Seeing Hong Kong in Black & White with SLR Magic Hyperprime 35mm T0.95 Cine Lens with Fujifilm X Pro 1 by Wilson Chong

January 28, 2013 First Looks, follow ups, Fuji, Guest Post, SLR Magic 34

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USER REPORT: Seeing Hong Kong in Black & White with SLR Magic Hyperprime 35mm T0.95 Cine Lens with Fujifilm X Pro 1

By Wilson Chong

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew Chan of SLR Magic to lend me the Prototype SLR Magic Hyperprime 35mm T0.95 Cine Lens in M Mount for testing.

I am sure many of you have read what Steve already said about this lens and I won’t repeat this here. However, I will tell you what I think about this lens and this time I am using my Fujifilm X Pro 1.

The first thing I find about this lens is that it is huge and quite heavy (however, not as heavy as the Leica version) but still after two hours of shooting your arm and wrist will feel tired. I like the metal feel and the grip for the focus and aperture. As this is a CINE lens, for many of us, the first time I shot with it, I always turn the aperture ring instead of the focusing right (I was thinking… why I am not focusing and why my eyes are failing me?? Or is there anything wrong with my EVF?). Anyway, I think your mind can easily adjust to that after a couple of shots (mostly failed as my brain is slow to learn).

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The next thing I notice is due to the design of this lens, if you want to shot it wide open like me during the day, you need an ND filter. However, for a lazy guy like me, I would opt for a Variable ND Fader to adjust how many stops to fade I want for each shot instead of keep changing different filters as the day progresses. If you mount the Variable ND Fader directly, the images will front focus due to the design of the built-in lens hood. At first I thought why I cannot focus to infinity but this problem disappeared when I shot at night without the ND Fader and wah-la, infinity focus has returned….The lens should be used with the optional SLR Magic 62-77 Ring for use with Variable ND faders. If regular 62mm filters or ND faders are used the lens works normally.

As the lens is a pre-production lens the optional parts are not out yet and this was fixed by a simple solution when I met up with Andrew. He gave me a 62-62 double Male -Male coupling Ring Adapter anyone can find from eBay to not restrict the movement of the lens when used with s Variable ND filter.

When I was shooting with the X Pro 1, the experience is definitely better than using the Leica M. Without EVF, Rangefinder coupling is very difficult to see in the darkness. The focusing ring is very fast and smooth so it makes focusing fast without that slow movement you get with huge lenses. I would rank the overall shooting experience up high.

The lens certainly has a very cinematic feel to the photos and also quite stealthy when I shot at night. Shooting with the EVF certainly helps with your focusing and give you the confidence for each shot. I suspect the new M with EVF would give you the same experience as well, especially those who are novice to rangefinder. Although the technological breakthrough makes life easier, you lose something as well. The joy of using a rangefinder, and the skill of focusing. If the new M has a built-in night vision viewfinder for night shot instead of the external EVF, I am sure a lot of old-school/die-hard RF fans would applaud Leica (if Leica did, you know I am the first one who suggested it! Ha!).

I used both Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro 2 for some of the photos I shot and for some, just Lightroom (maybe I over did it in Silver Efex Pro 2?). Anyway, I like the result of both and I find the lens very capable of getting all these details and mind you the X Pro 1 sensor is very good indeed as well. I always think the X Pro 1 is the poor’s man Leica but it deserves a place in its own right. The shooting experience with the X Pro 1 using the OVF and EVF is unique and makes you think like you using a Rangefinder but again give you the best of both worlds.

I have no doubt this lens will give you stunning shots, lots of details, virtually no distortion (as far as I can see with my eyes) and a joy to use. It is already in my must buy list for 2013 and I have no intention of returning the prototype to Andrew unless he give me a production version of this lens in return. I hope he can use the improvements on this lens into the second version of the Leica mount HyperPrime 50mm T0.95 (unfortunately, I don’t think they will do another RF version again anytime soon).

Compared with other similar lens, this lens certainly stands out from the crowd and the bokeh of this lens is beautiful, unique , and gives the 3 dimensional trip. Of which this unique character I only find that when I shot with the Helios 85mm F1.5 FSU lens but this lens is not soft and sharp all round. This lens is a heavy contender to the must buy fast lens in the ASPH lens category. The glass is well made and solid. The only thing I can think as a fault it is the weight of this thing but this can be easily forgiven with the sharp, 3D and lovely bokeh it creates. If you like fast lens and something unique and special, I would certainly recommend you this lens.

All photos below are shot wide open with ND Fader during the day and without during the night. My Flickr is http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilson888

Click images for LARGE size

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34 Comments

  1. It was a top review and I have to say I’m very amazed at the way it handles night shots… it makes noise look more like film grain.

  2. I really liked the photos & article. Good 3D rendering and I like the PP.
    But that bokeh is way too busy/messy. Nothing about it says ‘smooth’ or ‘creamy’ to my eyes. Of course i’ll refrain final judgement till I look at more photos, but going by these shots… I like everything about the lens except the bokeh. And that’s enough to keep my from buying it, which I’ve been seriously considering.
    Thanks for the article!

  3. I really liked the photos & article. Good 3D rendering and I like the PP.
    But that bokeh is way too busy/messy. Nothing about it says ‘smooth’ or ‘creamy’ to my eyes. Of course i’ll refrain final judgement till I look at more photos, but going by these shots… I like everything about the lens except the bokeh. And that’s enough to keep my from buying it, which I’ve been seriously considering.

  6. Ha Ha..the 4th and the 9th image remind me of old film cameras (perhaps its due to the grain) but nice like those pics.. 🙂 😀 😛 😉

  9. Thanks for the inside scoop Wilson! I’d like to see a few color samples too though.

    Also, Steve, can’t wait to see the rest of your 35mm T0.95 photos. The first batch was great.
    I’m still trying to figure out whether to get that or get a speedbooster + nikon 50 1.2 AIS when the adapter becomes available.

  10. cant wait for your review of the 35mm t1.4 cine as well as the rest of your review of this lens. i think these manual lenses were best with nex’s focus peaking (contrast highlighting).

  11. I enjoyed the photos and this is an interesting lens. But I am so put off by the marketing name “Hyperprime” that I doubt I could bring myself to buy it (yeah–I know–it’s MY problem).

    “Hey George, check out my new Hyperprime lens!”

    “Oh, that’s cool, but doesn’t warp speed .95 mean you are slowly going backwards? It’s less than one. I thought you’d need warp 4 or 5 to really get a fast hyperprime lens.”

    Tune in next week for more adventures of Hyperprime Lenses in Space.

    🙂

    JD

  12. Thanks for the post. The images have a good feeling about them and seem to convey the qualities of the lens. I am not particularly fond of the Bokeh from this lens though, it seems a bit harsh and distracting.

  13. Steve, your relationship with Fuji looks like a comedy of errors. The pics in this post seem to me kind of good or very good. Less watercolory than Leica MM, a bit more contrasted, but with outstanding resolution. A great lens coupled with a great sensor.

    • 1st off, this was not my article.

      2nd: I do not have a “relationship” with any camera company

      3rd: My issue is with the 35 1.4 lens on the X bodies. It is the slowest and most inaccurate when it comes to AF.

      4th: Sure these are great shots, never said the X-E1 was not capable of great images (in fact, if you have read this site at all you would see I said the opposite)

      So I suggest you read up before making odd statements like the one you just made.

      • I perceive aggressivity in your comment, when I think mine has none. “Comedy of errors” is an allusion to Shakespeare’s play, and I was referring here to the misplaced photographs of the post and to the possibility, mentioned by others, of you having bad luck with Fuji bodies. When I talk about a relationship with Fuji, I refer to Fuji cameras, not to the company. I have no idea whether you have any relationship with any camera company, and personally I don’t care. When I state those are good shots, I’m not directing my words to you, but to everybody, it is my opinion on those shots, and I’m in no way implying you said something or not, or trying to contradict you personally. I suggest you write with less aggression and unnecessary self-defense.

  14. Was it an XE – 1 (as per header photo) or an X Pro 1 (text) ?
    I like looking at these pictures and your flickr ones, but I wonder why fine tonal gradation seems to have given way to high contrast in so much current B&W? Room for both, surely?

    • Couldn’t agree more, John.

      No one seems too excited about these shots and maybe the reason is that with such high contrast just about any half decent lens/camera could produce something similar.

      The real test comes with micro-contrast through a wide range of tones; it is very difficut to make any judgement from these. And the bokeh in no.9 looked decidedly odd.

  15. Nice sharp and contrasty shots. The bokeh looks a little busy to me, but overall I like the look this lens produces.

  19. i like the photo number 9 and 10 they describe the lens very good.

    -Steve,I know it doesn’t support the full frame. But will it work on Leica M8(aps-H) ?..

    • The lens will cover APS-H. However, the lens is not RF coupled and unfortunately I don’t think it will work on the M8. You would be able to focus the lens, but without the use of the rangefinder.

  20. Good evening. I think some mistake here as some photos are labeled +Photos by Alexander Gezentsvei and are by the looks of it in Russia

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