Manual lens? Domestic manual lens? I believe that many friends have already given up this option decisively when they see such words. However, today in 2021, is the domestic manual lens really that unreliable?

What I am sharing with you today is the 7artisans 35mm F1.4 APS-C lens that I have used recently. I don’t know if you will have a new perspective on this lens after reading my experience.

Let us talk about its price, $69. No matter how the times change, the price of chinese manual lenses is still so affordable, but the price cannot be a reason for all defects.

The 7artisans 35mm lens adopts an all-metal design and feels kinda handy. Compared with the cheap plastic feel of Fuji lens set, under such a small lens body, the all-metal matte spraying process needs to reach a certain level before it can be completed. Perhaps it is time to have a new impression of the $69 chinese manual lens.

Usually low-priced lenses, part of the cost must save from the compromise of materials. To my surprise, the body of this lens is polished from all metal, the overall design aesthetics of the lens is quite good, the red 35mm logo is particularly "out of ordinary". Leaving aside the question of whether the red painting is good or not, just the filling of the 35mm font paint seems a bit amateurish. It reminds me of the red paint graffiti on the big iron gate when I was a child.

The aperture ring and focus ring of the lens have a shorter stroke. This design is good for the camera experience, but there is no doubt that it is not very friendly for video shooting. In terms of imaging quality, this lens is absolutely worthy of his price, and even a little bit beyond my expectations. 

The image quality of the lens is still very good. Compared with the 15-45 Fuji zoom lens of almost the same size and volume, the Seven Craftsman half-frame 35mm F1.4 is much sharper. Although the zoom is not the same as the fixed focus, it does bring me the most intuitive feeling.

When the aperture is fully opened, a purple fringe will appear. However, it can be circumvented by shooting with the light in the early stage, or through software in the PC. If you look back at its price, you will involuntarily say "Bravo!"

Fortunately, 7artisans did not blindly emphasize the cost-effectiveness and discard the workmanship and optical quality of the lens. It is also very fortunate that in the era of material desire, domestic brands are still willing to make an entry-level lens at an affordable price. This has nothing to do with the so-called cost-effectiveness.

In today's fast-paced life, being willing to twist manual focus instead of auto focus is a challenging and romantic choice in itself, just like the slogan of this lens "Hey, make friends".

For photography, it has nothing to do with the price of the equipment.

The most important thing is what you want to shoot and what you want to convey.

If you love photography. 

The end