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TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 Swirly Bokeh
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TTArtisan · 75 mm · f/1.5 · M42 mount

TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 Swirly Bokeh

From $289 — 1 offer
KEY FACTS
BrandTTArtisan
Announcement dateSep 2024
Released2024
Production started2024
Production statusIn Production
What We Like
+Distinctive swirly bokeh effect, especially pronounced at f/1.5 with busy backgrounds
+Very affordable alternative to vintage Zeiss Biotar (costs thousands), priced around $250-$269
+Excellent all-metal build quality and construction; described as 'built like a tank'
+Manual focus ring is smooth and well-damped with good ergonomics
+Large f/1.5 aperture enables low-light shooting and extreme depth-of-field control for creative portraits
+M42 mount with wide compatibility via affordable adapters to modern camera systems
Worth Knowing
−Soft when wide open; not optimized for sharpness—designed for artistic character over optical correctness
−Limited to center-frame sharpness; focus plane only ~30-40% in center with progressive softness toward edges
−Manual focus only; requires precision and modern mirrorless manual focus aids for consistent results
−Swirly bokeh effect is highly subjective and only visible at specific distances and with suitable backgrounds; not a general-purpose lens

General

Brand
TTArtisan
Announcement date
ⓘ
Refers to the date the manufacturer publicly announced the upcoming release and general specs of this camera.
Sep 2024
Released
ⓘ
Refers to the year this camera was officially made available for sale.
2024
Production started
2024
Production status
ⓘ
Current status of lens manufacturing (e.g., in production, discontinued).
In Production
Read our notes on general
The TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 Swirly Bokeh is a modern recreation inspired by the classic Carl Zeiss Biotar 75mm f/1.5, priced at $269. This entirely mechanical manual focus lens produces pronounced swirly bokeh at f/1.5 with a simple six-element, four-group optical formula and 13-bladed diaphragm. Designed as a "special effect" lens for character rather than sharpness, the swirling effect is strongest at f/1.5 and becomes less pronounced at smaller apertures like f/2.8. The lens weighs roughly 570g and features a common 58mm filter thread.

Optical design

Minimum Aperture
f/16
Optical Formula
6 elements in 4 groups
Angle of View
32° full frame (approximately)

Focus mount

Aperture Ring
Clicked aperture with detents at half-stop (f/1.5 to f/5.6), then full stops

Build

Construction
All-metal with aircraft aluminum
Image Coverage
Full-frame with coverage beyond full-frame, can cover medium format

Characteristics

Bokeh Style
Swirly bokeh effect at wide apertures
Vignetting
No vignetting on APS-C or full-frame; faint artistic vignetting on medium format
Design Inspiration
Based on Carl Zeiss Biotar 75mm f/1.5 optical formula

Optics

Min focal length
75 mm
Max focal length
75 mm
Focal range
ⓘ
Shortest to longest focal length of the lens (zoom range start - end )
75 mm
Zoom lens
ⓘ
Zoom allows you to vary the focal length, change between long shots and close-ups
No
Max aperture wide
1.5
Max aperture zoom
1.5
Blades
ⓘ
Number of diaphragm blades in aperture
13020
Autofocus mode
No
Closest focusing distance
ⓘ
Minimum distance for a subject to be in focus.
76 cm01500

Physical

Lens mount
ⓘ
The lens mount will tell you what type of lens range you can fit onto the camera body. Often the same camera company will have different lens ranges for different cameras.
M42
Lens weight
570 g
Lens diameter
ⓘ
Width of the lens at its widest point
73 mm
Lens length
ⓘ
How long the lens is from front to back.
72 mm
Front filter size
ⓘ
Diameter of attachable filters.
58 mm