Thanks for having me on, brother! This was fun! And congrats on your first feature-length film! ;) Seriously though, great comprehensive video. Having been there from the humble beginnings of the Fuji lens lineup, it's pretty cool to see that we have so many options now. Oh and I now see what you did with the mystery "G" lens. Well played. ;)
Cheers, man. I appreciate you sitting down and trying to place those lenses! It was quite a task. And yes... I thought about mixing the "G" in with the others, but giving it that letter seemed like it might give you a clue...
Wow! Lots of work you did here. Thanks for all the info and if I ever get tired of my OG 56 fuji I will be buying the Meike. btw the images in your slideshow were all excellent, but I really like the one at 48:51! The window,the reflection, the flowers, the lines, the layers!
Thank you! It was a mammoth project, to be sure. I'm glad someone liked that image. I loved that scene and would have killed to get it just a bit wider, but there were cars parked all around and I was on tippy toes in between two cars with the camera over my head just to get that shot. So much work for such a simple frame. Ha!
That was fun. The 1.7 and 1.8s are easy to tell, so easy that I would definitely spend extra to atleast jump up to the Meike 1.4. Because I knew the Viltrox is wider than 56mm, I knew it was E. Then the Viltrox 1.4 was easy to spot once you focused on the two bokeh balls above her head, as it had the most obvious bokeh fringing. But I have to admit that I could not find the Fuji against the Sigma and Meike, I first thought A and then C mostly focusing on the bokeh rather than sharpness, as I'm only getting around 3mp on my screen anyway. Going back and looking at the full images, it's easier to tell when you know it. But that's probably not practical as we've seen with your wife's test. It's also definitely interesting the Sigma lacked so much in the sharpness test, guess it performed well on the 24mp Sonys but falls short on 40mp, which it was not designed for.
Nice video as always! Immediately spot A as Sigma and D as Fuji. I've come up with a set of Fuji 50\1.0 as my favorite and Sigma 56\1.4 as a lightweight\pocketable option if needed.
You did the blind tests! Yay!!! Thank you! On the one hand, it confirmed my suspicion that a non-photographer would not notice the much more expensive glass, caring much more about minor details in pose and color grading, etc. On the other hand, there were much bigger differences in overall “feel” and bokeh rendering than I would have expected. Super interesting video! Thanks a lot for doing this.
Those blind tests were really interesting! I actually did them myself off camera as well. Having used each of the lenses extensively, I was able to pick each lens out after two weeks of not seeing the images, but I knew what to look for. As for my wife, she did the test a couple of times and gave different answers each time. That suggests exactly what I was expecting, as well. Glad you enjoyed the video overall! Did you have a favourite bokeh rendering from the samples I showed?
Wow ! You weren't kidding about getting a pen and paper out. I watched three times before I ended up consolidating my notes on the fourth viewing. I loved this video for both the Organic Chemistry lecture and the always wonderful slide show. Keep up the high production values and Thanks again
Yes and these are my takeaways. The XF is very, very good overall. It probably shouldn't be in this horse race. The Viltrox 1.4 is Harmoniously pleasant. The TT Artisan may have small issues but is the top contender for 2nd place in the important categories. Sigma and Meike are also very good but you will have to pick your compromise. The Viltrox 1.7 is pretty good in a couple of categories, most importantly as a capable walk around. Excellent review !! Thanks again
Amazing video! I'm hesitating between buying the Meike 55mm f1.4 or the Fuji 50mm f2. I would have loved to see the Fuji 50mm f2 in this comparison or a future one
I think the Sigma is still the most compact option that still allows decent light gathering and bokeh rendering. It is only a little bigger than the Viltrox 1.7!
Thank you for the great comparison. Very interesting to see the „real world“ impressions from the non photographer’s view. It proves the fact that the photograph is more about the feel of the image, especially in portraiture.
Thanks for watching! Yes, it does suggest what we all know - nobody cares about sharpness and bokeh quality except photographers. It would be interesting to actually print these and see what people think. I wonder if it would change the outcome.
Thank you for the very informative review. I don't have any 56mm lens, but I would go for the Fujifilm if I were to buy one. The weather resistance is very important to me, because I live in an area where the weather changes frequently and rain is typical throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons.
Nice, didn't even notice the video was nearly 1 hour long :) I tested the Fuji XF 56 F/1.2 WR and the Sigma F/1.4 and although the Fuji was a better lens, it was not worth more than 2x the cost for my work. So I got the Sigma I enjoy using the sigma so much, I pre-ordered the Sigma 23mm F/1.4 for fuji, and I enjoy using these 2 lenses so much. my every day carry is now an X100 VI (my back thanks me) but in the studio, I'll still reach for the Sigma 56mm or 23mm (normally both get used for different shots) I do find the Sigma files so easy to edit too, and seems seamless even when mixing with XF lenses (Mainly the 35mm F/1.4) the output is similar enough that they can be grouped together (at least the way I edit them). I do agree though, I'd like to see different lenses that step outside the comfort zone of same focal lengths to give us something different. Sigma did this with full frame lenses, such as the 14mm F/1.4 and the 15mm Diagonal fisheye. They have a mount licence so I'd like to see something different, although I like having the option of almost as good as Fuji lenses at half the price. Tamron think outside the box a little, the 17-70 F/2.8 and the 18-300mm give something that Fuji doesn't (granted I'm not a huge fan of fujis none red badge zooms, with the exception of the 10-24 F/4 which is such a nice lens) fujis 16-80 F/4 is a stop slower, and (at least my copy) never got sharp outside of the centre, the 18-135 is ok, the 18-55 is ok (great for a kit lens) I've never used the 18-120 or the new 16-50. I have used the Tamron 18-300 all in one zoom, and it is optically OK, but is cheap and is really a one lens does it all walk around lens, I wouldn't grab it for professional work, but is nice to have these options fuji doesn't give us. I'd love someone to give me a 50mm to 100mm F/2.8 (or 60mm to 120mm F/2.8) zoom lens
Interesting thoughts, indeed! Sigma definitely experiments a bit more with their full-frame lenses, but that's to be expected with the size of that market. They can afford to play around a little more when the pond is that large. Hopefully with Fujifilm's market share growing and Nikon and Sony both having APS-C bodies available, we'll see some more interesting lenses from Sigma, as well. Much like you, I've never cared much for Fujifilm's lower-end zoom lenses. That being said, I recently picked up the 70-300mm and I am impressed with what they achieved. It feels like it should retail for a lot more than it does!
Great review. I recently purchased a Fuji X-E1 and I am trying to find a relatively small and light lens to pair it with, mostly for travel. I bought a TTartisan 27mm f2.8, but it is being returned due to a defect where it sometimes seems to lose connection with the body, and the lens wiggled a bit when on the body. But honestly, based on the optical performance, I am not too disappointed. I like a good, sharp image, and what it produced seemed soft from corner to corner. Maybe that was from the problems the lens was having. Not sure. Anyway, I am wondering if you have any recommendation for a budget AF lens for the 16mp X-E1. WR isn't a priority, as the body isn't WR so I won't be using it in bad weather anyway. Sharpness is a priority for me, and between the xtrans-i sensor, in body recipes, and post production, I don't need the lens to render a particular colour profile. Small size would be good too, for travel purposes. So far, I am leaning towards the Viltrox 56mm f1.7, but I am open to wider lenses if you have any you think I should consider. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
The problem with the 56RWR and the walking test is specifically related to distance from the user, it does 'ok' for the distance you demonstrate here between you and your couple (in your example image), but once they get about 4m away from you (and remember the MFD of this lens is actually very good), under AF.C Focus Priority (and whatever fps you like and even with a slow walking subject...), not a SINGLE shot will ring out, and if you are fortunate enough to get one it will be heavily oof. The problem right across the board with Fuji is z axis AF, but ONLY on medium to close distances. A lot of LM lenses do quite well even on the closer (approaching MFD) distances, but you definitely notice a substantial frame rate drop after a certain distance point as it simply struggles to drive the lenses quick enough. This is because, a subject walking a steady pace far away is making gains much less on the z axis vs the same subject walking at the same speed once they get closer, each step they take is magnified significantly when nearing and thus the AF begins to chokes.
Had the same problem with the XF56 WR + X-H2S. At closer distances with focus priority I was sometimes not even able to get a single image. Did you find a 56 mm lens which reliably enough for moving subjects at closer distances (1-2 m)?
I actually didn't find that to be the case at all. In my head-to-head AF-C test (which I really should have included some example frames of - but in just trying to get this thing out, completely missed), we shot from full-body all the way to half-body with every lens. Even then, it only missed the few that you saw counted in the video. The older 56mm f/1.2 was MUCH worse in this regard. With predictable movement, it generally does a great job. It's only when things get erratic, especially, as you say, closer to the camera, that it struggles and you'd be lucky to get a shot at all.
The test ended at about the 2 metre mark from the camera. At that point, it was still doing fine. The out of focus frames actually came from random misses much further away. As I said in the video, predictable, slow movement seems to be just fine. If you're after faster or more unpredictable movement being captured, this would be a bit of a square peg in a round hole kind of situation. Linear motors are much better at that sort of thing.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I did do a comparison on my channel, a fairly recent video, the XF90 vs 56RWR one, in that video I share far more specifics of my testing and findings. You must have a goldilocks of a 56, because regardless of Fuji f/w (including the famous 1.03) and/or changes to the AF.C settings, the issue persists, the hit rate just drops massively (to the point zero shots will ring out from about 4m to 1m) as the lens simply cannot be driven quick enough to keep up with even a slow walking individual. Anyway, feel free to check that video out if you like. For me the 56RWR is a stationary or X and Y axis lens, once we get significant Z axis action I know its going to crumble. The funny thing is, I have a ridiculous amount of step down rings on that lens with no vignetting appearing. It kinda angers me, it says to me they could have cut back on glass and weight and got some LM inside if they could even drop a tiny amount of corner and edge IQ. Basically this lens seems complete overkill, like they are making a FF camera in the background that this lens will be compatible for ;) ;)
Hi @@DylanGoldbyPhotographer could you share your af-c settings? I think there is a lot of variations in the possible setup. And knowing this might help. Totally brilliant review btw. Love your balanced insights and approach
This was an awesome video, and by far the most 56mm's I've ever seen compared at once. The blind side by side was pretty eye opening. But this was clearly a huge amount of work so definitely appreciate the effort! I was recently in the market for a portrait lens and was deciding between the TTArtisan, Viltrox, and Meike... but I managed to snag the TTA on sale for $125 so just couldn't pass it up! And I've been really happy with it so far. Unfortunately I hadn't noticed the bokeh being quite so nervous, but yeah as you said it is almost too sharp lol requiring of bit of extra time for skin texture retouching. I've got my eye on the new Meike 33 f1.4 though as a companion lens, but there's hardly any information out there at the moment. But wow, the Fuji lens really does stand out from the crowd with its rendering... maybe one day I can afford it haha
Thanks for taking the time to watch. That's the most 56mm I've ever seen together as well... I'm actually surprised I managed to get them all together! The TT is a great lens with a couple of small flaws, but nothing to stop you making great images. Just play to its strengths and you'll be a happy camper.
I'm torn between the xf 56mm 1.2 or the Meike 55mm 1.4 as an amateur (looking to get into events/portraits). On the one hand the xf can be found for about £400 good condition here in the UK but the Meika for its asking price seems incredible.
One comment for the algorithm. Beside that, your blind test with your friend wasn't as quiet as with your wife. You talked too much for a blind test, and give hints for some lenses to your friend, but that's OK, we are here not in a scientific lab. Thank you so much for this excellent review.
I sold my old 56 Fuji 1.2 and bought the new Fuji 56 1.2 WR and the auto focus speed, actually was better! I was actually getting hits where before I was getting misses. Unfortunately, it’s still seems to work best when I use limit focus from 6.5 to infinity. The quality is unmatched, and I can crap easily, which makes it well worth the extra cost.
Really comprehensive review, Dylan! I have been using the XF33mm for group and portrait and hesitating with the new XF56mm because of the lens motor movement and sound it makes. Do you think Fuji will ever upgrade this lens to the improved linear focus? Why would they opt for the same motor when they have the more sophisticated tech developed? Any thoughts would be most appreciated. AND, I didn't see if you published Roy's choices if they were correct? Thank you!
Thanks for watching, as always! Fujifilm announced that they chose the motor type for a specific optical reason, so who knows what they will do next? I've noticed again and again that Fujfilm tends to go back on what they say. Time will tell!
Most interesting- thank you and your beautiful Wife. Suspect if Viltrox were to introduce a pro spec 56 1.2 the final results could change quite a bit. Happy shooting 🇬🇧😎👍
Thank you for watching! I do wonder where Viltrox's "pro" line is going as well. So far, they've introduced a couple of lenses that haven't been available from Fujifilm, so maybe we'll see more lenses like that? Whatever happens, I think Viltrox is an interesting company that is doing what Sigma and Tamron have done over the years.
That Meike is interesting, because of that tighter FoV, its more like a 60/1.4 probably, nice and warm too. I agree with your conclusion, No.1 XF56, No.2 Meike, No.3 Sigma etc.
The Meike really is an interesting lens. I only wish the bokeh were a little smoother in certain situations and that it was a hair sharper wide open. That would make it a real competitor for the Fujinon in my opinion.
That was a great comparison! I do video and photo, I want an aperture ring so the Meike might be my only real choice. Are there any of the lenses that you would suggest for fast video focus? I know your photography channel. Just wondered if you happen to notice any differences in Video thanks again for a wonderful video
I don't do any video outside of this channel, unfortunately. So I'm really not the right person to answer that question. Thanks for watching, either way!
Would you switch to one of these lenses instead of the original XF 56/1.2 APD lens? The most important aspects for me are sharpness, nice bokeh and compactness. I shoot portraits while traveling, so the lighter the better. Too often I leave the 56/1.2 at home because it doesn't fit in the bag.
There will be tradeoffs no matter which lens you choose. If you're looking for smaller and lighter, you're going to lose light gathering and shallow depth of field. If you what to keep that, you're not going to save that much size and weight compared to that lens. Unfortunately, the laws of physics still apply.
I owned a voltrox 56 1.4 and ditched it exactly because of bad CAs incl. LoCA present in any backlit shot with bright edges... I rented and borrowed 56mm 1.2 a few times, but for me XF56 1.2 is just a bit too heavy and pricey to easily justify having it in the bag "just in case", so I was on the lookout for a lightweight 56mm... I recently picked up Meike 55mm because it is so cheap and I was blown away by its price-performance ratio. And it only weighs 286 grams. Mine is really sharp from 1.4 across the frame (on x-h2s) and takes 52mm filters - same as XF35 1.4 btw. Aperture ring is pretty stiff and "clicky" in a premium way, does not switch accidentally. But the blend... My goodness, that piece of creaky flimsy plastic is silly. I think they've spent all their effort and money on the lens and totally forgot about the rest haha. This is a keeper for me, even if I get my hands on the new 56 1.2. Auto-focus for photography is great, but for video it only good when tracking subject along the range. If you want it to go fast between close focus and infinity, it will hunt visibly, before nailing it and these focus pulls are too aggressive to my taste. And to be honest I have little hope they will improve it...
The Meike is a great little lens, for sure. I think you nailed it in saying that they tried really hard to make a great lens and forgot to polish the outside of it. A few better choices in the materials would have made a huge difference. But, at half, or even less, the cost of the Sigma, it's a really great deal. I don't do any video outside of this channel, so I didn't want to make any judgements there. It's a whole different set of concerns that I have absolutely no knowledge about.
Hey Dylan, where would you rank the old 56mm f1.2 amongst these? You said the Meike has a bit too much CA for your regular usecases, is the old Fuji better from your memory? And sharpness wide open would be interesting. Thanks!
From what I recall, and this is purely on memory, I'd probably put it somewhere close to the Meike in those regards. I'd really need to test them side by side to say with any certainty, though. Having said that, the old 56mm f/1.2 has a very soft, organic feeling to its images.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer thank you, I ordered the Meike in a deal for €207 and tested it yesterday, was pleasantly surprised with it. Certainly not on the level of my Fuji 23 1.4 WR but good enough for my usecases. Your video helped a lot, especially the fact that the €470 Sigma (and I would include the old Fuji there as well) is too expensive for its lack of weather sealing and lack of significant IQ improvements over the €200 Meike.
Great review! Thank you! 🤗 I only comment that displaying the lenses on a white background would be much more useful for viewers to clearly see the lenses. I get that on the black background and in a shadow, they look more artistic but black on black is not a good experience when talking about product details. A person needs to be intimately familiar with every single lens in the review and know how each one looks in every small detail to be able to clearly distinguish them during very short glimpses of the lenses in a shadow on a black background that were shown in the video.
A really great watch, thanks for all the effort! I think this cements my opinion that the Sigma really is the best bang for buck - it’s super quality, I just wish it had an aperture ring, but despite that I love mine. Having previously owned the Viltrox 56mm f1.4 this also confirms what I’ve always said about it - it’s a decent (perhaps good) lens for the money but once you compare it against other lenses it really does start to show you get what you pay for - it’s mediocre at best.
That Viltrox f/1.4 was really the only one of the bunch that disappointed me and it was the only one of them that took me out of my photography and made me worry about the lens itself. Not great! I'm surprised to hear that you think the Sigma is the best bang for your buck given it's higher price! What brings you to that conclusion?
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Oh from my own experience, the Sigma was available at release for £359 here in the UK - which is considerably lower than the XF 56mm f1.2. I also just think the IQ from the Sigma is excellent and is beaten only by said 56mm f1.2.
Just came here to revise (or perhaps retract) my previous comment. Having had the Viltrox 56mm f1.7 for a day it has immediately blown my Sigma out of the water. As per your testing, yes the Sigma does produce slightly creamier bokeh but, having seen them side-by-side for myself now, I can definitely live with the Viltrox for the savings. I’m fortunate enough to have my GFX gear when super creamy bokeh is required 😁
"The autofocus of the XF 56 1.4 WR is so bad that you can't really use it on slightly moving subjects or lighting conditions outside the studio." Can you confirm this assessment?
Did you now that viltrox 56 f1.7 in Emount it is WATERPTOOF, i have no idea why x mount it isin't. that's soo unfair :( This was MASSIVE comprassion sooo much information! thank you helping me choice a new lens! i was sure sigma or maybe Vltrox. After seeing Meike has almost same af as sigma makes me want to choose meike. i could get used sigma 240€ vs new meike 190€ It would make a huge difference for me if either of them were weather sealed. Photographing ice climbing in various conditions isn't the optimal lens, which isn't WR. How about fuji 50/f2 vs sigma 1.4? image quality and af? Next video about 75-90 range lenses? ;D
The e-mount version is not "waterproof". Read their description carefully, it's exactly the same lens as X mount. They write "waterproof and antifouling coating on the front element". What this means is that they have a hydrophobic coating on the front element of the lens to force water to bead and run off. As for the 50mm f/2, it's a great lens but would have made this comparison absolutely huge and opened up the "what about this lens from X manufacturer" floodgates. 😂 It's reasonably sharp, especially when stopped down. Corners aren't wonderful, but better than the worst here.
Well viltrox awnser me this so i think it is not excatly same ”The 56mm F1.7 lens for E-mount includes a waterproof feature because it was developed more recently, allowing us to incorporate additional design enhancements. The X-mount version was released earlier and does not have this feature.”
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Your friend had a tough time indeed!!! I was one of the Beta testers for the X-T2 before its release (dating myself) and back in the day used to have lenses thrown my way by Fuji Malaysia for comparisons. They asked me to take photos for a local Photography magazine comparing the 56mm APD with the normal 1.2 lens, and it convinced me that my clients would never see a difference unless they pixel peeped images at 100% or higher side by side. I tried a Yongnuo YN 50mm f/1.8 DA DSM PRO Lens last week and was staggered by the quality and the price. I settled on the Sigma 1.4 due to weight and AF speed
I'm going to find time to watch this, but I think I can have a good guess at what the outcome will be. The 56RWR smokes the field on IQ alone, but the rest are priced accordingly different and have some benefits over the 56RWR (such as price and AF performance). For me personally I am waiting for someone to make a new 56 with Linear motors, then I am gunning for that lens. Until then the 56RWR becomes basically an AF.S lens only, such a shame and missed opportunity. On a side note, have you noticed how much Fuji is over engineering their optics, like you can use A LOT of stepdown rings before encountering any kind of vignetting problems. No wonder they score well on the corners and edges... some of Fuji glass is practically full frame compatible... Makes you think huh... 🤔🤫
I have noticed that the higher end Fujifilm lenses tend to rely less on their software corrections and more on getting it right in the engineering stage. The lower end lenses tend to be the opposite. They set a price-point and then figure out how to make it happen using a combination of engineering and software. The 56mm f/1.2 probably wouldn't take much work to migrate over to a full-frame mount, I'd say... it's really well made.
Indeed. Light can elevate any scene. With a little more time and less summer rain during my testing, I would have loved to have come back with more images like this from each of the lenses. Perhaps in the upcoming individual reviews I'll have some light in my extras!
Thanks for having me on, brother! This was fun! And congrats on your first feature-length film! ;) Seriously though, great comprehensive video. Having been there from the humble beginnings of the Fuji lens lineup, it's pretty cool to see that we have so many options now.
Oh and I now see what you did with the mystery "G" lens. Well played. ;)
Cheers, man. I appreciate you sitting down and trying to place those lenses! It was quite a task.
And yes... I thought about mixing the "G" in with the others, but giving it that letter seemed like it might give you a clue...
Wow! Lots of work you did here. Thanks for all the info and if I ever get tired of my OG 56 fuji I will be buying the Meike. btw the images in your slideshow were all excellent, but I really like the one at 48:51! The window,the reflection, the flowers, the lines, the layers!
Thank you! It was a mammoth project, to be sure. I'm glad someone liked that image. I loved that scene and would have killed to get it just a bit wider, but there were cars parked all around and I was on tippy toes in between two cars with the camera over my head just to get that shot. So much work for such a simple frame. Ha!
Your videos are so great! I hope people will know more about your channel ❤
Thank you so much! Appreciate you watching.
Great comparisson! Would be great to see the comparisson of specifically the f/1.4 lenses now including the Brighting Star AF lens.
That was fun. The 1.7 and 1.8s are easy to tell, so easy that I would definitely spend extra to atleast jump up to the Meike 1.4. Because I knew the Viltrox is wider than 56mm, I knew it was E. Then the Viltrox 1.4 was easy to spot once you focused on the two bokeh balls above her head, as it had the most obvious bokeh fringing. But I have to admit that I could not find the Fuji against the Sigma and Meike, I first thought A and then C mostly focusing on the bokeh rather than sharpness, as I'm only getting around 3mp on my screen anyway. Going back and looking at the full images, it's easier to tell when you know it. But that's probably not practical as we've seen with your wife's test. It's also definitely interesting the Sigma lacked so much in the sharpness test, guess it performed well on the 24mp Sonys but falls short on 40mp, which it was not designed for.
What a fantastic video - thank you so much for making this; really very ehlpful indeed.
Glad you enjoyed! It was a big one, for sure!
Nice video as always! Immediately spot A as Sigma and D as Fuji. I've come up with a set of Fuji 50\1.0 as my favorite and Sigma 56\1.4 as a lightweight\pocketable option if needed.
\\\I just made a purchase of the Meike using your link. Thanks for the thorough review.
Well done. Honest and impartial with sample images and data.
Hope it was helpful! 🙏
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer It was very helpful. I always find your review video’s useful.
You did the blind tests! Yay!!! Thank you!
On the one hand, it confirmed my suspicion that a non-photographer would not notice the much more expensive glass, caring much more about minor details in pose and color grading, etc.
On the other hand, there were much bigger differences in overall “feel” and bokeh rendering than I would have expected.
Super interesting video! Thanks a lot for doing this.
Those blind tests were really interesting! I actually did them myself off camera as well. Having used each of the lenses extensively, I was able to pick each lens out after two weeks of not seeing the images, but I knew what to look for. As for my wife, she did the test a couple of times and gave different answers each time. That suggests exactly what I was expecting, as well.
Glad you enjoyed the video overall! Did you have a favourite bokeh rendering from the samples I showed?
Wow ! You weren't kidding about getting a pen and paper out. I watched three times before I ended up consolidating my notes on the fourth viewing.
I loved this video for both the Organic Chemistry lecture and the always wonderful slide show.
Keep up the high production values and Thanks again
Many thanks! 🙏 Hopefully, you came to some conclusions in the end?
Yes and these are my takeaways.
The XF is very, very good overall. It probably shouldn't be in this horse race.
The Viltrox 1.4 is Harmoniously pleasant.
The TT Artisan may have small issues but is the top contender for 2nd place in the important categories.
Sigma and Meike are also very good but you will have to pick your compromise.
The Viltrox 1.7 is pretty good in a couple of categories, most importantly as a capable walk around.
Excellent review !! Thanks again
Amazing video! I'm hesitating between buying the Meike 55mm f1.4 or the Fuji 50mm f2. I would have loved to see the Fuji 50mm f2 in this comparison or a future one
Thank you very much for your work! Amazing video!
Many thanks! Hope it was helpful!
I love this episode
I think the Sigma is still the most compact option that still allows decent light gathering and bokeh rendering. It is only a little bigger than the Viltrox 1.7!
Thank you for the great comparison. Very interesting to see the „real world“ impressions from the non photographer’s view. It proves the fact that the photograph is more about the feel of the image, especially in portraiture.
Thanks for watching! Yes, it does suggest what we all know - nobody cares about sharpness and bokeh quality except photographers. It would be interesting to actually print these and see what people think. I wonder if it would change the outcome.
I love this video! Could we get a link to download the samples and compare at home? Thanks!
Thank you for the very informative review. I don't have any 56mm lens, but I would go for the Fujifilm if I were to buy one. The weather resistance is very important to me, because I live in an area where the weather changes frequently and rain is typical throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons.
Great review. Thank you. Sold my old Fuji 56mm 1.2. some time ago. Don‘t think I‘ll buy the new one, they are too loud for my taste. 😊
Nice, didn't even notice the video was nearly 1 hour long :)
I tested the Fuji XF 56 F/1.2 WR and the Sigma F/1.4 and although the Fuji was a better lens, it was not worth more than 2x the cost for my work. So I got the Sigma
I enjoy using the sigma so much, I pre-ordered the Sigma 23mm F/1.4 for fuji, and I enjoy using these 2 lenses so much. my every day carry is now an X100 VI (my back thanks me) but in the studio, I'll still reach for the Sigma 56mm or 23mm (normally both get used for different shots)
I do find the Sigma files so easy to edit too, and seems seamless even when mixing with XF lenses (Mainly the 35mm F/1.4) the output is similar enough that they can be grouped together (at least the way I edit them).
I do agree though, I'd like to see different lenses that step outside the comfort zone of same focal lengths to give us something different.
Sigma did this with full frame lenses, such as the 14mm F/1.4 and the 15mm Diagonal fisheye. They have a mount licence so I'd like to see something different, although I like having the option of almost as good as Fuji lenses at half the price.
Tamron think outside the box a little, the 17-70 F/2.8 and the 18-300mm give something that Fuji doesn't (granted I'm not a huge fan of fujis none red badge zooms, with the exception of the 10-24 F/4 which is such a nice lens) fujis 16-80 F/4 is a stop slower, and (at least my copy) never got sharp outside of the centre, the 18-135 is ok, the 18-55 is ok (great for a kit lens) I've never used the 18-120 or the new 16-50.
I have used the Tamron 18-300 all in one zoom, and it is optically OK, but is cheap and is really a one lens does it all walk around lens, I wouldn't grab it for professional work, but is nice to have these options fuji doesn't give us.
I'd love someone to give me a 50mm to 100mm F/2.8 (or 60mm to 120mm F/2.8) zoom lens
Interesting thoughts, indeed! Sigma definitely experiments a bit more with their full-frame lenses, but that's to be expected with the size of that market. They can afford to play around a little more when the pond is that large. Hopefully with Fujifilm's market share growing and Nikon and Sony both having APS-C bodies available, we'll see some more interesting lenses from Sigma, as well.
Much like you, I've never cared much for Fujifilm's lower-end zoom lenses. That being said, I recently picked up the 70-300mm and I am impressed with what they achieved. It feels like it should retail for a lot more than it does!
Great review. I recently purchased a Fuji X-E1 and I am trying to find a relatively small and light lens to pair it with, mostly for travel. I bought a TTartisan 27mm f2.8, but it is being returned due to a defect where it sometimes seems to lose connection with the body, and the lens wiggled a bit when on the body. But honestly, based on the optical performance, I am not too disappointed. I like a good, sharp image, and what it produced seemed soft from corner to corner. Maybe that was from the problems the lens was having. Not sure.
Anyway, I am wondering if you have any recommendation for a budget AF lens for the 16mp X-E1. WR isn't a priority, as the body isn't WR so I won't be using it in bad weather anyway. Sharpness is a priority for me, and between the xtrans-i sensor, in body recipes, and post production, I don't need the lens to render a particular colour profile. Small size would be good too, for travel purposes. So far, I am leaning towards the Viltrox 56mm f1.7, but I am open to wider lenses if you have any you think I should consider.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
The problem with the 56RWR and the walking test is specifically related to distance from the user, it does 'ok' for the distance you demonstrate here between you and your couple (in your example image), but once they get about 4m away from you (and remember the MFD of this lens is actually very good), under AF.C Focus Priority (and whatever fps you like and even with a slow walking subject...), not a SINGLE shot will ring out, and if you are fortunate enough to get one it will be heavily oof.
The problem right across the board with Fuji is z axis AF, but ONLY on medium to close distances. A lot of LM lenses do quite well even on the closer (approaching MFD) distances, but you definitely notice a substantial frame rate drop after a certain distance point as it simply struggles to drive the lenses quick enough. This is because, a subject walking a steady pace far away is making gains much less on the z axis vs the same subject walking at the same speed once they get closer, each step they take is magnified significantly when nearing and thus the AF begins to chokes.
Had the same problem with the XF56 WR + X-H2S. At closer distances with focus priority I was sometimes not even able to get a single image. Did you find a 56 mm lens which reliably enough for moving subjects at closer distances (1-2 m)?
I actually didn't find that to be the case at all. In my head-to-head AF-C test (which I really should have included some example frames of - but in just trying to get this thing out, completely missed), we shot from full-body all the way to half-body with every lens. Even then, it only missed the few that you saw counted in the video. The older 56mm f/1.2 was MUCH worse in this regard. With predictable movement, it generally does a great job. It's only when things get erratic, especially, as you say, closer to the camera, that it struggles and you'd be lucky to get a shot at all.
The test ended at about the 2 metre mark from the camera. At that point, it was still doing fine. The out of focus frames actually came from random misses much further away. As I said in the video, predictable, slow movement seems to be just fine. If you're after faster or more unpredictable movement being captured, this would be a bit of a square peg in a round hole kind of situation. Linear motors are much better at that sort of thing.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I did do a comparison on my channel, a fairly recent video, the XF90 vs 56RWR one, in that video I share far more specifics of my testing and findings. You must have a goldilocks of a 56, because regardless of Fuji f/w (including the famous 1.03) and/or changes to the AF.C settings, the issue persists, the hit rate just drops massively (to the point zero shots will ring out from about 4m to 1m) as the lens simply cannot be driven quick enough to keep up with even a slow walking individual. Anyway, feel free to check that video out if you like. For me the 56RWR is a stationary or X and Y axis lens, once we get significant Z axis action I know its going to crumble.
The funny thing is, I have a ridiculous amount of step down rings on that lens with no vignetting appearing. It kinda angers me, it says to me they could have cut back on glass and weight and got some LM inside if they could even drop a tiny amount of corner and edge IQ. Basically this lens seems complete overkill, like they are making a FF camera in the background that this lens will be compatible for ;) ;)
Hi @@DylanGoldbyPhotographer could you share your af-c settings? I think there is a lot of variations in the possible setup. And knowing this might help.
Totally brilliant review btw. Love your balanced insights and approach
This was an awesome video, and by far the most 56mm's I've ever seen compared at once. The blind side by side was pretty eye opening. But this was clearly a huge amount of work so definitely appreciate the effort!
I was recently in the market for a portrait lens and was deciding between the TTArtisan, Viltrox, and Meike... but I managed to snag the TTA on sale for $125 so just couldn't pass it up! And I've been really happy with it so far. Unfortunately I hadn't noticed the bokeh being quite so nervous, but yeah as you said it is almost too sharp lol requiring of bit of extra time for skin texture retouching. I've got my eye on the new Meike 33 f1.4 though as a companion lens, but there's hardly any information out there at the moment.
But wow, the Fuji lens really does stand out from the crowd with its rendering... maybe one day I can afford it haha
Thanks for taking the time to watch. That's the most 56mm I've ever seen together as well... I'm actually surprised I managed to get them all together! The TT is a great lens with a couple of small flaws, but nothing to stop you making great images. Just play to its strengths and you'll be a happy camper.
I'm torn between the xf 56mm 1.2 or the Meike 55mm 1.4 as an amateur (looking to get into events/portraits). On the one hand the xf can be found for about £400 good condition here in the UK but the Meika for its asking price seems incredible.
One comment for the algorithm. Beside that, your blind test with your friend wasn't as quiet as with your wife. You talked too much for a blind test, and give hints for some lenses to your friend, but that's OK, we are here not in a scientific lab. Thank you so much for this excellent review.
I sold my old 56 Fuji 1.2 and bought the new Fuji 56 1.2 WR and the auto focus speed, actually was better! I was actually getting hits where before I was getting misses. Unfortunately, it’s still seems to work best when I use limit focus from 6.5 to infinity. The quality is unmatched, and I can crap easily, which makes it well worth the extra cost.
Really comprehensive review, Dylan! I have been using the XF33mm for group and portrait and hesitating with the new XF56mm because of the lens motor movement and sound it makes. Do you think Fuji will ever upgrade this lens to the improved linear focus? Why would they opt for the same motor when they have the more sophisticated tech developed? Any thoughts would be most appreciated. AND, I didn't see if you published Roy's choices if they were correct? Thank you!
51:01. :)
Thanks for watching, as always! Fujifilm announced that they chose the motor type for a specific optical reason, so who knows what they will do next? I've noticed again and again that Fujfilm tends to go back on what they say. Time will tell!
@@roycruzphoto Thank you!
Most interesting- thank you and your beautiful Wife. Suspect if Viltrox were to introduce a pro spec 56 1.2 the final results could change quite a bit. Happy shooting 🇬🇧😎👍
Thank you for watching! I do wonder where Viltrox's "pro" line is going as well. So far, they've introduced a couple of lenses that haven't been available from Fujifilm, so maybe we'll see more lenses like that? Whatever happens, I think Viltrox is an interesting company that is doing what Sigma and Tamron have done over the years.
That Meike is interesting, because of that tighter FoV, its more like a 60/1.4 probably, nice and warm too. I agree with your conclusion, No.1 XF56, No.2 Meike, No.3 Sigma etc.
The Meike really is an interesting lens. I only wish the bokeh were a little smoother in certain situations and that it was a hair sharper wide open. That would make it a real competitor for the Fujinon in my opinion.
That was a great comparison! I do video and photo, I want an aperture ring so the Meike might be my only real choice. Are there any of the lenses that you would suggest for fast video focus? I know your photography channel. Just wondered if you happen to notice any differences in Video thanks again for a wonderful video
I don't do any video outside of this channel, unfortunately. So I'm really not the right person to answer that question. Thanks for watching, either way!
Oh wow this is huge
Would you switch to one of these lenses instead of the original XF 56/1.2 APD lens?
The most important aspects for me are sharpness, nice bokeh and compactness. I shoot portraits while traveling, so the lighter the better. Too often I leave the 56/1.2 at home because it doesn't fit in the bag.
There will be tradeoffs no matter which lens you choose. If you're looking for smaller and lighter, you're going to lose light gathering and shallow depth of field. If you what to keep that, you're not going to save that much size and weight compared to that lens. Unfortunately, the laws of physics still apply.
My most favorite from first test was D. No suprise there! :D
Yep... I think photographers are likely going to pick it out pretty quickly... ;)
I owned a voltrox 56 1.4 and ditched it exactly because of bad CAs incl. LoCA present in any backlit shot with bright edges... I rented and borrowed 56mm 1.2 a few times, but for me XF56 1.2 is just a bit too heavy and pricey to easily justify having it in the bag "just in case", so I was on the lookout for a lightweight 56mm...
I recently picked up Meike 55mm because it is so cheap and I was blown away by its price-performance ratio. And it only weighs 286 grams. Mine is really sharp from 1.4 across the frame (on x-h2s) and takes 52mm filters - same as XF35 1.4 btw. Aperture ring is pretty stiff and "clicky" in a premium way, does not switch accidentally. But the blend... My goodness, that piece of creaky flimsy plastic is silly. I think they've spent all their effort and money on the lens and totally forgot about the rest haha. This is a keeper for me, even if I get my hands on the new 56 1.2.
Auto-focus for photography is great, but for video it only good when tracking subject along the range. If you want it to go fast between close focus and infinity, it will hunt visibly, before nailing it and these focus pulls are too aggressive to my taste. And to be honest I have little hope they will improve it...
The Meike is a great little lens, for sure. I think you nailed it in saying that they tried really hard to make a great lens and forgot to polish the outside of it. A few better choices in the materials would have made a huge difference. But, at half, or even less, the cost of the Sigma, it's a really great deal.
I don't do any video outside of this channel, so I didn't want to make any judgements there. It's a whole different set of concerns that I have absolutely no knowledge about.
Thanks test,i think sigma is good lens.
I like 50f1.0,but i know it’s heavy and it’s not 56mm.
Hey Dylan, where would you rank the old 56mm f1.2 amongst these? You said the Meike has a bit too much CA for your regular usecases, is the old Fuji better from your memory? And sharpness wide open would be interesting. Thanks!
From what I recall, and this is purely on memory, I'd probably put it somewhere close to the Meike in those regards. I'd really need to test them side by side to say with any certainty, though. Having said that, the old 56mm f/1.2 has a very soft, organic feeling to its images.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer thank you, I ordered the Meike in a deal for €207 and tested it yesterday, was pleasantly surprised with it. Certainly not on the level of my Fuji 23 1.4 WR but good enough for my usecases. Your video helped a lot, especially the fact that the €470 Sigma (and I would include the old Fuji there as well) is too expensive for its lack of weather sealing and lack of significant IQ improvements over the €200 Meike.
Great review! Thank you! 🤗 I only comment that displaying the lenses on a white background would be much more useful for viewers to clearly see the lenses. I get that on the black background and in a shadow, they look more artistic but black on black is not a good experience when talking about product details. A person needs to be intimately familiar with every single lens in the review and know how each one looks in every small detail to be able to clearly distinguish them during very short glimpses of the lenses in a shadow on a black background that were shown in the video.
A really great watch, thanks for all the effort! I think this cements my opinion that the Sigma really is the best bang for buck - it’s super quality, I just wish it had an aperture ring, but despite that I love mine. Having previously owned the Viltrox 56mm f1.4 this also confirms what I’ve always said about it - it’s a decent (perhaps good) lens for the money but once you compare it against other lenses it really does start to show you get what you pay for - it’s mediocre at best.
That Viltrox f/1.4 was really the only one of the bunch that disappointed me and it was the only one of them that took me out of my photography and made me worry about the lens itself. Not great!
I'm surprised to hear that you think the Sigma is the best bang for your buck given it's higher price! What brings you to that conclusion?
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Oh from my own experience, the Sigma was available at release for £359 here in the UK - which is considerably lower than the XF 56mm f1.2. I also just think the IQ from the Sigma is excellent and is beaten only by said 56mm f1.2.
Just came here to revise (or perhaps retract) my previous comment. Having had the Viltrox 56mm f1.7 for a day it has immediately blown my Sigma out of the water. As per your testing, yes the Sigma does produce slightly creamier bokeh but, having seen them side-by-side for myself now, I can definitely live with the Viltrox for the savings. I’m fortunate enough to have my GFX gear when super creamy bokeh is required 😁
"The autofocus of the XF 56 1.4 WR is so bad that you can't really use it on slightly moving subjects or lighting conditions outside the studio." Can you confirm this assessment?
Did you now that viltrox 56 f1.7 in Emount it is WATERPTOOF, i have no idea why x mount it isin't. that's soo unfair :(
This was MASSIVE comprassion sooo much information! thank you helping me choice a new lens! i was sure sigma or maybe Vltrox. After seeing Meike has almost same af as sigma makes me want to choose meike. i could get used sigma 240€ vs new meike 190€
It would make a huge difference for me if either of them were weather sealed. Photographing ice climbing in various conditions isn't the optimal lens, which isn't WR.
How about fuji 50/f2 vs sigma 1.4? image quality and af?
Next video about 75-90 range lenses? ;D
The e-mount version is not "waterproof". Read their description carefully, it's exactly the same lens as X mount. They write "waterproof and antifouling coating on the front element". What this means is that they have a hydrophobic coating on the front element of the lens to force water to bead and run off.
As for the 50mm f/2, it's a great lens but would have made this comparison absolutely huge and opened up the "what about this lens from X manufacturer" floodgates. 😂
It's reasonably sharp, especially when stopped down. Corners aren't wonderful, but better than the worst here.
Well viltrox awnser me this so i think it is not excatly same
”The 56mm F1.7 lens for E-mount includes a waterproof feature because it was developed more recently, allowing us to incorporate additional design enhancements. The X-mount version was released earlier and does not have this feature.”
@henkka_95 Interesting! Very different from their product page!
And what the mistery lens is?
Cracking open a brew right now! Mystery lens at 7:12 Viltrox 75mm?
Hope it's a tasty one and you get something from my first feature-length film. 😂
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Your friend had a tough time indeed!!! I was one of the Beta testers for the X-T2 before its release (dating myself) and back in the day used to have lenses thrown my way by Fuji Malaysia for comparisons. They asked me to take photos for a local Photography magazine comparing the 56mm APD with the normal 1.2 lens, and it convinced me that my clients would never see a difference unless they pixel peeped images at 100% or higher side by side. I tried a Yongnuo YN 50mm f/1.8 DA DSM PRO Lens last week and was staggered by the quality and the price. I settled on the Sigma 1.4 due to weight and AF speed
I'm going to find time to watch this, but I think I can have a good guess at what the outcome will be. The 56RWR smokes the field on IQ alone, but the rest are priced accordingly different and have some benefits over the 56RWR (such as price and AF performance).
For me personally I am waiting for someone to make a new 56 with Linear motors, then I am gunning for that lens. Until then the 56RWR becomes basically an AF.S lens only, such a shame and missed opportunity.
On a side note, have you noticed how much Fuji is over engineering their optics, like you can use A LOT of stepdown rings before encountering any kind of vignetting problems. No wonder they score well on the corners and edges... some of Fuji glass is practically full frame compatible...
Makes you think huh... 🤔🤫
I have noticed that the higher end Fujifilm lenses tend to rely less on their software corrections and more on getting it right in the engineering stage. The lower end lenses tend to be the opposite. They set a price-point and then figure out how to make it happen using a combination of engineering and software. The 56mm f/1.2 probably wouldn't take much work to migrate over to a full-frame mount, I'd say... it's really well made.
43:35 this “imperfect” photo by an “imperfect” lens is much more emotional than other photos which are technically better.
Indeed. Light can elevate any scene. With a little more time and less summer rain during my testing, I would have loved to have come back with more images like this from each of the lenses. Perhaps in the upcoming individual reviews I'll have some light in my extras!
Why not the viltrox 27 f1.2 or the viltrox 75mm f1.2? Come on !
Because neither of them is a 56mm lens...