Carl Zeiss Touit 1.8/32, Fujifilm X-E1 (ISO 200, f/2, 1/1200s), RAW, Lightroom 5, DxO FilmPack 4
Why would a business-savvy lens manufacturer like Carl Zeiss decide to introduce two prime lenses for X-Mount cameras that compete head-to-head with already existing, smaller and cheaper Fujinon offerings, while at the same time ignoring obvious gaps like a fast 23mm lens?
It’s a Sony
The answer is: they wouldn’t. And they didn’t! The new Zeiss Tout 1.8/32mm and 2.8/12mm prime lenses are quite obviously targeted at customers of Sony’s NEX camera system. They perfectly fit into Sony’s current lens lineup, and their design is pretty much in line with the sleek NEX appearance. A fast 23 mm lens to satisfy the cravings of the X-Mount crowd? No such luck, because Zeiss and Sony already offer such a lens (a 1.8/24) for NEX. This is apparently all about what Sony NEX customers want and need.
Carl Zeiss Touit 2.8/12, Fujifilm X-E1 (ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/480s), RAW, Lightroom 4.4
So the X-Mount versions of the Touit lenses were clearly one of those “me too” decisions. But why did Fuji go along with it and invite a formidable competitor like Carl Zeiss into their home, not only offering full technical support and cooperation, but even co-marketing the Touit lenses? I know the real answer but don’t want to spill the beans just yet, so let’s just say that Fujifilm is making money with each X-Mount Touit lens that’s sold. They also like the Zeiss brand’s premium image and the resulting image transfer to the Fuji brand. After all, Panasonic also loves to put a Leica logo on their cameras and MFT lenses.
After AmazonUS, now also BHphoto offers a 4% reward on the Fuji X series. Save $1300 on the lenses (up to $300 for a single lens) and $200 on the bodies. And then add the 4% reward (up to $133 reward for X-PRO1 + all lenses except 55-200). The 4% reward offer expires on June 15 (the deals continue till June 29, but there won’t be the 4% reward). Good times to make the switch. Adorama doesn’t have the 4% reward, but instead you get a lot of accessories (spare battery, SD-card and more). So, check the X-deals at BHphoto, AmazonUS and Adorama, compare and make your choice.
DxO
The latest DxO v8.2 doesn’t support the X-Trans files yet. But according to an email I got from FR-reader echenique we should not worry. He spoke with a representative from DxO who told him that “they are actively working on the X-Trans support“! So let’s hope that this turns out to be true soon. (thanks echenique)
custom settings
FR-reader Adam sent me this email: “I know it my have already been covered but my subscriber base over on Youtube have been requesting a videoon custom setting for new Fuji X-Pro1 owners. I thought since you have all these offers going up on your site, some might be interested in this too. Here is the link. Can’t wait to find out what the new cameras are like. Thanks, Adam J Piper” Check out Adams settings.
X-E1
[shopcountry 12881]
– “The Keeper“… or the X-E1! theonlinephotographer posted part 1 and part 2 of his findings about the X-E1. And at the end a short story:
“One final note. As I was leaving the bank in our little town recently, I crossed paths with a well-known architectural photographer who has talked publicly, and eloquently, about his difficult, costly, and ultimately successful transition from large and medium format film to high-end digital. He looked casually down at the camera slung over my shoulder and said, “Hey Jim, is that a new Leica?” I explained that although its quiet shutter had something of the old Leica M4 sound, it was perhaps closer to my previous constant companion, a steel-curtained Canon. “It’s a digital Fuji,” I noted. He grinned. “Nice!” he said.
– World and Humanitarian photographer David considerations about the X-E1 can be checked out here.
“[…] loved the size and handling. […] lenses were fantastic, especially the 14mm […] The sensor is amazing and I shot at crazy-high ISO without thinking twice about it, in part because I like the look. Very film-like to my eye. […] I love the ability to shoot in B&W, and because it’s an electronic viewfinder, I can see my scene that way. […] Quirks? Not many. […] not the fastest start-up and sometimes the focus hunted a little, but I expected worse, so wound up pleasantly surprised. […] I love this thing. Will it replace my DSLR? Sometimes, yes.
– X-E1 vs Nikon 1 at ISO 100 – RAW available (click here)
X100S
[shopcountry 12883]
“Brutally Simple & Highly Effective (Even If You Didn’t Want to Admit It)” That’s the title of chasejarvis’ review here.
“So how good is the AF on the X100s? Much, much, much better than the X100’s AF. On par with most mirorless/Compact System Cameras out there, in fact. The only one that I’d confidently say is way better is the Olympus OM-D E-M5’s AF, which is just plain scary-fast. Even better is the fact that the X100s will achieve focus in some pretty dark conditions. […] The X-Trans sensor from the X-Pro1 is an awesome bit of technology, and in combination with the X100s’ gorgeous 23mm f/2 lens, produces some impressive shots with deep detail. […] I’m off to Hawaii in June for a vacation, and the X100s is the only camera I’m taking with me. With all the gear at my disposal, this is the only thing I feel like I need.
lenses
Fuji XF14mm [shopcountry 12888]
thebigpicturegallery posted some shots taken with the XF14mmhere. “So whats it like to use in the field, one wordFANTASTIC. It’s pin sharp, with a great depth of field, shooting either in af or manual mode is easy, set it up for zone focus, or hyperfocal and it gives you the depth of field to make quick street shooting a breeze. A minor nitpick is the lens hood, just a little bit too big and shows up a little too much in the viewfinder, when shooting with the OVF. However minor niggles aside, it is a great lens, delivers punchy sharp images with great IQ.”
Zeiss Touit: After the 12mm, now Craig posted his 32mmfull size samples. Check them out here.
1) FR-reader Simon sent me his impressions of the new Fuji XF 55-200. Read it all and see his shots here. Among the others he says that:
“[…] it has a faster maximum aperture than similar lenses and looks lightyears ahead than similar mirrorless lenses (OK, I jest, but it is much better than the equivalent lens for Sony’s NEX system) in image quality. […] focus and aperture rings are firm and move nicely. […] The OIS on this lens is excellent […] The autofocus speed is, well, average, just like the rest of Fuji’s lenses. It can be quick but it can occasionally fail to focus even in bright light. This larger issue is in low light when it struggles to focus at all. But, let’s be honest, it’s still a relatively slow lens and my Nikon 70-300 can struggle for lock or accuracy in similar light. […] I am very happy with the sharpness from this lens. […] You can probably see it in some of these shots but the bokeh is excellent for this kind of lens. […] What I am seeing is a good bit of light fall off at the edges. This does seem to be automatically corrected in jpeg, but at least in Aperture, it isn’t automatically corrected […] This isn’t one for sports, or birds in flight, but for every other long lens purpose it is very good to excellent. Given its bokeh and and faster aperture, it makes an excellent back up portrait lens.
2) FR-reader Roland posted a first impression blog post on the new XF 55-200mm with a few full size samples here.
“Nothing definitive to say yet other than the initial impression is quite good. Lens construction is very good and solid and up to the same standard as other XF lenses. It is the biggest XF lens so far, but still a reasonable size lens and small compared to typical DSLR telephoto zoom. […] I have not updated the camera firmware yet when I tried out the lens yesterday, but autofocus speed seemed to be quite satisfactory.”
3) And, as noted in the comments, Rico added a few SOOC JPEGs at Flickr here too.
Opinions diverge at the question whether the Fujinons or the Touits are better: Petapixel for example would go for the XF lenses, while Tom Grill says that the Zeiss are better. Now, I know that Rico Pfirstinger is working on a comparison which should be posted in the next days on Fujirumors. Maybe nobody can say the final word here, but I’m very curious about Rico’s findings! But now, read the reviews and download the samples: be prepared for the next X-pert corner.
_ _ _
1) Craig just posted his full size samples here. He wrote me that “I’m not a wide-angle shooter (since I shoot mostly people), but this lens is really tempting. It handles fantastically, and is a sheer joy to use and renders beautifully.”
“It is truly amazing just how little distortion there is for such a wide lens.”
3) thephoblographer posted his 12mm review here. From the conclusions:
“The Zeiss 12mm f2.8 earns the highest marks for nearly everything in our eyes. […] The user of this lens may be the typical Zeiss customer: the higher end that appreciates better build quality and image quality for the money. When they purchase this lens, they’ll be rewarded with fast autofocusing and excellent image quality on top of the already mentioned stellar construction. […] The only thing holding us back from giving this lens an Editor’s Choice is the fact that we really wish that it had a depth of field focusing scale and I personally wish that the rubber rings were returned to metal or some sort of plastic.
4) You can read the conclusions of petapixel for the 12mm here “The Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Feels Un-Zeiss-Like. Don’t Touit:“ ()
“I’d love to say the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 should be purchased for your Fuji without question, but I can’t. […] But at $1,250, with the issues it has — most annoyingly is the aperture control ring — I can’t see to it to plunk down that much cash. For the Sony, where the aperture ring is a non-issue, I suspect it’s the same game: not sharp wide open, feels toy like and is a little too pricey for most when many other options are available.
At this point for the Zeiss, I’m paying an extra few hundred bucks for a lens with blue logo, no depth of field scale and a wonky aperture ring.”
5) Seems that Tom Grill doesn’t agree with petapixel and would choose the Zeiss over the Fuji lenses. But read his review (and download high-res samples) here. From the conclusions:
“These are truly professional grade optics with exception resolution across the image plane, and no noticeable distortion. Truth is the Fuji lenses are really very good, but the bottom line is that the Zeiss lenses are better. […] My opinion is that the Zeiss Touit lenses improve the Fuji X-Pro1 camera to an image level that is commensurate with the top pro cameras out there, and I mean even the full frame models. If you can afford to go the extra few hundred dollars to upgrade to theses lenses, I think you will find they are well worth the price.”
– The X100S and the Lee Seven5 System at fixelpixhere: “When it comes to filters Lee are the gold standard and their recently released Seven5 micro filter system now includes an option for Fujifilm’s X100 and X100s cameras. I should also make it clear at this point the Lee Seven5 micro system isn’t just for the X100s and I plan to employ it with the X-Pro1 with various lenses. […] I love long exposure photography and the Lee Seven5 renews the excitement of capturing at any time of the day. If you want to venture into the realm of long exposure photography and have a compact camera then the Lee Filter Seven5 compact system is without doubt the way to go.”
– Adam Lerner’s X100S review here. “For me, it’s the perfect camera. Amazing that all of that capability is in such a small package. Sure, the X100s isn’t for everyone, but for any of you guys who are ready to pop on one, you won’t be disappointed. If you were a fan of the X100, then you will love the X100s. The Fuji X100s is THE camera and for anyone who’s been considering one or anyone who’s got the X100 and loves shooting with it, then the X100s is a must-have.”
X20
[shopcountry 12884]
– Infrared shots with the X-Trans sensor of the X20 and the [shoplink 12275 ebay]RM72 Filter[/shoplink]. Check out the results here.
– neocamera posted his X20 review here. “The Fuji X20 is an excellent premium compact and the only one to have a mechanical zoom. […] Image quality is excellent for its sensor-size with low noise, good dynamic-range, nice colors and superb sharpness. Metering is highly conservative and WB is mostly good but struggles a little more than average. […] No camera is perfect but this one clearly shows plenty of strength.”
X-E1
[shopcountry 12881]
– Latino TV-super star Raul de Molina loves the X-E1. Just jump to minute 2 of this video, and hear by yourself: no more heavy DSLR’s, excellent image quality (“pretty close to the Leica“)… a declaration of love ;)
– phototechmag X-E1 review here: “The X-E1 camera is a keeper. I wouldn’t hesitate to make this my everyday camera, or take it on an extended trip abroad – particularly with some of the new wide-angle lenses coming up. Light and durable, it’s completely controllable with quiet operation and great image quality.“
lenses
XF14mm [shopcountry 12888]
– A review of the [shoplink 12946 ebay]Samyang 8mm[/shoplink] lens can be read over here at sulantoblog. “The Samyang 8 mm f/2.8 is a good fisheye both optically and mechanically, but it is also quite affordable, which makes it a worthwhile purchase even for a casual user.”
– FR-reader Olaf posted 5 useful tips to make the best use of your wide angle XF14mm. I’ll post just the summary, but stop by his blog to read more and see his great shots (“Get wide right!”) 1) Always start with observation and vision 2)Choose a distinctive subject that stands out from the surroundings 3)Get unnaturally close 4)Watch corners and eliminate any unnecessary junk 5) Change the point of view – with a wide angle it makes a huge difference.
Carl Zeiss Touit 1.8/32, Fujifilm X-E1 (ISO 200, f/2, 1/1200s), RAW, Lightroom 5, DxO FilmPack 4
Carl Zeiss Touit 2.8/12, Fujifilm X-E1 (ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/480s), RAW, Lightroom 4.4
