Fuji Am I crazy? Why do I crave the 56mm so bad?

mesmerized

Regular
Dear Users,

I'm an m4/3 user but my story goes a bit further than that. Matter of fact, I used to own X-T1 some time ago, but sold it due to various reasons (most people don't invest in two systems anyway) Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly happy with my E-M5mk2, it's a great camera and the level of responsiveness is unbeatable... but... For some crazy reason, ever since the XF56mm came out, I've been wanting one...

I know it's insane to invest in m4/3 and APS-C... It would be more reasonable to go for a FF... I'm just in love with the portraits that the 56mm produces... They almost always seem to have a beautiful color reproduction and a fantastic subject/background separation...

What to do, what to do...

(Hopefully, nobody from m4/3 forum spots me here ;))
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Nope. I'm currently in Shanghai, China. No hiring here.

I don't think quitting m4/3 is a smart choice, but that doesn't diminish my lust for the 56mm lens ;)
 
The Leica Nocticron 42.5/1.2 doesn't seem to be too bad either..?


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met behulp van Tapatalk

I have the Nocticron so perhaps I'm biased, but if you take a look at the Admiring Light review of both here: Fuji 56mm f/1.2 vs. Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron - Admiring Light I think you'll see that at least objectively there isn't much in it between the two lenses. Depending on how you intend on using them, the sensor size and properties will come into play to some degree.
 
The Leica Nocticron 42.5/1.2 doesn't seem to be too bad either..?


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met behulp van Tapatalk
I had the Notice on before switching from MFT to Fuji, and it was one of my most used lens.

Optically they are similar, but autofocus with the Nocticron on recent MFT bodies will be much faster than the Fuji 56mm. I miss that aspect of it.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
 
I had the Notice on before switching from MFT to Fuji, and it was one of my most used lens.

Optically they are similar, but autofocus with the Nocticron on recent MFT bodies will be much faster than the Fuji 56mm. I miss that aspect of it.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I found that to be the case as well - while testing the 56mm on an X-T10. Also, with such shallow DOF for portraits I appreciate m43's eye detect focus priority which I've found works more accurately than the face detect on my X100T. I understand that the newer Fuji cameras have better implementations of face/eye detection though. From purely a lens perspective through, both lenses are excellent and leave little to be desired.
 
Does anyone think Fuji will ever produce a "portrait lens for the masses", a 60/1.8, more or less, for ~ $500?

I'd like the 56/1.2, of course, but I know I wouldn't use it enough to justify the cost. I'm close to buying a 60/2.4, but some of the slow AF horror stories still stick in my head.
 
...I'm close to buying a 60/2.4, but some of the slow AF horror stories still stick in my head.
I generally think it's rude to quote oneself, but... "...The 60 on the X-Pro2 is turbocharged in comparison to its past pedestrian performance. Focus is prompt rather than blistering and hunting, although still a thing, seems substantially reduced. Ye cannae fight the laws of physics, of course, and miracles haven't happened—it is still the same motors under the bonnet of the 60 and still the same focusing helix—but with the X-Pro2 at the back doing the pushing, it reacts like a maiden aunt given a shot of Red Bull."

Rest of the article here: Fuji XF60mm f/2.4R: Kiss of new life for sleeping beauty
 
You're going to laugh -- and more importantly, this solution doesn't scratch your actual itch, which is that you lust after that specific lens, but ...

If you really just want to be able to take portraits on a Fuji X cam, and you want to spend as little $ as possible, AND you still want auto focus (in other words, not just a good 50mm 1.7 film lens on an adapter all for under $100), then the humble XC 50-230 will actually secretly do a pretty derned good job at portraits. This on a lens I bought used for $180:

18583905546_ef75da80ea_b.jpg
KBRX3977
by gordopuggy, on Flickr
 
You're going to laugh -- and more importantly, this solution doesn't scratch your actual itch, which is that you lust after that specific lens, but ...

If you really just want to be able to take portraits on a Fuji X cam, and you want to spend as little $ as possible, AND you still want auto focus (in other words, not just a good 50mm 1.7 film lens on an adapter all for under $100), then the humble XC 50-230 will actually secretly do a pretty derned good job at portraits. This on a lens I bought used for $180:

Yes, I think people forget that you can get shallow DOF without requiring an f1.X lens. However, for when you don't have as much control over the shooting conditions, a fast lens is certainly worth its weight in gold.

I also enjoy using adapted lenses (and have long relied on them for posed portrait photoshoots with my m43 system), but there is definitely something to be said for using the glass designed for the camera system itself. Sharpness isn't everything (especially when taking portraits) but the 56mm certainly delivers in a way that lenses with even slightly smaller apertures can't when it comes to shallow DOF and perceived sharpness at the same time.
 
Back
Top