken into account everyone's advice, and lo and behold a mint boxed 7 Artisans popped but at a very good price and based in the UK. I pulled the trigger, I will shoot a few rolls, if it's for me I will keep it, if not I will sell it on. Guess I will take the chance have a bit fun and see. Incidentally, I really appreciated all the knowledgeable and honest replies in this thread, your views and advice were and are gratefully accepted🙂

 

[Yossy]

I have the 7A 35mm f2 and it's a wonderful lens for the money. If you shop around you can find new demos for $230 on ebay. I also have the 35mm f2 Summicron (IV). If you make photos of brick walls or test charts you will see barrel distortion with the 7A lens. However, when I look at regular photos taken with either lens I can't tell you which lens made which photo.



I have a few 7A and TT Artisans lenses and all of them needed to be calibrated and were not sharp out of the box. It's a very easy procedure to do with a digital camera, but I think it would be pretty tedious with a film camera. Do you have a friend or colleague with a digital camera that could help you for about 30 minutes? You may want to look for a used one that has already been calibrated.

It’s a Sonnar type lens; bokeh ist wunderbar!

 

[Yossy]

I had to build up the RF cam on my V1 35 F1.2 Nokton for use on my M9, I added one layer of copper tape to the RF cam. Out of the factory, it was optimized for Film in the Bessa R2. I didn't complain, 5 minute fix. Same with the 50/1.1 Nokton- 1 layer of tape on the RF Cam, easy fix.

I have two 7Artisans 50mm F1.1, they are Sonnar formula lenses. Lens 1- perfect focus on my M9 out of the box. Second lens: I optimized for my M Monochrom using an Orange filter. The adjustable RF cam is wonderful, saved me the trouble of cutting copper tape.

Shoot the lens on your camera wide-open and close up, using a ruler for a target. Mark the point of focus. If it needs adjusting- use the included tool and move the cam slightly. Chances are that a wide angle F2 lens is going to be fine with film out of the box. Put it on a 24+ MPixel camera, pixel peep, you might need to adjust it. 5 minute job at that point.

35/2 7Artisan it’s a Sonnar type lens. Cheers

 

[Sonnar Brian]

35/2 7Artisan it’s a Sonnar type lens. Cheers

The original 7Artisans 35/2 is a Sonnar formula lens. 7Artisans has introduced a new Version 2 35/2 which is not a Sonnar.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Have a look at the TTArtisan APO 2/35, as well. An APO lens for $468 with good reviews. Not so good for Leica M shooters because of its weight, length, and viewfinder blockage. Pretty good for Leica SL users. Is it a Sonnar design? Cheers, OtL

 

[Yossy]

Have a look at the TTArtisan APO 2/35, as well. An APO lens for $468 with good reviews. Not so good for Leica M shooters because of its weight, length, and viewfinder blockage. Pretty good for Leica SL users. Is it a Sonnar design? Cheers, OtL

I’m sorry, it doesn’t.
A complicated modern formula; Elements/Groups: 12/9.
Regards