Admiring Light
Menu
  • Home
  • Review Index
  • Shop Talk
  • Technique and Vision
  • Opinion
  • Portfolio
  • Site Index
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
Menu

Review: Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R

Posted on March 13, 2014August 30, 2015 by Jordan Steele

Contents

  • 1Build Quality and Handling
  • 2Focus Performance
  • 3Image Quality
  • 4Conclusion
  • 5Image Samples

Conclusion

Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R
Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R

Pros

  • Well constructed lens with a full metal body with good tolerances
  • Well damped focus ring that feels nice to use
  • Quite sharp right from f/1.2 across the frame and blisteringly sharp corner to corner when stopped down a bit
  • Very pleasing bokeh and excellent subject separation
  • Outstanding color  while providing smooth contrasts at wide apertures and biting contrast at smaller apertures
  • Works very well against backlighting, maintaining good image contrast in bright light situations
  • No distortion and relatively low vignetting for an ultra-fast lens
  • Autofocus is accurate and decently fast for most situations, including in continuous AF
  • Price

Cons

  • Aperture ring is a little looser than I’d like
  • Some longitudinal CA can create fringing in the bokeh at wide apertures
  • Some spherical aberration at f/1.2 can show as a glow around high contrast objects like text

One thing you may notice and be confused about is that I have listed ‘price’ as a Pro above.  This may be confusing because the 56mm f/1.2 is, as of this writing, the most expensive X-Series lens in the lineup.  However, given the performance and ultra-fast maximum aperture this lens offers, I view the $999 asking price as a bargain. Other very high-grade lenses in this range tend to cost significantly more than this lens, and the performance puts the XF 56mm into elite status.  This is one of the finest fast lenses I’ve ever used and is worth every penny of the asking price.

Fuji has crafted a gorgeous lens that provides excellent subject separation, nice bokeh, fantastic sharpness, outstanding color and contrast and a beautiful response at wide apertures for portrait use, while providing enough resolution and detail to punch it up if needed.  At smaller apertures, the lens is essentially flawless: tack sharp from corner to corner with great contrast and color while still maintaining good bokeh.

It’s a lens that has quickly become one of my ‘go-to’ lenses, and will almost assuredly keep a place in my bag for years to come.  Fuji has made one heck of a lens lineup in the two years since the X-Series debuted, and the XF 56mm is one of its crown jewels.  This is a truly outstanding prime that should be on the short list for any Fuji shooter’s bag.

Image Samples

(Click to enlarge)

Bria - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Bria – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Paprika - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Paprika – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Pressure - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/2.8
Pressure – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/2.8
Cinderella - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.8
Cinderella – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.8
Fish Counter Customer - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Fish Counter Customer – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Clinton Elementary - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/5.6
Clinton Elementary – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/5.6
Concerned - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Concerned – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Riding - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2 (continuous AF)
Riding – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2 (continuous AF)
Electric Fuel - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.8
Electric Fuel – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.8
Working - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Working – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Crawling - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2 (continuous AF)
Crawling – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2 (continuous AF)
Locked - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/2.8
Locked – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/2.8
Flipping the Crepe - Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Flipping the Crepe – Fujifilm X-E2 with Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2
Pages: 1 2 3

10 thoughts on “Review: Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R”

  1. Pingback: Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 in stock now! | The Camera Guides
  2. Jari says:
    March 15, 2014 at 4:10 am

    Fuji has sincerely done a great job with their X series cameras and lenses. They have even managed to keep the prices reasonable on all fronts too – one can not help but compare this lens to the Panasonic Leica DG Nocticron. Compact size on the other hand isn’t one of Fuji’s strong points, but it doesn’t really hurt anymore, as other mirrorless offerings are going for noticeably bigger designs as well.

    Lovely sample shots.

    Reply
  3. Pingback: Fuji 56mm f/1.2 vs. Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron - Admiring Light
  4. Pingback: miXed zone: 10-24 hands on, 56 reviews, X-T1 tests and more! | Fuji Rumors
  5. Pingback: Fuji 56mm f/1.2 vs. Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron | Jordan Steele › By TOMEN
  6. wificor27 says:
    April 12, 2014 at 4:11 am

    Sorry but i think that Fuji did a mistake with this lens.

    If this lens is sharp in center & corners at f4….you must buy the cheaper, smaller & weightless Fujinon 60mm f2.4 because this lens is sharp corner to corner from f2.4.

    Fuji thanks. Two similar lenses with a budget differences of 500 bucks.

    Thanks for review.

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele says:
      April 12, 2014 at 5:46 am

      You’re missing the entire point. First of all, the 56/1.2 is quite sharp across the frame at f2.4 (and quite sharp across the frame even faster than that), however, if you’re only going to be shooting at f/2.4 or slower (or you want closer focusing), of course you’re going to get the 60.

      You get the 56 for the TWO FULL STOPS of aperture capability over the 60. This is a lens for subject isolation and speed. And a $500 difference for that isn’t big. These are similar lenses only in focal length. In every other way they are quite different. What do you say about something like Canon having an 85/1.2 that costs 5 times the cost of the 85/1.8? …and that’s only a one stop difference and the f/1.8 can’t do macro.

      Having both lenses, there is very little difference between them at f/2.4.

      Reply
  7. Pingback: Fuji 56mm f/1.2 vs. Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 vs. Contax G 90mm f/2.8 - Admiring Light
  8. Pingback: The best Fujifilm prime lens Sell Ur Shit | Make Money Selling Your Shit online for Free | Sell Ur Shit | Make Money Selling Your Shit online for Free
  9. Pingback: Review: Fujifilm Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R – Admiring Light | warandpeacemedia

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Me:

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on Mastodon

Most Popular Posts

  • "Full Frame Equivalence" and Why It Doesn't Matter (288)
  • Fuji X-Pro 2 vs. Sony A7 II: Noise Comparison (70)
  • Fuji 56mm f/1.2 vs. Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron (63)
  • Review: Metabones Speed Booster (Canon FD to Fuji X) (56)
  • Review: Olympus OM-D E-M5 (48)

Recent Comments

  • Anonymous on Ready for Launch!
  • Jordan Steele on Canon EOS R8 – First Impressions
  • J Williams on Canon EOS R8 – First Impressions
  • Davide on Review: Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD
  • Peter on A Tripod in the Sky – DJI Air 2S Review

Archives

©2023 Admiring Light | Theme by SuperbThemes
We use cookies to personalize content and ads and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. You may consent to the use of cookies or opt out. Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

SAVE & ACCEPT