TTArtisan 28mm F5.6

The $368 TTArtisan 28mm F5.6 is a throwback lens in more ways than one. It looks and feels a lot like the Leica Summaron-M 28mm F5.6, a pricey remake of a 1950s optic, and similarly delivers photos with less contrast than modern alternatives. Otherwise, it has an ideal angle of view for slice-of-life images and captures enough depth of field to make grabbing shots from the hip practical. If you like the look of the lens and the pictures it renders, the 28mm F.6 makes for an inexpensive addition to an M rangefinder or digital mirrorless camera kit. Overall, however, it's not as versatile as the $358.99 Funleader x Brightin Star X-Slim 28mm F2.8, which earns our Editors' Choice award thanks to its quirky rendering, wider aperture, and shorter minimum focus distance.

An Affordable Summaron Clone

There's no question as to where TTArtisan's design team drew its inspiration for the 28mm F5.6. It looks just like the Summaron 28mm F5.6, a lens from the 1950s that Leica revived in 2016 as part of the Leica Classics line. The original Summaron goes for several thousand dollars on the used market, and the remake is a more expensive proposition at $3,095.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

TTArtisan's take is far less expensive. I received the silver chrome edition for review, which is available for a discounted price of $326 while supplies last. Otherwise, the lens is available in black paint, gold anodized, or titanium anodized finishes, all for $368. The anodized finishes are meant to hold up over years of use, while the black paint will eventually wear thin to show the brass barrel. There's no functional difference between them, but many photographers appreciate the patina that black-painted brass picks up over time.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens is very small and light at 0.9 by 2.0 inches (HD) and 5.3 ounces, not surprising given the modest f/5.6 aperture. Typically, lenses with narrow apertures use less glass than those that gather more light. The Leica Summaron-M 28mm F5.6 is a little smaller and slightly heavier (0.7 by 2.0 inches, 5.8 ounces), but the two appear similar.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

In the box, TTArtisan provides the lens, a clamshell storage and display case, metal front and rear lens caps, and a square metal lens hood. The hood secures via a small thumbscrew and is deeper than the lens itself, just like the one for the Leica Summaron. It's a little ornamental here since the prime's recessed front element and optical coatings do a good job of suppressing flare already. As for filters, the lens supports the 37mm thread size.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Weather sealing and stabilization are missing, but no other M-mount lenses include those features either.

One of Many Small 28mm Primes for M Cameras

There are several small 28mm lenses to consider for M mount. Leica's svelte Elmarit-M 28mm F2.8 ASPH. (1.2 by 2.0 inches, 6.2 ounces) features a modern aspherical optical formula and handling but carries a typical Leica price of $2,795. The similarly minded Zeiss Biogon T* 28mm F2.8 ZM costs less at $1,361.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

If you want the tiniest lens possible for your M rangefinder, the Funleader x Brightin Star X-Slim 28mm F2.8 (0.8 by 2.0 inches, 4.4 ounces) is worth a look. It distinguishes itself from the TTArtisan with much more characterful renderings and quirkier handling.

As for other options I haven't tested, the $299 7Artisans 28mm F5.6 and $299 Mitakon Zhongyi Creator 28mm F5.6 both undercut the TT lens on price but don't have the same charming retro exterior. Voigtlander sells its $699 Color-Skopar 28mm F2.8 in two versions, one with a modern finish and one with a classic style.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

All of these manual focus M mount lenses have rangefinder coupling, meaning they support through-the-viewfinder focus with compatible cameras, including many that use 35mm film rather than digital sensors. The M mount dates back to the 1950s, so this list includes film cams from Leica, Voigtlander, and Zeiss, as well as current digital options like the Leica M11-P and the Pixii+. Most interchangeable-lens mirrorless cameras also work with M lenses via a simple adapter, too.

Minimal Controls and Quality Focus Operation

There's not too much to the lens as far as controls go. It includes an aperture ring to set the f-stop, which goes from f/5.6-22 in full-stop increments; there are no half- or third-steps here. You shouldn't worry about that limitation if you're using a digital camera or even a film body with color negative or black-and-white emulsion film types since they have relatively broad exposure latitude. That said, exposures can be tricky if you have an old Leica M with slide film since the exposure latitude for positive emulsions calls for spot-on metering. To be fair, the Summaron-M 28mm F5.6 also moves in just full-stop increments. Meanwhile, the Brightin Star X-Slim supports a continuously variable aperture without click stops and newer Leica primes like the Elmarit-M 28mm support half-stop changes. Zeiss ZM lenses are the only M-mount options I'm aware of with third-stop settings.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

A small lever provides good control over the focus. It's easy to manipulate and includes a push-button lock that moves it in and out of the infinity focal distance. Therefore, it's unlikely that you'll nudge it accidentally if you've got the lens set for snapshot photography. The focus action is quite smooth and well-dampened, meaning the ring turns precisely. I don't have any complaints about the mechanical quality; the lens has better build quality than you might expect for the price.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The wide angle and modest aperture make the prime suitable for zone focus. This photo technique is popular for documentary photographers who want to capture a scene without setting precise focus or even shoot blindly from the hip. A distance scale engraved into the front portion of the mount helps you preset focus for these scenes. At f/5.6, close focus starts at 10 feet (3.1 meters) when the focus is locked to infinity. The lens realizes an even broader depth of field at f/8 (6.6 feet to infinity), f/11 (4.2 feet to infinity), f/16 (3 feet to infinity), and f/22 (1 foot to infinity).

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

However, the lens is not a good fit if you want the blurred background look. For those types of images, you're better off with a lens that has a brighter aperture and focuses closer. The X-Slim 28mm provides rangefinder-coupled focus to 2.3 feet, for instance, and you can get an even shallower depth of field with lenses like the $899 Voigtlander Ultron 28mm F2.0 or $6,595 Leica Summilux-M 28mm F1.4 ASPH. Brighter lenses are better for use in dim light as well. The TTArtisan's f/5.6 optics present a challenge for nighttime street photography and interiors.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Focus breathing isn't much of a concern with this lens. There's just a very slight change in angle when you shift focus from the nearest distance to infinity. Regardless, the optical formula isn't made to isolate subjects or support video shots that rack focus to draw attention from one subject to another.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

TTArtisan 28mm F5.6: In the Lab

I typically use Imatest to check lens resolution, but the TTArtisan's wide view and 1-meter minimum focus prevent a standard evaluation. It's just not possible to properly frame our largest test chart with a full-frame sensor camera. As such, I opted to check the APS-C sensor area of the optics with Imatest and closely inspect real-world photos from full-frame cameras to get a handle on its resolution. I tried the lens with a Leica M (Typ 240), a Leica M11-P, a Panasonic Lumix S5, and a Sony a7R IV.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Testing reveals that the TTArtisan 28mm F5.6 can't provide the tack-sharp results of modern M lenses. APS-C test shots (with the 60MP Sony a7R IV in its 26MP crop mode) show sharp results at the center only (2,600 lines from f/5.6-11). Detail levels at the periphery are average at f/5.6-8 (1,950 lines) and good at f/11 (2,200 lines). Sharpness decreases in the f/16-22 range, a result of optical diffraction.

Although some creators might seek out the TTArtisan for its vintage design, its rendering is rather neutral and inoffensive. If anything, its photos look a little boring compared with those from the Brightin Star X-Slim. That lens captures scenes with more quirks and imperfections at wider apertures but takes on the look of modern, contrasty lenses at f/5.6-11.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Visual inspection of a flat-field image from the a7R IV in full-frame mode shows no fine detail in the corners at f/5.6-8 but decent results from f/11-22. If you're after a lens with excellent resolution from corner to corner, this isn't it. Pictures don't look bad at wide apertures, but you should make sure that your subject is close to the center for the crispest results. It's been several years since I reviewed the Leica Summaron-M, but old photos and test data show that it's a better performer. It scores higher in lab tests on a 24MP sensor (3,050 lines in the center at f/5.6), and real-world images show more off-center detail. Still, the Leica's 1950s optical formula doesn't render scenes with uniform clarity to the edges and corners.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

If you prefer a more modern, sharper look, the Funleader x Brightin Star X-Slim delivers very good detail wide-open on a 24MP sensor camera and hits excellent numbers (2,700 lines) at f/4-5.6. Even so, its corners won't satisfy landscape specialists and it has strong field curvature at brighter apertures. If corner-to-corner resolution is what you're after from a small M-mount 28mm, get either the first or current version of the Elmarit-M 28mm F2.8 ASPH.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Looking beyond resolution, the TTArtisan does a fine job of controlling distortion. I couldn't spot any signs of the barrel or pincushion effect, so you should feel comfortable using it for architecture and other scenes in which an accurate representation of reality is a priority.

You have to contend with a vignette at all apertures, however. At f/5.6-8, the extreme corners are noticeably dim. The effect lessens from f/11-22, but you can still spot darker corners in scenes with even illumination.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The 28mm F5.6 uses an uncommon 5-blade aperture. Most lenses use more blades to get rounder highlights, but the 28mm's optical formula and 1-meter focus distance are not well suited for blurred background photos. The aperture has a direct effect on sunstar rendering, however.. At f/22, the lens draws interesting sunstars, with the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock tines stretching much longer than the others. Unfortunately, the tines aren't very crisp, and I noticed some rainbow flare effects in photos at the maximum aperture. The rainbow effect is visible in the same scenes at wide apertures, too, but isn't as clear. On a positive note, the 28mm F5.6 doesn't show these ghost reflections when the sun is less prominent or just outside of the frame, meaning you can comfortably use it without the hood.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Verdict: Vintage Looks for a Fair Price

Overall, we enjoy the TTArtisan 28mm F5.6's construction quality, retro appearance, and low cost compared with competing options from Leica, Voigtlander, and Zeiss. The lens isn't as optically strong as we expect given its modest f-stop and can't focus very closely, but documentarians and street photographers are likely to find enough to like about it (even if it's because it resembles the Leica Summaron-M 28mm F5.6). Still, we continue to recommend the Funleader x Brightin Star X-Slim 28mm F2.8 as our Editors' Choice winner for this focal length given its brighter aperture, more intriguing optical character, and similar price.