7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II Review

7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II for Fujifilm X Review

Recently I reviewed the 7Artisans 35mm f/0.95 and it was with that in mind I decided to get my hands on the newly released 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II for the Fujifilm X mount.

My impressions of the 35mm f/0.95 were favorable but I was skeptical whether the 55mm f/1.4 II could follow suit at half the cost. I paid $126.00 for the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II whereas the 35mm f/0.95 retails for $249.00.

I have tried several 50mm lenses for Fujifilm X mount lately. Please find links to these reviews at the bottom of this article. I was interested to see how the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II would fare in the mix.

In the fall of 2020, I picked up a copy of the TT Artisan 50mm f/1.2 and I will primarily draw comparisons between the 7Artisans and TT Artisan lenses in this review.

7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II - Introduction

The first version of the 55mm f/1.4 was released almost three years ago, and I will admit it was never on my radar. Had it not been for the 7Artisans 35mm f/0.95, I am not sure I would have paid attention to the recent release of the Mark II version of the 55mm f/1.4.

One of the most interesting aspects of this lens segment is a very affordable price point and in some instances, you can find very decent lenses without breaking the bank.

A woman is lying in the back of her van reading a book. Sample image from the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II — English Bay Beach, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro3, 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II

7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II - Handling and Specs

Promising better optics and build quality than its predecessor, the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II is an 84mm full-frame equivalent short telephoto lens. At 12.6 oz, 358 g, it has a hefty feel to it and the build quality at first glance is also rather good.

Focusing is smooth and well-dampened but does not feel as refined as on the 7 Artisans 35mm f/0.95. It has a peculiar softened feel at either end of the focus spectrum, infinity, and closest focusing distance.

Flowers in bloom at Morton Park in the West End of Vancouver. Sample image from a 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II — West End, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro3, 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II

It is as if it was designed this way to let you know you have reached either end. I am not a fan of this and think it should be mentioned.

The filter diameter is 52mm and the dimensions are 2.4 x 2.6", 60 x 65 mm. From a design perspective, it inherits the good looks of the 7Artisans 35mm f/0.95 with red and white markings for the distance scale and aperture markings.

It does however appear as if a lens designer merely stretched the chosen font in Photoshop so they appear taller, instead of keeping a consistent look from the 35mm f/0.95.

A comparison of the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II and 35mm f/0.95 is shown in the photos below.

The 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II for Fujifilm X shown on a Fujifilm X-Pro3. 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II review — The 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II shown on the Fujifilm X-Pro3

The 7Artisans 35mm f/0.95 shown on a Fujifilm X-Pro3 — The 7Artisans 35mm f/0.95 shown on the Fujifilm X-Pro3

Video shooters may like the clickless aperture dial but I would prefer the clicks, preferably in third-of-a-stop increments. The aperture ring is however very smooth and does not have the issue I mentioned above for the focusing ring.

Unfortunately, there are no electronic contacts to the camera, meaning you won’t have EXIF information in your files.

A leans on a log at English Bay Beach in Vancouver. Sample image from a 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II — English Bay Beach, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro3, 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II

7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II - in Action

I was surprised how a 55mm lens feels more like a telephoto lens than the 50mm options I have tested. We are only talking about a 5 mm difference but it is noticeable when framing your shot.

The 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II is well balanced on my X-Pro3 and I suspect it would be the same down to about the size of the X-E4. The 55mm f/1.4 is not overly large and with the 52 filter diameter, it would not dwarf even an X-E4.

For manual focusing, I use the standard manual focus assist setting and a customized Fn button for “focus check”. With a longer lens such as this, obtaining accurate focus becomes even more important.

The 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II shown on the Fujifilm X-Pro3

7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II - Image Quality

Summer is upon us and for this test, I hit the beach and streets of Vancouver. I also took the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II for a bike ride along English Bay and False Creek in order to get a few comparison shots with the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2.

Overall, images produced by the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II are quite good. The lens improves as you stop it down but maybe isn’t the sharpest wide open. Keeping the low cost of $126.00 in mind it gives you good value for money spent.

Bokeh is pleasing at a close to medium distance but at further distances, it gets quite busy and coarse, and at times even choppy. Chromatic aberration did not jump out at me but I didn’t put it through a real stress test either.

A man is taking in the view at English Bay . Sample image from a 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II — West End, Vancouver, Fujifilm X-Pro3, 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II

7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II vs. TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2

Similar in size, cost, and weight the TTArtisans 50mm f/1.2 will most likely be on your radar if you are looking for a short telephoto lens for your Fujifilm X camera.

As for build quality and design, they are close but I prefer the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 with its superb aperture ring, clickable in half stops. The overall feel of the TTArtisan is a notch above, especially when it comes to the focusing ring which is very smooth and with a hard stop.

Depending on what you plan to shoot, take this into account and if you mainly shoot stopped down, the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II may be your ticket.

With a short and fast prime such as these two contenders, I prefer the lens which renders the nicer image when shot wide open. In this case, I would pick the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 over the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II and consider also its lower price tag of $98.00.

I have a full review of the TT Artisan 50mm f/1.2 here:

TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 - Review

People enjoy a beautiful summer morning at English Bay Beach. Sample image from a 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II — 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II @ f/1.4

People enjoy a beautiful summer morning at English Bay Beach. Sample image from a TT Artisan 50mm f/1.2 — TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2

False Creek under Burrard Bridge in Vancouver — 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II @ f/5.6

Yachts are at False Creek under the Granville Bridge in Vancouver. Sample image from a TT Artisans 50mm f/1.2 — TTArtisans 50mm f/1.2 @ f/5.6

Conclusion

The 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II is probably fairly priced in comparison to the 7Artisans 35mm f/0.95 at about half the cost. I think the fun factor was higher with the 35mm f/0.95 and the overall feel and experience with the 35mm f/0.95 was also slightly better.

Comparing it to the TTArtisan I picked the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 and I am probably giving the 7Artisans a tough go here. The differences are marginal and please remember there is room for error when manually focusing these lenses.

I have more sample images below from the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II and I think you will agree that it produces more than decent images at the affordable price of merely $126.00.

The fact that we now can pick up and try new focal lengths at a reasonable cost I see as a positive and you cannot go terribly wrong with the 7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II but consider the alternatives also.

Please see more sample images below.

Price / Availability

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7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II - B&H Photo

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7Artisans 55mm f/1.4 II - Sample Images

Please see the sample images below. Editing was done in Capture One and I used Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos, especially Classic Neg. and Acros.

Click to view larger images.