Pros & Cons
PROs
Extreme Portability: At just 90 grams, it's ridiculously light. It is ideal for street photography or for carrying the camera all day without it hurting your neck. Full Physical Controls: It's rare to see such a small, affordable lens that includes a manual aperture ring, AF/MF switch, and a customizable button. This makes the work much faster without entering the camera menu. "Balanced" Focal: The 40mm is considered by many to be the "perfect focal" because it does not deform like a wide angle (35mm) nor does it close the plane as much as a 50mm. It is very natural to the human eye. Silent STM Focus: The stepper motor is ideal for video (essential for your channel), since it makes no noise and is fully compatible with Sony's Eye-AF. Updates via USB-C: Being a "third party" brand, having the port on the lens itself to update the firmware guarantees that it will continue to work well if Sony releases new cameras.
CONs
f/2.5 aperture: Although it is better than a kit zoom, it falls somewhat short compared to other competitive fixed lenses that are usually f/1.8 or f/2.0. You won't have as pronounced blur (bokeh). No Weather Sealing: Does not appear to have protection against dust or splashes (weather sealing). You will have to be careful if you record or take photos in the rain. Vignetting and Distortion: In such small and thin lenses ("pancake"), there is usually darkening in the corners (vignetting) when you shoot at f/2.5, although it is something that is easily corrected in editing (DaVinci Resolve or Lightroom). Focus Distance: Its minimum distance of 0.4m is standard, but it will not help you for macro photography or very, very close product shots. Strong Competition: Although it is cheaper, it competes with the Viltrox 40mm f/2.5 (which is very sharp) and the Sony 40mm f/2.5 G (which is professional range), forcing this 7Artisans to stand out purely for price and weight.
