Fujinon XF56mm F/1.2 R APD

The new Xf56mm APD lens is a special optic.  The lens shares the same optical configuration as the XF56mm lens, but adds the apodization filter to increase the creamy bokeh blurred effect.

You can see the technical descriptions here and on the Fujifilm site:
http://www.fujifilmusa.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujinon_lens_xf56mmf12_r_apd/index.html

The neutral blurring filter you see in the diagram does decrease the amount of light the lens transmits at apertures wider than F5.6  You can see the "new" scale for the exposure correction on the lens barrel.  The lens does not enable phase detection AF.  In my limited outdoor low light shooting I did not find this to be a problem.  Other shooting situations may yield other opinions, but i will differ to the other web reviews and further testing to see how this lens'  AF performs.  Of course its strength and specialty is the fast aperture with extra special bokeh performance.  The lens also ships with a three stop ND filter.  I'm waiting for a sunny day to test the lens outside in bright light with the new electronic shutter at 1/4000th to 1/32,000 at F/1.2,  I shot these exposures with the standard XF56 1.2R and it was awesome.  Next test will be with the APD.  We need some sunny days now.

All images below are shot wide open at F1.2.  Except for the two identical subway light shots - one at F5.6 for example.

Here I manually focused the lens to achieve the various levels of out of focus.

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I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com

Fujifilm Extension Tubes for the X Series

There are two new extension tubes which allow photographers to get in close to their subjects and enjoy the power of macro with many of their common lenses.
Extension tubes allow increased magnification by allowing the lens to focus closer to the subject.
I played around with the XF18-55 and XF56 lenses to see what kind of increase in magnification I could achieve with the MCEX 11mm shown above.  I think it's dramatic increase and a very versatile, inexpensive item to add to your camera bag.
http://www.fujifilmusa.com/products/digital_cameras/accessories/lens/index.html#mountadapter


This first example shows you how you can go from the close up distance with no extension tube to the close up with the 11mm tube on the XF56mm lens.

Next I tried the 11mm tube on the very popular XF18-55mm lens to see how versatile this would be.  The close up distance varies depending on what focal length you zoom in to.  Here are the images at standard close up - then several with the 11mm tube on.  If the weather was better I'd get out and try some nature images but it hasn't been so here are some quick shots.

These are significantly closer images easily made with the 11mm tube.

Here you can see two shots of the coin which show the effect of the XF56mm apodization filter.  It has a soft blur on the edges and this is what leads to the creamy bokeh this lens will deliver.  Working on those samples.

The apertures used are F2.8 and F11.

Suggested list is $99 USA.

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I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com

Winter Football Game with the Fujifilm X-T1 and XF55-200

Recently I took out the X-T1 and went to watch some kids play football in the snow.  I knew there would be action, and with a light snow falling, the camera and lighting were perfect.

I set the camera into continuous focus mode and the drive on high speed advance - about 8 fps.  I shot jpegs and some raw - but used the jpegs here on the post.

The images are mostly at ISO 640 around 1/1000th.  I used Manual exposure settings and left the lens wide open - the aperture fluctuated from the various settings within the lens.  F4.0, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 5.0.
The last few scenics are with the X100T.

Follow me on Instagram @brnyc or if you like twitter too @brandonremler

I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.

bremler@fujifilm.com