TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 Review

The TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 shown on the Fujifilm X-Pro2

TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 for Fujifilm X Mount

When I was doing a comparison review of five 50mm lenses for Fujifilm X Mount last week, the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2, not only surprised me in a very positive way but was also a lens that rounded off the experiment quite nicely.

The other lenses were either native Fujifilm autofocus lenses such as the XF 50mm f/2 R WR and XF 50mm f/1 R WR or adapted manual focus lenses as in a Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 and Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Series E.

With the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2, we have a fast 50mm option for the Fujifilm X Mount without having to deal with an adapter. Let’s see what it is all about.

The TT Artisan 50mm f/1.2 for Fujifilm X mount lens shown with an optional vented metal hood on a Fujifilm X-Pro2 — The TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 shown with an optional vented metal hood on a Fujifilm X-Pro2

TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 - Introduction

According to Webster’s dictionary, an Artisan is a worker who practices a trade or handicraft or a person or company that produces something (let’s insert lenses here) in limited quantities often using traditional methods.

Chinese lens manufacturer TTArtisan specializes in producing fast prime lenses at affordable prices for a range of camera systems. For the Fujifilm X mount, they also have a 35mm f/1.4 option.

Update:

TTArtisan now also has new options for Fujifilm X mount in the 23mm f/1.4, 17mm f/1.4, 40mm f/2.8 macro lenses.

A woman picks up a food delivery from Fresh Market under the Granville Bridge in Vancouver. Sample image from a TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 — Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2

Handling / Build Quality of the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2

The TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 has a minimalistic design. The all-metal lens barrel has a smooth surface with easy-to-read markings for distance scale with the depth of field range. The aperture dial is at the front of the lens whereas Fujifilm aperture rings are near the camera body.

Surely this design is inspired by Leica and when you first grab the lens you feel the heft of it and I am sure there will be a satisfied smile on your face when you first open the box.

The focus ring has deep grooves ensuring your fingers will not easily slip, even wearing gloves. I could have wished for the grooves to be a bit wider extending out to the aperture ring for even better operation.

The TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 shown on the Fujifilm X-E4

The aperture ring is superbly dampened with an audible but quiet click sound as you change the aperture, in half stops. It feels very luxurious and not something you would expect on a $98.00 lens.

The aperture ring has two tabs on the side you need to find in order to change the aperture. I mention this as otherwise, the ring is completely smooth with no texture, and can bit tricky to get a grip on it.

Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2

The FX mount (Fujifilm X Mount) is made of metal and there are no electrical contact points to the camera. The lens is manual focus and the EXIF info, as in the chosen f-stop or focus distance will not be recorded in your files.

The lens measures 2.4 x 2.4" / 62 x 60 mm with an aperture range of f/1.2 -16 and weighs 11.8 oz. / 336 g, takes 52mm filters, and has 10 diaphragm blades.

Overall the lens feels amazing.

TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 in Action

The TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 is perfectly balanced on my X-Pro cameras. As you can see from the above photos I am using a 52mm vented metal hood I already had for my XF 35mm f/ 1/4.

I can also report the TTArtisan is a very good fit for the Fujifilm X-E4. To see photos of the lens on the X-E4, please check out my review of the Fujifilm X-E4 here:

Fujifilm X-E4 Review

Manual focusing is obviously a challenge but we have focus peaking to help us. I actually found that I preferred not to use focus peaking at the wider apertures and my keeper ratio has been decent.

Actor Mik Byskov, Vancouver. Sample image from a TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 — Actor, Mik Byskov, Fujifilm X-Pro2, TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2

Consider that your viewfinder becomes darker and darker as you stop the lens down using an EVF as the lens will stop down right away, and not just when you hit the shutter release.

This may trick you into overexposing your images, so keep an eye on your histogram. It may indeed be better to use focus peaking when stopping the lens down as it gets harder to see what is in focus as the viewfinder darkens.

Portrait Session With the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2

I did a very quick portrait session, 15 minutes, with natural light, using a white reflector to bounce the light. My son is an actor and is always looking for updated headshots.

In regards to manual focusing, I was surprised to have a near 90% keeper rate for shots in focus. Arguably this was not a fast-movement session which no doubt would have brought the keeper rate down.

Actor Mik Byskov, Vancouver, Canada. Sample image from a TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 — Actor, Mik Byskov, Fujifilm X-Pro2, TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2

TT Artisan 50mm f/1.2 - Image Quality

So far I have tested the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 on my Fujifilm X-Pro1, Fujifilm X-Pro2, and Fujifilm X-E4. I have to mention the cost of this lens again, $98.00, and with that in mind, it is really hard to be critical of the image quality.

I would say the colors from the Fujifilm counterparts are more pleasing and vibrant but that is without having done a side-by-side comparison.

My test photos were captured during the month of February which perhaps has lackluster lighting compared to the colorful Fujifilm scenes I can pull out of my memory bank. The TT Artisan, however, is quite good from what I can see.

The bokeh is acceptable but perhaps looks a tad mushy and I only say this because I have to be critical. I still found it adequately good.

A snowman is wearing a face in Stanley Park, Vancouver. Sample image from a TT Artisan 50mm f/1.2 — Stanley Park, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2

Rarely would I stop the lens down beyond f/2. When I did the lens is nothing special, really. What sets the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 apart is its ability to shoot with a narrow depth of field from f/1.2 to f/2. The two photos below are shot at f/1.2 and then f/2 for comparison. Please click to view larger images.

And in the following two photos the first photo is at f/1.2 and the second at f/2.8.

And in this final example, I jump from f/1.2 to f/5.6

50mm Lenses for the Fujifilm X Mount

As mentioned above I did a comparison last week of five 50mm lenses for the Fujifilm X Mount. If you haven’t given manual focus lenses for your Fujifilm X Series camera a shot I do recommend you give it try. I was hesitant for the longest time and find myself enjoying the process.

Manual focus lenses are not about to take over the show for me but I see them as a nice addition at the fraction of the cost. Especially if we are talking about a focal length you use infrequently.

Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro2, TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2

Conclusion

I am actually slightly puzzled about what this hundred-dollar lens can do compared to what I usually willingly shell out for lenses.

The build quality is top-notch and at the price point, you cannot complain about the image quality. What gives? Have we been paying too much for our lenses?

What do we get if we pay more? For the more demanding user the overall image quality over the full distance scale, sharpness, bokeh, and autofocus abilities come to mind. And do not forget EXIF information which stores your shooting data.

For this review for instance there are instances where I could not recall exactly which f-stop I was using. I do apologize. If the information is missing in the captions blame the lens, not the photographer. :)

The TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 shown on a Fujifilm X-Pro2

As you want or need more performance the price increase is rarely proportionate. The last little bit of fairy dust, butter-smooth bokeh, and undefinable character from a lens usually make it unreasonably expensive to some but fully worth it to others.

One thing I can say for sure, at one hundred dollars, you cannot go terribly wrong with the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2. Really, what gives?

Pros

Great value for money spent
Fantastic build quality
Smooth focus ring
Decent image quality

Cons

No EXIF info going to the camera
Manual focus only

Price / Availability

Thank you for reading my review. If you are planning a purchase and would like to support us, you can do so, at no additional cost, by using the affiliate link below. A small commission goes to us and helps us keep the wheels turning at 5050 Travelog.

Check the current price at B&H Photo

TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 - B&H Photo

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