TTArtisan releases its 50mm f/1.4 Tilt lens for Canon, Fuji and Nikon cameras
News | By Stephan Jukic | December 10, 2022
The young but prolific Chinese lens maker TTArtisan has announced the release of a new 50mm f/1.4 tilt lens that it originally created for Sony E-mount and Leica L-mount cameras two months ago.
Now, this same optic is available for Canon’s RF-mount, Nikon’s Z-mount and Fujifilm’s X-mount devices.
The new 500mm lens is designed for use with either full-frame or cropped APS-C cameras and offers a 75mm equivalent focal length in the latter of these two types. It also features a seven-element design that’s arranged into six groups.
The optics inside the lens offer a high refractive index glass element that mitigates distortion and aspherical aberration according to its maker. This then creates superior sharpness and a more precise level of image rendering.
Because this is a tilt-shift lens, it comes only with a manual focus which while perfectly workable, might not be useful for some photographers.
What’s more, it delivers a minimum focus distance of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches and its clicked aperture ring gives it a range between f/2.8 and f/16 thanks to a 12-blade diaphragm. There’s also a 62mm front filter built into the lens.
TTArtisan also states that the lens is convenient for pro video production because it has been optimized with a focus and aperture ring that are built to mimic what most cinema lenses can do.
As for the specifics of the tilt mechanism, it lets the lens be angled to as many as 90 degrees, giving the lens exceptional versatility and letting it be used to change image perspective so that it can create what TTArtisan called a “Lilliput” look. This refers to a photographic perspective in which dramatic tilt makes focused-on objects look abnormally tiny.
However, as long as this tilt function isn’t being used, TTArtisan claims that “There is no difference between the lens and a regular 50mm f/1.4 lens when the tilt function is not used,”
In other words, you can use the lens for ordinary photographic perspectives based on its focal length.
TTArtisan elaborates, “When taking pictures, we often encounter the need to only make some areas clear and other areas blurred. But using a tilt lens can meet this need without changing the aperture, and making photos more artistic.”
TTArtisan’s 50mm f/1.4 full-frame tilt lens variant for Canon RF, Fuji X and Nikon Z-mount cameras is now available from B&H for a very modest price of $199. A specific edition of the lens is sold for each of its 5 different compatible camera mounts.
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Stephan Jukic is a technology and photography journalist and experimental photographer who spends his time living in both Canada and Mexico. He loves cross-cultural street photo exploration and creating fine art photo compositions.
