Best Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56mm f / 1.2 R Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020:

This Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56 mm f / 1.2 R is equivalent to an 85 mm (conversion coefficient from the APS-C sensor). It is made up of 11 lenses divided into 8 groups and uses an aspherical lens. and two low dispersion glasses. It incorporates a diaphragm with 7 blades which can be controlled manually. Its maximum aperture is f / 1.2.

Best Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56mm f / 1.2 R Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020

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Ergonomics

This Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56mm f / 1.2 R presents well. With a 100% metal construction, it inspires confidence, robustness and manufacturing quality. It is relatively compact and will perfectly accompany a device of the size of an X-T1. Despite everything, its weight is quite impressive compared to those of X boxes from Fujifilm. However, count more than 400 grams! Good point, it is very discreet and has a constant bulk design.

Like all R lenses at Fujifilm, it is equipped with a manual diaphragm ring: perfect for more intuitive use of the camera. It is notched at 1/3 IL and has a position A to switch to speed priority mode. Unfortunately it lacks openness. Care should be taken not to inadvertently modify the opening due to improper handling.

The manual focus ring is very large and comfortable to use. Its fluidity is perfect for precise adjustments assisted by a digital zoom or focus peaking. It does not have a stop and turns endlessly. Note that manual retouching of the point is possible.

In practice

The focal

A focal length corresponds to an angle of field – or angle of vision – covered by the camera equipped with the lens. The larger the focal length, the smaller the field of view: we speak of long focal length. Conversely, the shorter the focal length, the wider the field angle: we speak of wide-angle.

This Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56mm f / 1.2 R is an 85 mm equivalent on a 24 x 36 mm base. It is therefore a lens primarily designed for portrait or still life. This type of lens can also be used in reporting to photograph details and take advantage of its very large aperture to play on the effects of depth of field.

The vignetting

All the lenses give an image whose periphery, and particularly the corners, are darker. The vignetting is measured in EV (lumination index): the value indicated measures the difference, in EV, between the quantity of light received by the edges and that received in the center.

The vignetting is very discreet. It feels up to f / 2, but remains quite weak and will correct itself without any problems in any post-production software.

The distortions

Objectives tend to “twist reality”. Geometric aberrations appear when one moves away from Gauss conditions. There are two types of geometric distortions: distortions in bearings and distortions in barrels.

Bokeh

The bokeh is to be related to the depth of field. We can compare it to the “quality” of the blur or to the way in which the objective goes from the net to the blur – a very subjective notion, even if certain elements make it possible to predict things – on images with shallow depth of field. It depends on many parameters including mainly the design of the lens, the shape and size of the diaphragm.

This 56 mm has a maximum aperture of f / 1.2: it is therefore able to produce images with very marked depth of field effects on an 85 mm equivalent. However, keep in mind that the depth of field also depends on the size of the sensor and the conversion coefficient used. A 56 mm depth of field is obtained, even if the images are 35 mm equivalents. Anyway, the background blurs obtained with this f / 1.2 optics are soft and pleasant to look at.

Sharpness

We tested the Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56mm f / 1.2 R with a Fujifilm X-T1 and its APS-C sensor of 16 Mpx (4.8 µm side).

The notion of dive is quite delicate to deal with. This is what we can assimilate to the “feeling of sharpness” and / or to the “precision” that we observe on an image. It can be very different from one lens to another, from one focal to another and from one aperture to another. It can also vary between the center and the edges of the image. We usually say that the sharpness is optimal in the center and at the average openings: f / 8 or f / 11 for example.

In addition, the sharpness will depend on the definition of the sensor of your device (we tested the lens with an X-T1 of 16 Mpx) and the size of its sensor (APS-C for the X-T1). The smaller the pixels, the more the system will show its limits due to diffraction. This phenomenon increases as you close the lens diaphragm.

The X-T1 has a definition of 4896 x 3264 pixels. Each pixel therefore measures 4.8 µm on a side. The minimum aperture recommended to avoid diffraction problems is therefore f / 11!

In addition to the traditional photos of our test scene (you can download the RAW files in high definition), we spent the couple (objective + X-T1) in our home-made mill with the SFR + charter and Imatest.

More

This Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56mm f / 1.2 R equivalent 85 mm provides quality images even if we are far from perfection at larger apertures. In fact, from f / 1.2 to f / 4, the sharpness difference between the center and the edge of the images is quite large. Homogeneous images can only be obtained from f / 5.6. The lens gives the best of itself between f / 5.6 and f / 11. Beyond f / 11, diffraction makes its appearance. Anyway, in the center, the images are very sharp and the fine details, very well restored at all openings. Surprisingly, the sharpness on the edges is better at f / 1.2 than at f / 1.4 or even than at f / 2.

STRONG POINTS

  • Quality of construction, finish
  • Design and discretion
  • Manual diaphragm ring
  • Optical quality
  • Low vignetting
  • No distortion
  • Aperture at f / 1.2

WEAK POINTS

  • Lack of consistency at larger openings
  • No optical stabilization

CONCLUSION

In the end, this Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56mm f / 1.2 R turns out to be a formidable weapon for lovers of portraits. Its maximum aperture of f / 1.2 allows it to create beautiful effects of depth of field and to bring out the subjects in relation to the backgrounds. The optical quality is very good, apart from a real lack of homogeneity of the sharpness between the center and the edges with the largest apertures.

We regret the absence of optical stabilization which can have a certain interest on this type of focal. It can be estimated that its absence is compensated for the maximum aperture of f / 1.2, which makes the lens quite versatile in low light conditions. We always appreciate the diaphragm setting ring as much (even if it is perfectible) which makes it possible to provide good photographic sensations and improve the handling of the camera / lens couple in the field. We recommend this goal without much hesitation.

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