7ARTISANS’ New Full-Frame 18MM F/5.6 Is Priced Under $90

7Artisans recently announced a new full-frame 18mm F/5.6 for Sony E, Nikon Z, and L-mount. The lens is compact, lightweight, and retails for just $89.

While not a true pancake lens, the 7Artisans 18mm F/5.6 weighs in at just 146 grams and the length ranges from 25mm to 29mm depending on the mount. The lens has a simple optical design consisting of seven elements in five groups, including two extra-low dispersion and one aspherical element. The lens barrel is made from metal and the filter thread size is 49mm.

To save on production costs, the lens features a fixed aperture of F/5.6. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as other budget pancakes also tend to have fixed apertures. Having such a small aperture means that you will have to crank up the ISO when shooting in low light. The lens also does not have autofocus, which is also expected given the price point. However, having a wide focal length of 18mm and an aperture of F/5.6 means that almost everything is in focus anyway. The minimum focusing distance is 0.3m, so you can get close-up photos with the wide-angle perspective.

This is 7Artisans’ second attempt at a budget 18mm lens. The company released the 18mm F/6.3 Mark II Cap Lens for APS-C back in 2023. This new lens is in many ways similar to the previous model, albeit being full-frame compatible and sporting a brighter aperture. The 18mm F/6.3 Mark II is much cheaper at just $59, it is however only for APS-C mirrorless cameras.

The 7Artisans 18mm F/5.6 should be a good walkaround lens for street, travel, and landscape photography. This lens is a great everyday lens when paired with compact full-frame cameras like the Sony a7C II or Sigma fp.

Price and Availability

The 7Artisans 18mm F/5.6 retails for $89 and is available on Amazon and B&H.