Alongside its new 27mm f/2.8 lens for APS-C E-mount cameras, 7Artisans has released its affordable 50mm f/1.8 prime lens for Nikon Z mount.
First released just over a month ago for E-mount cameras, the 50mm f/1.8 was briefly the company’s only autofocus lens. In some ways, the 50mm f/1.8 signaled a shift for 7Artisans, a company that had long released only manual focus primes. However, the company’s spirit of releasing good-quality lenses at affordable prices has remained intact. The 50mm f/1.8 lens costs just $228, a relative bargain for an autofocus-equipped full-frame portrait prime.
While there are a lot of 50mm lenses for full-frame E-mount cameras, the selection is narrower on Z-mount. Nikon’s offerings include the Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S lens, priced just under $630, and the very-expensive and fast Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S for $2,100.
Third-party choices include the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 Tilt-Shift lens ($199), the Viltrox 50mm f/1.8 ($359), Yongnuo YN 50mm f/1.8 S DF DSM ($359), TTArtisan 50mm f/2 ($69), AstrHori 50mm f/2 ($79), and Meike 50mm f/1.8 AF ($159). Of these, the Viltrox , Yongnuo, and Meike lenses feature autofocus.
The 7Artisans 50mm f/1.8 prime is significantly more affordable than the Viltrox and Yongnuo lenses, although a bit more expensive than Meike’s option.
7Artisans’ lens includes 11 elements across nine groups, including two high refraction index elements, an ED low dispersion element, and two pieces of aspherical glass. The company promises high image quality and good control over chromatic aberrations.
The lens is designed primarily for portraiture, although it is also well-suited to street and still-life photography. With its bright f/1.8 aperture, it promises soft backgrounds and good low-light performance.
Since the new Z-mount version is the same as the E-mount lens released last month, photographers can look at reviews for the E-mount lens. Dustin Abbott, for example, reviewed the E-mount lens, finding that photographers would be hard-pressed to get better image quality for a similar price. Abbott also includes many sample images in his video review below and his written review.
Sample Images
7Artisans has also shared some sample images from the Z-mount version of the lens, seen below.
Pricing and Availability
The 7Artisans 50mm f/1.8 is available now for E-mount and Z-mount for $228. However, until May 25, 2024, users can save 10% using the code “10%OFF7Ar50f1.8” at Pergear, bringing the price down to just over $205.
Image credits: 7Artisans. The product images show the E-mount version of the lens, which is identical to the new Z-mount variant.