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Using skilled people to check lenses is time consuming and therefore expensive. Lenses are cheap for a reason and it isn't the location in which they were made. I have Sony lenses built in China which are superb but of course they are not cheap.

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Found a Chinese lens that is perhaps the meanest "out in the open" clone - this time of a Japanese lens. The Chinese manufacturer (Syoptic) claims it is a "Planar design inspired by the Voigtlander Nokton". I think the lens was reviewed by a member on this forum. It is blatantly called Mr. Ding "Noxlux" 50/1.1

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7 hours ago, Al Brown said:

It is blatantly called Mr. Ding "Noxlux" 50/1.1

i look forward to the 2nd version of this lens by Mr. Dong 😅

in all seriousness, this is the first time ive heard of this 'brand'. BastianK's review looks interesting

i wouldnt mind if the chinese lens makers have a proper crack at a super fast 35mm or 75mm

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Chinese Kipon Iberit 35mm 2.4 on my M7 w HP5

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Chinese 7Artisans 35 f2 on my M4-2 with ProImage 100

 

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Chinese TTA 28mm 5.6 on my MP with Lomo Fantome 8

 

 

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Chinese Light Lens Lab 8 Elements Replica 35mm F2 on my MP w Fuji C200

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
On 12/14/2022 at 9:17 AM, Cobram said:

I'm wondering how sharp is the 7artisans 75mm 1.25 at F2-F8? I plan to use this lens at F4 mainly and sometimes, when additional light is needed also at F2. Can any user comment? Rendering (from online examples) seems quite vivid and dreamy with nice smooth OOF.

Maybe I am missing something here. Did you consider a vintage Leica Elmar 90 as an alternative? It is  a lot cheaper, and lighter and quite sharp even wide open at f4. If you want to go faster, there is the 'younger' Leica Tele-Elmarit 1:2.8/90, also much more compact and cheaper than the 7A 75 1.25. The variance of quality in particular for 7A and TA lenses would make a purchase be more like a 600+ euro gamble. And even if I get really lucky, I do not see them beat the Leica's mentioned above on any common aperture.

I understand that leaves the 1.25 to 2.0 (or 2.8) zone uncovered by the alternative but many have stated they are not very usable anyway. Cranking up the ISO by 2 stops and shoot the Leica at 2.8 or 4.0 will add noise, but even then it will probably  yield better results.

P.s. I have nothing against Chinese or their products. The Light Lens Lab products could maybe convince me, they seem to really try to make it as good as possible. If I did not have the original 35 Summicron (8 elements) already, it could be tempting. I just do not like manufacturers playing casino with my money regarding quality, lifespan, support and durability...

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1 hour ago, dpitt said:

Maybe I am missing something here. Did you consider a vintage Leica Elmar 90 as an alternative? It is  a lot cheaper, and lighter and quite sharp even wide open at f4. If you want to go faster, there is the 'younger' Leica Tele-Elmarit 1:2.8/90, also much more compact and cheaper than the 7A 75 1.25. [...] I understand that leaves the 1.25 to 2.0 (or 2.8) zone uncovered by the alternative but many have stated they are not very usable anyway. Cranking up the ISO by 2 stops and shoot the Leica at 2.8 or 4.0 will add noise, but even then it will probably  yield better results. [...]

What about shallow DoF and high shutter speeds? If one wants a f/1.4 or faster lens he cannot be satisfied by f/2, f/2.8 let alone f/4 but i may be missing something too ;)

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@lct@dpittSometimes, especially in indoor situations, there is a need of high shutter speeds in order to avoid unsharp photos of moving kids on stage... I used to own Minolta 90mm F4 which was perfect for outdoor shots in good light, size was small, but it was not really usable indoor. I understand that for many photographers F4 is enough, but for me it is not. I hope now my explanation is more reasonable.

80% of shots is related to outdoor activities. Indoor concerts, sport events (climbing) etc are rare (once per month for example) events when a tele lens with F2 is needed. But I really want to preserve memories of my kids performances that's why those few percents at wider apertures are emotionally important to me.

I'm now leaning towards Cron 75 or Summarit 75 2.4 (due to near focus 0.7m). I hope F2.4 will be enough for all before mentioned situations otherwise I need to spend >2500 euro for a Cron... in this case I think 7Artisans appear as a cheaper and maybe, that's also my main question, reliable alternative.

Anyway, Thank you guys for your answers. 

Edited by Cobram
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42 minutes ago, Cobram said:

I'm now leaning towards Cron 75 or Summarit 75 2.4 (due to near focus 0.7m). I hope F2.4 will be enough for all before mentioned situations otherwise I need to spend >2500 euro for a Cron...

Might look into the Cosina/Voigtländer 75mm f/1.5 - weight of the Summarit, speed of a Summilux, resolution approaching the APO-Summicron (at least down to 1.6 meters, then it gets Summilux-dreamy), price around $900.

I don't use any other Voigtländers at the moment, but this one they will have to pry from my cold, dead fingers..... ;) 

Not promoting any sales site in particular - this one just has more info than most...

https://shop.cameraquest.com/voigtlander-leica-mount-lenses/voigtlander-75mm-f/1.5-nokton-leica-m-black/

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2 hours ago, Cobram said:

I think 7Artisans appear as a cheaper and maybe, that's also my main question, reliable alternative.

Reliable i don't know as i have no experience with this lens but my Summarit 75/2.5 had a fragile aperture ring. No problem with either Summicron 75/2 and Summilux 75/1.4 but f/2 is not always wide enough indoor and the Summilux is not a compact lens so i ordered the CV 75/1.5 referred to by @adan above. I have not received it yet so i don't know if it is a China made lens but my other CV lenses have a very good quality.

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I'm also thinking to order Nokton 75. Seems a nice cheaper alternative to Leica glass.

In the meantime I read a short article comparing Lux 75, Nokton 75 and 7artisans 75 1.25. The reviewer pointed out how difficult it was to achieve precise proper focus with 7artisans and Lux comparing to Nokton. That alone is a huge benefit for me because usually, in indoor situations, my ratio of properly focused photos is quite lower. On the other hand reviewer appreciated 7artisans creamy out of focus rendering.

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10 hours ago, Cobram said:

@lct@dpittSometimes, especially in indoor situations, there is a need of high shutter speeds in order to avoid unsharp photos of moving kids on stage... I used to own Minolta 90mm F4 which was perfect for outdoor shots in good light, size was small, but it was not really usable indoor. I understand that for many photographers F4 is enough, but for me it is not. I hope now my explanation is more reasonable.

80% of shots is related to outdoor activities. Indoor concerts, sport events (climbing) etc are rare (once per month for example) events when a tele lens with F2 is needed. But I really want to preserve memories of my kids performances that's why those few percents at wider apertures are emotionally important to me.

I'm now leaning towards Cron 75 or Summarit 75 2.4 (due to near focus 0.7m). I hope F2.4 will be enough for all before mentioned situations otherwise I need to spend >2500 euro for a Cron... in this case I think 7Artisans appear as a cheaper and maybe, that's also my main question, reliable alternative.

Anyway, Thank you guys for your answers. 

I was responding to you mentioning your intention to use the lens mainly at F4.
IMO it would still be a bad plan if the lens is not performing well wide open and for the first few stops.

I like your plan with Summicron or Summarit (only half a stop slower) much better because they perform well wide open, adding what you need with extra high ISO indoors should do the trick. Also, the Summarit looks a lot less bulky. Its up to you of course, but I would much prefer a used Summarit to a new 7Artisans.

And regarding the price of 7Artisans... What will their resale value be in let's say 2 years compared to the Summicron or Summarit?

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9 hours ago, Cobram said:

The reviewer pointed out how difficult it was to achieve precise proper focus with 7artisans and Lux comparing to Nokton

that's prob due to the spherical aberrations that makes the image look soft and glowie. i love this this lens, but i only use it at f2.8 - where it gives a nice balance between IQ and 'character'.

the really big downside with the 7A is its size and weight. not an issue for me as i'm either in a studio or at a single location, but it's def not a everyday walk around lens!

3 hours ago, dpitt said:

And regarding the price of 7Artisans... What will their resale value be in let's say 2 years compared to the Summicron or Summarit?

peanuts! i picked up my 7A used for between USD200 - 250 (cant remb the exact amount)

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