Should You Buy This $300 TTArtisan 28mm F5.6 Lens for Your Leica?

#TTArtisan #Leica #Leica11 #TTArtisan28mmf56
The TTArtisan 28mm F5.6 is a lightweight compact lens prices at $300 dollars that gives photographers that are new to Leica M Cameras an easier way to get familiar with the rangefinder system. Also because it's priced at a fraction of the cost of the similar Leica 28mm Summaron it allows one to experiment and see if this is the right lens for them. How is the performance of the lens though?
Check out the video to find out more.

00:00 Intro
0:55 Build Quality & Design
02:26 Lens Specifications
03:14 Lens Usability
04:38 Optical Quality
06:03 Photo Samples
06:53 Final Thoughts

Equipment I used for this Video:
Camera: Nikon Z9 Lens: Nikkor Z 28-75 f2.8

Audio: Neumann TLM 107 / Zoom F6
Lighting: Aputure 300X
Display Cabinet: Terravault

Instagram: Btonelli
Facebook: Bobby Tonelli

Thanks to Riceball Photography for loaning the lens for review.

leica mp leica m11 ttartisan 28mm f5 6

[louis]

Admit I am a Leica fan, but bought this lens for $300 before trying the Summaron @ $3000. I have it in black. BTW the Leica Summaron 28/5.6 DOES accept filters of 34mm. Nice review and practical thoughts too.

[GastonShutters]

Great one Tony. Own the Leica Summaron and the TTArtisan out of curiosity and this lens while is a straight copy has more vintage character than the re release (because of the aberrations it has, the most obvious one flaring). The build quality is great but the lens loses focus calibration very easily making it frustrating to rely on.Elmarit 28mm f2.8 still my fav 28mm that doesn't break the bank and offers tons of value for the money.

[crispin]

Very nice, informative and humble review. Reassuring for those who can only, currently, aspire to own Leica lens.

[gnuhapi]

The Q2Mono took me back to my Nikon F2 & Tri-X days when a 28mm lived on the body, but eventually I wanted to do color and also reach out. So I bought an M-10R, a 90 Elmarit and a 50 Summicron but still needed something wide. Enter the TTArtisan 28/F5.6 which has practically lived on the M until today when a TT Artisan 21/f1.5 arrived. After a shakedown I have no regrets about the 21, but it will stay in the bag until needed and the TTA 28 will resume its normal spot on the M body. I find it is a great all-around lens and f5.6 doesn't matter with the M10s ISO range.

[dgaijin]

Any Leica person that does not celebrate the arrival of this lens is a fool. It's an excellent tiny lens that fills a void for those of us that don't wish to pay thousands of dollars for each lens that goes on their Leica. I own a good number of Leica lenses but I also use Voigtlander and a few TT Artisan lenses. And, as you said, it's a great bargain for those new to Leica rangefinder and a chance to expand their lens selection. Thanks for a nice video.

[mwales]

I picked this up a while back for use on my M240 and very happy with the images it produces. It has a bit of character that I like in the images shot with it and very small and sexy... The TTArisan 50mm 1.4 is also a very nice lens from them.
Would it be nice to have Leica glass? Sure, but with my old eyes I'm not going to pay that much and not be able to tell the diff. in my images... my 2 cents...

[xulab]

love the perspective on bringing people into the RF world and not being a "legacy snob". thanks!

[Notwilliamafton]

Just ordered one for my fuji based on your recommendation as i shoot primarily street...thanks for the review...
My fave photo sample of yours was the guy sitting while holding his chin...stay safe..

[patricktung]

The external lens design looks like the Summaron, however the optical design appears to be different from the Summaron. Nonetheless, it’s really a nice little lens.

[Rusty_]

If you shoot social documentation, like wide and use your range finder to zone focus this at F8/F11 is great. best lens for the price.

[Jalan]

Great review. I have been looking for something just like this for when I want to take my M camera somewhere, but don't want to be bothered with focusing and just want to use it as a point and shoot. In a perfect world, i would buy a Leica 28mm, but just doesn't make economic sense for occasional use.

One question: It looks like it has an infinity lock, is that correct? I had an old Leica 50mm that had one and found it very annoying. Maybe it's not so bad on this lens since your primarily zone focusing?

[IDaumI]

I like fast lenses but they can be big and heavy. The size and price of This TTartisans lens makes it perfect for casual shooting. If I really want to "make art" I'll whip out my 35 Lux FLE. But to be honest, most days I reach for this tiny little guy.

[calvinchann]

Price, great. Looks great. However, I am disturbed by the need to have to calibrate an increasing number of lenses from these newer producers. I’ve got over my Leica only lens phobia with the Voigtlander 35 and 50 APO’s which are great for an occasional M shooter that I am. Unless I won the lottery, I would never be in the market for the Leica versions anyway. Even so, I think I’ll restrict my M mount lens options to Leica, Zeiss and Voigtlander.

[Photojouralist]

Hi Bobby, love the colors of the TTA. I do have the Leica Sumarron and its amazing but huge money. My buddies have the TTA and love it . I agree with you

[RobertFalconer]

The results are pretty good, I gotta say...maybe even "good enough" for most applications. Pretty much only a daylight shooting option if you photograph with it on film bodies, though. Probably would be more versatile on a recent digital M. An interesting stress test for the optical performance would be to see how well it performs on the M11.

[raymondtay]

I agree with the comments made. Definitely value for money.

[simonkimber]

I bought one and image quality it’s just so so…. Sharp enough but when you zoom in… it’s urgh… nice feel…. But not great. Will try calibrating…. Build quality is good

[masacamera]

Good point! I agree with you.
I’ll try the lens first.
I’ve subscribed !😊 in Singapore, too.

[coolmax]

Totally agree with you point on the replica, there is nothing wrong with it, as long it’s not illegal to do so and they also just sell it as Leica mount not ‘Leica ‘ brand 😉, I personally own Leica glasses also lots of Voigtlander, ttartisan, to be honest they are just different kind of kids in the house, but they are all great and deserve our love😘

[carlosmcse]

What was the last Leica lens you shot? (Not Leica mount, but made by Leica)