The lens features a relatively complex design with twelve elements in eight groups, including two ED elements. This design is intended to ensure that the lens produces relatively sharp images right down to the corners even at wide-open aperture. As the manufacturer’s MTF graphs show, however, the lens becomes sharper and offers greater contrast when stopped down. As the manufacturer’s sample photos show, contrast is rather low at wide-open aperture, which makes the images from the TTArtisan 85 mm f/1.8 Neo reminiscent of older retro lenses.

The lens can focus on subjects at a minimum distance of 0.8 meters. TTArtisan offers a 62-millimeter filter thread and an aperture with eleven blades. The barrel is 92 millimeters long with a diameter of 70 millimeters and weighs between 332 and 338 grams, depending on the variant. A USB-C port allows the lens’ firmware to be updated to improve compatibility with future cameras.