The lens is rapidly climbing the ranking, which is now 5th at the overall lens ranking at AmazonUS right now!
XF 56mm f/1.2 ($999): USA AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama – EUROPE: wexUK / PCHstore / DigitalRev
X100S black ($1299): USA AmazonUS / BHphoto / Adorama – EUROPE: wexUK / PCHstore
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Check out Patrick La Roque’s first impression of this lens at his website here: [UPDATE2: the article was removed. You can still read it here / google cache]
“Sharp. This thing is sharp wide open, sharp closed down. I haven’t tried but I believe it’s probably sharp with the lens cap on — yeah, hyperbole. Seriously, this is Fujifilm’s at its best! […] You can get the end of an eyelash in focus while the eye goes soft — which is the whole point really.”
Thanks to the FR-reader Jon R who spotted this review.
[UPDATE2: the article was removed. You can still read it here / google cache]
[UPDATE 1: as spotted by Tjeerd, Patrick said via twitter: “Bit of a communication bug: I’ve taken down the 56mm first look. Huge apologies. FYI it IS amazing. More soon.”]
image courtesy: laroquephoto
57 Responses
I really trust LeRoque’s opinions. The portraits he shot with the 56mm look amazingly sharp where the focus is at, even if they have very thin DOF as well. It must be a very hard lens to master.
this lens is reasonably price and size and weight is identical to the new Pana 42.5 f1.2, I think a lot of people saw the reality that the m43 is overpriced, and as the AF of the Fuji system gets a bit better , many many m43 users move out of the tiny sensor land to enter the X world.
personally, I decided to sell my Panasonic and Sony to go Fuji with the XE2 + the 23mm f1.4 + this 56mm f1.2.
when I need a big zoom or super tele , I just use my big Nikon.
well, done Fuji and appreciate being a bit more reasonable than Panasonic.
Some of the lenses are overpriced some are cheap (i’m not m43 user myself) and you can’t deny that Olympus E-M1 is truly great camera, something what X-Pro1 should have been from the very beginning in terms of build quality – sure, EVF tech wasn’t available at that time but sealing was.
To be fair, every system has cheap, reasonable, and overpriced gears. I still use my nikon FF, X-E2 and E-M5. I usually shoot telephoto with my E-M5 because of its lightest and smallest telephoto system.
Actually, the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 (90mm equiv.) for around $350 is one of m4/3 strong points.
The Panasonic is overpriced, the 56mm f/1.2 is going to be a strong point for Fuji, but I think the majority of m4/3 users will not give a damn about $1000 lenses.
So I think its a different market thingy, I just don’t understand what the hell Panasonic was thinking with that $1600 price tag when their flagship camera costs only $1050.
AMEN BROTHER!! I was an m43 from the beginning eau back in 2009 with the gh1 gh2 gf1 gf2 e-p3 gf3 e-pm2. Back then it was amazing value the 20mm 1.7 the 45mm 2.8 macro in 2009 only cost me $599 USD. Ever since the omd em5 ep5 em1 and Now this noctichron disaster yesterday was the last nail in the m43 coffin. I got my Canon eos for the telephoto and the video and my xe-1 as my buddy that never leaves my side…
Why the hate on m43? It’s a cracking system, equal to a lot of the ‘not so much’ bigger APS-C systems.
The Pana 42.5 f1.2 has OIS, faster AF and Leica badge on it. So the price difference is not big!
“You can get the end of an eyelash in focus while the eye goes soft — which is the whole point really.”
It is? I admit I don’t shoot that many pictures of the ends of eyelashes; usually I want a little more range of focus than that.
Okay, it’s a throwaway line — but it seems like a silly concession to the 36x24mm trolls who constantly prowl Fuji and M43 forums posting silly comments, and who seem to believe that less depth-of-field is always better.
It is always better, all else been equal. Less dof mean you always have more dof if you wanted (stop it down) but with the additional option of less dof. So yes it is always better, get over it.
Sorry, I have to disagree about it being ‘always better’, working in event photography where good light is never guaranteed, stopping down to get more DoF means either using a slower shutter speed, risking blur, and/or increasing the ISO risking more noise.
So, what is your alternative to stopping down? Other than using a camera with a smaller sensor.
Yes. I have both FF and m43. When I don’t need the additional DoF then I may switch to my FF camera (if I’ve brought it). Even with m43 I might stop down to f4-5.6, depends on the subject.
I’m not saying it’s the answer for everyone and everything, just pointing out that shallow DoF (and stopping down) isn’t always better. I mean, macro photography for example.
My cameraphone with f.2.4 is awesome coz you have major DOF. Its really great in low light and event photography. /s
The point is that a faster lens (despite more being more expensive and heavier) always has a greater aperture range than a slower lens. Furthermore a slower lens has to stop down to a slower F to get sharper results usually.
Therefore given the same sensor, faster IS always better in terms of flexibility and image quality.
Now a small and lite f1.8 / f2 please…
Is it just me? The URL is gone?
Gone for me too.
I guess Fuji may request him to remove the link since the lens he tested is probably the pre-production one??
Oh how I would love a 1.8, smaller lighter less money. But mostly small and light.
The x system was right on with the 35mm lens, but the 23 and this are no longer lightweight
Patrick says on his twitter:
Bit of a communication bug: I’ve taken down the 56mm first look. Huge apologies. FYI it IS amazing. More soon. @fujiguys @Fujifilm_UK
such lens are very hard to use on DSLR. it will be so much worse for pathetic focus accuracy of x-e1. not for everyone.
The pathetic focus accuracy of the X-E1 is nowadays much better than my old Canon 550D, which would be hit and miss with fast glass. Trolling much, or should I just assume you haven’t tried any currently updated X system?
Relax, ste787 is a regular troll around here – don’t feed him, pls 🙂
if their focusing system is any good, i will say so.
I am sick of fanboy here trying to justify shitty focus system of fujifilm camera. acceptable focusing relative to what? 300 dollars digicam?
550D ? sorry i dun use cheap junk like that. i use 5d2 and L lenses. yeah i have the latest firmware. it still sucks. it is good now with firmware improvement? you got to be kidding.
That’s funny because the 550D and the 5D MKII have exactly the same AF system. Which is crap.
The only time it would be practical to shoot wide own (ie when the lens is most liable to miss focus) is for portraiture and for that do you really need af?
If you can’t take sharp shots with these cameras, the issue is your inability, not the camera’s. While they may not focus as fast as you like, they are accurate; and, without the AA filter, sharp SOOC.
If I can take sharp shots and have a very high keeper rate with my so called “demo-like, obsolete” X-Pro 1, there is nothing wrong with the camera – the issue is the user. Please stop the nonsense and enjoy photography.
I have no issues with my X-E1 it’s no Canon 7D but it beats the crud out of my D7000 I am selling to get this 56mm. I love using manual focus mode auto focusing with exp lock and fine tuning with the magnifed focus peaking. If only it had other colors like stupid Sony.
Focus accuracy is actually better with contrast-detect AF than with phase-detect AF. DSLRs can track moving subjects better at the moment, but accuracy on a static subject is better when the imaging sensor is used, as opposed to a separate sensor, which never has 100% perfect alignment. So contrast-detect is slower, but has the potential to be more accurate. I give 3 more years, and mirrorless AF will be better than DSLRs. Not to mention that perfect eye-detection would theoretically be possible in mirrorless cameras (and with DSLR live view). At some point the mirror will be completely unnecessary.
It’s heavier than the 60mm, it’s more than double the price of the 60mm, it’s not as versatile as the 60mm, it’s more difficult to use than the 60mm, and the MTF charts are not as good as the 60mm.
It is more versatile with respect to depth of field control and likely is more efficient for auto and manual focus than the 60mm. That said, it would be very difficult to be better than the 60mm optically, as the 60mm is optically a great lens.
Yes, but hopefully it focuses fast especially in low light. I use the 60mm all the time for product photography but would hesitate using it for portraits other than in really good light. And let’s not forget, it is does not have the big aperture. Photographers have been waiting for a good portrait lens from Fuji for good reason – whether it lives up to expectations remains to be seen.
Do you judge the lens because of weight or MTF chart?
Being a portrait lens is more than MTF chart. There are several lens in “hall of fame” among portrait shooters (ie Nikon 105DC). MTF and sharpness of these highly-regarded lenses are not impressive at all.
Thats totally right, it should be lighter, sharper and cheaper than the 60mm otherwise it just sucks. Oh and also faster as well. There should be a button that you turn on and it increases the gravity field around the camera to pull more light in. Then they might as well add the ability to cook my breakfast.
I’m really looking forward to a real world side by side comparison of the 56mm and the 60mm.
+1
Hmmm…I what happened to the LaRoque first look?
he said via twitter: “Bit of a communication bug: I’ve taken down the 56mm first look. Huge apologies. FYI it IS amazing. More soon.”]
It’s a big price difference, so it’s gonna have to be real good.
I’m not convinced at all by the testphoto. The out of focus areas seem quite busy.
totally agree! That is not good looking bokeh. Very harsh with bright edges around the circles. I hope his other shots reveal this too be a more muted background blurring lens.
Yes, Bokeh is busy 🙁 definitely compared to my Nikon 85/1.4G+D800
At Amazon, all the lenses in the top slots are cheap/inexpensive Canons. The Fujinon 56mm currently at #7 is the first serious pro lens listed followed by two highly-popular Canon L zooms at #18 & #19.
why did he have to remove the review? why are there no samples? The lens was already released, there are no secrets? What is going on? Can someone explain?
This lens is SHARP, SHARP, SHARP! In the meantime, here is a photo of a blurry mug…
He had more photos – portraits on his site until he took them down.
I presume he had production lens and the final release would be better based on the feedback Fuji got from photographer who used the lens.
Or maybe Fuji has contract with certain studio or celebrity photographer to showcase the first images?
I saw the piece — nothing contentious, nothing particularly astounding either. The lens seems rather delectable. I can’t tell why the post was pulled. I tried to offer a link here to it…
because the link was broken
Well, since the link is down, does anyone have any good photography jokes?
Ceci n’est pas une photography joke.
Yes, the Canon EOS-M.
Why was my post criticising WexUK pricing of the 56mm lens removed? Could it possibly have anything to do with the fact that WexUK are sponsors of this forum???
don’t worry Bazza… you shared your comment in the other post, not in this one… so check out the post where you posted it (this one)… it’s still there.
Thank you! Apologies for my mistake…senior moment and advancing years!!!
anyway, the price on wexUK is £899