The 7artisans 60mm f/2.8 II APS-C is a lens designed particularly for crop-frame mirrorless. As an alternative of only a ported mount, there’s no picture circle wasted. The design itself is an enormous improve that makes the Mark I seem like a bizarre prototype as compared.
Essentially the most notable change from the Mark I is the interior focus — no extra extending barrel, which is an issue I see with nearly all of macro lenses. Laowa had been protected from this currently and now 7artisans got here out with this up to date lens as properly, and I’m comfortable about it. 7artisans additionally managed to shed numerous weight and it went from 550g (19.4oz) to only 339g (12oz) now, one other welcome change, particularly for those who wish to shoot with small our bodies.
Observe: If you happen to favor this evaluation in video kind and to see some clips of the lens in motion, try my 10-minute video evaluation (my foremost macro setup remains to be MFT however I’m all the time inquisitive about testing Fuji gear):
It additionally continues to be a low-budget lens, costing solely $179. Costs this low often get individuals asking “Is it a protected purchase or a waste of cash and I ought to simply save for one thing higher as a substitute?” My conclusion is that it’s a protected purchase.
Amongst guide APS-C lenses, I personally suppose solely the Laowa 65mm wins for its 2x magnification, but it surely prices greater than double the worth of the 7artisans 60mm and 2x may not be a necessity for almost all of photographers. You can even in fact enhance the 7artisans magnification with tubes or filters (as you’ll see later), on the expense of dropping infinity focus.
Construct High quality
The physique is all metallic and solidly constructed. The 9 aperture blades create a surprisingly high-quality bokeh that impressed me with its smoothness — I used to be used to the extra hexagonal shapes of the Laowa 50mm bokeh currently (on MFT).
The aperture ring can be higher for me if it was clickable, particularly for the reason that aperture I shoot more often than not (f/16) doesn’t have its personal cease marked — as a substitute it’s only a small intermediate hole between f/11 and 22. This makes me test if it’s nonetheless sitting on the final aperture used each time I cease to shoot one thing.
The main target ring is tremendous easy and I can flip it simply by flicking my finger. I like this as I shoot single-handedly, however do notice that the throw between 1m and infinity could be very small, so for those who plan to make use of it for portraits, remember will probably be very delicate.
Picture High quality
I’m utilizing the Fujifilm X-T2 for this evaluation in addition to uncooked demosaic in Iridient and processed in Lightroom, with out AI enhancements. This wolf spider on my hand was one of many first pictures I took the day it arrived from 7artisans, and I used to be assured immediately with the standard it produces even to the perimeters of the body. You may see it within the respective crops beneath:
One other picture that ‘wow-ed’ me was this fly later:
Additionally notice that regardless of me praising the picture high quality, it’s not optically good vast open — there are minor optical flaws at f/2.8 that don’t matter for me as I shoot stopped down. From my outcomes, there’s loads of sharpness from nook to nook vast open however precise peak sharpness is achieved solely at f/8 (though between f/5.6 and f/11 the variations are very minimal).
There’s additionally a small quantity of longitudinal aberration that seems to solely clear up utterly at f/8. Exterior the exams, I didn’t even discover flaws in precise images as I barely shot it with vast apertures. The few pictures that I did nonetheless impressed me with the standard in real-world topics.
The working distance is about 8cm (~3.15in) from the tip of the lens. It’s what I’d count on for a 90mm equal and that’s loads for me. There’s sufficient headroom to extend magnification with attachments.
Including a Tremendous Macro Lens
After limiting myself to 1:1 for a while for the sake of this evaluation, I started utilizing a Raynox MSN-202 tremendous macro add-on lens and obtained a magnification extra to my liking. It’s an overkill +22 filter (that additionally provides a little bit of nook distortion) and many of the samples I’m publishing subsequent with it weren’t shot on the most magnification attainable with this setup.
It’s the one Raynox I might match with the stepping rings I already had, however I like to recommend a weaker diopter just like the Raynox DCR-250 to pair with this lens for those who’re additionally on the lookout for extra magazine. All of the images past this level are samples shot with the filter.
My Conclusions
My conclusion is that the 7artisans 60mm f/2.8 II APS-C is an effective lens, particularly within the context of its low value. Solely two issues cease it from being higher for me: the shortage of digital aperture management and having simply 1:1 magnification.
No different guide APS-C lens has aperture coupling, and the primary one which comes out with it should get numerous reward from me no matter whether or not makes the lens costlier. It makes a world of distinction in how simple it will get to evaluate focus with the display screen displaying an enormous aperture if you imply to shoot stopped down. With out aperture coupling, the usability is similar as adapting classic lenses, with the benefit being lighter weight and a extra balanced setup as you don’t have the lens additional away from the mount.
As for being not content material with simply 1:1, it’s subjective and it could be sufficient for most individuals — as you noticed from my samples, it’s completely succesful at 1x. It’s me who unavoidably wanted attachments to extend magnification as nearly all of my topics are tiny.
Lastly, I like to recommend you get a separate lens cap for it, as the unique that comes with it’s the ‘match across the lens’ form that isn’t very safe and also you undoubtedly will need to get a correct snap/pinch cap.
I hope this evaluation helps to clear up doubts you may need had about this $179 lens and its capabilities.
P.S. If you happen to’re excited by it you should buy the lens straight from 7artisans or by means of my affiliate hyperlink (for which I obtain a small share of gross sales).
Concerning the writer: João Burini is a photographer, biologist, birdwatcher, and 3D artist. The opinions expressed on this article are solely these of the writer. You could find extra of his work on his web site and Instagram.
