TTArtisan 90mm f/1.25 is a great portrait lens for M-mount users – and a quarter of the price of Leica's own equivalent lens!
(Image credit: photorumors)
The new TTArtisan 90mm f/1.25 lens for M-mount cameras is now available for pre-order, providing Leica M-mount full-frame camera owners with an ideal manual portrait lens.
The lens is designed for use on digital M-series cameras such as the Leica M10 and Leica M-E rangefinder mirrorless bodies, but is also compatible with older Leica M film cameras. This new piece of glass promises dreamy bokeh with its fast maximum f/1.25 aperture.
The TTArtisan 90mm f/1.25 is quite a weighty lens at 1.01kg (35.63oz). To compensate for this, it incorporates a tripod mount in the lens body for steadier shot composition. The lens is constructed of 11 elements in seven groups, uses a 10-blade aperture diaphragm and has a minimum focusing distance of 1m (39.37in). It measures 97mm (3.82in) long and 82mm (3.23in) in diameter and has a front filter thread of 77mm.
The TTArtisan 90mm f/1.25 should be available for $770 with immediate dispatch from the TTArtisan online store from 14 May. No UK price has been announced yet.
Chinese company TTArtisan also has five other lenses available for the Leica M-mount: the TTArtisan 50mm f/0.95, the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4, the TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4, the TTArtisan 21mm f/1.5 and the TTArtisan 11mm f/2.8 Fisheye.
Considering the hefty price of Leica digital cameras and lenses, these reasonably priced TTArtisan lenses are a great way to experiment with unusual pieces of glass without having to pay premium Leica prices. Even at $770, the TTArtisan 90mm f/1.25 costs looks extremely good value when you consider that Leica's slower Summilux-M 90mm f/1.5 ASPH would set you back $5,195 / £3,825!
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Laurence is an NCTJ-trained journalist with nearly 20 years' editorial experience gained on a wide range of publications, from The Beirut Times in Lebanon to The Sunday Times, and including recent freelance engagements with Future's cycling and automotive portfolios, Outdoor Fitness, and The English Home. He has recently been undertaking a sports broadcast journalism MA at Southampton Solent, gaining valuable TV and radio experience, and am currently videographer for Frome Town FC soccer team. He is the author of Bikepacking (Wild Things Publishing, 2016).