Portrait focal length lenses with wide maximum apertures will always be popular, but they can also be quite expensive, easily running about $2,000 at the top end of the spectrum. The TTArtisan 90mm f/1.25 offers that classic combination at a much more affordable price, making it an attractive option for a wide range of photographers. This excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
Coming to you from Christopher Frost, this great video review takes a look at the TTArtisan 90mm f/1.25 lens for mirrorless cameras. At $515, the 90mm f/1.25 highly affordable for a portrait lens with a very wide aperture. Nonetheless, it comes with a variety of features that improve its performance, most notable being:
- 11 elements in seven groups
- Four sets of achromatic element doublets for reduced chromatic aberration and better resolution
- Clicked aperture ring
- 10-blade aperture for smoother bokeh
No doubt, the one notable drawback of the lens is that it lacks autofocus, but that being said, modern mirrorless cameras offer a range of helpful manual focus aids, and as long as you are not photographing fast action, it is easier than you might think. Check out the video above for Frost's full thoughts on the lens.
If you're passionate about taking your photography to the next level but aren't sure where to dive in, check out the Well-Rounded Photographer tutorial where you can learn eight different genres of photography in one place. If you purchase it now, or any of our other tutorials, you can save a 15% by using "ARTICLE" at checkout.
I have a number of TTartisan lenses for my Fuji. All are built with superb quality and have very decent, if not great image quality. The only real hindrance is the lack of autofocus. Especially when catching the right moment is crucial. I'd be more than comfortable paying a few extra dollars to purchase any autofocus lenses they may produce in the future.
Odd why you’d buy manual lenses if you find manual focus a problem.
Simple, to get vintage image quality and characteristics without vintage problems. No adapters, which saves space and time. A lens that has a classic look, without the clinical sharpness of more high end lens. No problems with fungus or sticking aperture blades. And piece of mind, it something unfortunate should happen to that lens. At it's price point, it would not be too much of a loss if it ever got damaged.
You listed the same reasons (plus, for me electronic contacts) why I love my Voigtlander manual E mount 40mm f1.2 - apart from your last point about cost.