You get what you pay for ?

The first impression of the TTArtisan 100 mm ƒ2.8 2x Macro lens is... mixed.

• The lens vingnettes at infinity. And at 2x macro. But not in between.

• Stop down the aperture to ƒ11-22, hard vignetting is visible in the extreme corners.

• At portrait range vignetting diminishes

• It appears to me that it is mainly a fullframe lens, corners are not really sharp (ƒ2.8 to ƒ8)

• Extreme corners at infinity have a (in daylight, blue sky), blue corners, when you try to correct them

• Sharpness is fine in the center, but is less defined at the borders. Get's a bit better when stopped down.

• It is a mediocre lens for normal photography at infinity. Not recommended for that at all.

• See it primarily as a lens for Close-ups and up to 1.3x Macro lens

• The lens exhibits a very slight focus shift ? However since you work with manual focus, and stopped down aperture, you simply correct the focus anew. So, it isn't a big issue really. Just remember that the focus changes as you stop down.

• Corners vignette once you go from 1x macro (where it does not vignette) to 2x macro (dark corners)

• It is a solid, metal lens.

• the front element is totally exposed - and prone to flare if there is a strong light source like the sun near by.

• Adding a tight lens shade / telephoto lens shade (67 Ø mm), vill add more vignetting in the corners at infinity. You need one that is broader / one that expands in order to hold of stray light at bay.

• IT IS FUN AS A CLOSE-UP LENS handheld in good light as well on tripod. Going close without going too super close. No vignetting. Sharp where you focus at, even wide open but extremly limited Depth of Sharpness (DOF) of course.

• It works very well in the close-up range, because there are no dark corners visible. Sharpness is relative soft at ƒ2.8, a bit better at ƒ5.6 to ƒ8 - but then already seem to get softer again at ƒ11 (on a Fujifilm GFX 50s II)

• So yeah, the Sigma ART Macro 70mm is definitly sharper.

• The focus throw is extremly short !!! Making it difficult to set the exact focus

• My viewfinder / LCD screen on the Fujifilm GFX 50s II doesn't make it any easier to get the exact sharpness point... as it in reality the focus seem sometimes slightly off. Well, the margins in the close-up and macro area, are extremly limited in the first place.

• I have not tested the lens with making copies from 6x7 negatives... yet. I really hope that it holds up sharpness-wise in what for me is perhaps the MOST important area of all. Otherwise it goes back.