Two 56mm primes dominate Fujifilm X proper now, and they’re nearer than many count on. In the event you spend time capturing folks at f/1.2, the small variations in sharpness, shade bias, autofocus conduct, and flare management can change which one belongs in your bag.
Coming to you from Dylan Goldby, this centered video places the Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR up towards the Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Professional XF in equal situations. Huge open, the Fuji renders a contact sharper within the middle and the corners, whereas the Viltrox leans hotter and a bit magenta in tone. You’ll additionally see delicate bokeh character shifts in busy backgrounds, with the Fuji trying barely smoother on the edges of highlights. None of this issues on small screens or informal viewing, however while you crop into eyes and materials, you discover the place every lens separates itself.
Autofocus is the place you’re feeling an even bigger break up. The Fuji’s DC motor locks confidently on static topics in AF-S and infrequently hunts except the sunshine will get ugly, which fits portraits and posed work. The Viltrox’s voice coil motor is quiet and fast as soon as it engages, and in AF-C, it tracks erratic motion with assurance that makes motion sequences stick. In a walk-toward-camera check on an Fujifilm X-H2S, the Viltrox produced extra keepers in a burst, whereas the Fuji regarded a bit busier because it micro-adjusted, but nonetheless delivered constant accuracy when the topic wasn’t unpredictable. In the event you dwell in AF-C with folks in movement, the Viltrox benefit is difficult to disregard.
Backlight separates coatings and distinction retention. Pointed into the solar, the Fuji retains ghosts restrained and holds midtone distinction with a softer flare signature that stays out of pores and skin tones. The Viltrox can present a pronounced coloured arc and extra seen ghosts at sure angles, and it drops distinction extra rapidly, which you’ll see within the video’s side-by-sides. In the event you like managed glow with helpful element, the Fuji’s rendering is the safer wager. In the event you add flare as a mode, you may want the wilder look, however it wants extra cautious framing.
Colour bias is simple to steer in uncooked, but the start line issues while you edit a whole lot of information. The Fuji skews slightly cooler and greener, which grades cleanly with a nudge towards magenta. The Viltrox is hotter with a touch of magenta, which frequently advantages from a contact of inexperienced in white steadiness. These nudges are small, however they stack throughout a full gallery from a marriage or an occasion, and that’s the place a constant baseline saves time.
There’s a fast have a look at bokeh layering utilizing foreground grasses and distant foliage. At f/1.2, the Fuji transitions a bit softer within the near-to-far falloff, which helps topics raise from the body with out harsh edges within the blur. Stopped right down to f/2 and f/2.8, each lenses converge so tightly that it turns into desire, not efficiency. You’ll additionally see examples of chromatic aberration on high-contrast edges the place the Viltrox reveals barely extra shade fringing round highlights, one thing to notice if you happen to shoot company levels, mic stands, and projector screens all day.
Goldby additionally places ends in context with different lenses you may know. For artistic flare on a budget, he mentions the TTArtisan 56mm f/1.8, which you’ll toss in a bag with out guilt. Earlier roundups additionally touched price range choices like Viltrox’s slower 56mm and Meike’s 55mm, however this piece stays on the 2 flagships the place the variations are most significant.
Worth and assist tilt the scales. Viltrox undercuts Fuji by a large margin at retail and offers you blistering AF-C monitoring with a contemporary really feel. Fuji solutions with weather-sealing, coatings that behave in powerful mild, barely larger sharpness at f/1.2, much less shade fringing, and the long-term consolation of native updates and repair. These tradeoffs are the entire recreation if you happen to shoot weddings, occasions, or portraits for shoppers underneath shifting mild the place repeatability issues. Take a look at the video above for the complete rundown from Goldby.
