7Artisans 35mm F1.4 Mark III

Testing to date describes the Mark III as optically close to the Mark II full-frame version. The centre is only average at f/1.4 and needs about f/2.8 to look crisp, the corners stay weak until around f/8, and strong field curvature means centre and edges are rarely sharp together. Reviewers treat it as a character lens, not a technical one.

The build gets better marks. The metal barrel, damped focus ring with roughly 100° of throw and the new click/declick switch are praised at this price. Launch coverage also notes that the ED element should reduce colour fringing compared with earlier versions, but there is little independent lab data on that yet.

Owners mostly buy it as an inexpensive, good-looking street and portrait lens, and they like the solid metal feel, compact size, titanium finish and the low price. The aperture-click toggle is popular with hybrid shooters.

Common complaints are softness and haze wide open, flare with strong backlight, and the lack of EXIF data. Some find focusing at f/1.4 difficult without peaking because the lens has no contacts to trigger magnification.