Quick take: The 7Artisans 75mm F1.4 is a sub-$200, all-metal, manual focus full-frame portrait lens for Canon RF. Wide open, it's a little soft with some chromatic aberration, but that softness actually flatters skin for video, the focus ring is smooth with good resistance and it's small enough to carry anywhere. If you want a cheap, fast portrait or video prime on Canon RF's locked-down mount, it's a great value.
What You're Getting
I tested the 7Artisans 75mm F1.4 at Paterson Great Falls. On Canon RF full frame, a third-party lens like this is going to be manual focus, and at under $200, you probably guessed that. It's a really fast full-frame lens, so wide open you'll get chromatic aberration and a slightly soft image. On modern sensors, it's nothing bad, and it saves you the cost of a Pro-Mist filter or skin-softening presets.
Low-end glass has gotten really good over the last five years. Even five years ago, a lens like this probably would have cost $600 or $700 and people would have been fawning over it.
Build Quality
7Artisans has always offered strong value, and this is no exception. The all-metal build feels great, and it has an interesting screw-on front cap, probably to keep the size down. I've come to like it, since I usually have an ND or Pro-Mist filter on my lenses anyway, which lets me grab good-looking footage on the fly when I'm carrying a Canon camera.
Photo vs Video: Opposite Priorities
Photographers usually want tack-sharp lenses: center sharpness, corner sharpness, sharpness everywhere. Video shooters often want the opposite. That's why you see matte boxes stacked with filters to soften the very detailed digital image modern cameras produce, and why vintage glass like Canon FD and Helios lenses is still popular for video.
Shooting myself wide open, the background is beautifully blurry, skin tones look good and contrast is on the lower side. It's not the image you'd expect from a $200 lens. And since it's manual focus, it never hunts. For a talking head, set focus once and you're done.
No Electronic Contacts
Like most manual lenses outside the $1,500-plus range, there are no electrical contacts, so the camera reads F0.0 and won't record your aperture. If you need to recreate specific shots, take notes on each setup in a notepad or an app.
A Tip for Beginners
Don't shoot talking heads wide open. Stop down to about F4 so their ears aren't blurry and they can rock back and forth a little without going out of focus. It also makes focus much easier to nail when you're shooting yourself.
A Great Budget Video Lens
The aperture ring is almost clickless, which I don't love for photos, but a fully de-clicked version at this price could win over a lot of video shooters. I'll be using it mostly as a video lens, since most of my client work is talking heads and you just need something that looks good. Going with inexpensive manual lenses can eliminate a big expense compared to native Canon RF glass, and there aren't many options on this mount unless you shoot in Super 35 mode.
The focus ring is a highlight: smooth with plenty of friction. That matters a lot on a fast prime, where a sloppy ring makes fine adjustments frustrating.
Infinity Focus
The lens is marked for infinity, but on my copy, turning it all the way to infinity was a little soft wide open. Backing it off slightly made distant subjects sharp. It might just be my copy, and it's not a dealbreaker, but street and landscape shooters should be aware.
Size and Portability
A lot of fast lenses are enormous. I love my Canon RF 85mm F1.2, but it's the size and weight of a brick, which makes it hard to bring traveling or on a night out. The 7Artisans fits in any bag, doesn't weigh much and doesn't attract security's attention.
Who Is It For?
It's for anyone looking for a budget prime, especially portrait photographers who don't want to drop $3,000 on a fast lens, and anyone who wants to try manual focus without hunting for vintage lenses and adapters. Other than chromatic aberration and softness wide open, there aren't many problems, and as of filming it's well under $200. On a locked mount like Canon RF, cheap fast manual primes are really the only budget option we have.
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