So… The 7Artisans 24mm f/1.8 AF… Again… Wrong Price Maybe?
(Post header photo for interest using another lens mentioned below.)
Similar to what I said about the recent So… post on the FUJIFILM X Half…
…I so want to like this lens. I said as much after my post on the 7Artisans 50mm f/1.8 AF.
Somewhere in the posts I have made on that lens, I stated that I was looking forward to a wide angle f/1.8 from 7Artisans (…or TTArtisan) to round out my mixed brand f/1.8 FE AF prime trio. They answered,…
…so what is my beef?
Beef may be strong. But the price is the issue here. This was not a problem with the 7Artisans 50mm f/1.8 AF of the TTArtisan 75mm f/2 AF…
…mainly because of price. Both of those lenses came in at around $200 and had no real competition when you look at what you are getting. But that is not the case here. At $379, or $150 more, I have to pause and a few other options also come to mind. Capable brand new all metal $200 AF lenses with aperture rings are as close as you can come to a no brainer in my world. But at that price point, I have to revisit another lens I have second-guessed selling for quite a while.
It is a great lens. Read more in the post above, but for example, it absolutely killed it during a NYC photo walk…
…back in 2021.
And that lens on sale can be had for only a little more than the 7Artisans whether you get the Rokinon or Samyang branded one.
I still have no Earthly idea why they do this. And you can grab a Like New used one for less. That would be the way I would go. Not only because of the price. A review by Chistopher Frost…
…did not really sell me on the 7Artisans lens either.
I will admit that the 7Artisans does carry over two things I like from the 50mm f/1.8.
- Aperture ring.
- USB-C port on the lens for firmware updates.
The Rokinon matches the other switchgear, like a focus hold button, but pulls ahead a bit with quick access to infinity focus, which I did find handy. And, based on my experience and Christopher Frost’s review, the Rokinon/Samyang is a better performer. So between the two, I would lean towards a used copy of the Rokinon/Samyang 24mm f/1.8. I also have some history with their primes.
Great. So why have I not picked up another copy of that lens? You see, as much as I liked the 24mm f/1.8, I did not use it that much. It did not even clock 200 images in my Flickr album…
…and sat in the bag most of the time. For example, during that NYC trip, the Tamron 28-75mm…
…and Rokinon/Samyang 35mm f/1.8…
…saw much more use.
But here is the thing. I do not own any of those prime lenses mentioned above anymore. One zoom has been the spoiler for me. The far better than it has any business being Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD.
It replaced three lenses for me. Two I had,…
…and, with less focal range overlap, it also made more sense to complement my bag of primes favorite zoom…
…than the 28-75mm f/2.8 I traded towards the 35-150mm. Most recently, the pairing was perfect for a wedding.
Yes, you do lose a bit of light at f/2.8 compared to f/1.8, but this is not really a problem with the great high ISO performance of modern cameras.
So, similar to what the 35-150mm did to longer prime lenses, the 20-40mm put most wide to wide-ish lenses on a trailer.
It is one of the most flexible lenses I have ever owned.
Lost the plot a bit. Where was I?…
Right. The 7Artisans 24mm f/1.8 AF.
It is a fine lens at a very reasonable price. I would not fault anyone for purchasing one. Subject isolation is not usually top priority with such a wide lens, but some would definitely benefit from that extra bit of light. And based on my 50mm f/1.8 AF experience, you will not be disappointed.
Back to the price thing. If it were around $200, like the 50mm, would I buy one?
Honestly yes.
I am a sucker for a good deal. But at the current asking price in a rare fit of reason… I am good.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 