The 7Artisans 35mm f1.7 Seagull kept popping up on my feed at around $380. The profile looked remarkably close to a Summilux 35mm steel rim. I have a personal rule about non heritage lenses on my Leica. Vintage glass, Canon lenses, Voigtlander, Zeiss, all fine. Brand new lenses with no history behind them, I have always had a hard time with that.
But I pulled the trigger anyway.
These companies are closing the gap faster than most of us want to admit. The first budget M mount lenses that hit the market years ago were genuinely terrible. That is not the case anymore.
The Seagull is not a Summilux. The rendering is more sterile, more modern, more clinical. It does not have the character that decades of optical engineering produce in a Leica lens. But the bokeh is genuinely nice and the sharpness tells me these companies are maybe two or three generations away from seriously rivaling much more expensive glass.
But here is where I land. You should not buy a Leica lens because it is better value. You buy it because you appreciate what it represents. The heritage, the craftsmanship, the history. That matters to those of us who shoot because we want to, not because we have to.
No amount of engineering catch up changes what a lens has lived through.
Where do you draw the line on budget glass?
#GastonShutters #7Artisans #LeicaM #Summilux35 #StreetPhotography
4 months agonardonmisc
Nothing wrong with budget lenses, but sometimes you get what you paid for. I recently bought a Chinese autofocus lens for my Sony, I liked the bokeh and character, but it performs horribly. I ended up buying the Sony made version and it performs 100x better. I can appreciate what you are saying about these lens makers eventually catching up, but it isn’t going to happen overnight.
4 months agomonochromatic64
In the future Leica and its amazing products will turn into an uber exclusive choice as lower cost options are now eating their revenue streams, sad but it’s reality. Leica can only reinvent itself for so long. Incomes except for the rich are going down so either the used market goes up or photographers choose other competitive options. They are losing the rangefinder market to Fuji and playing catch up with SLR market. For me though, I have always been a fan of two products since, Nikon and Leica. So my preference as long as I can afford it is to buy Leica, because the idea of Leica disappearing or getting eaten up by other giants is difficult to fathom. Just my humble opinion.
4 months ago_alden.reed
For many of us, we can’t afford an expensive setup just yet. I dream of owning a Leica M someday but it’s just not in my budget at this moment in my life. As a husband, father of five and the sole provider, I use what I can afford. I appreciate my older Fujifilm camera and my budget lenses because they allow me to express myself through the art of photography. I recently got a newer Fujifilm camera and a couple of the Fujinon XF lenses to go with it and I appreciate it just as much as my older camera and budget lenses. Once I can afford a premium setup from Leica, I will appreciate it and cherish it just the same. You are correct tho, these 3rd party companies are getting better, I own 3 of 7artisans lenses and they’re all great.
4 months agoa.daily.dose.of.e
Bought this to see how it compares to my Mandler that I am really liking. Plus need a budget for the owlkrown goodies on my list. 🙌
4 months agoambientlightnz
I bought this lens because one of my first proper cameras was a Seagull SLR that was given to me by my photography lecturer and mentor in University. He passed recently and it made me think about what became of Seagull, I looked them up, saw this was available (and in M-Mount so I could use it on my Leicas) and had to have it. Agree that it’s nothing special rendering wise, but I look at it and smile as it reminds me of the best mentor I ever had, so I won’t be going rid of it! ❤️
4 months agor3dko
I feel the same way - heritage and legacy mean something. If I didn’t care who made the lens, I might as well stick one one of the triad other systems sitting in my office. I did, however, order my first “Chinese Leica” last week - a 35mm Noctilux from Hong Kong :D
4 months agosepia_1880
I’ve recently retired and looking into purchasing a Leica Q 3 43 or a Leica M EV 1. My buddy @kenhester5 and Bill visited the @leicastore_chicago and @tamarkin_camera we had a wonderful time at each location. I’ve been leaning more towards the Q 3 43 but after viewing some YouTube videos especially @camera_fusion now I’m more inclined towards the M EV 1. It seems like third party M lenses have come a long way.
4 months agopeterparkzau
End of the day people will buy what they want. What I’ve found is I’ve bought cheap lenses in the past and not used it or appreciated it as much and sold them off. People will say you don’t need Leica lenses and it’s personal choice and not hating on these lens manufacturers but let’s not get it twisted, many will copy Leica shell to “sell it quicker” because it’s a replica and looks like a Leica lens. If it were in another lens housing with a different branding I bet it would take a lot longer to sell. (Looking at Light Lens Lab, Mandler who ride off Leicas success). All of that said people will buy it anyway. These brands do not have the intent to give us good lenses but rather to copy. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Light Lens Lab releases their 35 APO that looks like the current Leica 35 APO and is a current Leica lens what everyone says then.
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