A few months back Pergear reached out to me and asked if I would like to test an upcoming lens. This is actually the second time that this has happened; the first was the TTArtisan AF 35mm f/1.8. Now this time, the lens is the TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8. Unlike the 35mm lens, which was quite obviously an early-preproduction model, the 56mm seemed very production-ready. It’s still technically a preproduction model, but I don’t think there’s much, if any, changes between my copy and the final version that is now available for purchase; however, just to be completely transparent, there could be something different that I’m unaware of.
The TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8 lens is an affordable autofocus portrait lens for Fujifilm X-mount. I’m sure it’s available for other lens mounts, too, but this is a Fujifilm-centric website, so we’re specifically talking about using it with Fujifilm cameras. Because of the crop factor, 56mm on APS-C is an 84mm full-frame-equivalent focal-length, which means that it is basically an 85mm lens, a fairly common focal-length for portrait photography. I’m not a portrait photographer myself, so I mostly used it for other subjects.
The maximum aperture on the TTArtisan AF 56mm lens is f/1.8, and the minimum is f/16, with 1/3 intermediate-stops in-between the full-stops. The minimum focus distance is about 20″, which is decent. There are 10 elements in 9 groups, with 9 aperture blades. The lens accepts 52mm threaded filters. It is made mostly of metal and weighs about half a pound. It has similar dimensions to the TTArtisan AF 35mm f/1.8, which means that it is reasonably-sized for a telephoto. The autofocus motor is fairly quick and quiet, but not quite as snappy as most Fujinon lenses that I’ve used, and it has a tendency to hunt sometimes. It comes with a little lens hood. Like the 35mm lens, the firmware for this lens is updated via a USB connection in the rear lens cap, but apparently requires a Windows operating system. It has electrical contacts, which means that the lens information is recorded into the EXIF data.
This TTArtisan is pretty good optically, and I really don’t have a lot to say about it. Oftentimes with these less-expensive third-party options, there are flaws which can give your photographs character that precision-engineered glass cannot. If you appreciate that character, it might be a reason to purchase the lens, and if you don’t appreciate it, that might be a reason not to buy. The TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8 doesn’t have very many flaws, so it lacks the typical character that one might expect; instead, you have good sharpness corner-to-corner without vignetting or other issues, especially when stopped down a little—wide open, there is a little corner softness and vignetting, but it’s not bad. I’m not convinced that this lens can fully resolve the 40mp sensor found in some of the latest cameras. I don’t think that really matters—for example, I sometimes use the Fujinon 18-55mm f/2.8-4 kit zoom, which also doesn’t fully resolve 40mp, and I don’t think twice about it and I’m not bothered by it in the slightest. I believe that maximum sharpness is around f/5.6, but I didn’t do any scientific tests to figure that out.
My opinion is that any and all lenses for Fujifilm X-series cameras should have an aperture ring. Of course not all of them do—not even all Fujinon lenses. Many of the low-budget options don’t have an aperture ring; a lot of third-party lenses are made for multiple lens mounts, and aperture rings aren’t necessarily common for other brands. The TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8 does not have an aperture ring, which is my largest negative comment about it. My hope is that TTArtisan would someday offer a version with an aperture ring.
Something else that might be considered a complaint—or a compliment (depending on your perspective)—is lens flare, which is well controlled. I had to work at achieving it in my pictures, even with the hood off. If you like flare (which I do, personally), that might be considered a negative, but if you don’t like it, then it’s positive news. The pictures below are the best that I could get regarding lens flare.
I really had to consider which Fujinon lens this TTArtisan best competes with. Of course, there’s the 56mm f/1.2, but I believe if you can afford that one, you’re going with the Fujinon, no questions asked. So maybe the TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8 is a good alternative to it if money is tight, and could serve as a temporary stop-gap until you can afford the better lens. There’s also the Fujinon 60mm f/2.4 Macro, which might seem like a less-obvious comparison at first glance. While the TTArtisan is not a macro by any means, there are similarities, I think, between the two with regards to image quality and autofocus performance and such. If you don’t need the macro capabilities, the TTArtisan is about as good, yet with a larger maximum aperture and a significantly lower cost, at only $168.00 USD (or $158 when ordered directly from Pergear). Between the Fujinon 60mm f/2.4 Macro and the TTArtisan 56mm f/1.8, if I wasn’t interested in close-focusing capabilities, the TTArtisan is similar quality for a fraction of the cost, and is a better overall value. Otherwise, the Viltrox 56mm f/1.7 was recently released and is seemingly similar for a little less money. If you’re in the market for a good quality autofocus portrait lens for your Fujifilm camera, the TTArtsian AF 56mm f/1.8 is definitely one to consider, just as long as the lack of an aperture ring doesn’t bother you.
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8:
Amazon
Fujifilm X-T5 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-T5 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using my preproduction version of the TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8 lens on my Fujifilm X-T5:
See also: Kodak Retina retro-style digital mirrorless camera
Find these Film Simulation Recipes and over 300 more on the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
