The 7artisans Experience - The Final Word

For a compilation of the morning walk images, click here.

7artisan lenses, from left to right: 12mm F 2.8, 25mm F 1.8, 35mm F 1.2,  and the 50mm F 1.4.

Now that I've played with four of the six 7artisans lenses, I have drawn some conclusions based on actual use. I've had fun with all of them, and consider them good value for the money, with some caveats.

Marrying  Down: I want to immediately dismiss the "marrying down" aspect of using these lenses. I bought them in an attempt to re-kindle some of the excitement I felt as a pre-digital photographer, when lens focusing was manual, controls were mechanical, and proper exposure was dependent on the type of film you just loaded in your camera. Ironically, as film cameras became more affordable in the mid '80s, my interest in photography started to wane. It wasn't until our school's thrice-annual catalog publication went from actual "cut and paste" to computerized desktop publishing that my interest in photography was reignited.

Olympus 35SP

When my main camera was an Olympus 35SP, a sharp 8" x 10" black and white print was my standard output. Sadly, my particular specimen wasn't as sharp as the hype would have me believe. My father commented, "If you can't make them sharp, make them small." I took this advice to heart, and as a result, adjusted my expectations down from "good" to "good enough". Sharpness became a relative thing, and I went about creating art as best as my equipment and I possibly could. Looking back, the limitations on my equipment forced me to set the bar far lower than where it is today.

The Epiphany: Buying my first Fuji X-Pro1 was the first step. With many photographers excited over the potential for a Leica experience at a much lower price, I thought I'd give this whole manual focus fad a chance. After all, I'd been manually adjusting my cameras since the early '70s, so this was far from being uncharted territory. Since I was sure that the project would include several lenses, it would have been prudent to stay with one brand, hoping the keep the handling as uniform as possible. After looking around, I chose the stay with the 7artisans line of lenses, primarily because they were sold by two of the largest New York camera stores, so if they were willing to stake their reputations on this upstart company, why couldn't I?

Fuji X-E1 body, 35mm F 1.2 7artisans lens

By staying within the 7artisans "family", I assumed that all of the focusing and aperture rings would rotate in the same direction. Here, my decision was partially right and partially wrong. To the good, all of the aperture rings rotate in the same direction, which is to say that rotating the ring to the left, as seen from above, will decrease the size of the aperture. Unfortunately, the 35mm lens, shown here, is the only one whose focusing ring, when turned to the left, goes from near to far. The other three rotate in the opposite direction.

50mm 1.4 lens.

While on the subject of focusing, only the 50mm lens has its focusing ring next to the body. Fortunately, the ring itself is quite wide and easy to grasp should you accidentally grab the aperture ring instead.

There is some discussion on the relative smoothness of the focusing rings, the amount of resistance to rotation, and the number of degrees required to go from nearest to infinity. In all four lenses, this is accomplished by a rotation of about 120 degrees. or one-third of a rotation. They all rotate smoothly (no jumps or rough spots), and all offer a comfortable level of resistance when focusing, although the 25mm lens offer just a tiny bit more.

Al Gore. David Burnett, 2001. Click here for the whole story.

What Really Matters: This photograph of Al Gore was made with a  Holga, a plastic "toy" camera made in Hong Kong and popular in China. In the Wikipedia posting, the camera's simple design and  plastic lens yielded dreamy "surreal" results. This award-winning photo was made with a Holga, and its lack of critical details notwithstanding, succinctly captures the spirit of the 2000 Presidential Campaign. It is elegant in its simplicity. Sharp? Definitely not. In focus? Who can tell. A moment preserved? Very much so.

Why Did I Bother? I'm sure the answer can be inferred from this top view of the Fuji camera I've been using daily for nearly three months. It looks like a real film camera, and to a very great extent, presents the same operational challenges of the film cameras I grew up with. Glancing down at the camera, I needed to confirm that the shutter speed and aperture settings were correct, leaving me to verify the correct focus when the camera was at eye level. In short, the layout of the Fuji reminds me of the care I had to take before I made each exposure.

Ivy Vines On A Wire Fence, Romaine Street San Francisco. April 20, 2020.

This challenge of manual lens photographing has actually been a major motivation for my getting into my walking shoes and venturing out looking for potential subjects. I find myself moving briskly up streets and down avenues, looking for imaging opportunities. I've taken a greater interest in the shadows. light quality, and subtle shaping that are found in the early morning. It is that rush that gets me moving.

Call me a nostalgia buff, if you wish. But if one seduced by total focusing and exposure automation, they are essentially surrendering control over a major portion of the creative process. When I adjustment my camera manually, I'm in total control of the camera. I do avail myself to auto exposure (I shoot aperture priority), which allows me to choose my aperture based on how I want the photo to appear, but will frequently over-ride the camera's settings based on my own experience. In the end, it is my decision on when to shift my car's gears, how much butter and salt to put in my popcorn, and what adjustments will best capture the image that I imagined before the shutter is pressed.

And that's just the way I like it.

7artisans 12mm F 2.8 - Journey To The Center

For a compilation of the morning walk images, click here.

The Center Of San Francisco: San Francisco is special in a number of ways. If we ignore the land provided by the Presidio and Candlestick Point, the city is a nearly perfect square seven by seven miles.

A while back, an an article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle describing the placement of a surveyor's disk that marked the geographic center of San Francisco. The article described the brass disk as being somewhere on Corbett Avenue, that street that I walked daily on my way to school so many years ago.

For a lark, I decided to find the marker. I had seen several other surveyor's markers placed here and there across the city, but if I could find this one, I could stand in the epicenter of the cosmic field that summoned the Age of Aquarius. Not.

Street Sign On The Corner Of 17th Street And Mars, San Francisco. April 24,2020

I set off on my quest, again carrying the 12mm 7artisans lens, looking for a subject appropriate for this extreme wide angle lens. While it wasn't that early in the morning, the shadows were long, and if photographing them was my objective, the 12mm lens was a good choice. I was hoping to make a photo where there would be some visual disconnect between the shadow and the object casting it, and this was the first opportunity of the morning. With this photo I was off to a fair start.

Sinrise on Corbett Avenue, San Francisco. April 24,2020

With a lens as wide as this (102 degrees), the backgrounds become extremely important, simply because so much of it will be included in the photo. I wish I was given a foreboding, early morning sky filled with ominous clouds and an unclutter foreground, but that was not to be. This was the best framing I could get, given the X-E1's lack of a rotating LCD display and my reluctance to lie on the ground beside this plant. The moral is that if I want better perspectives, then I should bring an X-T2 body, or be prepared to get dirty.

Pumps, Corbett Avenue, San Francisco. April 24,2020

I'm sure there's a great story to explain the bed riser box and a pair of all too precious pumps sitting on a backyard fence that faced the street. Just the same, I came, I saw, I took (the photo).

The Center Of San Francisco. April 24, 2020

I seem to remember seeing a surveyor's marker on the south-east side of Corbett near the old Twin Peaks Elementary School. After a futile search, I consulted the map provided by my phone, and was notified that I was literally standing on top of the marker, even though I couldn't see it. Just then I saw some walkers approaching me, so I crossed the street in an act of extreme social distancing, looked down, and saw the marker at my feet. The quest was over.

From www.sfgate.com, Wednesday, June 8, 2016

The writing differs from the photo that accompanied the original 2016 photo. Also, the edges of the cement appeared chipped. I heard that stealing the marker became something of a sport, so I'm sure the one I was photographing wasn't the original. The sidewalk appears damaged, probably from attempts by some visiting or local miscreant to pry the marker up. It wasn't the same as finding the Holy Grail, but at least now I could turn my concentration something important, like what I was going to have for breakfast.

Duplex, Corbett Avenue, San Francisco. April 24, 2020

Ansel Adams' use of shadows and texture in his images from New Mexico has always been an inspiration to me. Lacking picturesque adobe structures to photograph, I found something similar int the geometric forms in this stucco duplex. The background is too distracting and the shadows total lacking in subtlety, but like so many early efforts, it's only a beginning. It's what happens next that counts.

This experimental conversion of the color image to a black and white one doesn't seem to do the trick. Perhaps this simple "removal of color" action is too sanitized, and once performed, doesn't leave enough character to carry the photo.

The resulting image is far too cluttered to be taken seriously, and the contrast to excessive if the view decides to explore the cluttered background. I suspect that when a perfect conversion is made from a digital file to a suitable black and white image, I'll know.

Advice, Corbett Avenue San Francisco. April 24, 2020

When I make my morning walk, I don't usually see children. But they leave their mark in the form of chalk drawings and messages on the sidewalk, as children are want to do. This advice, obviously left by an adult with excellent penmanship, serves as a reminder to us all, one that can be applied at many levels.

Stay well.

The Peak Designs Camera Leash

For more information click here.

Since I started my daily Covid 19 stay-cation photo jaunts, I have become much more aware of the importance of the camera neck strap. I've gone to carrying a single camera and lens, and because my morning walks are now approaching the 4-mile-per-day point, the comfort provided by the humble camera strap has become a major consideration.

Like many things in our consumer oriented market, what we buy is a conscious reflection of who we are, or who we want to be. The last thing I wanted to be was a "poser" ready to by the any hip thing that came along. My thinking was that any item I purchased and subsequently used must perform the assigned task better or more efficiently than its predecessor. 

When I carried a much larger DSLR, I employed wide, comfortable straps to better distribute the weight. Now that I live a leaner photographic lifestyle, these overly-wide straps were like the bell-bottomed jeans I abandoned long ago. Something leaner, and meaner, was needed for my 21st Century persona.

I tried a number of synthetic straps, and found that those made by Peak Designs were especially suitable for my use. First, they come in two widths: 1.5"  (Slide) and 1" (Leash), which I'll deploy with my heavy DSLRs and my lighter Fuji cameras, respectively. Cutting to the chase, the most salient features are the quick length adjustment, the quick detach Anchors, and the reversible rubber gripping surface that can be deployed by simply twisting the strap.

Attaching the strap to your camera may require the use of a "D"  split ring, or in the case of the Peak Design straps, an elongated "O" ring. This narrower design is better suited for the small-diameter reinforced chords, clearly shown by this photo. Unfortunately, these chords are too thick to pass through the camera eyelets, so you still have to struggle a bit to thread the tiny split ring through the eyelet.

One other feature is the quick detach mounting on the strap. The small red disk snaps into a special recess in the ends of the strap for a very secure attaching point. The retaining disks are designed for both easy removal, and secure attachment, and take only one or two tries to completely master. Convenience and safety. What a concept.


A most useful feature is the multi-layered construction of the chord. As the instructions clearly state, they are safe and serviceable until the yellow inner core is exposed, a reminder that the chord is starting to seriously wear. Spares are readily available, and come those teensy split rings to better match the smaller size of the chord. 

One interesting option is the available of extra anchor links which allow the user to adapt one's existing camera straps to utilize the Peak Design anchors.

One final point is the one-handed length adjustment. While carrying a heavier X-Pro 1 body, I decided to shift my carry from around the an across-the-body off shoulder carry. I was able to accomplish the adjustment with a simple, tug-and-extend movement that took less time than it takes to read about it.

Peak Designs also sells Anchors to adapt existing camera straps to use the quick-detach Anchors. A spiffy video has been created for your entertainment, and I guarantee it's a well-spent 2.5 minutes.




Attaching Without Split Rings: I wish I had seen this earlier. You can bypass the hassle of  installing the split rings by following these simple instructions. Of course, if the holes in the strap lugs are a little tight, the rings might be the better way to go. Dental Floss. Who knew?



I really like the Peak Design approach to the good ol' camera strap. The yellow "wear indicator" cable core really sold me. The quick detach Anchors and the rapid adjustment feature are the frosting on the cake.

Job Bob says "Check It Out."

7artisans 12mm F 2.8 - As Wide As It Comes*

For a compilation of the morning walk images, click here.

Get you lens here.

I took the 7artisans 12mm F 2.8 lens with me on my morning walk, hoping to make a photo that would shout "wide angle" to the viewer. I had been using the 25mm lens for about two weeks, and found the weight and heft of the 12mm lens something I really couldn't ignore. It isn't the sort of lens that becomes an organic extension of the photographer. It requires a lot of thought to find a suitable subject. At least for me.

When designing a lens this wide, size and weight come with the territory. The bulbous front element and the petal lens hood make attaching a protective UV filter impossible in its current state. For the moment, I kept the lens cap on the lens until I was ready to make a shot, a precaution that puts a real damper on spontaneity.

Need one? Find one on eBay.

It turns out that 7artisans does have a filter holder for the lens. From what I've seen, it appears to slip over the lens hood petals and is held in place with a strip of felt, an insecure arrangement at best. It takes 77mm filters, an easy go for me since this is the standard thread size for my 2.8 Nikkors. My real fear is that the adapter will catch on something and drag an unsuspecting B&W filter crashing to the ground. Ouch!

One word of caution if you decide to add a protective filter. The 102 degree angle of acceptance means that at the edges, light will enter the lens at a 51 degree angle. Image carrying light entering the edge of the lens at so steep an angle is bound to introduce some color fringing.

If adding filters is really that important to you, there are alternatives, but not from 7artisans. Samyang, Opteka, and Meike offer 12mm lenses that will accept filters. You can see their specifications by clicking here.

Backlit Leaves, Mars Street in San Francisco. April 22, 2020

I found these these backlit leaves that were naturally framed by the surrounding shrubbery. The leaves in the center are reasonably sharp, not so much because of the lens design but because of the difficulty in establishing critical focus with a wide angle lens. Perhaps I should have changed from Focus Peaking to Digital Split Image, or perhaps even the standard, unassisted focusing mode. In any case, better planning on my part might have sharpened the image a bit, but it's a reasonable image, but not one that could stand up to extreme enlargement and close examination.

Crosswalk, Portola Avenue San Francisco. April 22, 2020

This crosswalk image could also have benefited from some additional planning. For now, I am not confident the lens is capable of delivering stellar sharpness from edge to edge, as the sign above the crossing request button isn't super sharp. If memory serves, I opted to set my focus to favor the background, which could have thrown the foreground "out of focus". Since I'm still in the experimental stage, I'll give this one a pass, with a commitment to give more attention to details in the future.

Ghosts In My Lens: One re-occurring artifact is the "ghost", or small bright shapes the arranged themselves in a line with the center of the lens as their source. I don't recall seeing a multi-colored series like this one, but they do occur when a sun, just outside of the field of view, sends light into the lens and ricochets off the inner surface of the lens barrel which passes obliquely through the glass elements of the lens. A proper anti-reflective coating of each lens glass-to-air surface should minimize, or eliminate, these dots of light. We should note that they are shaped like the lens aperture, and one can infer that the more rounded the aperture, the more rounded the ghost. This lens has only seven aperture blades, which explains the heptagonal** shape.

The fix is simple. Just use your hand to shield the lens. I normally position my hand so that it can be seen in the viewfinder, and move it until it no longer appears in the frame. Luckily for us, mirrorless cameras allow you to preview the image immediately after the shot is made without moving your eye from the viewfinder. 

I'll continue to shoot with the lens, and see what else I can discover.

* 7artisans offers a fisheye lens, but after experimenting with my Tokina APS frame lens adapted to Fuji, decided that owning it would be much more fun than actually using it.

**Seven-sided regular polygon.

The 7artisans 25mm Lens: Upper Market Street

For a compilation of the morning walk images, click here.

Magic Doorway, Corbett Avenue. April 19, 2020.

A Transformative Experience: I've been using the 25mm lens ever since it arrived. which was about two weeks before this post.

In reviewing the lens delivery timeline, a lens was delivered between the 35mm (first) and the 25mm (third). That lens, the 55mm F 1.4, also carried the 7artisans brand name, and like my Fujifilm 50mm F 2.0 and my 56mm F 1.2 lenses, probably won't get used much. Lenses in this focal length range, which scale up to 75mm in the full frame format, are considered the ideal lenses for serious portraiture. Since I seldom do tight head shots, these two lenses are usually passed over for something shorter, and with when I photograph indoor shots of groups of people, something much shorter. Ah, but I digress.

I have no idea where this little orange door (left) leads to. All I know that when I saw it, I assumed that it led someplace fascinating. Sadly, it probably provides access to this home's foundation, or perhaps the gas and water meters. 

Green On Green., Market Street in San Francisco. April 19, 2020.

This one leaf, lighter in hue, stood out from the darker background. This was a good enough reason to add this image to the collection.

Street Lamp,  Glendale Street in San Francisco. April 19, 2020.

As photos go, this one is still a work in progress. I'm not sure how bright I want the sky, or what adjustments will be need to make the clouds brighter, or possibly more foreboding. 

Step To The Front, Corbett Avenue in San Francisco. April 19, 2020.

I am still trying to get the hang of manual focusing on subjects that have a great deal of depth. It's safe to say that this image would have been too busy if everything was in sharp focus, but there still needs to be a center of interest, and it needs to be in sharp focus.

It's interesting that of the four cameras I've used, I've found that both my X-E1 and E2 and the original X-Pro1 handle the non-Fuji much better when focus manually. I'll discuss that in a later post.

Blooming Rose on Corbett Avenue in San Francisco. April 19, 2020.

I'm normally not a big fan perfectly centering the center of interest (I'm a Rule of Thirds kind of guy). But this single flower was the only one that was fully facing the camera and free from the ravages of wind and rain. I centered everything up, and made the best shot that I could. The 25mm lens isn't a top performer wide open, and the photo won't survive an extreme enlargement. But it was my best effort to date, and I'll do better tomorrow.

Next, the 7artisans 12mm F 2.8 lens.