An extremely cost-effective entry-level full-frame cine lens 7Artisans Spectrum series
- ChungT.
- Feb 14
- 3 min read
At the beginning of 2022, 7Artisans entered the ranks of movie lenses - the first batch of Super 35 Vision Spectrum series movie lenses 25mm, 35mm and 50mm T1.05, which can easily achieve a soft and beautiful blur effect, enhance the expressiveness of the subject, and enhance the atmosphere of the overall picture, opening the door to high-quality and low-cost movie lenses. Not only are they affordable, but they also bring top-level image creation experience. The first full-frame cinema lens series, Spectrum 35mm, 50mm and 85mm T2.0, released in the summer of 2022.
Designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras with a short flange focal distance, the 7Artisans Spectrum series lenses feature a full metal housing, come with manual focus and aperture rings, have a 270° focal length, and are available in 4 different mounts (E/RF/L/Z). They are more compact than DSLR-based designs and are not suitable for the popular PL mount. The entire series of movie lenses has excellent performance such as high image quality, rich picture details, and low distortion, making the image presentation more artistic and helping to create high-quality works.
There are differences between movie lenses and still lenses, the main one being uniformity. They are designed to have gears on the focus and aperture rings so that filmmakers can follow the equipment as it goes, where the teeth of the geared equipment will align with the ridges in the rings, unifying the diameter and distance between them so that lenses can be changed without having to readjust.
Cinema lenses are not measured by the size of their aperture (F-stop), but by the light transmission (T-stop). T-stop numbers are generally larger than F-stop numbers due to the loss of light as it passes through the glass elements in the lens. Taking an f/1.4 lens as an example, the T-stop value is usually T1.5 or T1.6, but some lenses with poorer light transmission may have a larger difference.
The weight of the lenses in the entire series is between 600g and 900g, and the length of the lenses is about 100mm, which is very suitable for use in wireless cameras.
7Artisans Spectrum 35mm T2.0
7Artisans Spectrum 50mm T2.0
7Artisans Spectrum 85mm T2.0
3-lens set with lens box retail price RMB6250
When the light beam shines on the center of the lens, a very distinctive blue light spot will be produced. This kind of special effect is not seen in lenses with extremely high anti-glare properties if the light spot is what you like.
In terms of rich picture details, wide color reproduction, low-contrast optical design, retro lens effect, and compact design, although it is not close to zero breathing when focusing, it is a good choice for low-budget people at its affordable price of less than HKD4000 each and its image quality.
In late October 2023, 7Artisans released the Spectrum 14mm T2.9, completing the entire focal length range.
7Artisans Spectrum 14mm T2.9
Retail Price USD459
Company Profile
Founded in March 2016, Qijiangni Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. is a Chinese lens manufacturing company dedicated to developing various types of lenses from entry-level to professional level, providing excellent optical performance and superb image quality to meet the needs of photography enthusiasts and professional photographers. With the support of consumers, it has gained a good reputation for "high cost performance", "strict quality control" and "good quality and low price". From its inception, the R&D team of seven people has expanded to today's team of one hundred people.
