Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2 Review: Not Worth the Money

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Last Updated on 07/27/2026 by Chris Gampat

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of third-party M-mount lenses that have offered photographers everything from budget lenses to lenses that are nearly identical in terms of quality to that of Leica or Voigtlander lenses. Thypoch’s Ksana 35mm F2 sits on the budget end of the spectrum but promises a “vintage look” without compromising image quality that modern cameras require. Here’s how it shakes out in the real world.

The Big Picture: Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2 Review Conclusions

The Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2’s Epoch Coating 84 promises vintage character with minimal optical quality compromises

There are a lot of things that I genuinely loved about using the Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2 – the biggest of all was its compact form factor and 0.5m closest focus distance which opens up your world when using a 35mm rangefinder lens. The fast F2 maximum aperture meant that you could easily work indoors or in low light without worrying about packing a flash (at least that was my experience with the Leica M11-P). The Ksana 35mm boast a unique coating, Thypoch’s Epoch Coating 84, that likens the final images to those made with 80s-era Zuiko lenses – which I appreciate Thypoch leaning into creating a lens with character and not just another sterile lens.

Unfortunately, at just under $600, the truth is that there are other lenses that are more attractive in terms of price and character. Still, in working with this lens for the past month I can appreciate the subtle character it adds to my street photography images.

We’re giving the Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2 three out of five stars. You can pick one up for yourself for $599 on Amazon.

Pancake design makes this perfect for everyday shooting
0.5m minimum focus distance is slightly closer than typical rangefinder lenses
Price puts this lens at a disadvantage when compared to other 35mm f2 lenses
Brass construction gives this a premium feel/heft and confidence for long-term use
M-Mount is easily adaptable to various mirrorless camera mounts

Experience

The Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2 lived on the Leica M11-P throughout this review period.

For this review, I used the Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2 with both a Fujifilm X-Pro 1 (original) and the Leica M11-P. Thypoch sent me the lens as a loan, as did Leica and the M11-P. The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 is my own.

The Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2 came across my desk at a time where I had been looking for an excuse to shoot with a true rangefinder. When the opportunity to review this lens came up, I couldn’t say no. When you first unbox the Ksana 35mm it truly felt like a premium experience. The lens’ brass construction gives it a heft that feels substantial in the hand and lends a certain expectation of quality build that should last well past its warranty period. While I can’t speak to that last part, it’s good to know that it feels as premium as Leica lens would.

Leica camera with attached lens and strap resting on a textured woven surface. — The Ksana 35mm’s brass construction is finished with either Silver (pictured) or Black paint.

The lens itself is straightforward in design – it’s a compact lens, about an inch in length and sporting an equally small 39mm filter thread. One of the standout features of the lens is its minimum focusing distance of only 0.5m/19.5-inches. Typically, pancake rangefinder lenses have a minimum focusing distance of 0.7m; that additional half foot of focusing area to work will absolutely open up possibilities – especially when using this lens to discretely capture the world around you. While the 0.5m focusing distance requires the lens to be “decoupled” from the Leica’s rangefinder, Thypoch added a physical “bump” letting you know that you’re decoupled from what you’re seeing in the rangefinder. It took me a little while to get used to that feeling in the lens’ focusing ring, but once I understood how that worked, it was an easy adjustment.

Image Quality

A blue-painted bicycle locked to a metal pipe on a sidewalk beside a brick building. — Sample image taken with the Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2 and the Leica M11-P. This image was only straightened, otherwise straight from the camera.

Earlier I briefly mentioned Thypoch’s Epoch Coating 84 – Thypoch’s unique lens coating that is intended to give your images a warmer tone straight out of camera. This is an interesting design choice and one that I strongly believe that we should applaud more often. Instead of striving for clinically sharp lenses that produce colors that are meant to be hyper-realistic, the Ksana does things differently. In real-world use, I found that the degree to which you experience this “vintage” look depends on the lighting conditions that you’re photographing in. Indoors, I don’t really see the warmth as much and would even say that the colors skew a little to the purple end of the spectrum. In bright daylight conditions, the Ksana 35 produces contrasty images with colors that pop – especially those that live on the blue side of the spectrum.

Three people sit by a bar with drinks, while another stands in the background. Bottles line the counter. — SooC Sample image taken with the Ksana 35mm F2

Below are some SooC images taken with the Ksana 35mm F2 and Leica M11-P:

An older woman in a green dress sits outside on a chair, smiling, with a bag on the ground beside her.

Elderly woman in a green dress sits and smiles outdoors, with a man walking in the background.

Smiling elderly woman sits outdoors on a chair, wearing a patterned dress and holding a black bag.

Smiling woman in a floral dress sits on a chair outside, with a bag beside her and a textured wall behind.

Man with dreadlocks in a leather jacket stands outside a red brick building, people in background.

Young girl in a striped dress sits at a table with folded hands, looking thoughtful in a bright room.

A person rides a bike through a crosswalk at a city intersection lined with buildings and parked cars.

Two people are talking indoors near a staircase, one holding a drink, kitchen items visible in the background.

A person rides a scooter past a deli and grocery store, with a van and a parked car nearby.

Historic brick apartment building with fire escapes and arched windows, seen from below on a sunny day.

City street corner with pedestrians, traffic signals, and a cocktail bar on the ground floor of a brick building.

Three people with scooters stand outside a store entrance on a sunny day, near glass doors and windows.

A bicycle with a basket is locked to a street sign next to a parked car on a sunny city street.

Two motorcyclists cross a busy city street near a deli and McDonalds on a sunny day.

Two cars parked on a city street with buildings, trees, and a yellow sign in the background.

Two people work behind a modern coffee bar, one using syrup bottles and the other at a counter.

View from inside a car during a car wash, with soap and water on the windshield, looking toward the exit.

Cafe interior with empty tables, a woman walking outside, and busy street scene through large windows.

A group of pigeons gathers on a city sidewalk near a doorway and yellow caution tape.

Police officer stands in a doorway near a sidewalk sign advertising $59 wigs outside a shop in the city.

A person sits at a table with food near a window; the room is dimly lit with daylight outside.

A person on horseback rides down a city street lined with parked cars and trees on a sunny day.

Blurred white cars and a cyclist move quickly past a brick building on a sunny day.

Three mannequins dressed in stylish summer outfits stand outside a brick building in bright sunlight.

A bicycle with Uber Eats bags is parked in front of a store selling watermelons and groceries.

A person with long hair stands near a door, talking, with shelves and boxes nearby. Another person sits nearby.

These are a few edited images also taken with the Ksana 35mm:

Two pairs of flip-flops on a patio, viewed through a window with white panes.

Black and white photo of a microphone on a desk with a pop filter, notebook, and computer screen.

Three people sit indoors near plants, talking and holding red cups, with wooden stair rails in the foreground.

A bicycle with a basket is parked on a sidewalk beside a car, with shops and bikes across the street.

Busy city street with a motorcyclist, pedestrians, and storefronts including a deli and grocery stand.

Barista in striped shirt makes a drink behind a counter with coffee machines and bottles, in black and white.

A smiling person in glasses sits by a window, wearing a dark t-shirt with a white rabbit design.

A woman in a floral dress stands by a table with food trays in a kitchen, drinking from a cup.

A security guard in uniform stands outside a building, speaking into a radio by the entrance.

Three mannequins in casual summer outfits stand outside in bright sunlight, casting strong shadows.

Two people talk in a sunlit kitchen with food and drinks on a table by the window.

A person with long hair stands near a door, talking beside kitchen shelves and a table with boxes.

Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2 Tech Specs

The following features were taken from Thypoch Ksana 35mm F2 product page:

Color: Black / Silver
Focal Length: 35 mm
Mount: M
Aperture: f/2 – f/16
Image Circle: 43.2 mm (FF)
Construction of Optics: 8 Elements in 5 Groups
Type of focusing: Manual focus
Close Focus: 0.5m (from sensor plane)
Iris Blade: 10
Weight: 198.6g
Length: 27mm

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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, Thypoch isn’t 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.
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