TTArtisan APO-M 35mm f/2 ASPH

TTArtisan APO-M 35mm f/2 ASPH

The APO-M 35mm f/2 ASPH marked a shift for TTArtisan, a Shenzhen optics maker that had built its reputation on fast and compact M-mount lenses that prioritized speed and size over outright correction, such as the well-known 50mm f/0.95 [1][3]. With this 35mm the company set out to chase optical quality instead, positioning the lens as a far cheaper alternative to the Voigtlander VM 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar while aiming for the same class of correction [1]. Reviewers treated it as a direct competitor to that Voigtlander, and the early verdict was that the apochromatic claim held up [1].

The lens uses a complex optical formula of 12 elements in 9 groups, combining apochromatic correction to suppress chromatic aberration with an aspherical element to control distortion [2]. It is built as an all-metal, manual-focus rangefinder lens with a clicked aperture ring and 10 inwardly curved blades, and at 510 g it is dense for its size [1][2]. The mount is Leica M with rangefinder coupling, it takes 52 mm filters, and it focuses to 0.7 m, a distance the reviewer noted is a little long for a 35 mm but typical for the M-mount system, where many Voigtlander 35mm lenses reach 0.5 m and the current Leica goes to 0.3 m [1][2]. Although M-mount only, it can be adapted to mirrorless bodies, though such a high-resolving design performs best on the sensor it was designed for [1][2].

TTArtisan has historically added more mount options to its lenses after launch, but at the time of the early reviews this lens existed only in M-mount, in black [1]. No major factory special editions are widely documented.

Optical qualities

Rendering Documented impressions describe a high-contrast, high-resolution lens with natural, undistracting bokeh helped by comparatively low optical vignetting [1]. As a genuine apochromatic design it shows no colorful fringing around out-of-focus edges [1].

Sharpness The lens shows hardly any softness wide open, and one reviewer said he would not hesitate to shoot it at f/2 even at close distances [1].

Aberrations Longitudinal chromatic aberration is described as essentially absent, with the reviewer calling the correction effectively perfect and noting no visible bokeh fringing, a result he found stronger than the Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar samples he had tested [1].

Collector and user notes The same review was not uniformly positive. It pointed to focus shift between f/2 and f/2.8, only average build quality and handling by the tester's standards despite generally liking TTArtisan's M lenses, weak flare resistance, and rough polishing of the aspherical element that produced onion-ring textures and odd light streaks in the bokeh, alongside the 0.7 m close-focus limit [1].

History

Development and Launch TTArtisan announced the lens in July 2022 alongside an unrelated 50mm f/2 lens for mirrorless cameras [2]. It launched at a retail price of about 468 US dollars, roughly 40 percent of the price of the Voigtlander VM 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar it was compared against, which framed its appeal as bringing apochromatic, aspherical 35mm performance to rangefinder users at a much lower cost [1][2]. TTArtisan itself was founded in 2019 in Shenzhen and divides its catalogue into rangefinder, mirrorless, and autofocus lines, with the rangefinder series aimed at Leica users [3].

Sources

• [1] Bastian Kratzke, phillipreeve.net. Review: TTArtisan 35mm 2.0 Apo-Asph M. https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-ttartisan-35mm-2-0-apo-asph-m/
• [2] 35mmc. TTArtisan Adds to Full-Frame Lens Lineup: 35mm F2 APO ASPH M-Mount & 50mm F2 Mirrorless. https://www.35mmc.com/15/07/2022/ttartisan-adds-to-full-frame-lens-lineup-35mm-f2-apo-asph-m-mount-50mm-f2-mirrorless/
• [3] TTArtisan Official Website. Company and product overview. https://ttartisan.com/?list_9%2FAPO-M35-F2.html=