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What would be comparable to the 56mm F1.2


Fran

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Autofocus? In one word? No!

 

At least... that is If you need the f1.2 thing otherwise try the humble and cheap (because many have shied away from it for no real good reason) 60mm f2.4 ( it is not as slow as they say!)

What do you mean autofocus?  Do you mean it would be hard to find a similar lens with autofocus?  Also, so you think with the 60mm f2.4 I would give me good bokeh?  

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Perhaps you should check the comparison in http://www.prophotonut.com/2015/01/05/fuji-x-series-portrait-lenses-compared-inc-56-apd-50-140-zoom/

 

I currently own 56mm F1.2, and I like the results and focus speed. I also have 16-55mm F2.8, which focuses much faster in any reasonably good light and also has a pleasing bokeh, but obviously it's not quite as creamy as the 56mm. Based on the review above there are few good slightly cheaper lenses for portraits. 60mm seems to have quite nice bokeh, as does 55-200mm at longer focal lenghts.  All the lenses listed are very sharp, certainly sharp enough for portraits.

 

If you want to take portraits and don't mind missing autofocus, there are plenty of manual focus lenses available that can be adapted to Fuji X moun. I used to have Asahi SMC Takumar 55mm F1.8, it was a lovely lens but didn't get much use after getting Fuji 56mm so I sold it. Just look for good manual focus 50-135mm lenses, there's no shortage of them and as long as you check the lens reasonably well (both reviews and in person), you'll likely end up with a good portrait lens for a fraction of the Fuji 56mm cost.

 

Just try to be sure you get a lens in good condition and don't buy a lens for which you can't find a review (or test extensively in person). While there are many great old manual lenses to be had, there are also many in poor condition with fungus, delaminated lenses, dust or scratches. Also some older lenses have very interesting bokeh, so make sure it's something you like before buying as that's a matter of taste.

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I meant that there is no other autofocus lens in or around the 56mm range which was autofocus, cheaper than the 56 and would have an aperture comparable to f1.2.

 

These were the questions that you put. To these questions I answered that no, these was no other lens.

 

If you are looking for an autofocus alternative to the 56mm then the only possible lenses are the 60mm macro 2.4 ( not as light efficient but way cheaper)  or the Zeiss 50mm macro f 2.8. ( not as light efficient and not cheaper than the 56mm!)

 

Otherwise, if you are considering  non autofocus lenses  you could try many adapted “ legacy”  lenses featuring f1.2 or thereabouts.

 

The 60mm macro is an excellent lens which I own and love, much cheaper than the 56 and widely available secondhand.

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Well, there is a new manual lens, avaliable for Nikon and Canon mounts, which is 50mm F/1.2.

It is called Zenitar 50 f/1.2 and is designed for APS-C and DX sensors. It is designed in 2014 and manufactured from 2015 in Russia, and costs like 370$.

Full metal construction.

 

Here you can watch it on Nikon DSLR (it is in Russian, but you at least can see how it looks)

 

And here is the small overview of prototype of this lens in english:

http://www.4photos.de/test/Zenitar_50mm_f1.2.html

 

Here is a bokeh sample from the lens in production:

710_1960a.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

if you want a really nice manual focus 57mm f1.2 then take a look at this http://www.buhla.de/Foto/Konica/Objektive/e57_12.html

 

and its readily available, and its f1.4 sibling can be had for a fraction of the 1.2 too  http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XKonica+Hexanon+AR+57+mm+%2F+F1.2.TRS0&_nkw=Konica+Hexanon+AR+57+mm+%2F+F1.2&_sacat=0

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To really be able to help You (OP), it would be nice if You could clarify which of the qualities the XF 56mm F/1.2 R offers are important to You. So far, we only know You want a portrait lens that should be cheaper than the 56, but You did not respond to any of the suggestions that have been made.

 

The 56 has some properties that are themselves rare (kind of, some more than others), but together yield a truly unique lens.

 

- The focal lenght of 56 mm is special because other than the nowadays usual 50 mm primes, on a fujifilm body it gives you the field of view equivalent to the classic 85 mm full frame portrait primes instead of about 77 mm.

- The maximum aperture of F/1.2 gives this lens an extremely shallow depth of field (sometimes desired for it's special look and the softness it adds to the slight out of focus parts of skin) at typical portrait focus distances despite it's short telephoto focal lenght and also enables shooting in relative darkness.

- It has autofocus on a fujifilm body. That is a feature no third party portrait lens will offer so far.

- The mechanical build quality is outstanding.

- The optical quality is outstanding too.

- It's still quite compact, because it is built for a mirrorless aps-c system. Old manual ((D)SLR) primes might be small too, but they need an adapter to compensate for the larger flange focal distance needed for the mirror box, which adds bulk.

 

If you only want a good portrait prime (that blurs the background), as you wrote, and the special features of the XF 56 are not important to you, have a look at the Samyang 85 mm F/1.4 & 135 mm F/2.0 primes. Both are considerably longer focal lenghts and will blur the background more than the 56 does. Or have a look at the incredible Fujinon XF 90mm F2.0 R LM WR, which is also cheaper than the 56.

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You know I hear great things about the 56mm.  However, I purchased it several months ago and wound up returning it.  It hunted focus way too much for me.   was shooting two christenings back to back.  It was in a beautifully lit church -- skylights, huge windows, so it was definitely NOT low light at all.  It hunted and hunted.  I was so frustrated I switched to my 18-55, and my 35 1.4 and finished both christenings with no more issues.

 

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My SMC 50 f/1.4 isn't quite f/1.2 but in the right setting it's a great lens. I have noticed it has a bit of a lens flare issue at times, but so does the XF 56 without hood (I need to get hood for these lenses). However as many stated the autofocus, price point and image quality of the XF 56 is something you can't replicate. Another option maybe the new Rokinon 50 f/1.2 that recently was announced, not quite 56mm but as close as possible... Another lens I may invest in just to see if the quality is better than the price point.

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