Lenses

TTArtisan 40mm F/2.8 APS-C Macro Lens Teased

Posted by Jeff Loch on in 1:1 Magnification Ratio, Gear News, Lenses, macro, macro lens, TTArtisan, TTArtisan 40mm F/2.8 APS-C Macro

Chinese manufacturer TTArtisan has just released a teaser of their upcoming lens: the TTArtisan 40mm F/2.8 APS-C Macro. As its name suggests, this lens covers APS-C sensors, it has a 1:1 magnification ratio, and it should come out at an incredible price. So let’s take a closer look at it!

TTArtisan has built its reputation with fully manual photography lenses at incredible prices in less than two years. The company already released a dozen lenses, including the $150 TTArtisan 7.5mm F/2.0, the $98 priced TTArtisan 50mm F/1.2, and the $73 priced TTArtisan 35mm F/1.4. The company has just started teasing their new lens, the TTArtisan 40mm F/2.8 APS-C Macro, with an exciting game: guess how much it will sell for?

TTArtisan 40mm F/2.8 APS-C Macro features

According to this video released by TTArtisan, the 40mm F/2.8 APS-C Macro will be available in various lens mounts, including Sony E, Canon EOS-M, FUJIFILM X, Micro Four Thirds, and Nikon Z mounts. Obviously, the lens will cover APS-C sensors, and that’s probably why there is no Canon RF mount, for example.
Image credit: TTArtisan
This 40mm F/2.8 Macro will have a 1:1 magnification ratio, which should give you a minimum focusing distance of around 15.2cm/6.4in.
In terms of lens design, the lens consists of 8 elements in 7 groups. Also, it has two low-dispersion elements to reduce chromatic aberrations. The front filter thread is 52mm. Like every other TTArtisan lenses, this 40mm F/2.8 APS-C Macro will be a fully manual lens, mainly made of metal.

Price and availability

At the moment, there is no price nor availability info. However, you can guess how much it will retail for and leave a comment on their YouTube video. If you nail the price right, you might get one for free! What do you think about this new TTArtisan macro lens? Do you prefer manual or autofocus macro lenses? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!

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Cine Helios 44-2 – Rehoused Cult Classic Swirly Bokeh Lens

Posted by Tim Fok on in 44-2, 58mm, cine, Gear, helios, iron glass, Lenses, rehoused
The Cine Helios 44-2 VLFV is a new lens from Iron Glass that rehouses the cult classic 58mm Helios swirly-bokeh vintage lens. Helios is a lens brand from the Soviet Union era, affectionately naming all their lenses with a simple model number. The 44-2 has become a very popular lens in the vintage market, known for it’s swirly-bokeh backgrounds. The problem many filmmakers have found with this lens is adapting it successfully for video. It is M42 mount, meaning any adaption to the likes of Canon EF involves a screw adaptor (easy to unscrew). Focus wheel is tight to the mount and, being old, models generally have some play here and there. None of this is ideal for video, and a few companies have looked to tackle this by adding gears, spaced front hoods and improved threaded mounts. Iron Glass has taken it a step further a produced a completely rehoused version, for a very affordable price. The Cine Helios 44-2 is available in permanent PL or EF mount, focus scale can be etched in feet or meters. Aperture remains on the front in f/stop (no T-stopping) but is de-clicked. Despite the slightly confusing name, the Cine Helios 44-2 is a 58mm full frame lens. Focus rotation of the original Helios 44-2 is relatively long, the Cine Helios 44-2 is no exceptional at 270 degrees. It weighs just over half a kilo (550g/1.2 lbs.) and sports a 95mm clap on front with internal 86mm filter thread. The price? $950 – pretty reasonable when considering the cost of usual lens rehousing. Much of this is likely down to the relatively cheap cost of the lens itself, they are fairly common to get hold of and usually fetch for under $100. Iron Glass has plans for a whole set of Helios rehoused lenses, consisting of 20,28,37,58,85 and 135mm. You can place orders now, shipping looking like end of December. Do you like using rehoused lenses? Let us know in the comments below!

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