TTArtisan has just announced a new 250mm manual focus full-frame prime lens, which already starts to sound farfetched but when you add the fact that it is a mirrored lens for the vintage M42 mount it passes farfetched and enters the realm of unbelievable!
This week the TTArtisan 250mm f/5.6 Reflex lens was announced, available for M42 mount, a screw thread mount that harkens back to the days of retro cameras, in particular Praktica analog cameras of the 60s and 70s. However, TTArtisan states it is easily adapted for 'Sony, Fujifilm, Canon, Nikon, Hasselblad cameras'.
Nowadays, besides being a motorway in the UK that connects Birmingham to Leicester, the M42 is an affordable method for manufacturers to create a universal lens where all you need to change is the camera-specific adapter. This is particularly effective when used with manual focus lenses that do not rely on electronic components.
This is the case with the new TTArtisan 250mm f/5.6 mirror lens, and in addition to its retro lens mount, it also has retro aesthetics and styling to match. Its diamond-shaped grip structure on the focusing ring looks straight out of the 1970s as it adds a vintage-styled grip for improved tactile usage.
The lens is constructed of six lements in five groups, weighs 380g, and has a filter thread size of 67mm. Its all-metal aviation aluminum anodized body provides less weight than other lenses of similar specifications while remaining robust and durable for use in different environments.
Like most mirrored lenses, the 250mm f/5.6 is more compact than typical lenses of similar focal lengths. The focal length enables the user to get close to the subject while creating a pleasing amount of compression in the out-of-focus areas.
One of the defining features of mirrored reflex lenses is the spherical 'doughnut' bokeh produced when used with the lens' fixed f/5.6 aperture. The effect turns ordinary scenes into artistic painterly captures, and when used to capture rich colors, results in images that resemble abstract oil paintings.
Other notable features of the lens include a highly reflective metal mirror with a reflectivity of up to 98%, multi-layer ultra-low AR coatings, no vignetting on APS-C and full frame cameras, and a minimum focus distance of just 2m.
Mirror lenses provide the user with a creative tool that captures everyday scenes in a new and innovative way turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. We haven't yet got our hands on the lens, TTArtisan has been making some great affordable lenses of late, so I imagine this will follow suit.
The TTArtisan 250mm f/5.6 Reflex lens is available now directly from Pergear or from Amazon for $298 | £238 | AU $455.
You may also be interested in our guides to the best telephoto lenses, the best retro cameras, and the best portrait lenses.
