Fuji XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR (New version) lens review with samples...feat. X-H2 :-)
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- Опубликовано: 6 ноя 2022
- Is there any lens sharp enough in the world to satisfy the incredible demands of a 40mp APS-C sensor? Perhaps there is something new in this world after all...
Find it here (Amazon affiliate link - thanks for your support):
geni.us/Fuji56mmWRNew
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All pictures taken by me on Fuji X-T3 and X-H2 cameras.
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Music:
'Opportunity Walks', Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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I am watching Christopher's uploads on my phone, in 144p quality, without my glasses, from a safe 10m distance, in order to avoid the gas.
Yeah it looks like shit doesn't it! Definitely, yeah. Trust me. And mute the audio.
@@TheMetalButcher Hahaha
You know Fuji is confident in their lense's image quality when they include their highest resoluting camera.
Haha . Well said!
This lens is unbelievable... Looks like they updated it based on their learnings from 50mm F1.0.
I've already super satisfied with the first gen 56mm 1.2 on my X-H2, but one of my local camera stores somehow mistakenly marked the 2nd gen $300 off (should apply on 1st gen only) so I just got this lens without any hesitation🤣
I was really astonished that this lens performs so well, even at the aperture of f/1.2. Fuji is on a roll.
Any surprise we might have had at them loaning the XH-2 with the lens was quickly explained when see how this lens works with 40mp and wide open. Not often I look at a lens/camera review and go "Wow" out loud. The only other lens I can recall looking that good at as bright an aperture as f1.2 in the corners is the Noct 58mm 0.95, which is one hell of a compliment given the price and size difference. The legendary status of the Fuji 56 1.2 pretty much sealed. My cap well and truly doffed!
How impressive is this lens!!!!! Thanks for the review!
Fuji out here making perfect lenses (optically, at least - not talking about the focus motor). Kudos to them, it inspires confidence in their system.
Wow, an absolutely stunning lens!
No question, Fuji has been by far the best APS-C system for a long while.
in love with the old version. the autofocus misses here and there on the one i own as well. it is challenging to use for street photography, which is my main focus. but detail shots and portraits turn out so beautiful!
Okay wow, that is some seriously good performance! What am incredible lens!
Very interesting and impressive to see how well it performs on 40MP. This means all newer Fuji lenses will probably have no problem resolving the full resolution of the new 40MP APS-C sensor, and I think older lenses that are known to be very sharp will also perform very well on this new sensor.
I highly doubt it
@@hardywoodaway9912 Fuji ha fatto la lista dei vecchi obbiettivi , pochi sono esclusi .
Wow...that sharpness and contrast at f/1.2 is absolutely outstanding!
Thank you Chris again for the excellent review
I preordered and received the lens day 1. As an owner of the previous and new version, I’ve had the same findings as your. I’ve learned to mitigate the autofocus shortcomings as best as I can and am immensely enjoying photographing with it.
How do you, as you say, “mitigate” the shortcomings? I was very interested in this lens until reviews suggested it cannot really hit moving targets in AF-C. In other words, not much better than the 50mm f1, another dream lens! I have a Viltrox 56mm which while not perfect is quite fast.
@@matt88169 In short, I'm more intentional when using this lens than with others, especially with fast moving subjects. I use Single focus mode with a small focus box. I wait patiently for the right moment, lock focus and take a photograph. My 18mm and 33mm lenses are more forgiving. I do not have to be as careful or patient. Eventually I will add the 90mm F2 to my kit, which will reduce the need for the 56mm to be my action telephoto (I have a young kid and they play sports).
@@jeremywenrich Thanks. Which body do you shoot with? Figuring out if the AF of the new 56mm will be up to the task is a challenge - some seem to show it can hit running kids, others say 'don't bother' (the 50mm f1 also gets this distinction I've noticed). Obviously it does not help that Fuji's AF-C isn't 100% reliable (I have an XT3). Reviewers always show the lens pulling focus back and forth, but what they don't show is attempting the same thing in worse lighting conditions. In my experience the better lenses will still acquire, focus, and hit something in poor light with reasonable good speed, the "lesser" lenses will not. Pretty hard to incorporate a flash in candid indoor sessions when your lens is typically hunting or missing focus.
Obviously if I were shooting a soccer game I'd be likely to stop down somewhere between f2-f5.6 instead of wide open, top open up the DoF. Indoors you tend to need that wider aperture. Do you also shoot with it indoors? Curious if, in crappy or low light (think, light that requires ISO 1600 or higher@f1.4), it hunts a lot / misses a lot. I have the 23mm LM WR (similar to your 18mm and 33mm), and have found it quite fast and reliable indoors even in poor light (wide open at f1.4 - haven't tested other apertures as much just yet). In fact it seems up there with my red badge lens. Acquisition, tracking, hit rate have all been very good so far.
If the 56mm is slower than the new primes, but has similarly good acquisition and hit rates in poor light, the slower speed is less of a problem for me. For a second reference I've found the 18-55mm kit lens in the same conditions is almost unusable (ISO 1600-6400 type shots). I love the lens, but frankly its AF is only fast in good light, in my experience - it is hard to shoot kids inside. If I can't get a lock, it doesn't matter that I'm using flash or no flash. Acquisition, tracking, hit rate. That is the holy trinity. For me, if the new Fuji can't handle a little action indoors or out it doesn't matter that the optics are stellar. I have the 50-140mm so am not interested in the 90mm f2, personally (and actually, I would recommend it over the 90mm potentially, since it is sharp as a tack, very fast, and can be had fairly cheap). But I do love the 85mm-ish focal length for an indoor/outdoor prime.
I have the Viltrox 56mm f1.4 and it is a fast lens in good light that can definitely keep up with some action. In crappier light the AF performance varies from very good to hunting/missing quite a lot.
@@matt88169 This is a hard call. I shot an indoor wedding with poor lighting and black ceilings (bouncing flash off what white patches I could find). I found myself struggling to acquire focus with the 56mm WR, but I had only just received it, too. I felt more comfortable using my 33mm under those conditions. I want to make it clear that these were very dark conditions though.
I can push the lens more now, but it does not excel at the scenarios you've noted. For that reason, you may wish to pass. I find myself often shooting in more favorable circumstances though and LOVE the lens. It is a must for me. No doubt about it.
Thank you for the 50-140mm recommendation. I will consider it as it is on my short list and one of the only zooms that I'm considering.
@@jeremywenrich Sounds like a lens I better rent first. Given Fuji stuffed 4 linear motors into the 90mm, which is just 4 inches long, I'm shocked they couldn't shove two into the 56mm - it would have made this lens legendary. I don't want to oversell the 50-140mm to you, because I don't know your use cases / preferences, but if it disappointed you optically or in terms of AF I'd be shocked - especially if your use-case is replacing the 56mm for sports shots and doing some portraiture too. You probably won't have to be nearly as "intentional", so you can think more about composition and less about the focus issues. I think the 50-140mm lens deserves legendary status. In terms of cost its actually affordable if you consider that it might replace (and outperform in different ways) three different primes (50mm, 56mm, 90mm). I am quite familiar with it if you have questions. It is beastly to where I would recommend a deep grip for long shoots, but the images I've gotten make it worthwhile.
I had version 1 and the AF was SO spotty that it almost ruined my switch to Fuji, thankfully, I eventually gave up and got the 90mm which is a stellar lens in every respect and almost NEVER misses.. It's nice to see that the optics look great on this lens, but I'm not interested in paying 1,000 or any amount for a lens that might struggle or even miss at essential moments.. great work as always Chris
Great review. Thanks so much Chris
Loving the extraterrestrial commentary on new 18mm, 23mm, and 56mm! What other alien technologies might Fujifilm have stolen :O
Wow what a lens, nice review as always, I look forward to your review and thoughts of Fuji’s new 30mm macro lens.
Hi, thanks for your all reviews. Today I sold all my older fuji lenses and bought new 23mm, 33mm and this 56mm lenses - all of them are really incredibly sharp! 23mm and 56mm maybe little bit more :-) AF on this 56mm lens works, but as you said, it is noisy. New 23mm and 33mm have linear motors and they are quiet.
STONISHING PERFORMANCE!!! Well done Fuji!
I'd be smashing that affiliate link of yours if I didn't already own the V1 and love it so much. Being responsible for roughly a third of my favorite images of the last decade, its place in my camera bag is secure.
That's some outstanding optics!
Bought mine last week for the X-T4. Just wow. Yes, the 33mm 1.4 is very good, but this lens is stellar. Only problem (as you mentioned) is that it has no LM-Autofocusmotor. But that's really a veeeery small problem for me.
Great review! Impressive lens.
Good to hear. It's on my list.
Thank you for another terrific lens review!! To correct the 'slower' autofocus, and get back to APS-C roots of 'compactedness', it would be great if Fuji were to design a 56mm WR LM f1.4 or f1.6. If I wanted full-frame-sized lenses, well - you know, I'd be shooting full-frame.
I agree. Linear motor and f/1.4 at this size would have sold a lot better than this lens ever will, I am willing to bet. This AF motor misses pretty badly in AF-C and the lens really works best in professional portrait situations where AF-S can be used.
I'm definitely not the target market for a lens like this, but the optical performance is seriously impressive!! well done, Fuji! shame about the spotty AF performance though
It’s really not that spotty in real world use
I think this is the first sub f/1.4 lens that you review where you actually get pro results at sub f/1.4 apertures.
Sony 50mm F1.2 GM
What a performance! I would love to own the new f1.4 primes and this one.
Wow what a brilliant lens!
Thank you!
Would love to see the XF 30mm macro when you can!
Wow! Optically its the best lens ive seen from Fuji.
Outstanding!
Just got the lens today for $200 off at my local camera shop, beyond happy with it so far! Such amazing photos, has a sort of cinematic feel to it similar to the 90 F2 although obviously any fast aperture telephoto lens will have that to some degree. My new go-to walk around lens, so much fun to use.
$200 off a brand new lens? You sure it wasn’t the old version?
@@bt82hongkong grey market. Only drawback is the 30days warranty. They sell the 50-140 for 1100USD. Or some rich punk in the facebook marketplace who don't know how to shoot and will sell the lens after a month or two from the purchase. 😂 I love those.
Great Review!!!
Fujifilm is an outstanding lens manufacturer. Their *GF 110mm F2* is so good that I've never seen a lens sharper than it.
I have the original 56mm f1.2, and aside of 16mm f1.4 it's my favorite Fuji lens, as I learned to live with its flaws. But its biggest downside for me is the fact that it's motor will literally freeze at about 0 C, what makes it totally unusable in the winter outside. And yeah, weather sealing would be nice too...
Just got this lens and agree with everything you said. The autofocus is definitely loud! But worth dealing with for the amazing image quality.
Totally impressive!
the Performance in ALL Aspects is unbelievable good.
Another Banger from Fuji
Great performance. Would've been interesting to see a side-by-side comparison of the old and new 56 lens on the 40 mp sensor :)
Such a sharp lens!
Thank you for this detailed review! What are your thoughts comparing its quality to the sigma 56 mm f1.4?
Masterpiece
Have you tried setting the focus ring to be linear? It may help with the jerky focusing. Set Up -> Button/Dial Setting -> Lens Zoom/Focus Setting -> Focus Ring Operation.
I think the camera is trying to guess how much you wanna move on the focus range which may be causing the jerkiness. But the problem when you turn it off is some lens can take foreeeeeeeever to get places on the focus ring. Works really well with AF + MF enabled so you can auto focus to something then fine tune the focus with way more precision than the non-linear mode.
Such a good and chubby lens! One of my favourite focal lengths. Will you ever review the 120-300mm f2.8 and/or 180-400mm f4 TC Nikon lenses?
The high corner performance, low distortion and low aberrations make this a great "copy" lens (photographing artwork and such).
thank you! is the XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR on your review radar? love your vids so much
That is amazing sharpness for f/1.2. What a great lens! I don't think I have seen an f/1.2 lens that sharp at f/1.2. I started watching your videos around 2011 when I was using Canon DSLRs and I have used Canon cameras for years, but I now only use Panasonic cameras (My main camera is a Panasonic GH6) so while none of your lens reviews have been helpful to me., I do appreciate all your testing and reviews and will still watch them. Would you ever consider testing Micro 4/3 cameras and lenses in the future and or L mount cameras and lenses?
Also wondering about this, with a huge amount of m43 lenses, would it make a great content and expands the database? Or something happened in the past that I'm not aware of?
Chris, if you're reading this, we'll be thankful if you'd like to answer this question, cheers!
@@Durio_zibethinus Maybe Peter Panasonic and Oliver Olympus ran away with Chris's highschool girlfriend ten years ago? ;)
Great video 👌 when will you be reviewing Fujifilms gfx lenses?
I was most impressed with LOCA results, usually you get this kind of performance with good macro lenses and those lenses have a substantially lower aperture opening to aid them
Thanks good job
Hello Chris! We LOVE your videos! For that reason can you please review the new Tamron 50-500mm lens? Thank you!
Seems like a really good sleeper option for some Astro panorama work. Those corners!!
Really appreciate the quality and depth of your reviews and I have a question: I'm shooting with an H2S and am torn between purchasing this lens, or the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM (with an adapter). I've seen beautiful examples of video shot with the Canon lens on the H2S, and I've heard the Canon lens focuses faster than the Fuji, but which would you recommend for video? Thanks and cheers!
It will be great if you can make a comparision video about the old vs new vs Sigma 56 on the XH2. Hoping you will replay. Thanks in advance
Hello Christopher. Did you find that the AF was any better when used on the X-H2?
I’m impressed.
3:30 OMG 🤯 incredible sharpness at F1.2
Hello Christopher, great video, wich one is better for bokeh and for portrait photography… the xf 56mm f/1.2 R WR .. or xf 50mm f/1.0? Best regards
optically a fuji has made masterpiece. Mindblowingly sharp at f 1.2.
a superb optic，i think its the best apsc fuji lens ever made
Wow!
My jaw dropped when I saw that bright light performance! Almost none reflections!
This is such a difference from other reviewers. I will never own a Fuji in my life. Yet I still watch this video because for me this has overcome the just informatical side of things. You make awesome reviews. And so many to.
Obviously, with both the need to update some of their older fast lens, Fuji has done a great job with this lens.
However, both the 1st iteration and this new lens are simply too expensive for my relatively shallow pockets.
Whilst I don't doubt the quality, I will be heading for the excellent Sigma 56 1.4.
Am saving to purchase the new 23 1.4, a focal length I frequently use.
What's with those lines that are close to the circle centers on X-T3? Is it some kind of artifact introduced by an X-Trans sensor?
I was hoping you could also test the other new primes on the 40 mp sensor...
Excellent lens by any measure. If they just updated the AF motor to modern standards, it would be essentially a perfect lens.
I wonder if you can use the vintage metal hood made by Fuji for the 16mm 1.4. It has the same filter size. The version for the old 23mm 1.4 worked on the old 56mm 1.2. They only made a 16mm and 23mm as far as i know back then.
I had no time for apsc but this new 40mp sensor could change things for me..
Did you set ‘high performance’ in camera? Might help quick focussing.
This is going to be your APSC lens of the year I think.
I've owned its predecessor and now I work with the new one : the AF is really disappointing, the first version was already lacking in this area.
Concerning the bokeh, I must admit I prefer the previous one : it had this little outlining, and in the corners it was oval, these characteristics gave identity to picture. The new one has perfect cat's eyes in the corner, you can't really tell if it was shot with a Nikon 85mm f/1.8 or a Sigma, or this one ^^. Except that Nikon, Sony and Sigma offer linear motor in these f/1.4 and f/1.8 lenses, whereas there is more glass to move for FF /f1.4 optics.
Sharpness is perfect.
The big problem with this lens is its AF, it is really a shame, particularly given the fact that the other recent f/1.4 lenses from Fuji (18mm, 23mm, 33mm) all have lightning fast linear motor autofocus.
I wonder how this native lens compares to the Viltrox 75 1.2. I hear that one’s a beast too. They both require a certain degree of space to really showcase their prowess. I think 23 1.4 hits that sweet shot regardless of space restrictions for the most part. Great lens. I adored the original 56 1.2
75/1.2 is better, including autofocus, but very large and heavy
The Viltrox is even better. Absolute IQ insanity that blows out of the water any Leica or Zeiss at any price. If I were Fujifilm, I'd start being a little bit worried. Viltrox has gone from being just another made in China mediocre performing manufacturer, to making breakthrough products that are simply astonishing and awe inspiring.
18mmf1.4 and 56mm1.2WR are now the perfect Fuji Prime Duo.
does this new version have really fast and accur. Iate autofocus (especially in video) and focus smoothly w/o much hunting? I'm considering the FUJIFILM XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR or the FUJIFILM XF 50mm f/2 R WR Lens
Damn that's a sharp lens....
I've been loving mine, but I am a little disappointed in the auto focus, it's still a bit slow. I'm hoping firmware updates improve it a bit.
Have you tested the autofocus performance on the X-H2?
Playing so.much with incredible bargain fast vintage lenses like the Sears Ricoh 50mm 1.4 (50 bucks including a Ricoh body) on Fuji X that I thought it was time to look at the big boy. I don't necessarily see the heavy creamy bokeh I'm getting on the (very sharp) Sears, though. But the Fuji specs on this are outstanding. Wow..
Which monitor are you using to test 40 MP images?
I'm divided today because the 50mm f1.0 is on sale here in NZ (not an import) and that makes it at the price of the newer 56mm 1.2 WR...I've got the x-H2 and recently purchased the 33mm 1.2 WR.
Extra aperture and very smooth bokeh but extra weight and color fringing on one side or overhaul better image quality on the other side. What would you do for the same cost? I know, it all depends on what you do with it...After all they are not exactly the same lens.
What do you mean by ''outlining bokeh'' on the older version? I didn't quite get that... I don't even see much difference on your examples here. Thanks for the informative video, though.
I am wondering, is a 40mp apsc sensor actually more demanding for the lens than a 40mp ff sensor? And which one will give me more detail in the images? I know of course they will both be 40mp files, but still is one sharper (more detailed) than the other?
The focusing group is much larger than their other recent prime lenses, from what I read it controls 8 elements + the aperture unit.
Not mentioned in the video is that it’s using a DC motor rather than linear, the lens would’ve had to be much larger to fit one. Personally I’d prefer that but they already have the massive 50mm 1.0 with LM so maybe they wanted to differentiate the two that way (cripple hammer lol)
@@b3arodactyl The 50mm f/1.0 also has a DC motor. 🙁 Maybe Fuji is being too ambitious with big glass elements and heavy focusing groups for LM to work.
@@SquirrelHybrid Realistically this lens is designed for portrait work, either candid or staged. The need for blistering autofocus probably isn't there.
Terrific lens and review. I just have a few questions.. and they all are- Crystal Pepsi 😮Are we back in 1996? Haha
Could you subjectively compare sharpness to Sigma 56, which is now also available for Fuji? From video it seems a LOT sharper than Sigma mounted on 32mpx Canon camera. Thanks
The old 56 f1.2 was already sharper than the Sigma in the corners according to Gordon Liang's direct comparison video. The Sigma is fine for portraits, but if you need corner to corner sharpness, this new Fuji looks crazy good.
How come you haven’t tested the autofocus on the X-H2? I have tested this lens when it was new on an-xh2(s) and I was also not impressed with autofocus speed, although it was noticeably better than gen 1.
I am curious if this got improved with firmware updates though.
I now regret watching this video as I was not planning on upgrading my old 56mm. Now let´s try to forget it 😜
Nice lens
Omfg, wow, just...wow
Since you have also tested the 50/1.0 what is your verdict? I assume this one is sharper wide open for sure but has that 60% less light coming in.
XF56mmF1.2 is highly recommended, XF50mmF1 is recommended :) Don't forget aboud 6mm difference, XF50mmF1 can give you a softer look with softer bokeh, just look at portrait samples. But it's heavier, bigger and more expensive.
Just got this lens yesterday, and though the image quality is superb, I'm disappointed in the less than fully impressive AF speed and the noisy motor. I would never have expected this from fuji now and especially for a thousand big ones! Thoughts?
Not a fuji fan but worth a watch
Chris, Sorry to trouble you, but this lens and camera combo seems to be getting better sharpness tests than the Nikon Z7 + 105mm combo... is this definitely the case, or is my computer or youtube making it look comparable?
Not available tracking focus test ?
The performance at 1.2 is INSANE!!!
Thanks for the review although baffled why you would try a new lens on an older camera when you actually had the latest camera with the latest AF tech to hand.?