First 7Artisans 35mm f/2 Lens Review

[Ko.Fe.]

On eBay it is scheduled to ship in June 1st. And they still have it listed as 320gm Leica mount lens.
389 USD....
And another ebay seller has for under 300 and it is 205 gm. And already shipping.
At Amazon it is 285$ and shipping on June 12. Weight is 195 gm. And it has distortion, vignetting and something else charts.

 

[LeicaFoReVer]

Even AliExpress can ship it now for 300 bucks. I am tempted as I have been looking for a 35mm f2. I actually got an SLR lens, 35mm f2 zuiko which I expect to be awesome lens. What would you say folks? Not a great combo to compare but I wonder as I just bought the zuiko.

 

[RainDance]

The prices on eBay vary a bit. From which store is it best to order?

 

[Deleted member 65559]

There is. Guesstimate the framelines. I did it. You'll get used to it eventually.

There is.... 35mm accessory finder.

 

[agoglanian]

Mine should be here in a couple days from Hamish. It's going through customs in Los Angeles presently.

 

[raid]

Hamish secured another batch so I decided to try one out. I had the Canon 35 previously and I liked it but I didn't love it. The price-point is under $300 which I think is pretty incredibly for a newly-manufactured f/2 lens in Leica M mount.

I'm looking forward to trying it out, I'm sure it's not perfect, but when I need perfect I will use my Summilux FLE.

How do I contact Hamish?

 

[John Lawrence]

How do I contact Hamish?

Try contacting him through his website:

https://www.35mmc.com/contact-me/


John

 

[raid]

Thanks, John. I just emailed Hamish. Maybe he has a lens left for me.

 

[raid]

The prices on eBay vary a bit. From which store is it best to order?

It is $289 shipped. Almost all sellers ask for this amount.
from Hongkong: https://www.ebay.com/itm/7artisans-...hash=item25f6946b15:m:mKmWKs0AbEaTMhjF1U_zbig

 

[jbharrill1]

I read somewhere that it is not compatible with any Leica made in Canada. I've got an m4-P and was highly considering it until saw that.

Any idea what the issue is? I've seen the obvious issues with the CL and M5 with mounting certain collapsible lenses, but never any lens restrictions for the M4-P/M4-2.

*EDIT*
Here is a review and the first photo is this lens on an M4-P. https://www.thephoblographer.com/2018/06/13/review-7artisans-35mm-f2-leica-m-mount-used-on-sony-fe/

BUT here an amazon link stating that it isn't compatible. (Well it actually lists it as compatible but then contradicts itself) https://www.amazon.com/7artisans-35mm-F2-Leica-Voigtlander/dp/B07D8RX4CK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1529213492&sr=1-1&keywords=7artisans+35mm+f2+m
"Available for Leica M Mount with A Rangefinder Coupling. Works with Leica M2 M3 M4-2 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M4P M9p M240 M240P ME M262 M-M CL and Voigtlander M Mount Cameras. NOT compatbile with Leica M4 Cameras manufactured in Canada. Works great with Leica M4 Cameras that are manufactured in other Countries"

 

[DanskDynamit]

maybe its just me but all the colour photos I see from this lens have a Lomo look.

 

[LCSmith]

Interesting. The rant at the end of the review is a rather sad piece of apoplectic vitriol.

 

[brennanphotoguy]

maybe its just me but all the colour photos I see from this lens have a Lomo look.

People don't know how to edit either. I think it's more that than anything else. I know it'll never happen but i wish they made this lens in LTM mount. I'd swipe one in a heartbeat if they did. Blah blah blah buy a Canon 35/2 blah blah blah, I know.

 

[agoglanian]

I read somewhere that it is not compatible with any Leica made in Canada. I've got an m4-P and was highly considering it until saw that.

Any idea what the issue is? I've seen the obvious issues with the CL and M5 with mounting certain collapsible lenses, but never any lens restrictions for the M4-P/M4-2.

*EDIT*
Here is a review and the first photo is this lens on an M4-P. https://www.thephoblographer.com/2018/06/13/review-7artisans-35mm-f2-leica-m-mount-used-on-sony-fe/

BUT here an amazon link stating that it isn't compatible. (Well it actually lists it as compatible but then contradicts itself) https://www.amazon.com/7artisans-35mm-F2-Leica-Voigtlander/dp/B07D8RX4CK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1529213492&sr=1-1&keywords=7artisans+35mm+f2+m
"Available for Leica M Mount with A Rangefinder Coupling. Works with Leica M2 M3 M4-2 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M4P M9p M240 M240P ME M262 M-M CL and Voigtlander M Mount Cameras. NOT compatbile with Leica M4 Cameras manufactured in Canada. Works great with Leica M4 Cameras that are manufactured in other Countries"

What a bizarre claim. Why would it work with an M4-2 and not an M4-P? I don't understand what would make it any different between a Canadian and German Leica.

 

[raid]

I am very happy with the 7artisans 50/1.1 but I will not get the 35/2. I have enough 35mm lenses.

 

[existrandom]

I read somewhere that it is not compatible with any Leica made in Canada. I've got an m4-P and was highly considering it until saw that.

Any idea what the issue is? I've seen the obvious issues with the CL and M5 with mounting certain collapsible lenses, but never any lens restrictions for the M4-P/M4-2.

*EDIT*
Here is a review and the first photo is this lens on an M4-P. https://www.thephoblographer.com/2018/06/13/review-7artisans-35mm-f2-leica-m-mount-used-on-sony-fe/

BUT here an amazon link stating that it isn't compatible. (Well it actually lists it as compatible but then contradicts itself) https://www.amazon.com/7artisans-35mm-F2-Leica-Voigtlander/dp/B07D8RX4CK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1529213492&sr=1-1&keywords=7artisans+35mm+f2+m
"Available for Leica M Mount with A Rangefinder Coupling. Works with Leica M2 M3 M4-2 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M4P M9p M240 M240P ME M262 M-M CL and Voigtlander M Mount Cameras. NOT compatbile with Leica M4 Cameras manufactured in Canada. Works great with Leica M4 Cameras that are manufactured in other Countries"

i am interested in this lens too and i wonder if it would work on a M4, since the publicity materials i found seems to not mention all M4 variants

 

[stompyq]

Hmm. I have one on preorder with B&H. I have a M4. Will have to see how things pan out

 

[Larry H-L]

Years ago I had an M4-P that had difficulties locking some lenses to the mounting ring. The locking tab/lens release must have been just slightly too large.

Could that be the issue, that the new lenses don't lock firmly into place because some cameras have a lens lock/release that is slightly different in size?

 

[Dante_Stella]

Interesting. The rant at the end of the review is a rather sad piece of apoplectic vitriol.

...from someone who probably wants to hype the lens.

I have one of these in front of me, and as soon as Hamish answers my questions about a couple of things, I'll share my comments. It has promising aspects and baffling ones. I get the sense in some initial testing that the steeply curved RF cam in this will be troublesome.

On the quality issue, calling it "Chinese crap" would be a stretch, but for something that sells under $300, I would advise you to keep your expectations about the fit/finish in the "realistic" range. The black sandblasted finish does not have the elegance in real life that the teaser photos suggest. Nor are the engravings as legible. They seem to have taken a page from the CV book on thin-weight, condensed numbers. Which is baffling, since the median age for users of this will be well into the "reading glasses" phase of life.

Also, it's not a Sonnar.

Dante

 

[agoglanian]

Mine just arrived today too. I think in all honesty for the price point it aligns with my expectations. I just did a quick and dirty test on my M10 and it seemed like focus accuracy was pretty on point, though I appreciate being able to adjust it if necessary. The focusing action itself is heavier than I would like as is the aperture ring, it takes a lot of force to change the setting, and perhaps I'm just too used to Leica's "loose" rings now but I found it odd.

I do like the size and ergonomics of the lens and I also like the focus tab, it feels fairly comfortable. It's also entirely possible that the focusing action will loosen up with some use.

On the M10 it never really gets sharp in the corners, but I feel like this is more of a "central subject" kind of lens (similar in how I used the Canon 35 f/2 LTM). I would say my gut reaction to the lens is that it's perfectly usable and I will be giving it a go on both film and my M10 in the coming weeks.