Lomo/Zenit vs 7artisans

[Passaloutre]

Has anybody compared the 7artisans 50/1.1 and the Lomography x Zenit Jupiter 3+?

Both are relatively inexpensive fast 50s for the M mount, based on Sonnar design, and known for "character". Would be interesting to hear some thoughts from someone who's had both.

I know neither will get me Leica/Zeiss/Voigtlander sharpness, and both have their quirks, just curious to hear from some other bottom feeders.

 

[Larry H-L]

I have both lenses and use them mainly on a Sony A7s. Both produce nice images, but the 7 Artisans f1.1 has a special character wide open, sometimes the out-of-focus areas look almost smoke-like. Big and heavy, though.

The J3+ is better than most older J3s that I have seen, but build quality still feels somewhat sloppy on the helical on my copy. Number markings on the lens are way too small. Images are somewhat similar to those from an Opton Sonnar. Feels small compared to the 7A.

Neither of my copies has the outstanding micro-contrast of a newer “premium” lens, such as the Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8 Sonnar or a modern Leitz lens, IMHO.

As far as bang for the buck value, both are good, but if I had to keep just one, it would be the 7A.

 

[Passaloutre]

Very cool, thanks. I shoot mostly consumer grade film, so I'm not terribly bothered about micro-contrast. Just want an affordable fast 50. When you say the 7A is heavy, is that compared to other rangefinders? How would it compare to a prime lens for SLR?

 

[Passaloutre]

And how is the sharpness stopped down? I've seen the test photos etc on the internet, more curious about real life, day-to-day shooting. Or do you save them for only wide open shooting?

 

[Larry H-L]

It's a chunk, significantly bigger and heavier than an M42-mount 50mm f1.4 Pentax Takumar, but a bit smaller than an old SLR Nikkor-H 85mm f1.8, if you know that lens.

 

[Larry H-L]

Mid-apertures are fine, both look pretty much like any standard SLR 50mm. I have not used either lens stopped all the way down.