7Artisans Spectrum 50mm T2.0 Cinema Lens Review | DA

0:00
Hi, I'm Dustin Abbott and I'm here today to give you a different kind of review from the
0:14
company Seven Artisans. I've reviewed a number of Seven Artisans lenses in the past, but
0:19
they've always been relatively inexpensive APS-C manual focus lenses for a variety of
0:26
mirrorless mounts. This is a completely different series in that it is their spectrum lineup of
0:33
cine lenses for full frame mounts. And so I've tested Sony E-mount, but you can also get them in
0:39
Canon RF, Nikon Z, or Zed, along with Leica L-mounts. And so these are, I think, really useful lenses for
0:47
the many photographers or videographers, I should say these days, cinematographers that maybe have
0:52
started to invest in one of these platforms, but don't have a huge budget to spend on lenses
0:57
Because as we're going to see, it allows you to get a very competent lens in both performance
1:02
in terms of the handling, but then also in optical performance, but at a price point of
1:07
in this case, right under $380 US dollars for this particular lens, which is the
1:13
Seven Artisums Spectrum 50mm T2.0. Now, also in this series, there is a 35mm T2
1:21
along with an 85mm T2. We'll reference those lenses very briefly as a part of the comparison
1:27
for this lens. This being a lens that is designed more around cinematography, my review format is
1:33
going to be just slightly different and I'm going to be focused more on video footage and the
1:37
applications for video because frankly, if you're not interested in doing video, a cine lens is not
1:42
really for you. It's designed specifically around doing cinematography and while it takes really
1:48
nice pictures, as you can see a few of here. It's really designed more for getting quality
1:52
video footage, and that's what we're going to focus on here today, right after a word
1:56
from our sponsor. Today's episode is brought to you by Phantom Wallet, the minimalist, modern wallet that
2:02
is now even better with the new Phantom X that is crafted from aluminum right here in
2:07
Canada. It is 22% smaller and 35% lighter, while still making it easy to access your cards
2:14
and money when you need them, thanks to their unique fanning mechanism. You could even customize your wallet due to its modular design
2:21
with accessories like a money clip, cash holder, ID display, and even Chipolo and AirTag tracking integration
2:28
Visit store.phantomwallet.com to check out their unique sizes, styles, and finishes that span from aluminum to wood to carbon fiber
2:37
And use code DUSTIN15 for 15 off when you ready to check out Cine lenses have different priorities than stills lenses and one of the main ones is uniformity
2:49
They are designed to be geared or used with focus follow equipment, and that equipment has to attach to the focus and aperture ring
2:56
That means that A, those rings need to have a specific design where the teeth of the gearing equipment will line up with the ridges in the rings
3:02
and B, they need to have a uniform diameter and distance between the two rings
3:07
so that you can switch lenses without having to change all the settings on your equipment
3:11
As you can see from this promotional photo, all three of the Spectrum lenses are designed to be precisely swappable
3:17
That means that all three lenses are precisely 89.6mm in diameter and have an identical distance in between the two rings
3:24
though the length of the lenses vary. The Spectrum 50 we are testing here is 102mm in length and weighs in at 793 grams
3:32
The weight is fairly heavy due to the lens having a very high grade of construction
3:36
where everything is metal and glass. It's a very handsome lens. All three lenses have a front filter size of 82mm
3:43
which is large but standard. Mechanically, the two most important components on a cine lens
3:47
are the focus ring and the aperture ring. Most cine lenses are manual focus
3:51
in order to give the cinematographer full control over what is in focus and how quickly focus transitions happen
3:58
The focus throw here is very long, 270 degrees, to allow for precision
4:03
but it does mean that making major running gun focus changes manually could be tough
4:08
Gearing is going to work best, though I got better handheld results by using something like this focus shifter that I've used for years
4:15
to allow me to rotate the ring without the limitations of my wrist rotation
4:20
Both the aperture ring and manual focus ring move flawlessly. Perfect damping, perfect smoothness
4:25
The rings are a joy to use, and as noted already, they are deeply ribbed to accept gearing
4:29
There are 12 aperture blades in the iris of the Spectrum 50mm, which makes for a very circular shape even when the aperture is stopped down
4:38
The aperture range is T2 to T16 and is of a de-click variety so that you can do aperture racking
4:45
Cine lenses are not measured by the size of their physical aperture, which is typically reported in f-stops, but rather by their light transmission, which is measured in t-stops
4:54
Typically, the T-stop value is lower than the physical aperture size due to some loss of light through the glass elements in the lens
5:01
While the maximum f-stop is not mentioned here, I suspect it is probably somewhere around f1.8
5:08
The Spectrum 50 is fairly bright and can deliver nicely shallow depth-of-field shots
5:13
The minimum focus distance of the Spectrum 50 is 48 centimeters so the resulting magnification level isn exceptional On a positive note however the plane of focus is nice and flat and the detail is quite good Here a look at what that minimum focus distance looks like There are a variety of locations on the lens where a threaded hole awaits the use of included screws to use in conjunction
5:34
with the stabilizer. My seven artisans rep told me that these are used infrequently
5:40
The front cap slides over the front assembly of the lens and isn't too deep, which is fortunate
5:44
so it isn't too difficult to store. There are no electronics in the lens and no weather sealing
5:50
though frankly, you're already getting a lot of lens for this price of about $380
5:55
Overall, I'm very impressed with the build quality. It is high quality metals and feels
5:59
very pro-grade, which is quite surprising considering the price point. The Spectrum
6:04
50mm has a simple optical formula with just six elements in five groups. The MTF charts at T2
6:11
show a very even optical performance with a center that is sharp, not exceptionally sharp
6:16
and a bit of a rise in the mid-frame, a little dip about two-thirds of the way out
6:20
but with another minor rebound at the very edges of the frame. We'll see if that bears up in our own testing
6:26
Seven Artisans has worked to control distortion and vignette reasonably well here
6:30
with some very, very minor barrel distortion, a plus three to correct
6:35
and a moderate amount of vignette, plus 49 to correct, or about two stops
6:39
Longitudinal chromatic aberrations typically show up as purple or regenta fringing before the plane of focus
6:44
and blue or green fringing toward the plane of focus due to colors not being perfectly focused together
6:50
You can see a bit of fringing as I run up this line of blocks, but nothing obvious
6:55
Lateral chromatic aberrations are less of a factor with cine lenses unless they are really extreme
6:59
but here they aren't pronounced enough to show up in this forest shot. This shot in the sauna shows a bit of CA, but also everything was steamy in there
7:08
and gives the whole shot a unique blooming type effect. So how about sharpness
7:13
I used the 50 megapixel Sony Alpha 1 for this series of tests
7:17
So here's a look at the test chart, and then here are the T2 crops at nearly 200% magnification
7:24
taken from the center, then mid-frame, and then the lower extreme right corner
7:29
I see a very good center result, a pretty good mid-frame result, and softer corners
7:34
The MTF chart suggests that the corner should look better, so I tried focusing on the corner instead and saw a sharper result when I approached it that way
7:43
My real-world results for video look pretty great, though. You can see great detail in the sweet spot of this wide-open shot of the moss on a tree trunk
7:52
Stopping down improves the consistency of sharpness across the frame, with peak results coming somewhere near T8, which is very sharp across the frame
8:01
I shot 8K footage on my Alpha 1 and was impressed with the amount of detail available even though I have to watch in down 4K due to not having an 8K display device The quality of the bokeh is okay but not exceptional
8:15
You can see a tiny bit of fringing and the bokeh highlights in this shot
8:19
And in this shot of late summer flowers, you can see some busyness beyond the plane of focus in the transition zone
8:26
Colors seem pretty good, and I particularly like what I can get when shooting an S-log and then grading
8:30
The footage grades nicely and allows you to get really nice colors along with more control over that color
8:36
Some of these shots, for example, of Loki, I think, look really, really rich
8:41
The Spectrum 50mm does have a bit of issue with flaring, though only in very specific shots where the sun enters the frame
8:49
It is more of a veiling issue than ghosting, however, and it does have a cinematic quality that could be creatively employed
8:55
You can see those various veiling splashes as I move throughout the light and the leaves
9:00
In general, however, I do like the look of footage from the Spectrum 50mm and think that it provides very good value for a Cine lens at this price point
9:09
So as you've probably figured out at this point, this is a lens that can produce some really nice looking video footage
9:15
And at that price point, I think that it really is going to be a compelling option
9:20
particularly since we have already got a nice kit that is designed around going to
9:24
if you have an inexpensive focus follow setup, maybe on a motorized gimbal, for example
9:30
or something similar. It allows you to quickly hot swap between those lenses
9:34
without having to go through all of that trouble of rebalancing and changing the gearing
9:39
and things like that. And so I think that's going to be very handy. And then also the fact that everything here
9:43
just works really, really nicely. And the things that I think video shooters prioritize
9:49
in the behavior of their lenses, it seems to me that this lens actually has
9:54
and I suspect others in the series do as well. If you are interested in following up more
9:59
and getting more information, you can look in the description down below and check out my text review
10:03
which also has some images, an image gallery there. But also there's linkage there
10:07
if you want to do a little bit of shopping for this lens. And the whole series, they range from the lowest
10:12
which is this price point of around $380, but range up only to about, I think, $430, $440
10:19
So all of them are at a really excellent price point for a cine style lens
10:23
and particularly ones that are so nicely made. Also in the description, you can find Linkage to follow myself or Craig on social media
10:30
to become a patron, to get channel merchandise. And of course, if you haven't already, please click that subscribe button right here on YouTube
10:36
Thanks for watching. Have a great day and let the light in

7Artisans Spectrum 50mm T2.0 Cinema Lens Review | DA

Dustin Abbott

A Beautiful Upgrade: The Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro MK II Studio Headphones

'Sisterly Sweet' Fashion Editorial Behind-the-Scenes

Mr. Knight and Bruno – GEEKS CORNER – Episode #603

The Analog Filmmakers Bundle Preview

HOW TO REVEAL VIDEO TAGS ON YOUTUBE

The Stunning Transformation Of Brooke Shields

A New Era Begins: The Expanded Timeline of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge

Who can draft a lineup that hit the most Home Runs? (NL West Edition)

Who can draft a lineup that best fits the specific categories? (Roster Rumble 9.0)

Adam Sandler is jealous of George Clooney

Samsung's Micro RGB: The Future of TV?

Project Hail Mary: Journey Among the Stars - Official Filmmakers' Reaction Video

Will Stelter: Forging LOTR's Uruk-hai Berserker Sword

Why Sam Witwer Thinks Darth Maul Is Like Jack From The Shining

Steph Curry Would’ve Been BETTER On The Knicks!? Brandon Jennings Talks '09 NBA Draft

Up next in 10

7Artisans Spectrum 50mm T2.0 Cinema Lens Review | DA

Dustin Abbott