REVIEW: Fujinon XF60mm f2.4 v Fujinon XF56mm f1.2

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Last month I added the superb Fujinon XF56mm f1.2R lens to my camera bag, which is the seventh Fujinon lens I have bought for my X-Series kit.  It is also the third lens that covers the short telephoto range, the others being the XF55-200mm f3.5/4.8 zoom and the XF60mm f2.4R macro.  This had me wondering if I could sell off one of the lenses or did each lens offer something that meant I could justify hanging on to all three?

 Well for starters we can ignore the 55-200mm zoom as this lens offers the long telephoto reach I need for my landscapes and wildlife.  It is an excellent all round zoom lens that has a place in my camera bag.  So that leaves the two prime lenses.


The 60mm is the older of the two, being one of the original trio of lens launched in 2012 with the X-Pro1.  The auto focus has been improved with firmware updates but it is no where near as 'snappy' as the newer 56mm.  The obvious difference between the two lenses is the faster maximum aperture on the 56mm, a full two stops faster.  

 The f1.2 is a dream in low light and this lens begs to be used with aperture wide open to give a wonderful 3D effect by throwing the background out of focus.  Having said that the f2.4 on the 60mm is now slouch either and will produce some very nice 'Bokeh'.  

 The problem with shooting with the 56mm in bright sunlight is the X-T1 and X-Pro1 have a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000s and a minimum ISO of 200 (100 for JPEG only).  This means that is bright light you can't use the f1.2 aperture without over exposing the image.  This problem is easily solved by fitted a 62mm 3 stop ND filter to the lens.  Also the X-T1 will receive a firmware update in December giving the camera an electronic shutter speed of 1/32000s, which will also allow wider apertures to be used without over exposing the image.

 The focal lengths are very similar but as can be seen on the two shots below the pulling power of the 60mm (90mm equivalent) is just that little bit better than the 56mm (84mm). However the difference is negligible to make it irrelevant in everyday use. 




The area where the 60mm shines over the 56mm is the close focusing ability of the macro lens.  The 56mm has a closest focusing range of 70cm, where the 60mm can focus at 26.7cm, producing an image 0.5x lifesize. This ability is demonstrated in the set of images of a rusty mooring bollard and chain.

60mm f2.4

56mm f1.2

60mm f2.4

56mm f1.2

60mm f2.4


56mm f1.2
This close focusing ability alone justifies me keeping the 60mm AND the 56mm in my camera bag because both lenses offer different abilities.

 The size of these lenses are similar but the front element on the 56mm is a big piece of glass. Filter sizes are easier on the 56mm, using a more standard 62mm filter thread compared with the diminutive 39mm on the 60mm marco.

 The price difference also has to be taken into consideration, with Park Cameras in London, where I bought my X-T1 and XF10-24mm, is currently selling the 60mm for £434 and the 56mm for nearly double at £829.

 CLICK HERE to see the specifications of the XF60mm f2.4R macro 
CLICK HERE to see the specifications of the XF56mm f1.2R  

For me both of these lenses will remain part of my Fujifilm X-Series arsenal for the foreseeable future.  Here are a couple more scenes taken on the 60mm and 56mm to compare the use of these lenses as a landscape telephoto.

60mm f2.4
56mm f1.2
60mm f2.4
56mm f1.2
All images taken on a Fujifilm X-T1 and either a 56mm or 60mm lens.  Except for the shots of the two lenses, which were taken on a Fujinon XF35mm f1.4R. 
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Comments

  1. Unknown25 October 2014 at 08:16

    This review is good read.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Adrian26 October 2014 at 08:46

    I have both lens and I use them for different subjects. The XF60mm f2.4R macro is used for food photography because of the close focusing ability and the XF56mm f1.2R is used for portrait work in the studio and on location

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Macsport29 October 2014 at 01:12

      Adrian, thanks for the comment. I love the 60mm for it's close focusing abilities and use it all the time for my work. The 56mm is a revelation for my work and once I used it for the first time in May on a short test I knew I had to get one. I am very happy with both lenses.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous26 October 2014 at 11:28

    well, for my money, when faced with buying one or the other I went for the 60mm for a number of reasons.

    I don’t need to shoot with the aperture so open as the 1,2 offered by the 56mm,

    Fuji handles the high ISO speed very well.

    I am happy with the “ bokeh” offered by the 60mm.

    With the 400€ that I saved I bought quite a few other things that I like to have.


    In favor of the 56mm, the new electronic shutter update on my XT-1 makes possible to shoot at shutter speeds faster than 1/4000

    Cheers, thanks for you review.

    Milandro

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Macsport29 October 2014 at 01:20

      Milandro, thank you for taking the time to give some feedback. I feel the 60mm is a complete bargain, it offers so much for the money, especially now when there are plenty of copies around. I got my 60mm 12 months ago with the three other primes (14,18 and 35) and I love the flexibility that it offers. It certainly isn't second best in the XF lens line up in my opinion.

      Delete
  4. Gijs Musters26 May 2015 at 19:47

    Hello Jeff,

    Which lens would you advice for shooting (macro) flowers?

    Keep up the good work!

    Greets from Holland ^_^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Macsport26 May 2015 at 21:19

      Gijs

      The 60mm macro is an excellent lens and if you do a lot of flower photography I can recommend it. However I have just done a blog about using extension tubes with my 56mm f1.2 Fujinon. These tubes can be used with any Fuji lens to decrease the focusing distance. The blog is here - http://macleancomms.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/close-focus-without-macro-lens.html

      Delete

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