Natural
"PHOTO STYLE"
-0
CONTRAST
+3
SHARPNESS
+4
+2
-3+3
HIGHLIGHT SHADOW
OFF
iDYNAMIC
OFF
16-255
LUMINANCE LEVEL
Unsharp Mask*
ADOBE
POST-PRODUCTION
AMOUNT
RADIUS
THRESHOLD
REAL RATINGS
After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (Straight Out of Camera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras).

CONTRAST
A
IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"?

SHARPNESS
A
IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"?

NOISE
A
IS THE NOISE "REAL"?

COLOR
B
IS THE COLOR "REAL"?
*Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings. These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings).
Published:
April 17, 2025 at 9:52:34 PM
If you have never heard of Koah Artisan Series lenses (I know I had not) then you are might be pleasantly surprised. If you have heard of them, you may know they were created/distributed by Focus Camera.com (one of the New York photography stores) and that they are super affordable. However, I was not expecting much when I ordered this lens, not only because of the price, but because it was an f/1.2 lens (and every affordable f/1.2 lens I've tried...made me want to buy a 1.4 instead, because they were not any good at 1.2). Yet, I went ahead with the purchase not only because of the the f/1.2, but also because it was the focal length I needed (35mm) but the part that made me not expect much was the 1.2...but I was surprised.
I started by testing the lens on a bright, sunny day (a good test for controlling dynamic range) and I began experimenting with the (in-camera) tonal curves using the HIGHLIGHT SHADOW menu (Panasonic G85). It didn't feel as difficult to correct as a lot of the other lenses I have worked with and I got custom settings dialed in pretty quickly. I actually had to ADD SHARPNESS (I usually remove some) as well as do other things in the (Natural) photo style/picture profile. I usually do about 10 tests before I get the settings right, but not for this one. The lens was amazingly consistent at almost all aperture values, and even at f/1.2, which was what surprised me. At f/1.2 it was certainly softer, but it did not show a lot of distracting red and blue color fringing that I've seen in a lot of other low-light primes (even f/1.4 lenses).
I like the results with these custom settings enough to say I am going to keep this lens, and I am certainly going to recommend it to people. It creates sort of a vintage feel, but it still realistic, even if that sounds like a contradiction. I will also say that these settings provide a little bit too much COLOR, but overall (with these settings) this is looking REALLY good for a budget f/1.2 lens.
My goal for these camera settings is to improve the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color with the result that it produces an image that looks less "digital" and more "organic" (more like film, etc). The first step is to apply these settings while shooting (produces an image that looks pretty good straight out of camera) but keep in mind there may need to be slight color grading (or a LUT) applied to finalize each shot.