Viltrox 56mm F/1.7 Fujifilm X Review

 

 Viltrox AF 56mm F/1.7 APS-C XF Mount 

(link to buy, Amazon) BLACK

(link to buy, Amazon) SILVER

171Grams, 52mm filters, silent and fast auto focus

 Incredible Image Quality to Weight Ratio - The New Legend of X Mount Has Arrived!

This lens has zero business being this good for this price tag.  This is coming from a very extreme pixel peeper and lens snob extraordinaire.    

Aperture Ring

There is none.  But for the price tag sub-$200--can you complain? Control the aperture through your camera body's scroll wheel.  

Mounting

Very solid, feels like Fuji glass.  Metal mount, no doubt. 

Body

A bit like plastic, but smooth and tight.  High quality cheap plastic if that makes sense. 

Focus

On X-T5 and X-S10, it's fast and focuses accurately.  No issues.  

Sharpness/IQ

Sharpness is incredible straight from f/1.7.  Mostly for depth of field and perfection, I shot it at f.2.2 or f/2.8.  F4 for landscapes. Just buy it.  Bokeh is smooth and rendering is soft and slightly swirly.  

Verdict: 

9.5/10.  The only reason I didn't give it a 10/10 is because the exterior is a bit cheap feeling. But for the price, you can't complain. I'd put this lens up against the legendary Fujifilm 56mm F/1.2 R WR any day for its image quality and that's saying a lot because I have owned that lens since launch and praised the heck out of it. I have since sold it on. 

This is rare for me to give this rating.  I paired this lens with my Fujifilm XF 18mm f/ 1.4 for an all day shoot, and they complimented each other perfectly with a two-body setup. 

Sample photos

The Blogger / Google compression doesn't do these pics justice. They are razor sharp (and I don't say that phrase lightly) on my 32" 4K LG OLED Monitor @ home.  Trust me as a pixel peeper, you'll love this lens!

Fujifilm X-T5, Villy 56 1.7 @ F/2.8 

Fujifilm X-S10

and

Villy 56 1.7 Wide Open @ F/1.7 

Fujifilm X-T5

and

Villy 56 1.7 @ f/2.5

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 Viltrox AF 90mm F/2.2 APS-C XF Mount 

(link to buy, Amazon)

325 Grams, 58mm filters, silent auto focus

The world's highest resolving lens for X-Mount's 40MP X-Trans Sensor!

I can't say enough good things about this lens, especially as a pixel peeper that casts shade on even the world's best lenses.  If you know me, I am a lens snob.  This lens, however, shocked me at how well it performs right into the extreme corners, at 1:1, on a large 4k monitor, @ 40MP.  Autofocus is reliable too, as reliable as it can be on Fuji's latest firmware and latest X-bodies, in my case, the X-T5.  

Aperture Ring

Very solid clicks in one direction, slightly more vague in another direction. Not a big deal. Just an observation. It could be my copy.  Unfortunately on X mount, you cannot de-click as you can on the Sony version.  Removed feature, but same price? Tsk tsk.

Mounting

Very solid, feels like Fuji glass.  Metal mount of course.

Body

Apparently it's metal.  It feels cold to the touch, but also feels light.  Whatever it is, it's high quality.

Focus

On X-T5, it's incredibly fast and focuses just as good as any Fujifilm branded lens I've used, if not better.  

Sharpness/IQ

Sharpness is incredible. Just buy it.  Bokeh is smooth and rendering is soft and slightly swirly.  Foreground bokeh can have double edges but that's most lenses.  

Verdict: 

10/10.  This is rare for me to give this rating.  In fact I've only rated one other X mount lens this high, the Fujifilm XF 18mm f/ 1.4.

✌✌✌ Link to Buy ✌✌✌<---Amazon

Sample Photos (click to expand for best resolution):

Nice background. Tiny cars on the freeway, camera right, rendered smooth. Wide open @ 2.2

This is a fairly tight crop, showing the resolving power of this lens.  I say I cropped half-way simulating probably 200-225mm on full frame (down from 135mm)

Examine the foreground and background bokeh

Examine the background slight separation, very smooth!

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Fujifilm X-T3 Beauty Shot -- Putting my X-T5 order on hold

Fujifilm X-T3

For years, since launch, the X-T3 has been my most beloved, cherish, and treasured camera I've ever used or owned.  It's stylish, it's fast, it's high quality, and every dial, button, action feels so positive and so mechanical. I've been waiting for a true X-T3 successor and finally the X-T5 was announced very recently. It's a beauty, but here's why I'm putting it on hold:

1) Design.  The X-T5 is beautiful, don't get me wrong, however it's as I suspected a slightly overly modern evolution of the X-T line which from X-T1 through X-T2, maintained a consistent style.  The X-T5 much like the X100V, transitioned into a highly modern interpretation.  Still retro, but not quite as "Classic" as the X-T3.  Despite owning the X100V, I still think the X100F is still peak retro and to me still is peak Fujifilm. I believe peak Fujifilm days are over.

2) IBIS.  Honestly, I'm thrilled Fujifilm was able to reduce the size of the X-T5 to a reasonable level and retain IBIS, but still, I don't need it and don't want it.  I like the idea of a static stills camera.

3) 40MP/IQ.  No doubt in clean light, the X-T5 sensor should produced cleaner images. But in low light, high ISO situations, so far from what I am seeing is the new sensor is a bit noisier.  I think 26MP is good enough.

4) Quality. I have my quality concerns. I've seen in a recent popular Youtuber's review (a well respected one in the Fujifilm circles) that the buttons on the back as I've suspected and even posted, feel and look a bit cheap and plasticky, like the X-T4.  The X-T3 buttons all feel spectacular.  

5) Look at it. The photo above. Love it!

One day I'll make the move to the X-T5, but the X-T3 will always have a spot in my heart. It's beautiful and classic!!!

My X-T3 setup below:

Fujifilm X-T3

JJC Soft Shutter

Leica Red Leather Strap

Fujifilm 35mm F2 R LM WR

Titanium Lugs

Fujifilm MHG-XT3 Metal Grip

Glass Screen Protector (Tempered)

Fujifilm GFX50S Eyecup 

B&W 43mm UV Filter

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Fujifilm X-T3 KITTED OUT! SHOWCASE THURSDAY!

Fujifilm X-T3

Over the years I've changed the appearance and general setup of my Fujifilm X-T3 but this is what I've ultimately settled on.  

Fujifilm X-T3

JJC Soft Shutter

Leica Red Leather Strap

Fujifilm 18mm 1.4 R LM WR

Titanium Lugs

Fujifilm LH-XF18 Metal Hood

Fujifilm MHG-XT3 Metal Grip

Glass Screen Protector (Tempered)

Fujifilm GFX50S Eyecup 

BW 62mm Clear Filter

Fujifilm Graphite Metal Hot Shoe Cover (Not for sale)

Hope you like my setup! Appreciate using my links, I get a commission for every dollar spent but it does not affect you.  Everything on this page is actually purchased and used by me and highly recommended.

Fujifilm 33mm 1.4 R LM WR is here! PRE ORDER NOW!!

 

 Fujifilm 33mm 1.4 R LM WR

Pre-order up live!

Canon RF 50mm 1.8 STM now for pre-order (The *new* nifty fifty!)

 Canon RF 50mm 1.8  

This lens appears to be a re-worked version of the "old" Canon EF 50mm 1.8 STM, but for the RF mirrorless mount.  It appears to have a slightly revised optical design with extra aspherical element.  I just pre-ordered mine here.

Thanks for using my Amazon referral link where I earn a small percentage. Can't wait to review this lens!

EOS RP vs. Fujifilm XE1 using Canon 70-200 F4L II + Lens Turbo II + 1.4 extender

Fujifilm XE-1: Supercharged and Speedboosted vs. Full Frame Native    

Fujifilm XE-1 + Lens Turbo II - Canon 70-200 F4L IS Version II

Here's a quick comparison of something I always wanted to do: compare extremely high quality glass on full frame vs. aps-c, however instead of putting said glass on the XE-1 "dumb style" using open air, I wanted to equalize it with full frame as much as possible by correcting the projection using a Mitakon Zhongyi Lens Turbo II (aka speed booster or focal reducer)  Using the focal reducer isn't an exact 1:1 conversion but pretty darn close.  Zhongyi quotes a crop factor of 0.73x.  So 200mm on APS-C would be 300mm, but corrected with a focal reducer on Fujifilm, yields approximately 219mm F.4.3.  In trying to match 200mm F4 in this case, it's close enough.  Full frame still technically wins but as you can see below, the Fujifilm does surprisingly well considering I just added extra glass elements to the equation for which this Canon lens was clearly not designed for.  This shows how much power XTRANS technology yields.  A highly regarded photography site quoted the XE-1 as having 24mp equivalence due to its XTRANS technology, despite being rated at 16mp. I believe it.  Here you can see how it compares with Canon full frame at 26mp!

Bonus: I tested a Canon 1.4x converter on both cameras for 280mm on the Canon EOS RP, and 306mm on the X-E1.  This results in a f/5.6 and f/6.1 aperture and light gathering ability (in terms of FF equivalence) respectively.

1) Overall shot @ 200mm using just the Canon 70-200mm F/4L IS II @ 200mm F4.  EOS RP on the left, XE-1 + Lens Turbo II on the right.  200mm F/4 and 219mm F/4.3, respectively after proper conversion.  (For all intents and purposes, equivalent).  Note: The XE-1 RAW files did NOT come out as pictured below.  Exposure and white balance adjusted to match Canon.  The Fuji files came out dark and pink whereas the Canon files came out looking vibrant and strong as below.  A testament to Canon colors!  Still, the Fuji files can easily be matched in post with no penalty.

Center crop 1:1.  The Fujifilm XE1 is holding its own despite having extra glass jammed between the lens! Bravo XTRANS!!

Next up, same exact setup except this time with Canon's 1.4x extender for 280mm on the EOS RP and 306mm on the Fujifilm after taking into account the Lens Turbo II conversion.  

At 1:1, the results look quite similar in the middle. Impressive. I may even give the slight edge to Fujifilm, but keep in mind it's also magnified more.  So call it a wash.

And in case you're wondering how they compare on the very edge, very similarly.  Again, Fujifilm appears sharper, perhaps due to being more "zoomed in" at 306mm vs. 280.  Impressive!

Of course, the Lens Turbo II lacks aperture control and autofocus, this is just a test of optics. However, this particular Canon 70-200 F4L IS II is Canon's latest and greatest of their legendary 70-200 F4 lineup, so it has optics to match 50mp sensors.  So it performs stellar wide open which makes it perfect for situations where you're stuck with the largest aperture.  

Next I may try my Fujifilm X-T3 which should produce even more impressive results!