7Artisans MF 50mm f/0.95

This 7Artisans prime is a 50mm manual-focus lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras. It is sold in Canon EF-M, Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon Z and Sony E versions. Choose the one made for your system. Released in 2021, it remains in production. On APS-C, the 50mm framing suits portraits, street work and low-light interiors.

The f/0.95 maximum aperture is the main reason to buy this lens. It keeps indoor and evening shooting practical. The trade-off is control: focusing is manual only, and the lens offers no stabilisation or weather sealing.

The front thread takes 62mm screw-in filters directly, so any polariser or ND filter you buy must match that size. A polariser can cut glare in daytime portraits; an ND filter allows longer exposures in bright light. The Canon EF-M version is compact at 2.37 in (60.2 mm) long and 2.66 in (67.5 mm) wide. Measurements for other mounts differ.

f/0.95 is an unusually wide aperture for an APS-C prime. It passes far more light than a typical f/1.8 lens. You can keep the ISO low in a dim room or on an evening street. That suits indoor portraits and night scenes where flash would spoil the mood.

Depth of field is the other side of that speed. Wide open at portrait distances, the sharp zone is extremely thin, so a near eye stays crisp while an ear already softens. The manual focusing ring gives direct control for fine adjustment, and it rewards slow, deliberate work. Rushed moving subjects fit poorly. A dim stage with a moving performer is the toughest combination.

Stopping down a little eases that pressure. Thirteen blades keep the opening close to round as it closes, so out-of-focus points stay smooth and circular. City lights behind a subject render as soft discs.

Closest focus sits at 1.5 ft (45 cm). That is short enough for tight portraits and still-life details on APS-C. The optics specification scores 77/100.

The lens offers no image stabilisation. At 50mm on APS-C, handheld shots need a shutter speed quick enough to stay sharp, or a braced stance. Some camera bodies stabilise the sensor instead; check yours if shaky results concern you. The wide aperture helps, because f/0.95 keeps that speed available in poor light.

There is no weather sealing, so keep rain and dust away from it. The front element also carries no fluorine coating, so dust and smears cling more readily and need gentle cleaning.

Each version fits a single mount. Check your system before buying, since a Canon EF-M copy will not serve a Canon RF body.

Seven elements in five groups include two low-dispersion elements. Low-dispersion glass helps reduce chromatic aberration, where colours focus at slightly different points. The result is coloured fringes along high-contrast edges, such as bright sky behind a portrait subject. The Canon EF-M version lists no aspherical elements.