Fuji Fujifilm xf 56mm f/1.2 r lens

I shot a bunch of test shots outside (nothing exciting from a photographic standpoint, but I just wanted to get out and see how it performed). Let me tell you, this lens is quite, quite good.

Bokeh isn't perfect, but I like it. It is generally smooth in most circumstances...can get a little busy with very busy backgrounds, but it adds a little character. It is prone to longitudinal CA at very wide apertures (like every ultra-fast lens I've ever known in this range), though it appears to mostly be gone by f/2.

Simple boring shot, at f/1.2, but the crops show it retains good detail even into the corners wide open. It's not razor sharp wide open (like the Olympus 75mm or something), but it is definitely sharp enough to my eyes, and really excellent for a lens at f/1.2.


Full size:
children_play.jpg
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100% center crop:
children_crop1.jpg
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100% upper right corner crop:
children_crop2.jpg
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Likewise, I thought this impressive, also at f/1.2:
triangle_park.jpg
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100% crop:
triangle_crop.jpg
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And here's my favorite bokeh testing statue:
statues56.jpg
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One odd thing with my lens, is that is squeaks when it focuses. I'm not sure if my focus motor is a faulty one and it will die soon, or whether a certain part just didn't get lubricated properly or something. It changes in loudness and obviousness too. When I first opened the lens, it was very quiet. Later, it had sort of a resonant buzz when moving the elements quickly...then that dissipated a bit, then just recently, it would have a loud high pitched squeak as the focusing elements moved. I don't know if it's the motor itself (I actually don't think it is), or whether something is just rubbing oddly. We'll see if it works itself out over the next few days...I hope I don't need to exchange or send it to Fuji for repair. (Focus is accurate and decent in speed, and the optics look great, so I'm not too worried at this point).
 
One odd thing with my lens, is that is squeaks when it focuses. I'm not sure if my focus motor is a faulty one and it will die soon, or whether a certain part just didn't get lubricated properly or something. It changes in loudness and obviousness too. When I first opened the lens, it was very quiet. Later, it had sort of a resonant buzz when moving the elements quickly...then that dissipated a bit, then just recently, it would have a loud high pitched squeak as the focusing elements moved. I don't know if it's the motor itself (I actually don't think it is), or whether something is just rubbing oddly. We'll see if it works itself out over the next few days...I hope I don't need to exchange or send it to Fuji for repair. (Focus is accurate and decent in speed, and the optics look great, so I'm not too worried at this point).

Thanks for sharing these images. You should create a new image thread for this lens!

I hope the squeaking goes away on your new lens!!
 
Seems whatever was making the focusing extra loud has worked its way out...the lens focuses extremely quietly now. Hope it stays that way. At least I know it isn't supposed to sound like that. I took a recording with my phone very nearby as it was focusing quietly so I had audio evidence to play for Fuji if it returns so I can show the change. Hopefully I don't need to do that and it stays quiet.
 
Ok...after a little more shooting, including some shots with flash to eliminate any shake, this lens is utterly phenomenal. Very sharp wide open and a nice rendering. Extremely sharp stopped down. Whatever was making a little bit of noise in my lens has worked its way out and focus noise is now minimal...it would be hard to be more pleased as a first impression. And one other nice thing: The 56 can take the 55-200's hood and vice versa. No need to carry hoods for both!

The lens itself looks nice:
http://www.jordansteele.com/2014/xe2_56.jpg

Some shots...

@ f/1.2 (this is itself a pretty hefty crop):
chloe_close.jpg
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100% crop:
chloe_56_crop.jpg
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@ f/1.2:
xander_bath56.jpg
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100% crop:
xander_56_crop.jpg
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@ f/1.2:
xander_food.jpg
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@ f/1.8:
elec_pump.jpg
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@ f/1.2:
xander_bath56-2.jpg
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Glazers in Seattle have them in stock, picked mine up yesterday. Love the feel of this lens, looking forward to shooting more with it this weekend.

Sent from a mobile user
 
I am totally in love with this lens. I went to the North Market here in Columbus today, as I thought it would be a good place to run the 56/1.2 through its paces. I thought I'd just be taking pics of everyday things, but asked a few of the workers if they minded me taking pics and none refused, so I got some good people pics. This first one is one of my most favorite candids I've ever taken, so I'm glad I asked! She was crazy backlit, so I just let that part blow and concentrated on exposing her correctly.

Of course, I'm still seeing how it does for subject separation and quality at f/1.2, so these are all taken there. Aside from some longitudinal CA, it's pretty much perfect. The bokeh is slightly busier than some of the other Fuji lenses, but I actually kind of like the character, but that's subjective, of course.

bria.jpg
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northmarket_computer.jpg
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paprika.jpg
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fish_counter.jpg
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pancake_flip.jpg
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tea.jpg
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crepe_sauce.jpg
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The more and more I see from this lens (and the C-AF tracking of the X-T1), the more tempted I am to finally ditch my 5DII (which I keep for portrait, cycling and theatre work). The AF motor of my 85mm f1.8 just died, but its difficult to weigh the $2,300 it would cost to replace it with an X-T1/56mm against the $150 or so it would probably cost to fix it!
 
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