A 40mm lens has always been a sweet spot for many of you because it feels close to how your eye naturally sees the world. It gives a slightly wider view without looking exaggerated, which makes it useful in a lot of everyday shooting situations. The TTArtisan AF 40mm f/2 is trying to bring that perspective to more people with a price tag that’s hard to ignore.
Coming to you from Christopher Frost, this detailed video covers the TTArtisan AF 40mm f/2, a compact and inexpensive autofocus lens designed for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts, with an L-mount version planned. Frost explains that the lens is built entirely from metal, giving it a sturdy feel that’s unusual at this price point. The aperture ring is electronic and clicks in third-stop increments, while the manual focus ring turns smoothly and works well with the autofocus motor. You’ll find the autofocus performance to be reasonably quick and quiet, which makes it practical for both stills and video. Build quality stands out here, even compared to more expensive third-party lenses.
Frost goes on to test sharpness, and this is where things get more complex. In the center of the frame, wide open at f/2, sharpness and contrast are already good, and they improve further when stopped down to f/2.8. The corners, however, tell a different story. On full frame, they’re soft and only sharpen up noticeably by f/8 or f/11.
Key Specs
-
Focal Length: 40mm
-
Maximum Aperture: f/2
-
Minimum Aperture: f/16
-
Lens Mount: Sony E, Nikon Z
-
Format Coverage: Full Frame
-
Minimum Focus Distance: 15.7" / 40 cm
-
Optical Design: 9 elements in 6 groups
-
Aperture Blades: 7
-
Focus Type: Autofocus
-
Image Stabilization: No
-
Filter Size: 52 mm
-
Dimensions: ø 61 x L 44 mm
-
Weight: 6.2 oz / 176 g
Other points Frost highlights are worth noting if you shoot in specific conditions. At f/2, vignetting is very strong, and while it improves when stopped down, it remains noticeable. Close-up performance is poor wide open, with contrast nearly disappearing until you reach f/4. Shooting against bright lights is also tricky, since glare and flare are strong at wider apertures, clearing up somewhat at f/4. Coma in the corners is visible at f/2, which matters if you’re interested in astrophotography, although it improves by f/4. The lens can produce pleasing bokeh, with backgrounds looking soft and smooth, though transition areas may look a little edgy at times.
The f/2 is not without flaws, but it offers a unique combination of affordability, solid build, and usable image quality. Frost’s review makes clear where the compromises are, and you’ll want to see how it performs in his real-world tests. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
