7artisans 35mm f1.2 mark ii fuji

January 23, 2022

7Artisans just announced a new 35mm f1.2 Mark II lens for various camera mounts, including the Nikon Z DX mirrorless system.

For those that don’t know what this lens is about, it’s a DX or APS-C lens, all-metal with manual focus. No EXIF data or anything like, just a dumb lens. It’s also my #1 hit lens review so it’s a very popular lens see the review here.

There is no information about what is new on this lens or what was improved yet. But judging from the sample images, it looks like a cheaper build, possibly it will come down in price?

The previous 7Artisans 35mm f1.2 was pretty expensive considering you could get a Neewer 35mm f1.2 that was about the same in quality at a fraction of the price. I was actually just getting started on a comparison between a Neewer 35mm f1.2 Lens and the 7Artisans 35mm f1.2 lens to see which one was better for the price. But now I will wait for this lens.

Personally one of the things I loved about the old 35mm f1.2 lens was the design. It was very fun to use. I’m glad Pergear is now using that same design on a lot of their lenses.

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AGriffin

Professional editor, blogger and photographer from Los Angeles California.

MC Multilayer Coating

The 35mm F1.2Ⅱ uses MC multi-layer coating to improve the anti-glare ability, effectively reduce the ghost and purple fringing, the image color is bright and transparent, and the focus is soft and mellow.

10 Diaphragm Blades

The 35mm F1.2Ⅱ adopts 10 diaphragm blades, which can shoot a rounder lemon-like light spot. With the blur effect of F1.2, the two make the shooting picture more atmospheric and more playable.

52mm Equivalent Focal Length

The APS-C is equivalent to about 52mm standard focal length, without the visual impact of wide-angle exaggeration, and without the compression of telephoto lens space, which is more suitable for cultivating the photographer's lens sense and unique vision.

Full Metal Mirror Body

The lens is an all-metal lens body, with full materials, better durability of the lens, comfortable to use, suitable for daily hanging up.

Disclaimer: I received this lens from 7artisans for a review, but I was not paid nor asked to say anything about it. So this is my personal thoughts regarding this lens.

Lens Stats

Focal Length: 35mm (52.5mm FF equivalent)
Build: Metal
Weight: 218g
Aperture ring: Clicked and clickless options are available
Blade Number: 10pcs
Lens Construction: 5 groups, 6 elements
Aperture Range: f1.2 – f22
Minimum Focus distance: 28cm
Filter tread: 46mm
Height: 39.7mm
Diameter: 48.2mm

Check the latest prices

7Artisans 35mm f1.2 mark II Fujifilm – Amazon US / Amazon UK
7Artisans 35mm f1.2 mark II Sony – Amazon US / Amazon UK
7Artisans 35mm f1.2 mark II Canon – Amazon US / Amazon UK
7Artisans 35mm f1.2 mark II M43 – Amazon US / Amazon UK
7Artisans 35mm f1.2 mark II – Aliexpress

** As an Amazon and AliExpress Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Quick Look

Second generation of a well received compact APS-C 35mm manual lens from 7artisans. First generation had really good reviews and second one should be even better! Let’s look at it.

Lens a bit bigger and heavier than previous version, now it is almost same size as xf35mm f2. Filter tread went up from 43mm to 46mm. But it is still very small lens.

Lens construction is a bit different, but I’m not sure why and how it affects the image.

Build Quality

Build quality is great as always – fully metal housing, solid build, no rattling, no excess of play and fit securely to the camera. I would say it’s built like a tank.

The only thing I’m not happy about is the lens cap, as it is metal slip-on lens cap which doesn’t stay in place and can even scratch front element or even camera, not to mention that it can be easily lost. Looks good, authentic but I would prefer if they would add a plastic one in the box as well. Not a big deal though as a new cap will cost just a couple of $.
So you know, lens cap is the biggest disappointment of this lens, everything else is great.

Handling

Aperture ring is clicked, previous version was declicked and I would prefer it so. Not only because I plan to mostly use it for video, but because these clicks feel a bit low quality. It works perfectly and makes it easier to calculate exposure, so I do see the benefit of it. In other words, clicked or declicked – is a matter of preference. Unless you want to change aperture smoothly or at least in thirds of the stop – current version can only make changes in full stops.

*** Update: since this review 7Artisans added option for declicked version of the lens, so you can choose which one is more suited for you. ***

Focusing ring works great – smooth with just enough resistance. There was no problems focusing. Minimal focusing distance is just 28cm. Focus has about a 135 degree throw which is good in my opinion as it was very easy to focus walking around the streets.

Sharpness

This lens is sharp! I’m mostly interested in center sharpness as that is what most people will be concerned about. Extreme corners rarely occupied with a point of interest.

Wide open at 1.2 lens is soft, with noticeable ghosting around letters, which is understandable with a lens at this price point, but it’s definitely usable and most people wouldn’t notice looking at full size image on the mobile screen or even at desktop. Moreover it seems like it gets sharper with distance, for example this shot of the sign post is shot wide open and I would say it is pretty sharp.

35mm f1.2 ISO400 1/500

Add a bit of sharpness in Lightroom and you are sorted. Also keep in mind that depth of field is really small at such wide aperture, so missing focus is not an uncommon occurrence. Overall you get a bit dreamy look. At 1.4 it gets a bit sharper.
A stop down and that is where the fun begins. At the range between f2 and f16 lens is as sharp as Fujifilm’s xf 35mm f2! The last stop at f22 is not available for fuji and on the 7Artisans it gets just a bit softer due to the light defraction.

There are examples for different settings and comparison to Fujifilm’s xf 35mm f2

Bokeh

Out of focus area is pleasant and smooth. Contrast and sharpness of bokeh is also good.

Chromatic aberration

Chromatic aberration are well controlled. It is not like they are non-existand, but well controlled. You can see them here and there, but they are difficult to notice unless you peek really close.

Distortion

Barrel distortion is minor and can be easily corrected in post, but it’s not really noticeable, so I personally don’t bother with correction.

Vignetting

It is difficult for me to judge vignetting as I add it everywhere. This lens opens up to f1.2 so there is no surprise that it would have some, but not an extreme vignetting. Closing down to f2 helps quite a bit and even more so closing it down to f4.

Conclusion

This cost about 140$ and for the money this lens is terrifically good. Great focal length, great quality, great result and it as wide as f1.2! It holds well against Fujifilm’s lens which is quite a surprise. Add to this it’s small size and you can take it anywhere in your pocket. Great for street and portraits. Awesome value lens.

Image Samples

All images without any edits – RAW exported from Lightroom

Video Review

There is my thoughts in video format with video samples.

List of X-mount lenses

* Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

7artisans 35mm f12 mark ii fuji