Fujifilm – Page 5

The TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 is my most anticipated lens since it is in the land of rumors. Why? Because TTArtisan is good at keeping very competitive pricing for their autofocus lenses without sacrificing much on the image quality. And this lens could be one that can give XF50mm f2 a run for its money.

Intro

Both TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 and TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 are announced in 2022 and 2023 respectively. And today in 2024, it is TTArtisan’s first autofocus lens announcement and the third autofocus lens in the company’s portfolio.

I have been testing this gem for close to a month now and it is probably one of the longest times I have spent time testing.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/3200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8 . 1/8000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

To be honest, it has been a long time since I am so excited about testing a lens.

Before I proceed further, I would like to thank TTArtisan for sending this lens to me. I appreciate and am thankful for their support. Having said that, the review is truly my own opinion and TTArtisan has no influence on it.

Design and Build Quality

First off, the TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 shares a lot of similarities with the TTArtisan 35mm f1.8. It has the same design language, the same good metal built quality, and the same filter size (@ 52mm) too.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/1800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8 . 1/200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Since it’s the same design language, this also means that it only comes with a manual focus ring and lacks one of my favorite elements of a lens: an aperture ring. The manual focus ring comes with a smooth rotating experience and doesn’t feel any small “friction” for precision control.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . 5.6. 1/80″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 2500 . Nostalgic Negative*

It weighs 237 grams, 258 grams with it’s square hood and 275 grams with it’s squarehood and docking lens cap. Yes, it does come with a square hood! Sweet gesture!

Image Quality

I feel that the image quality set a higher benchmark for what we usually expect for this price point (later on this). At wide-open, it is not the sharpest, a little soft (depending on the photographer’s preference), and does not have the best contrast, but it is very usable. Or at least, it exceeds my expectations in this department.

Vignetting is there but not as heavy as I thought it could be compared with the TTArtisan 35mm f1.8. Chromatic aberration is barely noticeable in my eyes. That’s to say, you still can see it if you pixel peep. Nevertheless, I think the engineers in the TTArtisan do well in engineering this.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

As for sun star effect, it is okay but it does come with some characteristic flares. Please be mindful if you do not like the characteristics of lens flares.

At f1.8, I do not expect to have a great separation between the subject with background/foreground but decent enough to blur the unwanted subject. Bokeh balls are fine as I do not see any onion or cat eye like bokeh. I seldom talk about bokeh but this one seems to be very pleasing to my eyes so I thought I should share it with every reader.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f16. 1/120″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Focusing

It comes with a Stepper Motor (STM) which performs pretty snappy in most situations. I do experience some back-focusing or off-focus shots. But that happens very rarely and it might happen due to my error.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*

The focusing speed between MFD and infinity is considerably fast under good lightning conditions but it isn’t really slow or struggling under low light conditions either. I could say it is not disappointing.

When comes to lens breathing, it is pretty far. While it does not affect me but I think it might likely impacts videographers.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

The MFD is 50cm and I think it isn’t as close as other mid-range lenses like the XF50mm f2 (at 39cm) and Yongnuo 50mm f1.8 (at 45cm). But the MFD is the same as the XF56mm f1.2 WR.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/30″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f2.8. 1/320″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Price Point

TTArtisan is famous for its affordability and strikes a perfect balance between price and image quality. This 56mm f1.8 is the same too. At 158 USD, this is probably one of the cheapest autofocus portrait lens one can ask for.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/320″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/55″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*

Others

Similar to TTArtisan’s other autofocus lenses, this 56mm comes with a dock for future firmware updates and it does function as a rear lens cap as well.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f4 . 1/300″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/90″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Also, this lens does not come with any form of weather and dust resistance.

Who is this for?

TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 is obviously targeting a certain genre of photographers and that is portrait photographers. To be more specific, beginners or photographers who are unsure if they want to shoot portraits with this focal length but do not want to break their piggy banks. And it can be a good gift to your photography friends.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f5.6. 1/800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8 . 1/1100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

But I would like to extend this lens to other street photographers, journalists, documentary and travel photographers.

If you are using the XF50mm f2, I will suggest keeping what you have and continuing to use it. A small difference in the aperture value does not make a huge difference in the shooting experience and the end results.

Conclusion

TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 is by far one of my favorite budget autofocus lenses I have tested thus far. It is lightweight, has decent image quality and acceptable autofocus speed. Plus with this attractive price point, I can’t find any reason not to own it.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/3000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8 . 1/850″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 @ 56mm . f1.8. 1/3200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

If you are fine without the aperture ring and lack of weather resistance, I highly recommend owning this lens first if you are interested in looking for a portrait lens.

TTArtisan has released two f1.8 lenses to complement each other. I wonder if will there be a “23mm f1.8” or similar focal length lens to complete the Trinity lenses in the affordable price range?

Oh yes. According to TTArtisan, this lens will be made available from 19 April 2024, 6pm (UTC/GMT +8).

TTArtisan 56mm f1.8 and TTArtisan 35mm f1.8

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

Viltrox 13mm f1.4 – Viltrox’s First Ultrawide Lens for APS-C

April 8, 2024April 8, 2024 Alwin Kok

Viltrox 13mm f1.4 was announced back in January 2022. The lens is well received with many positive feedbacks from many photographers. I also do remember it was a challenge to snap one for my use and eventually, I gave up on getting one during that period. Of course, I eventually managed to buy one from an online platform.

Intro

Viltrox is the first brand that Fujifilm photographers are exposed to the third-party autofocus lens and the rest is history. Today, Fujifilm photographers have always been their first customers. For example, Viltrox 75mm f1.2 Pro and Viltrox 27mm f1.2 Pro were launched in X-mount first before any other mounts.

Left: Viltrox 13mm f1.4 without the lens hood
Right: Viltrox 13mm f1.4 with the lens hood

Viltrox positions its first ultrawide lens uniquely. They are not aiming to be the widest autofocus lens but strike a good balance between “wide” and “fast”. 13mm (19.5mm in full frame equivalent) is not the widest ultrawide lens (XF8mm f3.5 is the widest prime lens in the market ) but it is definitely the fastest one yet (same aperture as XF16mm f1.4).

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

I seldom set expectations for a China-made lens, but given the Viltrox improving records, I had a lot of expectations for this lens before getting one for myself. I hope it will fulfill the expectations I set for it.

At this point of writing, this lens comes with an X-mount and an E-mount.

Design and Build Quality

The metal-constructed lens body is great. In my opinion, it is as close as the pro lineup. It comes with a good clicky aperture ring but is not as tactile as the aperture ring found in the pro lineup.

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f5.6 . 1/105″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f5.6 . 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f5.6 . 1/90″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

When holding it on hand, the 420 grams feel lighter as compared to the Viltrox 27mm (560 grams) and Viltrox 75mm (670 grams). I also appreciate that the filter size is 67mm which allows photographers to access various filters without having to pay for more expensive ones.

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

Image Quality

Image quality is surprisingly great for an ultrawide lens. The results are pretty usable at wide-open. The contrast is good. Corner-to-corner sharpness is fine and the distortion is within my bearable range. As for overall sharpness, it does not give blazer sharpness as compared to the pro lineup but is not too far behind.

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f5.6 . 1/170″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/500″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/125″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Vignetting is visible at wide-open but acceptable in my opinion. It is not as heavy as I have expected. Chromatic aberration is pretty well-controlled in this lens.

Flares and ghosting are obviously visible from direct sunlight. So beware if you want to avoid these.

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f5.6 . 1/1250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Focusing

From the Viltrox online store, it mentioned that the focusing system is Stepper Motor (STM) + Lead Screw. I have very shallow knowledge and probably it is my first time hearing of “Lead Screw”. So I do some Google study.

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.6 . 1/9000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f5 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f2.8 . 1/1500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

As far as I can find, there are two types of STM, Lead Screw type and Gear type. The lead screw is bulkier as compared to the gear type but faster and quieter. Gear type is usually found in compact lenses. However, both STMs produce smooth and quiet focusing movement which benefits the videographer.

I guess this is one of the reasons why this lens is big?

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f11 . 1/7″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f5.6 . 1/280″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f5.6 . 1/480″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Focus breathing is surprisingly very minimal. A good one for videographers who plan to use this lens for their work.

Focusing performance is great, I have only encountered very few focus-hunting throughout my trip to Japan. The focus speed from MFD to infinity and vice versa is pretty decent for an ultrawide lens. I have no complaint in this.

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/420″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

This lens comes with an MFD of 22cm. While there isn’t any benchmark of the exact same focal length from other manufacturers. So I extract what other ultrawide lenses’ MFDs are:

XF16mm f1.4 – 15cm

XF8mm f3.5 – 18cm

Sigma 16mm f1.4 – 25cm

Meike 12mm f2 – 20cm

Meike 10mm f2 – 30cm

TTArtisan 10mm f2 – 25cm

Given some references I have picked up over here, I could say the MFD of the Viltrox 13mm is somewhat average. The good things is that the image quality at MFD still maintain a good quality and not experience some image breakdown like some other lenses.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/210″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Price Point

In Viltrox online store, it is priced at 630 USD while it is priced at 459 USD in B&H. I think there aren’t any much prime lens competitors. There is only one I can recall and that’s Samyang 12mm f2 and it is priced at about 395 USD. Meanwhile, XF8mm f3.5 is priced at 799 USD.

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/105″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/220″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Others

Like the other Viltrox AF lenses, it comes with a USB port for future firmware updates. In this case, it is a USB-C port.

There is also one thing that sets this lens apart from the pro lineup and that is the lens hood. It comes with plastic quality instead of metal. If this is something you are looking forward to, you might be disappointed.

Who is this for?

Although I always choose prime over zoom lens for street lenses, I prefer a more zoom versatility for ultrawide lenses, for example, Sigma 10-18 f2.8 or Tamron 11-20 f2.8. The reason is that ultrawide focal length is a lot less used in my type of photo genre.

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/5800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Putting my own preferences aside, this lens is suitable for architecture, astrography, cityscape, and landscape. Besides all these genres, this lens is up to your creativity to create.

Oh yes, it can be a good lens for vloggers too.

Conclusion

Although it is not part of the Viltrox “Pro” series category, in my opinion, it is quite on par with the “Pro” series lenses, especially in the image quality and overall performance.

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/160″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f1.4 . 1/1000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

If you own both the Viltrox 27mm f1.2 and Viltrox 75mm f1.2 and you do not have an ultrawide lens, I think this lens is a good complement to form the “trinity” lenses from Viltrox. If you are just searching for a great ultrawide prime lens, then this could be it. Because this lens is worth considering.

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f5.6 . 1/340″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f5.6 . 1/750″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 .Viltrox 13mm f1.4 @ 13mm . f8 . 1/200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Lightroom.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.
5. Some readers might have noticed that I shoot more at f5.6 and that is because I have never thought of sharing my opinion initially. Since it is my holiday, so I should shoot something that I am more comfortable with.

Reviews

TTArtisan 10mm f2 – The First Ultrawide Lens From TTArtisan

April 1, 2024April 8, 2024 Alwin Kok

There are several manual ultrawide lenses in the market, 1 autofocus one from Viltrox and Samyang, and Fujifilm has 3 ultrawide in their lens lineup. Having said that, Fujifilm photographers do not lack any ultrawide lens options, and then TTArtisan added another lens to this category. But can it stand out from the others?

Intro

TTArtisan has been around in the market for quite some time. If you are a fan of TTArtisan, you will realize that TTArtisan has not tapped into the world of ultrawide focal length. The widest focal length they have for the APS-C world is TTArtisan 17mm f1.4 (excludes the TTArtisan 7.5mm f2 fisheye lens). With this 10mm (15mm in full-frame equivalent), they are now officially on this bandwagon.

This is the second lens of the same focal length I have tested. The first one is Meike 10mm f2. But I will not compare them in detail here. More on this later.

Before I proceed with the review, I would like to thank TTArtisan for sending this lens over and giving me ample amount of time to test this lens. Having said that, TTArtisan has no influence over my opinion. They read the review on the same day as all the readers.

Design and Build Quality

At first glance, it looks pretty compact for a f2 ultrawide lens. It also comes with TTArtisan manual lens design language. That’s to say, it is very recognizable. It weighs 332 grams and the weight is within my expectations for a manual, fully well-built metal-constructed lens. But I do agree that it seems to be heavy but I feel fine on hand.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 10mm f2 @ 10mm . f8 . 1/4″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 10mm f2 @ 10mm . f2 . 1/125″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 10mm f2 @ 10mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

As usual, it comes with a clicky aperture ring, which is very similar to most TTArtisan manual lenses. But it comes with a narrow aperture ring which is a little tricky for me to rotate with my big fingers.

The Not So Serious Comparision: Sigma 23mm f1.4 VS XF23mm f1.4 WR

March 6, 2024March 6, 2024 Alwin Kok

This is the 3rd of the abovementioned series. To be honest, I actually took the shots with both Sigma 23mm and XF23mm in October last year but it slipped my mind to share it. Recently, someone on the FB page asked about the comparison between these 2 lenses. From there, then I recall I had done that and started to dig around my hard drive.

Left: Sigma 23mm f1.4 Right: XF23mm f1.4 WR

Of course, like the past 2 posts, this comparison is not scientific, nothing technical or chart board to take reference and compare. All the photos are taken in my house.

The comparison is simple. Shoot at the respective lens’s Minimum Focus Distance (MFD), approximately 50cm and 100cm. Apertures range from wide-open, f2.8, and f4.

For a note, the MFD for the lenses are as of below:
Sigma 23mm – 25cm
XF23mm – 20cm

Remember do not take this comparison seriously.

Shooting at Minimum Focus Distance

Left: Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ f1.4
Right: XF23mm f1.4 WR @ f1.4

Left: Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ f2.8
Right: XF23mm f1.4 WR @ f2.8

Left: Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ f4
Right: XF23mm f1.4 WR @ f4

Shooting at approximately 50cm.

Shooting at approximately 100cm.

Conclusion

At MFD, XF23mm performs better in terms of sharpness at wide open and closer MFD. On the other hand, Sigma 23mm is a little bit softer at wide open but gets better from f2.8 and f4.

For 50cm and 100cm, the Sigma 23mm is a little bit softer at wide open as compared to the XF23mm. Otherwise, all other aperture values for Sigma 23mm are pretty on par with the XF23mm. If you don’t compare both directly, the Sigma 23mm is good.

In terms of value for money, I think Sigma is the better choice. You can save money on other lenses or accessories. If you are looking for the best of the best at this point, then the latest XF23mm will be your only choice in the market. What do you think?

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. All shots are straight out of the camera.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

blob:https://alwinkok.wordpress.com/c7d326ae-6c2d-4d9c-9be5-a42bd3927f72

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 – Probably The Best Travel Companion Lens

January 12, 2024January 12, 2024 Alwin Kok

When Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 DC DN is revealed to the world, by just looking at the focal lengths and the constant f2.8 aperture value, it is a very straightforward indication that this is the lens that compliments and co-exists with the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC DN. This is the latest lens joining the Sigma Contemporary series for APS-C cameras. No surprise here, this lens is available for the L-mount and E-mount beside the X-mount.

Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 DC DN Contemporary
Left: @10mm, Right: @18mm

Intro

“Smallest” and “lightest” are the most common words on the headlines in most sites to describe this lens. From the press release images, it looks compact but I have no idea it is that compact until I get to hold one on my hand.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 11.5mm . f2.8 . 1/900″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/210″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*

“Wow” is the first word that comes out of my mouth and I am impressed by the actual size and weight of this lens. An f2.8 constant aperture lens can be this small and light is something of an engineering marvel. I am truly impressed with the Sigma engineers and their dedication to making such an impressive lens. But how will the image quality and the autofocus system be in such a compact design? The only way to find out is to test it out.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 10mm . f2.8 . 1/2900″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/420″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/300″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Apart from the Meike 12mm f2, this is another lens I brought with me to my recent Japan holiday trip.

Before I proceed further, I would like to thank Mr Lawson from Sigma Marketing (Singapore) for loaning me this lens for review and Kai for making the arrangements. I appreciate their kind support in making this review a reality.

Design and Build Quality

The lens build is identical to its siblings like the Sigma 18-50mm & Sigma 56mm f1.4, etc. The same minimalistic look profile and also without the aperture ring. Yes. I do miss the aperture ring.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*

The lens is made of “Thermally Stable Composite” (TSC) polycarbonate material, which gives a lightweight yet very high-quality and well-built lens body. Polycarbonate material is probably one of the best plastic materials on the market at this point in time.

When I held the lens for the first time, I noticed that the focal length starts at the tele end (@18mm) instead of at the widest focal length (@10mm). This is a similar approach to the Tamron 11-20mm f2.8, which practically makes sense as the tele-end will be the most used focal length most of the time. In this case, 18mm is a very usable focal length for street photography.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 11.9mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 11.7mm . f2.8 . 1/120″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 10mm . f2.8 . 1/40″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative*

For a note, the lens is zoomed out by extending a little bit at 10mm. It does not bother me throughout my testing period.

The 15mm to 28mm (in full frame equivalent) comes with a filter size of 67mm and it is surprisingly small for the ultrawide lens. With the combination of 250 grams (other mounts have slightly different weights), this lens is really lightweight and very suitable to be a traveling lens.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 16.9mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/1250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

There are rubber sealings in this lens to provide dust and splash-resistant. Having said that, I am not the person who dares to push the boundary and fight against the weather with my camera gears. After all, this is a nice touch for Sigma to provide this for all the contemporary lenses for the X-mount.

Like other contemporary lenses, it has a metal rear mount bayonet. And also, it is made in Japan.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 14.6mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negativ*e

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 10mm . f2.8 . 1/20″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Image Quality

The image quality is exceptionally good for an ultrawide lens. At wide-open, the sharpness and contrast are great throughout the focal lengths. The images that I take are very usable and I have no complaints with the image quality department.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negativ*e

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 16.9mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 10mm . f2.8 . 1/250″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*

If you are picky, distortion at the widest end can be observed but is minimal (or maybe it is corrected by the camera). Chromatic aberration is pretty well-controlled or I should say I do not observe any during my shoots. At f2.8, vignetting is there but not as heavy as I thought. In my opinion, it is fairly well-controlled and it is pretty okay for my consumption.

As for the sun star, it forms pretty well with sharp edges but it also introduces flares as well. It seems more to me like the characteristic of the lens but others might think otherwise. Nevertheless, if you do not want to have flares, avoid facing the sun or a strong direct light source.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f22 . 1/100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 10mm . f22 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

Focusing

When comes to focusing performance, it is not fair to compare with the new generation XF prime lenses like the XF23mm f1.4 WR, so I will just base it on my personal experiences.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 13.9mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/420″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

In my opinion, the lens’ focusing performance is pretty fast, silent, and snappy by today’s zoom lens standard. The stepping motor does a great job and I find that the focusing speed is very consistent even at night and pretty high accuracy rate too. But I do experience some misfocus but it is really rare. If I remember correctly, it’s just 2-3 times.

The lens breathing is also at its minimal for both 10mm and 18mm. This is great if videographers plan to use this for their work.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

When comes to MFD, oftentimes there are two MFD values for a zoom lens and this is no exception for this lens as well.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/450″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 10mm . f2.8 . 1/4700″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 10mm . f2.8 . 1/6000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

At 10mm, it can go as close as 11.6cm. To put that into practicality, the front lens is basically close to touching the shooting subject. It is that close and I often cast a shadow on the subject that I wanted to shoot.

At 18mm, 19.1cm is the MFD and it is slightly better than the XF18mm f1.4 20cm MFD.

Overall, I am glad that the image quality still maintains quite well at both MFDs.

Price Point

This lens is selling at 599 USD. With this price point, it can easily become one of the lenses in consideration.

For comparison, XF10-24mm f4 WR is selling at 999 USD and Tamron 11-20mm 829 USD. How can one resist such a price point? I have to say it is a great price point and Sigma is really good at pricing their products well.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negativ*e
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 10mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negativ*e

Others

One interesting thing about this lens is the lens hood. Sigma has a newly developed push-on petal-type lens hood. This new mechanism is so much more convenient and faster than the traditional lens hood mounting method.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 17.3mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/3200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

But one might wonder how durable is it as compared to the traditional one. For this, I also wish to know the answer but I also know I dare not try to do a lens drop test. Nonetheless, I hope to see more lenses using this approach to make easy for photographers.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 13.9mm . f2.8 . 1/30″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 16.1mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600 . Nostalgic Negative*

One can’t help but compare Tamron 11-20mm and Sigma 10-18mm. Both have their pro and cons but end of the day, it depends on the photographer which one he/she prefers to use. I have my answer but I will keep it on my own.

Also, updating lens firmware is the same as how we update the firmware for Fujifilm. Download the firmware from Sigma’s official website, transfer it to the SD, and update the lens firmware.

Who is this for?

With this lens’ ultrawide zoom versatility, genres like landscape, cityscape, street, architecture, and astrography are the common ones. And not forgetting, the traveling genre too!

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f8 . 1/280″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 18mm . f3.6 . 1/100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 10mm . f2.8 . 1/170″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Conclusion

As a street photographer, I like this lens for having 18mm at its tele-end and it is a more commonly used focal length for street photography which does not make me lose out on most of my street shots. When I need to take some much wider shots, it gives me the flexibility to go wider than 18mm. This is something I appreciate when traveling overseas.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 10mm . f5.6 . 1/340″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 17.3mm . f5.6 . 1/640″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 @ 13.9mm . f5.6 . 1/110″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

With the current Sigma 10-18mm and Sigma 18-50mm, these 2 lenses make the best companion for travelers. With a combination of 15 to 75mm, both lenses covered most of my needs for travel. Not forgetting that compact and lightweight (a total of 535 grams for both lenses) play an important part in the overall travel experience.

I have been thinking Sigma has been planning to cover the tele zoom range as well, making a trinity f2.8 zoom lens covering most photographers needs. Plus, the recent rumors about Sigma planning to release the 50mm to 135mm (or 140mm), makes me strongly believe that this is going to happen.

Nevertheless, I really like this lens and I think I will get this lens for my own usage.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Capture One.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

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Reviews

Meike 12mm f2 – Balance & Compact

January 5, 2024January 10, 2024 Alwin Kok

One fine day, Meike contacted me to ask if I was interested in reviewing this lens. Of course I do and I told them I was going on a trip in a week. And 2 days before my flight, it arrived at my doorstep.

Intro

I have reviewed the Meike 10mm f2 just less than 6 months ago. My verdict on that lens is that it has very usable wide-open image quality but the size and weight are the 2 drawbacks I have. Meike 12mm f2 addressed the 2 drawbacks but does it have the same usable wide-open image quality?

Let’s step back a little. This lens was announced in June 2022 and that makes this lens a year and a half years old now. Is this a real concern? Probably. Because this lens was made available before the release of the X-H2 and X-T5. The most common thing about these 2 cameras is that they house the X-Trans CMOS sensor 5 HR 40 megapixels sensor. (I am not worried too much about the X-Trans 4 sensor 26 megapixels sensor and I am pretty sure they just work fine with this lens.) So another question to me is, can the lens able to resolve the new sensor?

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/4400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f8. 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f4. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Just for info, it comes with an E-mount and M43 mount too.

Before I begin, thank you Meike for contacting me and sending this lens over. I appreciate their tremendous support in making this review a reality.

Design and Build Quality

The Meike 12mm f2 has the same metal built quality as other Meike manual lenses I have tested thus far. But what strikes me is how compact the lens is and it is great to hold in hands. Although it is only 227 grams, I can feel the well-balanced weight of the lens, especially when I mounted it on the X-T5.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/3500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/1500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/680″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

This lens shares many similarities with most of its siblings except for the Meike 10mm f2. The aperture ring is de-click which can be easily rotated by accident. Rotating the aperture ring is smooth with very little or gentle friction against your rotation direction. I think this might benefit the videographers.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f16. 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f16. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f16. 1/80 . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Both the aperture ring and the manual focus ring are smooth and also give different levels of friction feedback.

It comes with a 62mm filter thread. Pretty acceptable filter size for its size.

Image Quality

This lens gives an 18mm (in full frame equivalent) field of view which is indeed considerably wide. I could say the image quality at wide-open is similar to the Meike 10mm f2, and the results are very usable. Contrast and sharpness are good at the center and not so much at the corners.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/5″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/170″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*

The chromatic aberration (CA) is considerably well-controlled but I do observe some mild CA if I blow up the shot. As for vignetting, it is broadly there. In my opinion, it seems to be heavier than the Meike 10mm f2 but it can get better when you step down the aperture value to f5.6.

The sun-star result is pretty sharp, but not that tad sharp. Please be aware that the flare can be introduced if you are trying to get the sun-star shots and direct facing any light-emitting object in your framing.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/20″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/20″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*

Barrel distortion seems to be pretty well-controlled. At least I did not notice any curve around the edge of the corners but typical ultrawide distortion is there. So try not to put any human at the corners when you are shooting at your waist level.

Focusing

The manual focus ring has a different level of rotation friction as compared to the aperture ring. It gives a more dampening feedback, and I like it. As for the focus throw, it depends on the photographers’ preferences, some prefer to have a shorter focus throw while some do otherwise.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/3000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2.8. 1/340″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Well, the focus throw of this lens is approximately 110°. It takes me a while to rotate from one end to the other. Depending on how we see it, this might benefit the videographers and help the photographers nail the shot precisely.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

This lens is capable of shooting as close as 20cm, which is pretty far for an ultrawide lens. You will get quite a lot of details apart from your subject. Nevertheless, it is a lens meant to be for landscape or other similar genres.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/1400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negativ*e

But the image quality seems not to be at its best. At wide-open, you will get to see not-so-good sharp results at the corners. Vignetting seems to be slightly stronger as well.

Price Point

It was priced at 189 USD and now it is running a discount to 159.99 USD on Meike’s website. This is quite a good price point. For a note: Meike 10mm f2 is selling at 349.99 USD. There are not much of manual ultrawide lenses in the market. TTArtisan 17mm f1.4 is the only one that I am aware of (at this point of writing) and it is selling at 118 USD. For about a 40 USD difference, I think it is worth getting the Meike 12mm simply because it gives a 5mm wider field of view.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/1700″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/280″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Others

Surprisingly, this lens comes with metal petal lens hood. This definitely gives a good gesture as not many manual lens manufacturers provides one. The look of the lens hood seems to be pretty fragile but when you hold it, you will know it is actually quite well made.

Like most manual lenses, the actual “infinity” is not at the end of the manual focus ring. It is somewhere where the “infinity” symbol is. One of the readers also informed me that it can be manually calibrated. I did not try it but I think it is possible.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/4000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negativ*e

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Also, this lens has this phenomenon that color temperature changes between cool to warm) according to the aperture value set. If you are shooting in raw, not too much of a concern but if you are shooting purely in jpeg, maybe this is something you should take note of.

Who is this for?

This lens literally says it is meant for landscape, cityscape, astrography, and architecture genres but this is not limited to any other genres that I do not mention over here. The creativity with this lens is yours.

I can’t say much for professional photographers but I also not saying this lens is not suitable for professional photographers to commission their works. But this lens is very suitable for budget-oriented photographers looking for a decent alternative to Fujifilm’s ultrawide lens offering.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f5.6. 1/300″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/30″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f5.6. 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

One small detail here. You might notice that the f2 is pretty much the farthest away from the other aperture values. I am not sure why is that so. Maybe it can benefit us somehow? If you know, please share it with me.

Conclusion

There is only one manufacturer ever made such a fast and compact lens beside Meike and that is Rokinon 12mm f2 and it has been in the market for years. I believe some manufacturers will catch up some days if this focal length and aperture value makes a hit.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f4. 1/640″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/5000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Although not the best, this lens optic does resolve fairly with the new X-Trans 5 HR sensor. At least I did not observe extreme softness in the image quality like I do in other lenses. Sharpness and contrast are there when I nail the shot totally.

This lens is very good for beginners or photographers who hardly use such an ultrawide lens. Firstly, it is not expensive to own one. Secondly, it is compact and easily kept in the bag or inside the dry cabinet.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f5.6. 1/75″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*

In my opinion, it is very clear-cut for me to choose this lens over the Meike 10mm f2. Both have very comparable great image quality but the 12mm f2 wins on the size and the cost. (I know I have repeated many times but this lens is this worthy.)

I do not mind sacrificing a 2mm (3mm full frame equivalent) lesser field of view and size does matter, especially when bringing it on a holiday trip overseas. I would rather bring a smaller alternative lens to lighten my shoulder (yes, 227 grams versus 550 grams and every gram counts in order not to injure my shoulder).

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

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Reviews

Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 – A Lens to Shine

December 6, 2023January 12, 2024 Alwin Kok

When comes to 35mm f0.95, we are not lacking of any choices in the market. To name a few: Mitakon ZhongYi 35mm f0.95, TTArtisan 35mm f0.95, 7artisans 35m f0.5 and Meike 35mm f0.95. And then, here comes the latest 35mm f0.95 competitor from Brightin Star. This was only announced in September 2023. Can it stand out from the rest?

Intro

Brigthin Star is a name that may not be familiar to everyone. In case someone ever wonders, the name “Brightin Star” is a direct translation of their Chinese brand name, 星曜. It is a strange and catchy English name but good enough to get my attention. I also tried to understand more about this company. Unfortunately, there is very little information about them. So based on my limited capability, this company started off in 2019 (at least from the news announcement they had made) and they did make several manual lenses (both full frame and APS-C) for various mounts like M-mount, E-mount, and M43 mount, etc.

Design and Build Quality

It has been a long time since I mentioned how much I like the design, the color, and the handling of the lens. Yes, this lens design pretty much resembles Leica lens design. Not a bad thing and pretty much other manufacturers did something similar as well. Nevertheless, the lens design from Brightin Star is aesthetically pleasing.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/10,000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/7000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/7500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

The 50mm (in full frame equivalent) lens is about 370 grams. You can feel how dense the lens is and how well the built quality is when you hold it in your hands. You can imagine how many glasses are there in this lens. As expected, this lens is metal-constructed.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f4. 1/1900″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f8. 1/180″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

It comes with a 52mm filter-size thread. It’s a very good welcome for not burning a deep pocket for filter fans. One interesting detail here, the rear mount comes with black/grey coated. It gives a very premium feel to the overall viewing experience.

The aperture ring is great. It gives you very good clicky feedback when you rotate it. Ergonomic wise, you have no issue with changing the aperture as it has ample amount of space especially for those who have big fingers.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f8 . 1/220″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

As for the lens cap, it is a capped-on metal lens cap. Unlike other capped-on lens caps, it has a kind of cushion and you can feel it is there. It gives me a kind of satisfaction whenever I remove and put on the lens cap.

Image Quality

The image quality is phenomenal. It is probably the best f0.95 lens I have tested thus far. The result is not perfect but better than some of the counterparts I have tested. Typically, shooting at f0.95 will present you glowing and soft effect, but this lens does not behave this way. I know some photographers prefer glowing and soft effects, but I personally prefer this.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/22,000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/1400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/8000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

If you blow up the shot, you are still able to see the softness of the result. When comes to contrast and sharpness, it is also slightly better.

I have low expectations when comes to chromatic aberration and vignetting at wide open. Well, chromatic aberration seems to be present mildly in my tested shots but not that obvious. As for vignetting, it is present and considerably heavy as expected. Of course, the overall image quality improved from f2 onwards. And it looks the best at f2.8.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f16. 1/50″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative*

The fall-off between the focused subject and the foreground/background is a pleasure to view at. Not forgetting that shooting at f0.95, the focused subject is very pop out from the others and it should be expected to have this result.

As for the sun-star result, seems to be the same as the rest of the 35mm f0.95 lens. They are okay but not a tad sharp. Do bear in mind that flares will be introduced as well but I quite like how the flares are created.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f16. 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

37cm MFD is fine. Not the shortest or as close to the one from TTArtisan (@ 35cm), but not the worst too. Nevertheless, it does not lose out too much for MFD per se.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/480″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

As for the image quality, I think this is the weak point of this lens as it provides poor contrast and sharpness. Something to take note of.

Focusing

The focus ring is relatively smooth and there is nothing much to feedback about. It comes with minimal friction and it is comfortable enough to rotate the focus ring.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/1250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/40″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*

As for the MFD to infinity, the focus throw is approximately 100°. Also, pretty much the same as the other 35mm f0.95 lenses out there, and it also gives a fair amount of “traveling” for precise focusing.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/160″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/1000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f4 . 1/800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Similar to the rest of the manual lenses, the infinity is not directly opposite to the MFD. In order to have the true infinity, you have to rotate back a little to achieve it (somewhere the infinity symbol is).

Price Point

At 199 USD, it is priced the same as the TTArtisan and 7artisan variants and slightly cheaper than the Meike at 259 USD and even cheaper than Mitakon at 399 USD.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/180″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/2000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/900″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Others

If you have noticed, this lens does not come with f5.6. It jumps from f4 to f8, skipping two full stops worth of light. It is a strange lens design and this is my first time encountering this. But does it really affect my day-to-day usage with this lens? Probably not. If I want to bring this lens out for a shoot, what’s more important for me is the usability of the shots taken at wide-open, in this case, f0.95, rather than the missing out of f5.6.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/80″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative*

If you are the kind that is into unique details, this lens comes with a black/dark grey coated rear lens element. While it does nothing but aesthetics, at least this is something different from the other manufacturers.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/125″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/150″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Who is this for?

If you are new to manual lenses or you want to have an experience of what f0.95 is, this is one of the many manual lenses you can consider getting. With its focal length, this lens is pretty much suitable for many genres such as street, cityscape, portrait, documentary, and etc.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/125″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/125″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/100″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

As for professional photographers, I believe you know whether you will need this lens for your professional works or causal.

Conclusion

I genuinely love this lens. Despite its shortfall on the MFD and missing f5.6, it is a great f09.5 lens to own. It has been a long time that I have enjoyed shooting at wide-open. I have more shots taken at f0.95 than in any other aperture value because I feel it should be the way. Plus given its 199 USD price point, I think it is pretty worth it. It may seem biased but really, it’s not.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/20,000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Brightin 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 – A New Bargainous Option

November 20, 2023November 21, 2023 Alwin Kok

TTArtisan has been very quiet about what is coming next in their product lineup. I also noticed a slowdown in the number of new lenses launched by the company. Also, after the launch of the TTArtisan 27mm f2.8, there was no teaser or hint of what was coming next in the autofocus lens lineup until recently in September 2023.

*Left: TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 with lens hood*
Right: *TTArtisan 35mm f1.8* *without lens hood*

Intro

This is TTArtisan’s second autofocus lens for the Fuji X-mount and it is released almost a year after the launch of the TTArtisan 27mm f2.8. The 27mm lens from the manufacturer was a big hit back then. Everywhere was literally out of stock and the manufacturer is trying to fulfill the backlog orders for weeks or even months. 35mm is a very focal length and I am excited to see how popular this lens can be.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/150″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f4 . 1/900″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Before I proceed further, I would like to thank TTArtisan for sending this lens over to me. I appreciate and thankful for their support. Having said that, the review is truly my own opinions and TTArtisan has no influence to it.

Design and Build Quality

From the lens appearance, it is minimalistic and clean. This also means the lens does not come with an aperture ring like the TTArtisan 27mm f2.8, just a smooth rotation focus ring.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/600″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

It’s lightweight, at 199 grams. In case someone wonders, it weighs 224 grams with the lens hood and 238 grams inclusive of the rear “lens cap”. The metal-built quality is very similar to other TTArtisan manual lenses that I have tested thus far. I have to say it is a pretty decent-built lens. It comes with a metal rear mount and the overall handling of the lens is good too.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/2200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/150″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

One of the most exciting things, in my personal view, is the lens hood. This 50mm (in full frame equivalent) lens comes with a decent built square lens hood and the design of the lens hood is just simply beautiful. The hood complements the overall lens look and feel so well, I have had the hood permanently mounted onto the lens since then.

The filter size is pretty small, at 52mm only. Oh, by the way, it does not come with weather resistance.

Image Quality

Speaking of the image quality, I have to say it’s a huge improvement over my past experiences with the other TTArtisan lenses. Although it is not clinically sharp or corner-to-corner tad sharp, it is so much usable at wide-open. If you read some of my past opinions with the TTArtisan lenses, you will notice that I always find the usable aperture is usually 1-2 stops from the base aperture value. I am happy to use this lens at wide-open.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f8 . 1/280″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/5000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Vignetting is there at f1.8 and it seems to be a bit heavier than other lenses but it is not much of my concern as we can either post-process it or step down to f2.8 onwards for improvement.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/850″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f7.1 . 1/250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f5.6 . 1/250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Chromatic aberration is surprisingly well-controlled here. At least it is not prominent in my shots.

The fall-off is fine but not the smoothest nor spectacular. The background blur is also just fine.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f16 . 1/200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f16 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

Focusing

With the help of the Stepper Motor (STM), the focus is pretty fast in most situations. The focusing speed is pretty good between MFD and infinity. Having said that, it is not as snappy as the XF33mm f1.4. To be fair, they are in different categories and focus groups.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/5800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f5.6 . 1/600″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/1500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

During low light situations and under harsh sunlight environments, I do experience focus pulling or being unable to focus correctly. But it recovers after I point to another subject and then to the one I want. I hope there will be future firmware upgrades to address this issue.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/2000″ . ISO 125 . Classic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

In my opinion, focusing breathing is pretty far. I’m not sure if it impacts photographers but this likely impacts videographers.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

The MFD is 60cm and, this is probably the biggest drawback for this lens. I think I have been spoiled by the MFD offered by other lenses and it set up my expectations for what a 35mm lens’ MFD should be.

So I asked the engineers from the TTArtisan and try to understand what was the decision behind this. And this is the answer from them:

“Considering that the 35 lens is mainly for humanistic photography and portrait photography and there will be less close-up shooting, and also considering the focusing speed and lens size, the minimum focusing distance has been compromised.”

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/150″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/340″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Having said that, MFD at 60cm is totally fine for day-to-day casual street shots and even portrait shots. It only hinders me when I want to take a close-up food shot or a close-up shot of a small subject.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negativ*e

Price Point

I am informed by TTArtisan that the price will be 149 USD. That’s the same price at the TTArtisan 27mm f2.8! This is really a good price point.

Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

For comparison, the closest autofocus lens that I can think of is the XC 35mm f2. It is priced at 199 USD. While I am unsure if it has fully stopped production, I think if you can spend that extra 50 USD, then XC 35mm should be a better deal (but without the lens hood). After all, it is an XF 35mm f2 optic in a plastic body. On the other hand, 50 USD can get you some filters and accessories, or just save that 50 USD.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/8000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negativ*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/2900″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/7500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

All in all, I have to say it depends on the individual photographer’s needs and wants.

Others

Speaking of firmware upgrades, this lens shares the same docking rear lens cap as the TTArtisan 27mm f2.8. It acts as both the lens cap and there is a USB-C port for future firmware updates. Similar to my suggestion on the 27mm, I will suggest photographer keep this unique rear lens cover at home.

LFuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/600″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f5.6 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f16 . 1/320″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Who is this for?

There are many 35mm lenses in the market and we are not lacking in it. But because it comes at a very attractive price, I think it is very competitive in the 35mm continent.

In my opinion, this lens is suitable for those who do not have this focal length or are new to photography, you can take this opportunity and give it a try. Besides the X-mount, it comes with the Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount too.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/3000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/250″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/250″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

In terms of genres, it’s a good street, portrait, cityscape, and landscape. Product shot is possible too but depending on the kind of product shot you are shooting, the limited MFD might be affecting you.

Also, this is probably another good gift option for any photographer friend that you want to give.

Conclusion

Although a little compromise on the MFD in return of the lens size and focusing speed, I was pretty satisfied with the overall performance such as the image quality and the focusing speed.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/1800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/2900″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f1.8 . 1/750″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Also, TTArtisan launched the lens at the price of 149 USD. It is not easy to maintain the same starting selling price as the TTArtisan 27mm lens with the recent inflation around the world. Nonetheless, this lens is set to give young or budget photographers another option to choose from besides manual lenses but I will recommend everyone to give a try with this lens.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm f1.8 @ 35mm . f4 . 1/1100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Now, TTArtisan also teases about another upcoming portrait lens, 56mm f1.8. Will it priced the same at 149 USD? I think if everything about this lens is great, could pricing it at 200 USD or 250 USD be a big hit? We shall wait for the good news to come.

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

Sigma 23mm f1.4 – The King of Street Lens from Sigma

October 24, 2023October 24, 2023 Alwin Kok

23mm focal length (35mm in full frame equivalent) is one of my favorite prime lenses. If I can only bring one lens out, this is the focal length I will bring. No second thought. And now, Sigma has this amazing lens ready for the X-mount, L-mount, and E-mount.

Intro

Sigma 23mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary was released officially in September 2023, but it was announced way back in April 2023.

If I remember correctly, this is Sigma’s 4th prime lens. It may not sound a lot, but Sigma did cover basically the most commonly used focal lengths for street photographers.

Before I proceed further, I would like to thank Mr Lawson from Sigma Marketing (Singapore) for loaning me this lens for review and Kai for making the arrangements. I appreciate their support in making this review a reality.

Design and Build Quality

From the first look, this lens shares many similarities with the other Contemporary series like the Sigma 18-55mm, Sigma 56mm, etc. The lens gives a very minimalistic look, nothing fancy, just a low-profile lens design. The lens is made of “Thermally Stable Composite” (TSC) polycarbonate material, which gives a very high quality, well-built lens body.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/125″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f5.6 . 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4* . 1/13000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

At 335 grams, this lens is very comfortable to hold, and it comes with a 52mm filter size (For your information, it is the same filter size as the Sigma 30mm f1.4). It also comes with a plastic lens hood.

In the same manner, this lens is also equipped with dust and splash-resistant sealing that helps to protect the lens from certain weather/environmental conditions. Last but not least, it does not come with an aperture ring.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/250″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4* . 1/250″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/250″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*

Oh yes, it is made in Japan.

Image Quality

I think this is probably the better image quality as compared to the other Sigma prime lenses. At wide open, the image is great, sharp, and contrasting. If I set XF23mm f1.4 WR as the benchmark, this Sigma lens is just one tier lower. This is very impressive in my opinion.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/15000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f8 . 1/320″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f7.1* . 1/850″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

The blur transition between the focused and non-focused object is not the best I have since but it is decent too. Not harsh or distracting.

Vignetting is there at wide-open. But again, not a critical concern to me. Chromatic aberration is nowhere to be found or at least I did not spot one during my course of testing.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/120″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/250″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4* . 1/250″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f16 . 1/180″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

If anyone is concerned about the sun star result, it is okay, not the best but also the worst.

Focusing

With the help of the stepping motor, the lens performs very well. In most situations, the focus is quick (not the fastest) and accurate. So far, I have not experienced any miss-focused shots which I think is another great experience to have.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/2200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f4* . 1″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

But under challenging situations like a dim environment, it does pose a bit of a challenge to focus. This is pretty much the same behavior as most lenses in the market.

The focus ring is smooth as expected. Nothing to complain about. Also, Sigma did a good job at controlling the lens breathing. Not too much of a concern for photographers, but if you intend to use this lens for videography, I think it might be a good option.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

While 25cm MFD is not the shortest for this focal length, it is pretty usable. It is still allowing photographers to take close-up subject if he/she wants to. The image quality might seem to be a little softer at wide-open. Unless you do pixel peeping, it is barely noticeable.

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/250″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4* . 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*

Price Point

It is priced at 549 USD. For comparison, XF23mm f.14 WR is priced at 899 USD, Viltrox 23mm f1.4 is priced at 325 USD, Voigtlander Nokton 23mm f1.2 is priced at 599 USD (not quite a fair one but I just throw it in for price sensing purpose).

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f5.6* . 1/240″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

What do you think? Is it a fair price?

Others

The “metallic” surface of the lens is prone to fingerprint smudge but this is the same across all contemporary prime lenses thus far. But not too much of a worry as it can be removed easily with a cloth.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/26000″ . ISO 125 . Classic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f4 . 1/240″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4* . 1/480″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Who is this for?

If you are new to photography or want to own the first decent-quality prime lens but are on a budget, I will always recommend a 23mm prime lens as a start. Because as a prime lens, it is versatile for the street, cityscape/landscape, documentary, environmental portrait, astrophotography, editorial, and the list goes on.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f5.6 . 1/60″ . ISO 2000 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/320″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f2.8* . 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/680″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Hence, this Sigma 23mm f1.4 can be one of your considerations. There is not much of a 23mm focal length competition just yet. I know there is a brand or 2 that have the intention to enter this 23mm segment but I am totally not sure how good their lens and the image quality will be. But Sigma has been around since 1961 and has been accompanying many photographers in their photography lives. So the image quality is at a certain standard.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negativ*e

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/340″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f2* . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*

Conclusion

As a third-party lens, Sigma 23mm f1.4 set a benchmark for many others to follow. Fantastic image quality, decent focus speed, and comfortable lens handling. As for the lens build, it may not be as good as what metal built quality is but it is definitely a premium polycarbonate build quality. Trust me, I experienced the not-so-good one.

Sigma may not seem to release lenses aggressively for Fujifilm. But if we look back, it is otherwise. In fact, Sigma had released lenses for Fujifilm at a good momentum throughout the years. Today, Sigma has released a good range of prime lenses for street photographers.

*Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Left: Fuji X-T5 . Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4 . 1/7500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . *Sigma 23mm f1.4 @ 23mm . f1.4* . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Finally, I have to say this is by far one of my favorite Sigma lenses and I hope Sigma will continue to support the Fujifilm X-mount and also probably the G-mount soon?

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Discussion

The Not So Serious Comparision: 27mm VS 27mm VS 27mm

October 12, 2023October 12, 2023 Alwin Kok

This is the second of the above-mentioned series. I have recently tested the Viltrox 27mm and much earlier with the TTArtisan variant and the Fuji variant. So in the name of fun, I am trying to compare the image quality among the 3.

From left to right: XF27mm, Viltrox 27mm, TTArtisan 27mm

Of course, this comparison is not scientific, nothing technical or chart board to take reference and compare. Photos are taken in my house.

The comparison is simple. Shoot at the respective lens’ Minimum Focus Distance (MFSD), at approximately 50cm and 100cm. Apertures range from wide-open, f2 (only applies to Viltrox), f4, and f5.6.

For a note, the MFD for the lenses are as of below:
Viltrox 27mm – 28cm
XF27mm – 34cm
TTArtisan 27mm – 35cm

So do not take it seriously.

Shooting at Minimum Focus Distance

Left: Viltrox 27mm f1.2 @ f1.2
Right: Viltrox 27mm f1.2 @ f2

Left: XF27mm f2.8 @ f2.8
Center: TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 @ f2.8
Right: Viltrox 27mm f1.2 @ f2.8

Left: XF27mm f2.8 @ f4
Center: TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 @ f4
Right: Viltrox 27mm f1.2 @ f4

Left: XF27mm f2.8 @ f5.6
Center: TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 @ f5.6
Right: Viltrox 27mm f1.2 @ f5.6

Shooting at approximately 50cm.

Shooting at approximately 100cm.

In my opinion, Viltrox seems to be the better one in overall performance out of the 3 and it also has a very usable MFD. Of course, better image quality comes with some sacrifice: weight and price. It is selling at a retail price of 549 USD as compared to XF27mm at 399 USD and TTArtisan 27mm at 159 USD. So which one will you get? Image quality over everything? or
Striking a balance between image quality and weight? or
Getting the best value?

Thank you for reading.

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Tag: Fujifilm

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