I like fisheye shooting and have used the Olympus 8mm f1.8 lens with my E-M1 ii for the past few years to great effect. So, when switching to Nikon Z I wanted a fisheye for that too. There isn't a Nikon native Z option yet, and whilst the 8-16 on the FTZ would I'm sure have done the job admirably, it's a bit pricey and with the adapter mounted is getting quite chunky. So, I looked around at alternatives and found the TTArtisan 11mm f2.8.
Note that this is TTArtisan, not 7Artisans. It seems to be a relatively new company, based in Shenzen China, and this is one of only four lenses they're currently making. You can see more info about them and the full range on their webpage:
https://www.ttartisan.com/cpjs
All the lenses are targeted at mirrorless FF and they have mount options for Sony FE, Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Leica M. All the lenses are "dumb" with no electrical contacts to the camera - so no AF and no EXIF data.
There were a couple of reviews of the 11mm f2.8 to be found on the internet and they generally seemed favourable so I thought I'd give it a punt. At $215 it's hard to go too wrong really.
The lens comes in a nice-enough white box. It seems that earlier versions came in a fancy watch-box, but I just got a cardboard box:
Initial impressions are very positive:
- The lens is all-metal construction with nicely damped focus and aperture rings.
- It has a nice heft to it and feels well made.
- It comes with a nicely-made metal lens cap.
- It slides smoothly into place on the camera.
- Infinity focus on the ring is bang on accurate - quite different from my previous experiences with Samyang MF lenses.
If I had to find fault, I'd point to the slightly skewed lettering showing the lens name near to the mount. Not a big issue, but it'll annoy you if you have OCD! It's also worth mentioning that the aperture ring is un-clicked. I guess it's a nod to the video shooters, but it's less than ideal for stills shooters. It's mitigated somewhat by being fairly heavily damped so changing the aperture accidentally with a brush of the finger is unlikely.
Size wise, it's a little smaller in height than the 14-30 when collapsed, but quite a bit narrower. It's about the same weight:
It's also about the same size as the Olympus 8mm f1.8:
It looks handsome on the camera:
Performance wise, I'm pretty impressed. TL/DR - it's almost as good as the Olympus 8mm f1.8 - and I hold that lens in very high regard (it's certainly the best FE on the m43 format and there are a number of other credible options there, including a Panasonic/Leica version and one from Samyang that is well respected). Things of particular note about the TTArtisan:
- Colours and contrast look great
- It's pin sharp in the centre at f2.8
- It's pretty good at the edges at f2.8 - more than usable
- It's excellent across the frame by f5.6
- My copy shows no de-centering or other obvious flaws
- Vignetting is only mild
If you want to see for yourself, I've posted some shots below from the garden/yard (on a rather grey and miserable afternoon!). I've included comparisons with the Olympus 8mm. All images are sized to 4608 wide (approx 20Mp) so that comparisons with the Olympus are meaningful. I've posted them in full res and you can click through to the image on Flickr via the link below each image. I've also added EXIF data so that you can see more easily the aperture used.
At f2.8
NZ7_1412_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
The centre is pin-sharp:
And even the extreme edge is pretty good:
The corner is a bit softer - but not too bad either:
And by way of comparison, here's a shot wide-open on the Olympus 8mm (so at f1.8):
Olympus 8mm f1.8, at f1.8
EM120373_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
Olympus centre:
Olympus edge (you can see that the TTArtisan is a little wider). The Oly has some purple fringing which the TTArtisan doesn't. Easy to clean up, so not a real issue.
Olympus corner (yes, it's astonishing given it's at f1.8 - an astro photographers dream!):
So, back to the TTArtisan...
At f4
NZ7_1413_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
At f5.6
NZ7_1414_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
And here's the edge again at f5.6:
And here's a corner at f5.6 - very good IMHO:
f8
NZ7_1415_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
f11
NZ7_1416_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
So - bottom line. It's a keeper.
When the sun comes out, I'll do some flare tests and see what it's like at sunstars!
Note that this is TTArtisan, not 7Artisans. It seems to be a relatively new company, based in Shenzen China, and this is one of only four lenses they're currently making. You can see more info about them and the full range on their webpage:
https://www.ttartisan.com/cpjs
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
All the lenses are targeted at mirrorless FF and they have mount options for Sony FE, Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Leica M. All the lenses are "dumb" with no electrical contacts to the camera - so no AF and no EXIF data.
There were a couple of reviews of the 11mm f2.8 to be found on the internet and they generally seemed favourable so I thought I'd give it a punt. At $215 it's hard to go too wrong really.
The lens comes in a nice-enough white box. It seems that earlier versions came in a fancy watch-box, but I just got a cardboard box:
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Initial impressions are very positive:
- The lens is all-metal construction with nicely damped focus and aperture rings.
- It has a nice heft to it and feels well made.
- It comes with a nicely-made metal lens cap.
- It slides smoothly into place on the camera.
- Infinity focus on the ring is bang on accurate - quite different from my previous experiences with Samyang MF lenses.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
If I had to find fault, I'd point to the slightly skewed lettering showing the lens name near to the mount. Not a big issue, but it'll annoy you if you have OCD! It's also worth mentioning that the aperture ring is un-clicked. I guess it's a nod to the video shooters, but it's less than ideal for stills shooters. It's mitigated somewhat by being fairly heavily damped so changing the aperture accidentally with a brush of the finger is unlikely.
Size wise, it's a little smaller in height than the 14-30 when collapsed, but quite a bit narrower. It's about the same weight:
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
It's also about the same size as the Olympus 8mm f1.8:
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
It looks handsome on the camera:
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Performance wise, I'm pretty impressed. TL/DR - it's almost as good as the Olympus 8mm f1.8 - and I hold that lens in very high regard (it's certainly the best FE on the m43 format and there are a number of other credible options there, including a Panasonic/Leica version and one from Samyang that is well respected). Things of particular note about the TTArtisan:
- Colours and contrast look great
- It's pin sharp in the centre at f2.8
- It's pretty good at the edges at f2.8 - more than usable
- It's excellent across the frame by f5.6
- My copy shows no de-centering or other obvious flaws
- Vignetting is only mild
If you want to see for yourself, I've posted some shots below from the garden/yard (on a rather grey and miserable afternoon!). I've included comparisons with the Olympus 8mm. All images are sized to 4608 wide (approx 20Mp) so that comparisons with the Olympus are meaningful. I've posted them in full res and you can click through to the image on Flickr via the link below each image. I've also added EXIF data so that you can see more easily the aperture used.
At f2.8
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
NZ7_1412_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
The centre is pin-sharp:
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And even the extreme edge is pretty good:
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
The corner is a bit softer - but not too bad either:
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
And by way of comparison, here's a shot wide-open on the Olympus 8mm (so at f1.8):
Olympus 8mm f1.8, at f1.8
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EM120373_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
Olympus centre:
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Olympus edge (you can see that the TTArtisan is a little wider). The Oly has some purple fringing which the TTArtisan doesn't. Easy to clean up, so not a real issue.
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
Olympus corner (yes, it's astonishing given it's at f1.8 - an astro photographers dream!):
Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
So, back to the TTArtisan...
At f4
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NZ7_1413_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
At f5.6
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NZ7_1414_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
And here's the edge again at f5.6:
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And here's a corner at f5.6 - very good IMHO:
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f8
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NZ7_1415_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
f11
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NZ7_1416_4608.jpg by Paul Kaye, on Flickr
So - bottom line. It's a keeper.
When the sun comes out, I'll do some flare tests and see what it's like at sunstars!
Last edited: