Fuji Fuji XF 56mm F1.2 R Pre-Production Samples

flysurfer

Hall of Famer
I finally got a brand-new pre-production sample of the XF56mmF1.2 R lens. I couldn't resist to step out into the dark for about an hour and perform a little wide aperture test. The following was all shot at f/1.2, click on the images for larger views:

12073092545_5899427275_z.jpg

DSCF1077 – SOOC JPEG, f/1.2 by ricopress, on Flickr

You are required to focus carefully, so the X-E2 with its improved CDAF and hybrid PDAF came in quite handy.

12073099885_fe03b05631_z.jpg

DSCF1094 – SOOC JPEG, f/1.2 by ricopress, on Flickr

It appears like field curvature is something users of this lens won't have to worry about...

12073519044_9abfe53a8f_z.jpg

DSCF1060 – SOOC JPEG, f/1.2 by ricopress, on Flickr

A hendheld 1/40s can be tricky with this lens, however I was more amazed by the AF of the camera actually finding its target – bulls-eye, almost literally. In reality, the scene was so dark that I couldn't make out much beyond a silhouette with my eyes. So the WYSIWYG EVF was very helpful. DR400% saved the highlights in the background...

12073510324_a1ca4ba9b7_z.jpg

DSCF1080 – SOOC JPEG, f/1.2 by ricopress, on Flickr

Again DR400%. Putting some distance between me and the subject, even f/1.2 resulted in sufficient DOF.

12073537784_360892eeb5_z.jpg

DSCF1084 – SOOC JPEG, f/1.2 by ricopress, on Flickr

More DR400% here...

12073124385_df0e64e825_z.jpg

DSCF1089 – SOOC JPEG, f/1.2 by ricopress, on Flickr

...and here:

12073441593_78472bffae_z.jpg

DSCF1073 – SOOC JPEG, f/1.2 by ricopress, on Flickr

The local photo store had almost the full X-series palette on display: X100, X20, XQ1, XF1, X-E1, X-M1 and a very decent choice of lenses:

12073449853_be8f51b5d7_z.jpg

DSCF1086 – SOOC JPEG, f/1.2 by ricopress, on Flickr

Finally ISO 200, pressing the lens hood against the shop window in order to hold 1/15s:

12073560484_e956fb5681_z.jpg

DSCF1088 – SOOC JPEG, f/1.2 by ricopress, on Flickr

This may well be the best X-Mount lens Fuji has released so far. It's fully optically corrected, so the only digital correction via RAW metadata is some devignetting.
 
Rico... you're not making it any easier for me to patiently wait on this lens instead of jumping on the pre-order band wagon (again)! :D

This looks phenomenally sharp and clean even at f/1.2 and excellently optically corrected to boot. Looking forward to some daylight portrait samples too - the Fuji provided samples were rather disappointing (many had motion blur & partially missed focus).

This and either the 10-24mm or that unspecified "fast, wide, prime" are really going to complete what I want out of the X system lens lineup :dance2:
 
This looks phenomenally sharp and clean even at f/1.2 and excellently optically corrected to boot. Looking forward to some daylight portrait samples too - the Fuji provided samples were rather disappointing (many had motion blur & partially missed focus).

I am indeed very happy with my copy if the lens. It was built in 2014 and is a newer batch than the lenses that were used for the official sample images. I haven't had a closer look at those official samples, but you are correct in noting that it's a bonus to have experience with Fuji's AF system.

Of course, hand-held shots taken at 1/40s are tricky with this focal length, so I had to discard about 2/3 or maybe even 3/4 of such shots due to minor motion blur, either from the subject or from me, the shaky shooter. But I had to go that slow, because there simply was no light. You should have seen the scene in reality, almost darkness, so I needed the AF helper light. It's amazing what this camera can do with such a lens. Reality looked dull, dark and ugly. Looking through the EVF opened the door to a completely different universe, and Auto-WB worked spot on.
 
Good work, Rico.

The lens seems to have pleasant bokeh, and more significantly (for me) a smooth focus roll-off impressive considering it's a small format sensor*.

*Small format in comparison to medium format.
 
Thanks for some nice examples of how this lens performs, Rico. I've used a 50mm f/1.2 manual focus before and I'm really looking forward to finally having an AF version for low light photography. I preordered on the day it was announced and you've done nothing to change my mind about that :)
 
Back
Top