DPReview New vs Old XF 56mm f/1.2 Studio Test – Not Sufficient Difference to Justify Switch to New 56 for Lab Test

When DPReview published their studio lab test of the Fujifilm X-H2, they used the old Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R for their test.

But as Fujifilm has openly said, the Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R is not capable of taking full advantage of all the 40MP edge to edge also at maximum aperture. Fujifilm writes:

The list specifies our selection of lenses that have high resolution performance from edge to edge at maximum aperture, allowing you to fully experience all that the 40MP sensor has to offer. Lenses not listed will also allow you to experience the improved resolution performance of the 40MP sensor.”

To be clear: all Fujinon lenses will experience a sharpness boost. But not all will be able to resolve all the 40MP even wide open across the entire frame.

Many rightfully asked DPR to re-test the studio lab scene using the new Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R WR, and so they did. Their conclusion:

Our interpretation is that there is a slight contrast benefit to the use of the new 56mm F1.2R WR vs. the non-WR lens; in the widget above we’ve tried to highlight the area of greatest difference. In our judgment the difference is not sufficient, at the aperture value the test scene is shot at, to justify breaking consistency with previous Fujifilm models tested in our setup.

This isn’t a comment on the new lens: we’d expect to see greater differences at wider apertures, and we’ve found the autofocus performance to be improved over the older version. But neither of these are pertinent to the selection of our standard Fujifilm test lens, so we’ll stick with the original 56mm F1.2R for now, to maintain perfect continuity in the studio comparison feature our site provides.

It shall be noted at this point that DPR used the lenses at f/5.6 on Fujifilm X-T5 and Fujifilm X-H2.

I find it a pity that they won’t change the lens. At f/5.6 the performance might be similar in the center, but as you can see from the screenshots I have shared above (or here and here), in RAW I see an sensible advantage for the new Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2 R WR. I think they could just simply use the new lens for testing going forward.

But we appreciate DPR going the extra mile and testing it on the new XF56mmF1.2 R WR. If you don’t shoot wide open a lot and don’t mind slightly softer corners, then the original Fujinon XF56mmF1.2 R is still a great option (especially now that it is super discounted).

You can access the DPR comparison studio lab test here.

Fujifilm X-T5 Half Cases from Gariz, Smallrig, BolinUS and More

Gariz just launched their Fujifilm X-T5 half case. So I thought I give you a list of available leather half cases for the Fujifilm X-T5:

Fujifilm X-T5

Fujifilm Promises Major Firmware Updates also for X-T5 and X-H2: New AF System of X-H2s? (and Where the Catch is)

The Promise

Fujifilm has released a major firmware update for the Fujifilm X-H2s.

From the tests we could see so far, we can now say that the autofocus tracking is about at the same level of the very best (but much more expensive) full frame cameras out there. Not perfect, like nothing, so improve it further, Fuji!

The question I now get TONS of times via email is: will my Fujifilm camera “xy” also get the same firmware of the Fujifilm X-H2s?

So here is what I can say about it.

During the recent new years greetings, right after launching the new X-H2s firmware, Fujifilm also promised major firmware updates will come for other 5th generation cameras, too.

5th generation cameras are all those cameras featuring the new 5th generation processor, which at the moment are:

So, while Fujifilm did not specifically mention the new AF system, it is easy to assume that major firmware coming in 2023 for X-T5 and X-H2 might include also the vastly improved AF algorithm.

But again, that’s not a rumor, but an educated guess based on what managers officially said here.

Where is the Catch?

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Watch Out, Sony: Fujifilm X-H2s Firmware 3.0 Tracking Tests Show 95% Hit Rate in Tough Conditions

Watch Out, Sony ;)

Watch out Sony and Canon, as it really looks like Fujifilm is now right up there with you in terms of autofocus tracking… but with one potential advantage left for Fujifilm.

While Canon, Sony and Nikon’s very best cameras can’t shoot more than 20/30 fps (full RAW), the Fujifilm X-H2s can go up to 40fps. So, if accuracy is also increased at the highest 40fps frame rate, then the Fujifilm X-H2s could give significantly more sharp images per second than any other brand, which for some photographers might be a big deal.

And let’s just skip the fact that in order to get comparabable AF performance in full frame you have to spend at least two or three time as much as for the X-H2s (one can buy lots of nice lenses with the money saved)

So why this intro? What happened?

Let’s go with order.

What Happened

Fujifilm has very recently released a major firmware update for the Fujifilm X-H2s, which promises to drastically improve the autofocus performance.

First tests we have shared here show that indeed the Fujifilm X-H2s is now getting to a point, where you can call it at least on the same level of the other top performing stacked sensor cameras (all of which cost massively more than the X-H2s).

Now we have a few more tests.

You can see all the videos below as well as read a summary in case you are in a hurry.

The Tests

Test 1 – Birds

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