{"id":66868,"date":"2025-02-19T07:36:29","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T06:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=66868"},"modified":"2025-02-22T08:06:53","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T07:06:53","slug":"review-ttartisan-af-35mm-f-1-8-ed-ii-aps-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-ttartisan-af-35mm-f-1-8-ed-ii-aps-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: TTArtisan AF 35mm f\/1.8 ED II (APS-C)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

It has been about a year since TTArtisan introduced the AF 35mm f\/1.8, and now it\u2019s time to release version 2 of that lens. I liked the first version when I reviewed it and enjoyed taking pictures with it. They have tried to improve the lens since last year and therefore we can see a couple of changes, but have they succeeded?<\/p>\n

\"camera-icon2\"I tested this lens on a 21.5 Mp Nikon Zfc.<\/a>
\n\"\"You can see this review as\u00a0a\u00a0YouTube\u00a0video\u00a0here<\/span><\/a>!
\n\"\"Sample images in high resolution here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sample Images<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED II | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED II | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED II | f\/2.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED II | f\/8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

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Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED II | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED II | f\/8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED II | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Specifications<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Focal Length<\/td>\n35mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Angle of View<\/td>\n45\u00b0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
# of Aperture Blades<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max Aperture<\/td>\nf\/1.8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Min Aperture<\/td>\nf\/16<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Min Focus Distance<\/td>\n0.4 m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filter Size<\/td>\n52 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lens Mount<\/td>\nFuji X, Sony E, Nikon Z<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/td>\n176 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Size (D x L)<\/td>\n65 x 52 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elements\/Group<\/td>\n10 \/ 7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"TTArtisan
TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 II | Lens construction<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buy new:<\/strong> TTArtisan Store<\/a>, Amazon <\/a>for $125 (Affiliate links)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Disclosure<\/span><\/h2>\n

TTArtisan kindly provided this lens for review and testing purposes; however, this review is completely impartial.<\/p>\n

Variations<\/span><\/h2>\n

As mentioned before there has been a version of this lens from 2024. It was about 1 cm longer and 25 g heavier. Another difference was that it had a minimum focusing distance of 0.6 m instead the mark II version’s 0.4 m.<\/p>\n

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TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED II (left) vs TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED I (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Handling<\/span><\/h2>\n

The lens appears to be well-built, matching the mechanical standard of TTArtisans’ manual lenses, which is a good. It is fully made of metal. The only physical control on the lens is the focusing ring. It is an autofocus lens though. The aperture setting is controlled from the camera. Though slightly smaller than the first version, the focusing ring is still large enough to be easily located without taking your eyes off the viewfinder, and it turns evenly and smoothly. In addition to its primary function for manual focus, the focusing ring can also be configured to control aperture or exposure compensation.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

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The lens features internal focusing, meaning it does not change size, and the front element doesn’t turn during focusing, which is an advantage. The rear lens cap is a dock with a USB-C contact, which also can be used for updating the lens firmware.<\/p>\n

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TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED II | Mounting plat and rear cap<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lens hood is fairly basic, made of plastic, and features an unorthodox design that is not completely round.<\/p>\n

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TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED II on a Nikon Zfc with lens hood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Optical Features<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"TTArtisan
TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 II | MTF<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sharpness (Infinity)<\/span><\/h3>\n

For the infinity sharpness test, we look at three areas of the image, centre, mid-frame, and corner, see highlighted areas in the image below!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Infinily Sharpness Points of Inspection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nikon
Nikon Zfc | TTArtisan AF 35mm F\/1.8 ED | Infinity sharpness<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Excellent sharpness right from wide open at f\/1.8 in the centre of the image and the midframe is very good, but the corner, while OK, not even close to the rest of the frame. Stopping down improves the sharpness everywhere and by f\/5.6 we get excellent sharpness even in the midframe and the corner is good now. Best corner sharpness is achieved at f\/11, while f\/16 shows a small dip in sharpness all over the image due to diffraction<\/p>\n

Sharpness (Portrait)<\/span><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s look at the points of interest for portraits at the portrait distance: the very centre, the centre\u2019s inner periphery\u00a0 (1\/3 rule intersection), and the centre\u2019s outer periphery (1\/4th intersection).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Portrait Sharpness Points of Interest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n