In the past, whenever we spoke about 7Artisans, it was with immense love. Third-party lens manufacturers are quite popular amongst photographers, as they are affordable, durable, and produce excellent image quality. However, it seems that most of their lenses had one thing in common: a manual focus. All of that changed last year when rumors of an autofocus line-up began to move within the industry. However, it seems this will soon become a reality. Below are the details of this 7Artisans’ new autofocus series.
7Artisans Ten New Autofocus Lenses Image Leak
Interestingly, a year after our last report, 7Artisans revealed images of its lenses at the IBC show in Amsterdam. According to Sony Alpha Rumours and Photo Rumors, 7Artisans revealed ten images of its prime lenses at the trade show. However, their price range has not yet been revealed. Photo Rumor also adds that the full-frame series will be titled called Infinite.
7Artisans full-frame Infinite AF lenses (E/Z/L):
- AF 24mm f1.8
- AF 35mm f1.8
- AF 35mm f2.8
- AF 40mm f2.8
- AF 50mm f1.8
- AF 85mm f1.8
APS-C AF lenses (E/Z/X):
- AF 27mm f2.8
- AF 35mm f1.4
- AF 25mm f1.8
- AF 50mm f1.8
7Artisans’ lenses have received good ratings from us in the past, so we are quite excited to see what the new lenses can do. Most significantly, they are pretty good if used within their limits. They are also a great option for those on a budget. For instance, we really liked the optical quality of the 50mm f1.1. “It’s a lens with beautiful image quality, enough control for you to really care about; the Leica M mount is very versatile, and it’s built well with the exception of the holes. But the lens gives you an absolutely stunning image,” we wrote in our review. These lenses have also made it to our guide of best, affordable third-party offerings. So, you can imagine how satisfied we have been.
But The Company Needs to Try Something New.
Let’s face it: Innovation is noteworthy in the camera market. In that regard, 7Artisans is trying to catch up with the industry. Third-party lenses like Tamron, Laowa, and Viltrox have already introduced autofocus lenses for both full-frame and APS-C cameras. The Laowa 25mm f0.9, for instance, performed really well. “First off, there’s the super shallow depth of field ability. And when you want to use it for street photography, you just stop it down to f5.6, focus it to five or six feet away, and then zone focus all you want,” we wrote in a review. The same goes for Viltrox 27mm f1.2 PRO, which also performed well, with a fast autofocus like Fujifilm’s older lenses. Furthermore, these lenses are also reasonably priced.
As a result, 7Artisans has to do something new to get the users’ attention. From the images, it seems the APS-C lenses also lack an autofocus ring, which could be an issue for those who are hybrid shooters. So, the new lenses must be better built, have better weather resistance, have control over vignetting at fast aperture, and be available at competing prices. These are some examples that the company’s autofocus series should incorporate. However, since the specifications haven’t been revealed yet, it is hard to state how different the 7Artisans lenses are. But we do hope they offer something different than what is out there.