Dedicated portrait lens: Fuji 56mm f1.2 vs others

[omnicloud7]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a dedicated portrait lens which I can mostly use to take solo shots of people during events and was wondering which lens to get for the job. It won't be in a studio setup. What I'm looking for is something that gives off a dreamy picture with a glow to the subject. I'm a bit of a bokeh fanatic as well so better, dreamier bokeh is a big plus. With that can you help me decide on which to get? I'm torn between these three:

- Samyang SY85M-FX 85mm F1.4

- Fujinon XF56mm 1.2 R

- Nikon AI-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.2

I know that the Samyang and Nikon would be Manual Focus but honestly for portraiture I prefer manual focus. If ever I go for the Samyang, I'm also thinking if whether I should get a Speed Booster for it as well since I'm not comfortable with 85mm on a crop body. I am not familiar with the cons to using a Speed Booster though so if anyone can share info or their experiences I would really appreciate it.

Some other guys also recommended to me Voigtlander lenses but I haven't checked into them yet but have heard great things about them.

Any help or opinions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[slimandy]

Fuji 90 for me. It's my preferred focal length for portrait and useful for candids too. Superb lens, great IQ. You said you are happy with MF but sometimes fast AF works better to get the shot, and the 90 is fast. I like candid portraiture and have not always got the image I wanted when manual focussing because the subject changed expression too quickly or noticed me focussing on them. Shooting with shallow DoF requires accurate focus.

 

[tr4driver]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a dedicated portrait lens which I can mostly use to take solo shots of people during events and was wondering which lens to get for the job. It won't be in a studio setup. What I'm looking for is something that gives off a dreamy picture with a glow to the subject. I'm a bit of a bokeh fanatic as well so better, dreamier bokeh is a big plus. With that can you help me decide on which to get? I'm torn between these three:

- Samyang SY85M-FX 85mm F1.4

- Fujinon XF56mm 1.2 R

- Nikon AI-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.2

I know that the Samyang and Nikon would be Manual Focus but honestly for portraiture I prefer manual focus. If ever I go for the Samyang, I'm also thinking if whether I should get a Speed Booster for it as well since I'm not comfortable with 85mm on a crop body. I am not familiar with the cons to using a Speed Booster though so if anyone can share info or their experiences I would really appreciate it.

Some other guys also recommended to me Voigtlander lenses but I haven't checked into them yet but have heard great things about them.

Any help or opinions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I own the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 and the Samyang 85mm f/1.4. I agree with you about using manual focus for portrait work, and typically manually focus my 56mm f/1.2. Between the two (and even without any potential negative effects caused by a Speed Booster), I'd say the Fuji 56mm is the clear winner. It seems much sharper than the Samyang 85mm wide open. I can't imagine that a Speed Booster would do anything to help that. However, for portrait work, sharpness is not always the most important characteristic, and the Samyang 85mm does seem to have nice bokeh.

I own and have owned several Voigtlander lenses. My experience has been that the fast Voigtlander lenses are typically very soft and low contrast wide open.

Kurt

 

[omnicloud7]

Fuji 90 for me. It's my preferred focal length for portrait and useful for candids too. Superb lens, great IQ. You said you are happy with MF but sometimes fast AF works better to get the shot, and the 90 is fast. I like candid portraiture and have not always got the image I wanted when manual focussing because the subject changed expression too quickly or noticed me focussing on them. Shooting with shallow DoF requires accurate focus.

 

[omnicloud7]

I own the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 and the Samyang 85mm f/1.4. I agree with you about using manual focus for portrait work, and typically manually focus my 56mm f/1.2. Between the two (and even without any potential negative effects caused by a Speed Booster), I'd say the Fuji 56mm is the clear winner. It seems much sharper than the Samyang 85mm wide open. I can't imagine that a Speed Booster would do anything to help that. However, for portrait work, sharpness is not always the most important characteristic, and the Samyang 85mm does seem to have nice bokeh.

I own and have owned several Voigtlander lenses. My experience has been that the fast Voigtlander lenses are typically very soft and low contrast wide open.

Kurt

Thank you so much for this

I previously shot Nikon and I'm still a fan of their vintage AI-S lenses that's why I always keep them on my choices of lenses to get.

By chance would you have sample portrait work using both the Fuji and Samyang? I'm really tempted by the Samyang since it's much more cheaper than the Fuji and seems to be a good bang for the buck deal to get. However, if the Fuji is a clear head & shoulders winner over it, I might as well save up and invest for that instead.

 

[Kali108]

Fuji 90 for me. It's my preferred focal length for portrait and useful for candids too. Superb lens, great IQ. You said you are happy with MF but sometimes fast AF works better to get the shot, and the 90 is fast. I like candid portraiture and have not always got the image I wanted when manual focussing because the subject changed expression too quickly or noticed me focussing on them. Shooting with shallow DoF requires accurate focus.

 

[omnicloud7]

Fuji 90 for me. It's my preferred focal length for portrait and useful for candids too. Superb lens, great IQ. You said you are happy with MF but sometimes fast AF works better to get the shot, and the 90 is fast. I like candid portraiture and have not always got the image I wanted when manual focussing because the subject changed expression too quickly or noticed me focussing on them. Shooting with shallow DoF requires accurate focus.

 

[Stflbn]

Keep in mind, the Samyang is very noticably glowy at 1.4.

 

[Charles2]

The old Canon 50/1.4, Minolta 58/1.4, and Pentax Super Takumar lenses around the focal length are alternatives, too.

 

[tr4driver]

I own the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 and the Samyang 85mm f/1.4. I agree with you about using manual focus for portrait work, and typically manually focus my 56mm f/1.2. Between the two (and even without any potential negative effects caused by a Speed Booster), I'd say the Fuji 56mm is the clear winner. It seems much sharper than the Samyang 85mm wide open. I can't imagine that a Speed Booster would do anything to help that. However, for portrait work, sharpness is not always the most important characteristic, and the Samyang 85mm does seem to have nice bokeh.

I own and have owned several Voigtlander lenses. My experience has been that the fast Voigtlander lenses are typically very soft and low contrast wide open.

Kurt

Thank you so much for this

I previously shot Nikon and I'm still a fan of their vintage AI-S lenses that's why I always keep them on my choices of lenses to get.

By chance would you have sample portrait work using both the Fuji and Samyang? I'm really tempted by the Samyang since it's much more cheaper than the Fuji and seems to be a good bang for the buck deal to get. However, if the Fuji is a clear head & shoulders winner over it, I might as well save up and invest for that instead.

Here you go. Both shot wide open with an X-Pro2.




Fuji 56mm f/1.2




Samyang 85mm f/1.4

 

[Rod McD]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a dedicated portrait lens which I can mostly use to take solo shots of people during events and was wondering which lens to get for the job. It won't be in a studio setup. What I'm looking for is something that gives off a dreamy picture with a glow to the subject. I'm a bit of a bokeh fanatic as well so better, dreamier bokeh is a big plus. With that can you help me decide on which to get? I'm torn between these three:

- Samyang SY85M-FX 85mm F1.4

- Fujinon XF56mm 1.2 R

- Nikon AI-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.2

I know that the Samyang and Nikon would be Manual Focus but honestly for portraiture I prefer manual focus. If ever I go for the Samyang, I'm also thinking if whether I should get a Speed Booster for it as well since I'm not comfortable with 85mm on a crop body. I am not familiar with the cons to using a Speed Booster though so if anyone can share info or their experiences I would really appreciate it.

Some other guys also recommended to me Voigtlander lenses but I haven't checked into them yet but have heard great things about them.

Any help or opinions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi,

Another lens you may wish to have a look at is the new MF Samyang 50/1.2. The test reports seem to be good and it's less expensive than the Fuji 56/1.2. There have been a few posts in this forum and in the Third Party Lens Forum - I don't have the links but you'd find them with a search.

Closer to home is the Fuji 60/2.4. It's slower than the 56, but optically very good and very useful as a short tele, semi-macro and portrait FL. It's a first gen Fuji lens and the AF is a tad slower than more recent lenses. I tend to use MF because my more common usage for it is macro, but I've found it a decent lens for my occasional portraits.

You asked about Voigtlander...... I have a 90mm Apo Lanthar, and it's another good all-rounder. I find it fine for the occasional portrait outside and too long inside. It's quite small. It's only f3.5, but I'm not into ultra shallow DOF. It's quite sharp wide open and very sharp stopped down. The bokeh is very smooth, though under-developed in comparison to a faster lens. You might also like to check out reviews of the 75/1.8. I notice that someone responded that Voigtlanders are soft at wide apertures - I think that may need a bit of qualification.... If you look at the Photozone test of the 75/1.8 it has very high central sharpness and soft corners wide open, and gains high cross frame sharpness at middle apertures. I know someone who has one and swears by it for portraits.

Hope that helps.

Cheers, Rod

 

[The Davinator]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a dedicated portrait lens which I can mostly use to take solo shots of people during events and was wondering which lens to get for the job. It won't be in a studio setup. What I'm looking for is something that gives off a dreamy picture with a glow to the subject. I'm a bit of a bokeh fanatic as well so better, dreamier bokeh is a big plus. With that can you help me decide on which to get? I'm torn between these three:

- Samyang SY85M-FX 85mm F1.4

- Fujinon XF56mm 1.2 R

- Nikon AI-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.2

I know that the Samyang and Nikon would be Manual Focus but honestly for portraiture I prefer manual focus. If ever I go for the Samyang, I'm also thinking if whether I should get a Speed Booster for it as well since I'm not comfortable with 85mm on a crop body. I am not familiar with the cons to using a Speed Booster though so if anyone can share info or their experiences I would really appreciate it.

Some other guys also recommended to me Voigtlander lenses but I haven't checked into them yet but have heard great things about them.

Any help or opinions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Check out the Minolta 58 f1.2

It is considered one of the finest for rendering for portraits.

 

[slimandy]

Fuji 90 for me. It's my preferred focal length for portrait and useful for candids too. Superb lens, great IQ. You said you are happy with MF but sometimes fast AF works better to get the shot, and the 90 is fast. I like candid portraiture and have not always got the image I wanted when manual focussing because the subject changed expression too quickly or noticed me focussing on them. Shooting with shallow DoF requires accurate focus.

 

[omnicloud7]

85 is a possibility but 90 is too long? Ok....

 

[omnicloud7]

Thank you to everyone who gave their inputs and opinions. I only read them all just now and I really appreciate all of your opinions!

I'm still undecided though on what to get since all of them are winners for me. Honestly I'd get the Fuji 56 f/1.2 if I can but the price tag is what's holding me back since it's so expensive. The Samyang 85mm f/1.4 + Speed Booster is much cheaper but I just realized it'd become a beast of a lens and I'm not sure if I can handle that.

However, I came across this Angry Photographer video in Youtube and he had a video where he said to just get a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S + adapter instead of the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 as it will perform identically but for only about a 1/10 of the price of the Fuji. Do you guys have any opinions on that? I'm not sure how credible the guy is LOL.

 

[HP1999]

Depending on your working distance

50-140. First choice

90 mm or 56 mm

last 16-55 is a great event lens focal length

 

[retroactivity]

The 56 1.2 is a velvety dream. 56 is a more versitile focal length, and 2 stops faster than the 90 for times when flash is not desired or allowed. Plus, you will need a higher shutter speed with the 90 as shake will be more pronounced.

 

[HP1999]

The 56 1.2 is a velvety dream. 56 is a more versitile focal length, and 2 stops faster than the 90 for times when flash is not desired or allowed.

Plus, you will need a higher shutter speed with the 90 as shake will be more pronounced.

i suggest a mono-pod, tools like these everyone forgets. While not always practical most it will make the 90 mm truly shine

This is one other lens that should have got image stabilization even if the F stop was one or two stops slower in compromise

 

[Birdmanfriday]

I would rule out the Nikon 50/1.2, it has a glowy/dreamy quality wide open and isn't very sharp. It is excellent from f2 but you might as well wait for the new Fuji if that's what you're after.

 

[slimandy]

Thank you to everyone who gave their inputs and opinions. I only read them all just now and I really appreciate all of your opinions!

I'm still undecided though on what to get since all of them are winners for me. Honestly I'd get the Fuji 56 f/1.2 if I can but the price tag is what's holding me back since it's so expensive. The Samyang 85mm f/1.4 + Speed Booster is much cheaper but I just realized it'd become a beast of a lens and I'm not sure if I can handle that.

However, I came across this Angry Photographer video in Youtube and he had a video where he said to just get a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S + adapter instead of the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 as it will perform identically but for only about a 1/10 of the price of the Fuji. Do you guys have any opinions on that? I'm not sure how credible the guy is LOL.

It's a nice lens but you'll need to stop it down to get the best out of it. Bokeh can have a slightly busy look too. It won't match modern technology. It's a good budget option though, if you're sure you won't benefit from having AF available when you need it.