TAKING 28MM SLOWLY! - TTArtisan 28mm F5.6

In the past I have said that my favourite 28mm lens is the Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit. The main reason that I like this lens is that for me it's the perfect compromise of size vs speed.

In todays video we take a look at the TTArtisan 28mm f5.6, a lens thats even smaller and slower! Does this make for an even better alternative? Or does it hit that point of being too slow or too small?

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[hunterhart]

I think it has to be a street photography monster honestly. I’m shooting around f/8 doing documentary work and street so this would be great for that in my opinion as well. Great video.

[EDHBlvd]

You need the new Voigtlander 28mm 2.8 Color-Skopar II. Love that it has f/2.8 and focused down to 0.5m. Great separation and has a cool vignette wide open. It’s super versatile.

[SC-kmqv]

The upcoming Voigtlander 28mm f2.8 will probably be of interest to you. There are two styles - one classic styling like the 5.6/28 here, and one slightly more practical styling like the elmarit with the focus tab.

[derrenleepoole]

It’s a banger of a lens for the price. Heavy for its size too. Set it to 2m, middle notch at the bottom at f8.0 and off you go. Brightin Star have just released a similar lens that is f2.8. Just so you know.

[alanplatt]

I had one, it was very good, I loved it's look and the images. A no brainer for the price. I sold my M10, it went with it.

[tafar-jkdy]

I just receive this lens and after few shoots I can conclude that it's the best way to turn an expensive Leica M10 to a funny Kodak instamatic

[colinosullivan]

Enjoyed this video mate. For me my zeiss biogon 28mm is hard for me to replace. Has a close focus of 0.5m.

[MarcWynter]

Great review as always Goughie. This lens' appeal is in its size for sure. I find I'm bothered by the flaring more than I do with the close focus or slower aperture. Being in sunny South Florida, it's to be expected. Other than that it's a pretty nifty lens.

[carlosmcse]

Been shooting 28mm for a couple of years. I’m primarily a 50mm shooter and find myself shooting the 28 less and less. It’s very different from 50mm and the frame line are a pain in the ass to see. So I’ll be switching to 35mm as a companion to 50mm. I almost was tempted to get a 28 Summaron. Once you own the 28 Ultron II there was no point to get an Elmarit or Summicron. The 35f1.4 Nokton II in sc is like a less glowy steel rim. So I’ll be shooting that instead.

For 28mm if you want a super small one get the new Voigtlander 28f2.8 Skopar. Is just a little taller than the Summaron and it’s f2.8. Save your money for the Elmarit. I’m sure the Skopar will be just about the same thing. Maybe a little vignetting at f2.8.

[anthonymiller]

I enjoy this little lens. I also have a Leica 35mm f3.5 Elmar which is basically the same size. I rarely use a 28mm and when I do it is outdoors in full sunlight and on subjects i want a good depth of field so slow does not bother me. The Leica 35mm at f3.5 is fine as well. As I prefer smaller lenses and got the Light Len Labs 50mm f2 "Elcan" which is almost half the length of a 50mm Summicron. Great travel or walking around/pocketable lenses.

[ReinoldFZ]

I know it is in a different type of camera but the 28 mm f 3.5 fixed lens of my Fujifilm DL SuperMiNi is quite small and of very high quality. I think it has more resolution than the consumer film I use. The whole camera probably is a third the size of the Leica and minimal focus is around 30 centimeters (one feet?)

[paulm]

Credible and balanced review, Goughie — photos demonstrate issues well. Was going to ask about lens hood, but you came through on that matter. Without hood lens would be “pancake”. Infinity lock a plus.
Zone focusing is a good technique providing we don’t accidentally move the focus ring😊, and provided the lens has readable distance/aperture markings. Does it have a distance scale?
Is there a Lightroom lens profile for this one? Adobe offers some downloadable tools to make your own profile — tried it once but there was little benefit from the big time and effort needed to shoot the target images, etc. Ever try it yourself? Cheers!

[omarknowsphotos]

Seems like it'd be nice for hiking because of the size.

[jestintzi]

You could wait to try the new voigtlander that is coming out, which is a similar form/size but is 2.8.

[GrahamBridgemanClarke]

I also had one to review. I found focus, even with the supplied directions to be off and I really wanted to like the lens. For this type of price I can live with the occasional flare and softness at wide open but not the focusing issue. I returned it and TtArtisans told me I could keep it but no point if focus is off.

[FelixJohnAttard]

Great stuff as always Goughie. Personally I think that apart from the price the Elmarit is in all ways better than this lens. Now if this lens had some specific look, that would be a game change form me.

[jimleonardphotography]

I picked up a brand new one at great price last year, I figured I'd use it for a while then sell it on with some profit, I ended up keeping it. If you don't want to spend too much on a 28mm then this might just fill the gap for you, it's tiny and can sit in your bag as an extra lens and takes up little or no room.

[AnotherBoringyearold]

Buying the new 28mm elmarit or the previous one?

[TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

Think it's really only meant for street photography everything else makes no sense at all. 🤔

[Rumplestiltskin]

With this reviews TTartisans won't send you any more lenses to test 🤣