Back in April, Shenzhen-based cheap lens manufacturer TTArtisan announced the launch of a brand-new series of prime lenses dubbed the Neo Series.
In doing so it announced the TTArtisan AF 50mm f/1.8 Neo and the TTArtisan AF 85mm f/1.8 Neo, with the former listed as coming soon and the latter listed as a follow-up.
The ‘nifty fifty’ was priced at just $89 and now, a post on Chinese social media site Weibo from the Independent Photographers Association has seemingly revealed details about the 85mm's price and construction – along with the fact that it's coming to Sony E and Nikon Z, followed later by L-Mount.
The post (translated by Google) states that the lens is ¥499, which would roughly equate to $73 / £55 / AU$106.
The lens is said to weigh just over twice the weight of the smaller 156g TTArtisan AF 50mm at 330g. This is considerably lighter than the Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S, which weighs in at 470g.
Just like its 50mm counterpart, the AF 85mm f/1.8 Neo is constructed from 12 elements in 8 groups. However, it’s not yet clear whether this will also match the nifty fifty by having two extra-low dispersion and four high-index elements.
The 85mm optic will also have an 11-bladed aperture, which should result in smooth, circular bokeh. The minimum focusing distance is quoted to be 0.8 meters, which matches the aforementioned Nikon lens, and the TTArtisan’s 85mm will have a 62mm filter thread.
It’s not mentioned in the post, but I can only assume that the AF will be driven by a stepper motor, just like the 50mm.
The fact that the lens is coming to Nikon's mirrorless mount is particularly interesting, given Nikon’s ongoing high-profile legal battle with Viltrox.
There’s no official date for the lens’ release, and at the time of writing I cannot find it available at any retailer, so watch this space. If you’re in the market for a cheap 85mm prime, this could be it.
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