TTArtisan 28mm F5.6 Review – the pocketable companion lens

Introduction

At times dismissed as a wallet-friendly replica of the USD3095 Leica Summaron 28mm ƒ5.6, the USD368 TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 has been around since 2022 and has garnered its share of fans and naysayers. Let us take a closer look today at this petite lens for Leica M and L39 mount.

tl:dr

If we simply do what we should and focus on the TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 as a piece of optics, I will, without doubt, say that this is an excellent value-for-money lens with a quality build that more lens makers can emulate.

Optically, while the TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 is not perfect, it punches above its weight and an excellent petite companion lens in a photographer’s bag for the photowalk or street-photographer moment when light is good.

Moreover, the sheer experience of simply using a rangefinder without the hassle of finding critical focus is a hell-of-a-fun experience anyone should attempt one day.

How similar are they actually?

Let us get the big question out of the way early, the TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 is indeed a cosmetic copy of the Leica Summaron 28mm ƒ5.6 however that is about all of it.

If one looks beyond this skin deep similarities, the TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 comes with a different optical design from Leica’s Summaron 28mm ƒ5.6 and thus, not the same.

The Leica Summaron 28mm ƒ5.6 instead sports a more classic rendering (it is a reproduction of a 1955 design) and has a build with even tighter tolerances and handling. Technically, I will see these two are different lenses sporting (it is a personal view whether this is a case of fortunately or unfortunately) an almost identical cosmetic look.

Technicalities and build

TTartisan, unlike some of the other ‘budget’ third-party lens makers, has built a reputation for offering excellent build quality at a relatively low price point, and the TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 is no exception.

Key Technicalities

• Focal length of 28mm (full-frame) in Leica M and L39 mounts
• 7 elements in 4 groups optical design with 6 aperture blades
• Maximum aperture at f5.6 to f22
• 37mm filter size at approximately 151 grams
• Angle of view of 72° and minimum focusing distance of 1 meter.

The lens is surprisingly heavy for its size and built entirely out of metal (I am guessing the whole unit is made of brass). The metal surface opposite the mounting mechanism is reflective, allowing one to ‘see’ the markings for zone-focusing purposes.

The markings on the aperture ring and focusing mechanism are engraved versus the cost-saving painted-on markings of some lens makers.

Performance and samples

From my experience with the Leica Q series (my Q3 review is here) and Nikon Z 28mm (review here), 28mm has become one of my more used focal lengths, thus leading me to this TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6. While I have used the Leica Elmarit 28mm for both digital and film, somehow, the extremely petite design of this TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 drew me to test it.

For its lightweight presence, it delivers surprisingly better than ‘decent’ images, after all this is a lens which I reckon most of us will be using at a constant ƒ5.6 orƒ8.

Center sharpness is impressive at almost all apertures. In fact, most of the sample shots shared here were taken at the widest aperture of ƒ5.6 and zone-focused.

A surprise is that the focusing mechanism is smooth and pleasant to use. This lens focuses using a focusing nub (similar to the traditional focusing tab on other M lenses), and it features an infinity lock mechanism, which might need some getting used to.

The TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 is a lens that should be enjoyed zone-focused, similar to how one enjoys the snap-focus function of the Ricoh GR series.

Much to my relief, the hyperfocal markings are also well placed and accurate, For example, one can easily cover the distances of ~ 3 meters to infinity at ƒ5.6 which makes this lens very easy to use.

Colors are well reproduced, with a good amount of saturation. A pleasant surprise is that while the TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 performs well in the chromatic aberration area, it flares easily unless one has the hood attached. (The front, back caps, and hood of the lens are also constructed of metal.)

In general, subjects in high-contrast scenes showed little to no aberrations, though I am sure if you look hard enough, you will surely be able to find them.

Conclusions

The TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 is a well-built and designed lens that photographers who enjoy a small camera profile and zone focusing will surely enjoy. For this review, most samples were shot zone-focused at ƒ5.6 with the occasional ƒ8 and one at ƒ16 .

While unlikely to wow anyone like a Noctilux, Summilux or even an Elmarit lens does, the TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 does well with a design intented for the street photographer who has a much lesser need for ‘bokeh’ and is an excellent lens to start with.

At a very ‘common’ and easy-to-frame 28mm focal length, the TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6 is well placed to even be a lens that introduces one to the Leica rangefinder world, and at its wallet-friendly price, a lens easy to recommend to anyone.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimers:

1. All product photos and samples here were photographed by me. I believe any reviewer with pride should produce their own product photos. 

2. All images were shot with my personal copy of the Leica M11-P/previous M10 and TTArtisan 28mm ƒ5.6.

3. This review is not sponsored.

4. I write as a passion and a hobby, and I appreciate that photography brands are kind enough to respect and work with me.

5. The best way to support me is to share the review, or you can always help support me by contributing to my fees to WordPress for the domain using the Paypal button at the bottom of the page.