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There are times that I make photographs with my Nikon Zf, chimp the screen, and say something along the lines of, “Goddamn, that’s fine.” And when combined with the right Picture Profiles, I found myself saying this over and over again with the 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 attached and using the TechArt TZM-02 to give it autofocus. Then lens surely is about sharpness in some ways. Though you shouldn’t let that bedazzle you and draw all your attention on what really matters about this lens: that you’ll want to carry it everywhere with you.

The 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 is an insanely compact lens firstly designed for Leica M-mount. But with all the new tech available to us today, I decided to not use it on my M6.

Table of Contents

The Big Picture: 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 Review Conclusions

A Nikon Z fc camera with a 7Artisans 35mm f/2.8 lens is resting on a newspaper. — 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 product image

It’s really hard to not like the 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 if you’ve done the work on yourself and your skill set to understand how to use this lens. With that said, I’m going to implore you to not believe most of the YouTubers who don’t understand how to use zone focusing. If you’re one of those people who knows how to use zone focusing, you’re going to love this lens.

Of course, you can do exactly what I did too, which is eliminate the need for manually focusing and instead adapt it to a TechArt device that gives you autofocus with Leica M-mount glass. And if you do that, know that you’re going to get good results most of the time. It’s probably going to miss a times, but most of the time you won’t have issues.

That has nothing to do with the lens though. The 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 is the one of the clearest set of rose-colored glasses I’ve ever put on my Nikon Zf. That’s my way of saying that everything I make images of with this lens is stunning. Sure, Nikon’s color profiles are doing a lot of heavy lifting. But even without them, I’m still really adoring what’s possible.

The 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 is a very compact, well built lens that lacks weather resistance — and that’s to be expected because it’s for Leica M-mount. And as far as I go, it doesn’t really stand out when it comes to image quality, but instead more for its small size that makes you want to bring it everywhere with you. Anything that gets us making more photos and bringing more joy to ourselves while doing it is something that wins high marks from me.

I’m awarding the 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 four out of five stars. Want one? Check it out on Amazon and Robert’s Camera.

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Very compact
Beautiful image quality
Metal build
Super lightweight
Something about the full aperture stops and how the aperture blades look seem really stunning on something this small
No electronic contacts
No weather resistance
I understand that it’s for Leica M-mount, but I’d love this thing for other mounts. It would go great on a LUMIX S9.
Focusing markers that I think anyone new to rangefinder lenses or will significant brain rot will need to learn how to adapt around
At $428, it’s far more affordable than any Leica lens.
Only f2.8

Experience

Nikon camera, cigarettes, and a folder on a wooden table. — 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 product image

The 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 was given to us for keeps, and I’m pretty sure that they’re not going to ask for it back. I used it with the TechArt TZM-02 and the Nikon Zf which were both bought with my own money. Declarations like this are really important and they help separate real journalists from influencers and content creators.

Look at this lens. It’s gorgeous. And you’d especially think so if you like affordable, retro-looking lenses. If you don’t, you’re probably a Sony or Canon super fan who believes that your flavor of billion-dollar company can’t do any wrong. If you’re appreciative of what Fuji has been trying to bring back and what’s been a core part of Leica’s identity forever, then you’ll stare at this lens and adore it.

A vintage camera, open cigarette pack, and headphones are laid out on a newspaper.

A vintage Techart camera sits on a newspaper with headphones, a knife, and a power bank.

Nikon Zf camera, headphones, mp3 player, pocket knife and other items on a wooden table.

Nikon FZ camera with Techart lens, headphones, and other accessories on a wooden table.

The lens boasts a diminutive body that the most looks-maxxed influencers would be in love with. There’s a full-stop aperture ring, a focusing tab, and a locking tab that locks the lens to infinity. Plus, there’s the option of lens hoods or lens caps. To figure out how to zone focus, you’ll have to look down at the lens. The design is similar, though not identical, to both the Leica 28mm f5.6 and the Brightin Star 28mm f2.8.

Functionally, turning the dials and rings all feel really wonderful and connect you to the experience of making images with intent. More than ever, lenses like this are needed because mirrorless cameras are doing all the work for us whether or not we realize it.

Crowded NYC subway platform with passengers waiting to board, including an older woman in a white top holding a purse. — 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 sample image

If I were to use this lens with zone focusing, I’m pretty sure that I’d have little to no problems at all. Typically, I’d set the lens to f5.6 and zone focus away to six feet. But with the TechArt adapter, I ended up just using the Nikon Zf’s face and scene detection with AF-C and AF-S. And rarely did the camera and lens miss their mark — in fact, I’d say that it did a great job around 87% of the time.

This combo proves itself, in this way, very good for street photography — which is what I think most photographers would want to use it for. But for random candid frames and other stuff, it’s also still a delight to use.

If you’re a photographer who rocks both Leica and Nikon cameras the way that I do, I think that you’re going to thoroughly enjoy this experience.

Image Quality

In terms of image quality, there isn’t anything here that really makes me look at the images and feel like I can say, “This is from 7Artisans.” Instead, I’d comment on how I’m sure that this is a Nikon color profile. That’s not to say that the bokeh isn’t nice and that the optics aren’t sharp. They indeed are. But so are the optics of nearly every other single lens made these days.

The following images were edited using presets from the Phoblographer.

A well-stocked bar with shelves of liquor bottles and a POS system in the foreground.

A tree trunk branches out in front of a brick building and green bushes.

Parked cars line a sun-dappled street in front of trees and houses.

People gather around a table, looking at their phones, with a city view out the window.

Man in pink shirt pours tea from a patterned cup into a glass teapot.

Man in yellow shirt looking out window at city lights from a dimly lit room.

A man wearing glasses and a pink checkered shirt sits at a desk with tea-related items.

Cozy restaurant interior with large windows overlooking city lights and plush seating.

A tea set with a kettle, carafe, and a lamp with Chinese calligraphy sits on a wooden table.

A street with parked cars, a sidewalk, trees, and a wire fence.

The following images weren’t edited.

Abstract blurred vertical lines suggesting buildings at dusk with warm and cool tones.

Blurred skyscrapers at dusk with glowing windows.

A young man with curly black hair and wire-rimmed glasses looks upward with a subtle expression indoors.

Three men are sitting at a table. One man in the foreground is holding a small white cup and examining a black object in his hands.

Older man with white mustache sits arms crossed at a table in a tea room with ceramic vessels and wooden drawers.

A group of people gather around a table, with Asian-themed decor and a fish tank.

Pouring tea from a glass pitcher into a white cup on a decorative mat.

A modern dining area with beige chairs, a dark table, and large windows overlooking buildings.

A woman in a pink dress and a man in a light shirt walk past a Kosette Beauty Market store.

Red bougainvillea flowers cascade over a wooden structure with shadows from leaves.

Modern glass skyscraper against a cloudy sky, with older brick buildings in the foreground.

A green sofa with a patterned pillow. A plant and lamp sit on a side table.

Darkened entrance to a parking garage with a lowered barrier arm.

A tree with yellowing leaves hangs over a house with blue irises in the foreground.

A window with Christmas lights and decorations, including a wreath and a candy cane decoration.

Tech Specs

The following technical specifications were taken from the official page listing.

Focal Length	35mm	Frame	Full‑frame
Aperture	F2.8 – F22	Optical Structure	7 elements in 5 groups
Aperture Blade	7 blades	Lens Type	Prime lens
Mount Compatibility	L39 / LM (Leica M)	Focusing Range	0.7M-∞ (slight variation depending on camera body)
Filter Size	ф34mm	Angle of view	61.8°
Weight	≈ 88g	Focusing	Manual focus
Lens Material	Metal

Declaration of Journalistic Intent

The Phoblographer is one of the last standing dedicated photography publications that speaks to both art and tech in our articles. We put declarations up front in our reviews to adhere to journalistic standards that several publications abide by. These help you understand a lot more about what we do:

At the time of publishing this review, 7Artisans is not running direct-sold advertising with the Phoblographer. This doesn’t affect our reviews anyway and it never has in our 15 years of publishing our articles. This article is in no way sponsored.
Note that this isn’t necessarily our final review of the unit. It will be updated, and it’s more of an in-progress review than anything. In fact, almost all our reviews are like this.
None of the reviews on the Phoblographer are sponsored. That’s against FTC laws and we adhere to them just the same way that newspapers, magazines, and corporate publications do.
7Artisans provided the unit and accessories to the Phoblographer for review. There was no money exchange between us or their 3rd party partners and the Phoblographer for this to happen. Manufacturers trust the Phoblographer’s reviews, as they are incredibly blunt. We get to keep the lens.
7Artisans knows that it cannot influence the site’s reviews. If we don’t like something or if we have issues with it, we’ll let our readers know.
7Artisans paid for shipping of the lens to and back. This is a standard practice in the world of journalism.
The Phoblographer’s standards for reviewing products have become much stricter. After having the world’s largest database of real-world lens reviews, we choose not to review anything we don’t find innovative or unique, and in many cases, products that lack weather resistance. Unless something is very unique, we probably won’t touch it.
In recent years, brands have withheld NDA information from us or stopped working with us because they feel they cannot control our coverage. These days, many brands will not give products to the press unless they get favorable coverage. In other situations, we’ve stopped working with several brands for ethical issues. Either way, we report as honestly and rawly as humanity allows.
At the time of publishing, the Phoblographer is the only photography publication that is a member of Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative. We champion human-made art and are frank with our audience. We are also the only photography publication that labels when an image is edited or not.

More can be found on our Disclaimers page.

7Artisans 35mm f2.8 Review: They Were Showing Off When They Made This

It's really hard to not like the 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 if you've done the work on yourself and your skill set to understand how to use this lens. With that said, I'm going to implore you to not believe most of the YouTubers who don't understand how to use zone focusing. If you're one of those people who knows how to use zone focusing, you're going to love this lens. Of course, you can do exactly what I did too, which is eliminate the need for manually focusing and instead adapt it to a TechArt device that gives you autofocus with Leica M-mount glass. And if you do that, know that you're going to get good results most of the time. It's probably going to miss a times, but most of the time you won't have issues. That has nothing to do with the lens though. The 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 is the one of the clearest set of rose-colored glasses I've ever put on my Nikon Zf. That's my way of saying that everything I make images of with this lens is stunning. Sure, Nikon's color profiles are doing a lot of heavy lifting. But even without them, I'm still really adoring what's possible. The 7Artisans 35mm f2.8 is a very compact, well built lens that lacks weather resistance -- and that's to be expected because it's for Leica M-mount. And as far as I go, it doesn't really stand out when it comes to image quality, but instead more for its small size that makes you want to bring it everywhere with you. Anything that gets us making more photos and bringing more joy to ourselves while doing it is something that wins high marks from me.