TTArtisan 50mm 0.95 review

[ZHNL]

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To OP,  I want to say think you about this review, lots of effort and time. The review is very helpful and the data are objective.

It comes out with subjectively negative tone toward this lens, which make perfect sense again as this is personal and can be personal.  For experienced user, the review is awesome and offer lots of inside info, and they know what to expect and what it delivers for such a special purpose glass. 

Will this one replace any leica M 50mm for me? Yes and no, it can't replace 50lux and 50APO M for me. lux is for wonderful bokeh most of time, low light f1.4 sharpness and size. 50 APO m offer technical perfection at super compact form.

However, it definitely can replace any M 50mm f.95 or f1 for me if I have those. It is a very special piece and you use it at f.95 full time for shallow DOF and low light condition, you want that 0,95 shallowness and moody 100% time.  You are not gonna care technical perfection here or corner sharpness,  CA free color correction, perfect rangefinder couple from MFD to infinity. In that sense, this one delivered with excellent build quality, and good resolution WO.

I was on the edge of ordering M 0.95 and f1 Noct in the past few month. This lens teach me one thing, they are not for me. (especially consider how much I have to pay to get those and only for occasional use) Now I know they will be huge, hard to do rangefinder focus, block view finder, have more CA than lux and cron etc.... However, at 750, I'd happy to keep it for occasional use. it spend most of time on my SL2 than M in the past month. I ordered silver one with new style (Leica knock off) and stainless steel finish. The lens is simply gorgeous to look at and handle. The sharpness WO is better than 80/75lux at f1.4 which is a surprise. I handled many f1.2 glasses, this one is better than most of them technically, hence I want emphasis expectation for 0.95 here. You have to turn aperture ring click twice from f0.95 to f1.1, you will see there is 'huge' difference between 0.95 and 1.1 in aperture opening  

As the review show, Bokeh can be busy at mid-long distance and like most super fast glass, it doesn't like harsh light or lots of light, LaCA could be problem, but, but, both Leica Noct have all these problems as well. Noct 0.95 is definitely perform better technically than this one (not sure about bokeh actually) no question about it, but for its intend usage, it really doesn't matter. 

This sums up my feeling after a few weeks use. Hope it helps one way or the other.  

[01maciel]

After reading the thread it seems to me that opinions and assessments/evaluations are mixed up to a this-is-a-fact-cocktail. Sounds to me a bit like lobbying work towards a positive perception of this lens.  Am I wrong? Very likely- and just my opinion.

 

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[Harpomatic]

12 minutes ago, 01maciel said:

After reading the thread it seems to me that opinions and assessments/evaluations are mixed up to a this-is-a-fact-cocktail. Sounds to me a bit like lobbying work towards a positive perception of this lens.  Am I wrong? Very likely- and just my opinion.

 

To me everyone is saying exactly what I concluded in my review: this lens is very good at a set aperture and distance. That’s it. This is a one trick pony in my opinion, and as such not worth having for me. The shifting of the plane of focus on closer distances is real on the reviewed copy, rendering the lens unusable for close ups with the rangefinder. 

I know how to use a rangefinder and its limitations, and the lens works perfectly if you focus further than 1.5m. The MFD back focus happens and it’s a fact, it’s not an opinion. Again, his is true for the lens reviewed.

I appreciate that other buyers will be happy with the lens and I respect that, it just isn’t a good lens if judged as a camera lens instead of a bokeh machine. And even as a bokeh machine it fails as soon as the focus/background distance grows.

Having said that, please keep coming with different opinions! We all see things very differently, and where I might not like a lens at all someone else will love it. That’s just great and I like this in this community, we discover nuances we would not have seen otherwise.

Thanks everyone for the contributions!

[Einst_Stein]

On 11/14/2020 at 2:19 PM, Raymondl said:

I am getting confused by this. 
 

CA - chromatic aberrations also appears on the Leica 50mm 0.95 noc (source -  https://jerrybei.com/reviews/tag/Noctilux)

it also appears on the 50mm summilux APSH (source - https://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/leica/50mm-f1.4-summilux-m-asph./review/ noting that its minor)

if you want to avoid all forms of chromatic aberrations my suggestion is to use the LEICA 50mm APO  (source - https://www.leicaboutique-ce.com.au/leica-aposummicronm-50mm-f2-asph-lens)

Just for context. IMHO CA is a pain but it’s easily removed in digital, yes there is a drop in resolution but it’s something I can personally live with. 

True, even Leica 50MM NOC has CA,

but,...

It is not to be complained because it is Not made in China. ....

[ZHNL]

3 hours ago, Harpomatic said:

To me everyone is saying exactly what I concluded in my review: this lens is very good at a set aperture and distance. That’s it. This is a one trick pony in my opinion, and as such not worth having for me. The shifting of the plane of focus on closer distances is real on the reviewed copy, rendering the lens unusable for close ups with the rangefinder. 

I know how to use a rangefinder and its limitations, and the lens works perfectly if you focus further than 1.5m. The MFD back focus happens and it’s a fact, it’s not an opinion. Again, his is true for the lens reviewed.

I appreciate that other buyers will be happy with the lens and I respect that, it just isn’t a good lens if judged as a camera lens instead of a bokeh machine. And even as a bokeh machine it fails as soon as the focus/background distance grows.

Having said that, please keep coming with different opinions! We all see things very differently, and where I might not like a lens at all someone else will love it. That’s just great and I like this in this community, we discover nuances we would not have seen otherwise.

Thanks everyone for the contributions!

I would adjust focus at Minimal focus distance (MFD) actually. That was what I did with this lens. I personally will most use it for 0.7m to 3M distance. The most sensitive area of DOF error will happen at MFD. It works quite well till 3M on my M10P. I don't know if that was copy variation.  

Again, I don't know I will buy it on my M for rangefinder shooting even after I calibrate focus, hit perfect focus will be a challenge at distance (given this lens is quite sharp for 24M) but reasonable focused images over distance are achievable. As mentioned, This lens taught me that Noct is not for me  On SL2 or any MILC, it shines.  

As for technical quality of the glasses, my favorite Leica glass is 35mm pre-aSPH, trust me, that one will fail way more miserably than this 0.95 one 

Mid-Long distance bokeh will be achilles heel for most super fast glasses if not all.   

[Harpomatic]

26 minutes ago, ZHNL said:

As for technical quality of the glasses, my favorite Leica glass is 35mm pre-aSPH, trust me, that one will fail way more miserably than this 0.95 one 

 

That is one lens I really don’t fancy! 🤣

I am more for a sharp, neutral lens of high technical quality, that can be transparent in my shooting. I want to be the one putting content in the picture, not the lens.

The lens for me should disappear from my mind while shooting, because I can trust it to do everything well and it allows me to concentrate on content, not technicalities.

[ZHNL]

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2 hours ago, Harpomatic said:

That is one lens I really don’t fancy! 🤣

I am more for a sharp, neutral lens of high technical quality, that can be transparent in my shooting. I want to be the one putting content in the picture, not the lens.

The lens for me should disappear from my mind while shooting, because I can trust it to do everything well and it allows me to concentrate on content, not technicalities.

I agree with you that this definitely is not the one for you I’d say. On the other hand, most modern glasses will meet your requirement which is a good thing. 
 

I personally have lots of glasses, they are very different to each other for different purpose.  I fully agree we don’t need any ones to make good images or art.

 they are just very different and I enjoy the process to use them wisely and tame them. It is a very different fun experience in a niche way.

[Harpomatic]

1 hour ago, ZHNL said:

I enjoy the process to use them wisely and tame them. It is a very different fun experience in a niche way.

I fully understand that. In a way that is the same with the Leica M system in general. But in reality I use it because I thoroughly enjoy the rangefinder and manual experience, and it gets out of my way. The camera just does what I tell it to do, no less and no more, and its simplicity and lack of features are strong points for me. No fumbling with menus and options! That simplicity is carried over in high performing lenses, which need no taming, to use your very correct definition. 

I think the taming of the tools is a different pursuit in photography, you are not necessarily looking for the best picture you can make because part of your concentration is taken by the foibles of your equipment. I prefer to fully engage in creating a photograph, I really enjoy it when the equipment "disappears" in my hand. And I enjoy the crafting of the image, the composition, gesture, expression, juxtaposition, association, colour balance, play of light...too many things to carefully consider for me to have any spare neurone for taming a rebellious lens! 😜

 

[ZHNL]

19 hours ago, Harpomatic said:

I fully understand that. In a way that is the same with the Leica M system in general. But in reality I use it because I thoroughly enjoy the rangefinder and manual experience, and it gets out of my way. The camera just does what I tell it to do, no less and no more, and its simplicity and lack of features are strong points for me. No fumbling with menus and options! That simplicity is carried over in high performing lenses, which need no taming, to use your very correct definition. 

I think the taming of the tools is a different pursuit in photography, you are not necessarily looking for the best picture you can make because part of your concentration is taken by the foibles of your equipment. I prefer to fully engage in creating a photograph, I really enjoy it when the equipment "disappears" in my hand. And I enjoy the crafting of the image, the composition, gesture, expression, juxtaposition, association, colour balance, play of light...too many things to carefully consider for me to have any spare neurone for taming a rebellious lens! 😜

 

Tame the tool really means to use it wisely. This apply to any stuff in life actually. This happen also at the moment you decide upon any tool, you align expectation and live with its trade off. Noct means price, size, CA or sharpness for older version. Lux is field curvature during wider aperture shooting and cron APO is speed and higher bokeh contrast. In this case for this one, CA and a few tech flaws shown in your review.

This is a highly specialized tool. A tool with .95 aperture gives 0.95 look 1.4 won't give just like lux will give the look cron won't be able to supply. It certainly won't be the tool that disappear but we don't even need to put hand on before knowing that. In fact, Leica shouldn't introduce 50 75 90 Noct at all if traditional rangefinder application was the goal. It is above rangefinder limitation to realize the optics potential of these glasses if people just want tool out of its way. They are not easy to use at all.   

This lens is not swiss knife type that serve only one purpose IMHO, shoot WO at portrait distance, enjoy the look it gives. That is my point really.

There is no universal definition of photography. And we don't visit gear forum if our goal is just make best picture 

 Some random samples with this lens that may help other people decide one way or the other. Again, I pull this lens out really for fun and create certain look not for Job or Art without break my bank account. 

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[Harpomatic]

3 hours ago, ZHNL said:

And we don't visit gear forum if our goal is just make best picture 

You got me there...I really like the gear side and understanding it, but my gear quest is just what I described above: the best tool possible for my photography, and I'm looking for the single lens for any given focal length that will be always in my bag. At the moment I'm paring my kit down to 50mm and 28mm, with a Tele-Elmarit 90mm on the backseat if I (seldom) want a bit of reach.I do have the 35mm but never really feel at home, I'm a 50mm guy. I can tell you, THE 50mm is difficult to find...but I might just be seeing the light!

[ZHNL]

2 hours ago, Harpomatic said:

You got me there...I really like the gear side and understanding it, but my gear quest is just what I described above: the best tool possible for my photography, and I'm looking for the single lens for any given focal length that will be always in my bag. At the moment I'm paring my kit down to 50mm and 28mm, with a Tele-Elmarit 90mm on the backseat if I (seldom) want a bit of reach.I do have the 35mm but never really feel at home, I'm a 50mm guy. I can tell you, THE 50mm is difficult to find...but I might just be seeing the light!

In the end, this is all very personal view. Your review is valuable and your points are all valid. Given people are different, I just want to share my view point on this one that may help the discussion.
A hint, if anyone want get one, get the silver one, it looks gorgeous 

Edited December 3, 2020 by ZHNL

[Raymondl]

On 12/3/2020 at 6:28 AM, ZHNL said:

Tame the tool really means to use it wisely. This apply to any stuff in life actually. This happen also at the moment you decide upon any tool, you align expectation and live with its trade off. Noct means price, size, CA or sharpness for older version. Lux is field curvature during wider aperture shooting and cron APO is speed and higher bokeh contrast. In this case for this one, CA and a few tech flaws shown in your review.

This is a highly specialized tool. A tool with .95 aperture gives 0.95 look 1.4 won't give just like lux will give the look cron won't be able to supply. It certainly won't be the tool that disappear but we don't even need to put hand on before knowing that. In fact, Leica shouldn't introduce 50 75 90 Noct at all if traditional rangefinder application was the goal. It is above rangefinder limitation to realize the optics potential of these glasses if people just want tool out of its way. They are not easy to use at all.   

This lens is not swiss knife type that serve only one purpose IMHO, shoot WO at portrait distance, enjoy the look it gives. That is my point really.

There is no universal definition of photography. And we don't visit gear forum if our goal is just make best picture 

Well said. Better than I could (ever?) put down in words.... Having the knowledge and being pragmatic about it in the same time. Choosing the ”right” compromises for your needs. 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 

[Harpomatic]

On 12/3/2020 at 1:25 AM, ZHNL said:

the silver one, it looks gorgeous

I have to say, it does indeed! 

 

[jakontil]

On 12/1/2020 at 12:35 AM, ZHNL said:

To OP,  I want to say think you about this review, lots of effort and time. The review is very helpful and the data are objective.

It comes out with subjectively negative tone toward this lens, which make perfect sense again as this is personal and can be personal.  For experienced user, the review is awesome and offer lots of inside info, and they know what to expect and what it delivers for such a special purpose glass. 

Will this one replace any leica M 50mm for me? Yes and no, it can't replace 50lux and 50APO M for me. lux is for wonderful bokeh most of time, low light f1.4 sharpness and size. 50 APO m offer technical perfection at super compact form.

However, it definitely can replace any M 50mm f.95 or f1 for me if I have those. It is a very special piece and you use it at f.95 full time for shallow DOF and low light condition, you want that 0,95 shallowness and moody 100% time.  You are not gonna care technical perfection here or corner sharpness,  CA free color correction, perfect rangefinder couple from MFD to infinity. In that sense, this one delivered with excellent build quality, and good resolution WO.

I was on the edge of ordering M 0.95 and f1 Noct in the past few month. This lens teach me one thing, they are not for me. (especially consider how much I have to pay to get those and only for occasional use) Now I know they will be huge, hard to do rangefinder focus, block view finder, have more CA than lux and cron etc.... However, at 750, I'd happy to keep it for occasional use. it spend most of time on my SL2 than M in the past month. I ordered silver one with new style (Leica knock off) and stainless steel finish. The lens is simply gorgeous to look at and handle. The sharpness WO is better than 80/75lux at f1.4 which is a surprise. I handled many f1.2 glasses, this one is better than most of them technically, hence I want emphasis expectation for 0.95 here. You have to turn aperture ring click twice from f0.95 to f1.1, you will see there is 'huge' difference between 0.95 and 1.1 in aperture opening  

As the review show, Bokeh can be busy at mid-long distance and like most super fast glass, it doesn't like harsh light or lots of light, LaCA could be problem, but, but, both Leica Noct have all these problems as well. Noct 0.95 is definitely perform better technically than this one (not sure about bokeh actually) no question about it, but for its intend usage, it really doesn't matter. 

This sums up my feeling after a few weeks use. Hope it helps one way or the other.  

Knowing you get the silver stainless finish, how does it differ with the normal black? Im so interested with this lens though and i like the stainless look finish... is it only anodised? Or pure shiny chrome metals? 

[jdlaing]

1 hour ago, jakontil said:

Knowing you get the silver stainless finish, how does it differ with the normal black? Im so interested with this lens though and i like the stainless look finish... is it only anodised? Or pure shiny chrome metals? 

Polished aluminum alloy.

[ZHNL]

4 hours ago, jakontil said:

Knowing you get the silver stainless finish, how does it differ with the normal black? Im so interested with this lens though and i like the stainless look finish... is it only anodised? Or pure shiny chrome metals? 

The lettering is pure leica copy now  

The finish is quite special, not finger print magnetic. I heard (from their official Chinese wechat account) that they will make it only a short run due to manufacture cost and they will make next batch regular silver anodized finish but don't quote me on that. 

[brunner]

Got mine before Christmas. Calibrated it to close focus distance and up to now I'm quite satisfied. Using a M-D with the 1.25 magnifier works fine so far. 

[Stephen.s1]

A fine review!

It'd be a cold day in hell when I'd drag this thing around.

[Harpomatic]

13 minutes ago, Stephen.s1 said:

A fine review!

It'd be a cold day in hell when I'd drag this thing around.

Thanks a lot! I have to say, I didn’t enjoy lugging it around. It’s too big for the camera. I could do it with a SL body though.

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[brunner]

Testshot with my son at the station on the M-D

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