In recent years, lens manufacturers in China have found another blue ocean specification, which is the cap lens!
Cap lens, as the name suggests, is a lens as thin and light as a cap. Due to technical limitations, optical products tend to have higher image quality and larger volume. Take the 135 fixed-focus head as an example. From the appearance of SLR to the present, although the picture quality is getting better and better, the volume and weight are also increasing day by day. At this time, the simple and thin cap lens won my favor without pursuing image quality and large aperture!
7Artisans 18mm F6.3m II is an APS-C format product, even by the standard of cap lens, it is crude. The lens has a focal length of 18mm, which is equivalent to a 27mm lens on the APS-C host, and the aperture is fixed at F6.3.
It is not equipped with a lens cap, and it cannot use a UV mirror (in fact, it is not necessary). Obviously the manufacturer wants users to use it as a “lens cover”!
It currently has a variety of mounts, and the one we got is the Sony E mount. As can be seen from the real picture at the back, the bayonet of the lens and the rear lens barrel are designed in one piece, and are also made of aluminum alloy. It is black all over, quite low-key.
Because of its simple structure, the Seven Artisans 18mm F6.3 is very thin and light, and it feels like a lens cover when installed on the camera, which will not cause any discomfort to the camera. And the mirror has an independent focus ring, users can focus precisely.
Demo pictures
We don’t have an APC-C format E-mount host, so we used a full-frame Sony α7 III and switched it to APS-C mode for the actual shooting.
It should be said that with such a weightless lens, the α7 III becomes extremely light, which is also the subtlety of the cap lens. The weight on the shoulders is lighter, the mood is more relaxed, and the feeling when shooting has also changed. (It’s like shooting with a mobile phone, but it is better and more precise than a mobile phone). The whole person seems to be more free and flexible, and his steps are flying, and he has a long-lost sense of rhythm when pressing the shutter!
What is commendable is that the lens distortion is well controlled, and the pillars in the picture are not deformed significantly
I have to admit that compared with normal lenses, the picture quality of the simple biscuit head is definitely slightly worse. Under strong backlight, this product of 7Artisans will have obvious glare in high light, so pay more attention when using it.
The simple optical structure inevitably brings problems such as heavy vignetting and obvious purple fringing in high-contrast parts. Fortunately, we live in the digital age, and these problems can be eliminated in a matter of clicks in Photoshop, so in actual shooting, it is not a big problem.
Partial screenshot before adjustment
Partial screenshot after adjustment
In terms of resolution, although we can’t expect the corner part, the center part can still be a battle. With manual focus, Homer’s eyelashes can also be counted.
Just place the subject close to the center to get good resolution.
The depth of field of this lens is relatively large. The aperture of F6.3 cooperates with the principle of hyperfocal distance. When shooting landscapes and large scenes, the entire picture can basically be within the range of depth of field.
When taking pictures on the street, the unobtrusive appearance and volume make it less aggressive, and the subject of the shooting has less resistance, so it is easy to obtain a natural picture. At this time, the vignetting that comes with the lens also makes the whole picture more atmospheric. And a larger depth of field helps us get enough picture information.
Conclusion
For the cap lens, we cannot ask for it with the optical quality of a conventional lens. Playing with the cap lens is to avoid its optical disadvantages, take advantage of its pocket and portable characteristics, and drive with a brisk mood, sweeping all the way, recording your own mood, recording the stories on the street, and depicting the points of the world bit by bit. A cheap and interesting 7Artisans 18mm F6.3 II is enough!
You can buy it from Pergear! https://www.pergear.com/collections/7artisans/products/7artisans-18mm-f6-3-ii
Shoot by VideoGoal