The XF 56mm F1.2 is a legendary lens for Fujifilm, almost as much as the original 35mm F1.4 for the X-mount. I owned and used this lens extensively, and in a very dated review, I talked about how I'd love an update with weather-sealing and better focusing. Well, here it is.
With an 85mm full-frame equivalent focal length, the new 56mm F1.2 looks to be the premium portrait lens for X-series photographers. Now, I should mention that this is not a review. We only had the lens for a week. If you've watched this channel, you know I love giving severe reps before I get critical of any of these products. Let's study how this lens improves from its predecessor and the quality of images captured.
This 56mm is designed for higher-resolution sensors like the recently announced X-H2. The optics now include 13 elements instead of 11 and double the aspherical elements to... well, two. This simply comes together for a lens that resolves images with better clarity. Punching in for a tighter crop will give you good options.
While we don't have a linear motor, this 56 has an updated DCM motor and weather-sealing, which makes it noticeably faster and more reliable. I found that it locked into subjects much faster, hunted less, and tracked issues more precisely. Is it as quickly as something like the 18mm F1.4? Probably not, but you'll probably notice this gap more in the video than in a photo.