7Artisans MF lens
7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 Mark II review
35 mm · f/1.2 · 218 g · 6 elements in 5 groups
Verdict
A manual f/1.2 normal prime for under a hundred dollars, with no electronic contacts at all. Glows wide open, sharpens up by f/4, and writes no usable EXIF — a rendering you buy cheaply rather than a lens that competes on specifications.
Photographers who want a fast lens with a distinctive look for very little money, and who already shoot manual focus by choice.
In detail
The 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 Mark II is what happens when a manufacturer decides the only specification that matters is the price. It is a manual-focus f/1.2 normal prime for X mount that sells for under a hundred dollars, and understanding it means accepting that everything about the lens is downstream of that number.
The optical formula is six elements in five groups — a simple design by any standard — with a ten-blade rounded diaphragm, a 46 mm filter thread, and 218g of metal barrel. It focuses to 0.28 m, closer than the Mark I managed, and the aperture ring runs from f/1.2 to f/22. There are no electronic contacts at all: no EXIF, no focus peaking triggered by ring movement, no stabilization, nothing. The camera does not know a lens is attached unless you tell it to shoot without one.
That last point has a practical consequence worth stating up front. Because there are no contacts, every frame you shoot with this lens records whatever focal length you set in the body's mount adaptor menu and an aperture value the camera invents. Our own published frames from the X-E4 carry a nonsense f/1.0 in their EXIF for exactly this reason. If your workflow depends on shooting data, this lens will annoy you every day.
What you get for the money is a genuinely fast normal lens with a strong, unmistakable rendering. Wide open it glows, the corners smear, and the out-of-focus areas swirl. Stopped down to f/4 it sharpens up into something ordinary and perfectly usable.
Pros and cons
What we like
- f/1.2 for around the price of a filter, in an all-metal barrel.
- Strong wide-open character: halation around highlights, swirling corners.
- 0.28 m minimum focus, closer than the original version managed.
- Ten rounded blades keep the stopped-down rendering tidier than the price suggests.
Nothing else gives you f/1.2 at this price. That is the entire argument and it is a strong one: a fast normal prime for the cost of a decent filter, in an all-metal barrel with a clicked aperture ring and a smooth, properly damped mechanical focus ring.
The wide-open rendering has real character. Spherical aberration produces a soft halo around highlights, the corners fall away into a gentle swirl, and skin at f/1.2 gets a glow that costs money to emulate in post. For black and white work in particular — where the lower contrast wide open is an asset rather than a defect — it produces frames that a clinical modern prime cannot.
At 0.28 m minimum focus it gets close, and close plus f/1.2 is where the lens is most fun. The 218g weight sits well on an X-E4 or X-T30-class body, and because there is no autofocus to wait for, the lens is instantaneous in a way autofocus never is once you have the distance set.
Trade-offs
- No electronic contacts: no EXIF, no aperture recorded, no IBIS, no auto magnification.
- f/1.2 and f/1.4 are effects, not working apertures — sharp from about f/4.
- Heavy longitudinal colour fringing on high-contrast edges wide open.
- Sample variation is the standing complaint about the category; no sealing, no real warranty support.
- 7Artisans publishes neither a launch date nor barrel dimensions, and retail listings disagree on both.
The absence of electronic contacts is the single biggest practical cost. No EXIF, no aperture recorded, no in-body stabilization, no automatic magnification when you turn the ring. You will set the focal length manually in the camera's mount adaptor menu and you will still get files that lie about the aperture.
Optically, f/1.2 and f/1.4 are effects rather than working apertures. Contrast is low, the corners are soft to the point of smearing, and there is heavy longitudinal colour fringing on high-contrast edges. If you want a sharp f/1.2, this is not that lens and no amount of copy variation will make it one. It is properly sharp from about f/4.
Build quality is good for the price but not uniform. Sample variation is the standing complaint about this whole category, aperture rings differ in feel between copies, and there is no weather sealing, no hood included in most bundles, and no warranty support worth the name outside China. 7Artisans also publishes neither a launch date nor barrel dimensions for the lens, and retail listings disagree on both, which is its own kind of answer about the company.
Who is this for
The 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 Mark II is for photographers who want a fast lens with a distinctive look and are not spending real money to get it. As a first manual lens, as a black and white lens, or as the thing you throw in a bag and do not worry about, it is hard to argue with.
It suits people who already shoot manual focus deliberately. If you zone focus, if you like setting the camera before you raise it, and if you enjoy the process more than the data, the lack of contacts stops being a defect and becomes irrelevant.
Do not buy it expecting to replace a real lens. The XF 35mm F2 R WR is sharper, sealed, autofocusing, and records what it did; the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 X is the same aperture built properly with contacts, at roughly six times the price. This lens is a cheap way to buy a rendering, and it should be judged as one.
Photos shot on the 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II
We shot and published 9 frames on the 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 II, May 2022 to September 2024. Click any thumbnail for the full-size file and its settings on masnun.photos. Every frame is edited, so read them as a record of how the lens renders in use rather than as a resolution test.
Full specifications
| Focal length | 35 mm |
|---|---|
| 35mm equivalent | 52.5 mm |
| Maximum aperture | f/1.2 |
| Minimum aperture | f/22 |
| Optical construction | 6 elements in 5 groups |
| Special elements | — |
| Min. focus distance | 0.28 m |
| Max. magnification | — |
| Aperture blades | 10 |
| Filter thread | 46 mm |
| Diameter × length | — |
| Weight | 218g |
| Weather sealing | No |
| Min. operating temp | — |
| Focus drive | Manual focus only |
| Optical stabilization | No |
| Announced | Not published |
Rating breakdown
| Dimension | Score |
|---|---|
| Image quality | 5 / 10 |
| Focusing | 6 / 10 |
| Handling | 7 / 10 |
| Value | 9 / 10 |
Where to buy
The link below runs an Amazon search for this lens rather than pointing at one listing, because stock and sellers move around. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you.
7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 IIAmazon · search resultsCompare head-to-head
Sources and further reading
Specs come from the manufacturer. Measured optical behaviour and owner reports are attributed to the people who did the work:
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