Inspiring ways to improve your photos
Inspiring ways to improve your photos
The Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R WR prime is a second-generation lens that provides significant improvements over the original models in areas like minimum focusing distance, image-resolving performance and bokeh.
The 1.5x crop factor applied by Fujifilm’s X-mount cameras converts the 56mm focal length into an 85mm equivalent in 35mm format, which is particularly well suited to portraiture. Reductions to the minimum focusing distance will improve the usefulness of the lens for close-ups and genres like product and table-top photography.
The 56mm focal length is also good for street photography as it provides a useful working distance between the photographer and subjects. The fast, f/1.2 maximum aperture will be handy in poorly-lit situations and for selective focusing to isolate subjects from distracting backgrounds.
Released concurrently with the Fujifilm X-H2 camera the new Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R WR prime lens covers a field of view equivalent to 85mm in the 35mm format. This second-generation lens provides significant improvements over the original models in areas like minimum focusing distance, image-resolving performance and bokeh, including the XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD lens, which we reviewed in October, 2015. We reviewed the lens with the new Fujifilm X-H2 camera, which is reviewed separately.
Angled view of the new XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR prime lens without the bundled lens hood. (Source: Fujifilm.)
The optical design of the new lens contains 13 elements in eight groups and includes one ED element and two aspherical elements that combine to provide higher image-resolving performance than the previous model. The metal moulds used to manufacture the aspherical elements are polished to within one-hundred thousandth of a millimeter to minimise the onion-ring effect in bokeh. Eight elements in the focusing group suppress chromatic aberration, spherical aberration and coma and deliver high resolution from the minimum focus of 50 cm to infinity.
This diagram shows the positions of the exotic elements in the new lens. (Source: Fujifilm.)
The XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR lens is the first Fujifilm X-mount lens with 11 diaphragm blades, which produce a near-perfect circular aperture, even when at f/4 or f/5.6. They also produce 22-pointed sunstars at f/16.
The upgrades to the lens have made it slightly larger and added 40 grams to its overall weight, which from a practical viewpoint is negligible. The table below shows the main differences between the two generations.
Focusing is completely internal so the front element doesn’t rotate, allowing hassle-free use of polarisers and graduate filters. Like its predecessor, the new lens is not stabilised, so users must rely on the 5-axis in-body image stabilisation system in cameras like the X-H2. The XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR lens is supplied with front and rear dust caps, a cylindrical lens hood (shown above) and a lens wrapping cloth.
What’s New? The new lens replaces the eight-year-old XF 56mm f/1.2 R lens, which appears to have been superseded. However, the XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD lens is still available on some local and international websites, although its price has risen to over AU$2000 due in part to currency fluctuations. The only difference between the 2014 lenses is the inclusion of an apodisation filter in the latter, which produces smoother bokeh.
The second-generation XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR lens provides the following improvements over the previous models: 1. Weather-resistant sealing has been installed in nine places around the lens barrel. 2. Performance has been improved and this lens is one of 20 lenses approved by Fujifilm for use with the new 40-megapixel X-H2 camera. 3. The minimum focusing distance has been reduced from 70 cm to just 50 cm to provide greater flexibility for close-ups. 4. The 11-bladed iris diaphragm will provide smoother, more attractive bokeh. 5. Autofocusing is driven by an evolved DC motor, which sits on a bearing mechanism to reduce friction and minimise motor noise. Precise autofocusing is possible because the motor controls both the focusing group and the aperture unit.
Who’s it For? The 1.5x crop factor applied by Fujifilm’s X-mount cameras converts the 56mm focal length into an 85mm equivalent in 35mm format, which is particularly well suited to portraiture. Reductions to the minimum focusing distance will improve the usefulness of the lens for close-ups and genres like product and table-top photography.
The 56mm focal length is also good for street photography as it provides a useful working distance between the photographer and subjects. The fast, f/1.2 maximum aperture will be handy in poorly-lit situations and for selective focusing to isolate subjects from distracting backgrounds.
Build and Ergonomics Build quality is up there with the best Fujifilm lenses we’ve tested, thanks in part to the high percentage of metal in the overall construction as well as the weather-resistant sealing. The metal barrel is attached to a solid metal mount and the low-gloss black finish adds a ‘quality’ impression.
The front element is as large as the previous model’s, with a diameter of roughly 45 mm but it’s not quite as close to the front of the lens. It has a shallow threading for a 62 mm before contracting with a double slope, with the outer band carrying the lens name and branding and the inner slope steeper and ribbed.
This band ends in a 2mm wide vertical ring around the front element. The supplied lens cap has a pinch-clip that attaches to the filter threading, while the cylindrical lens hood, which is 53 mm long, attaches to the outer edge via a bayonet mounting.
The focusing ring is located roughly 8 mm behind the front of the lens. It’s approximately 18 mm wide and covered with fine ridging. Because focusing is driven electronically from the camera, this ring turns smoothly through a full circle when power is off.
Behind the focusing ring is a 3 mm wide fixed band that carries the white index mark for the aperture ring, which is about 13 mm wide and carries a white numerical identifiers for f/stops, starting with f/1.2, followed by f/1.4 and then ranging in one-stop increments from f/2 to f/16.
The aperture ring is coarsely ribbed to provide a secure grip and has a raised section with a red ‘A’ beyond the f/16 setting that shifts the lens into auto-aperture mode. It includes a locking button.
Behind the aperture ring the lens slopes inwards to the mounting plate, which is roughly 28 mm aft of the trailing edge of the aperture ring. A red index mark, coupled with ‘56’ in white to indicate the focal length, is located just in front of the mounting plate.
Because the lens isn’t stabilised and focus adjustments are made through the camera there are no switches on this section of the lens barrel. Manual focus override for this lens must be enabled via the camera’s menu. As before, we found users gain little tactile feedback, which means manual focusing can be tricky with large apertures due to the very shallow depth of field, although sufficient adjustability is provided when the lens is stopped down beyond about f/4.
A large cylindrical lens hood, made of rigid plastic is supplied with the lens, along with a pinch-type lens cap. The hood is easy to fit, thanks to a reference dot, which is aligned with a mark on the lens.
Performance We were interested to see that the best performance in our Imatest tests for the new lens was measured at f/4, the same as for the earlier APD version of the lens. Also encouraging were the results we obtained with the lens on the 40-megapixel Fujifilm X-H2 body.
As before, we found significant edge softening at the widest aperture settings, which continued through to around f/4 where edge and corner softening became less significant. The graph below shows the results of our Imatest tests based on JPEG files.
Lateral chromatic aberration was well controlled and effectively negligible in JPEGs. However, it ventured into the ‘low’ level with converted raw files at apertures down to f/2.2 with the lens profile corrections were disabled. The lowest figure obtained in our measurements was at f/8, as shown in the graph of our raw file measurements below, where the red line marks the border between ‘negligible’ and ‘low’ CA.
Since vignetting is auto-corrected in Fujifilm cameras, we had to check raw files to see its effects. We found noticeable edge and corner darkening in shots taken with the f/1.2 aperture but this declined as the lens was stopped down and became negligible by f/2.2.
In contrast, rectilinear distortion was effectively negligible in both auto-corrected JPEGs and uncorrected raw files, where very slight pincushioning coudl be seen. The review lens also produced some attractive multi-pointed sunstars when stopped down to f/16 and pointed towards a bright light source.
Close-up capabilities are limited by the minimum focusing distance of 50 cm, which rules out this lens for ‘macro’ shooting, although it can be used with larger subjects. Because of its wide maximum aperture, the quality of out-of-focus blurring is an important criterion in assessing this lens. We found some outlining of bright highlights with apertures of f/2.8 or smaller but bokeh was otherwise smooth and attractive when backgrounds were evenly lit.
The review lens could be forced to flare when a bright light (the sun) was included within the frame. However, when it was just outside the frame the normal tonal range in the subject was recorded, so it can be seen as quite flare-resistant.
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Picture angle: 28.5 degrees Minimum aperture: f/16 Lens construction: 13 elements in 8 groups (including one ED and 2 aspherical elements plus fluorine coating on front element) Lens mounts: Fujifilm XF Diaphragm Blades: 11 (rounded aperture) Weather resistance: Moisture-resistant (sealed in nine places) Focus drive: DC linear motor mechanism Stabilisation: No Minimum focus: 50 cm Maximum magnification: 0.14x Filter size: 67 mm Dimensions (Diameter x L): 79.4 x 76 mm Weight: 445 grams Standard Accessories: Front and end caps, lens hood, lens wrapping cloth Distributor: Fujifilm Australia; 1800 226 355
Based on JPEG files recorded with the X-H2 camera.
Based on RAF.RAW files recorded simultaneously with the JPEGs.
Close-up at f/1.2 showing the very shallow depth of field; ISO 125, 1/7500 second.
Close-up at f/2.8; ISO 125, 1/1500 second. Note the slight outlining of highlights in the top right corner.
A 22-pointed sunstar produced by shooting a bright light source at f/16; ISO 125, 1/400 second.
Backlit subject in which the light source is outside of the frame; ISO 200, 1/680 second at f/13.
Backlit subject in which the light source is just inside the frame, producing some veiling flare; ISO 200, 1/1500 second at f/5.6.
Fast and accurate autofocusing is shown in this ‘grab’ shot of a pigeon taking flight; ISO 200, 1/8000 second at f/2.
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