Mitakon 65mm f 1.4 lens for Fujifilm GFX

When used at wide open aperture ƒ1.4 - the lens has a character that reminds me of a mix between Pentax 6x7 Takumar 105mm f 2.4 and Canon EF 50/1.2 L lens, even a touch of Leica Noctilux 50/1. If you know these lenses from real time usage at wide open aperture - then treat the Mitakon 65/1.4 similarly. It is pretty much the same you get !

The Mitakon renders a focal length on a larger (33x44mm) Fujifilm GFX sensor - like a 50mm ƒ1.1 lens does on a fullframe (24x36mm) sensor equipped camera.

Definitely soft

in terms of "sharpness" (or the lack thereof) when you take images that are within the 1 meter range, at wide open aperture f 1.4 - it is as "bad" as the Canon EF 50/1.2 L when you focus it at close distance. Details are fuzzy to say the least. It is better at a distance (both Canon and Mitakon are similar in that regard at ƒ1.4)

But also remember, the older Canon EF 50/1.2 L is actually a nice portrait lens, with a fine character flattering the human face. There isn't a crucial need for hyper sharpness really. (Such as the Canon RF 50/1.2 L does at ƒ1.2 aperture - which is extreme sharp).

This morning

Here is a photo i took this morning with the Canon EF 50/1.2 L (on EOS R6). It has a nice character ! I still haven't made any portrait with the Mitakon 65/1.4 - because I only had it for 2 hours, delivered downstairs in the hall - while Sal is still asleep as i write.

I am sure he isn't in the mood for portraits when he is newly awakened *LOL*

• Canon EOS R6 with EF 50/1.2 L at ƒ1.2 at closer range

The Mitakon 65/1.4 indeed has a special draw

in photos; an airiness, mixed with romance and classic old style optics, that soft imperfection which is pretty perfect. Especially when you not pixel peep and look at the WHOLE PHOTO as such - you can see how beautiful it renders images !

Something you do not get from other Fujifilm lenses for the GFX medium format camera.

• Fujifilm GFX 50s II with Mitakon 65mm f 1.4 at ƒ1.4 at close range (0.7 m)

• Mitakon 65mm f 1.4 at ƒ7.1 at infinity

Covers really a Fujifilm GFX sensor

As you stop down the aperture, the lens changes character into a sharp lens. Talk about Chameleon. (Like the Noctilux does, too) However, vignetting (dark corners) were far less than I expected. It is not even pronounced ! So yeah, it is really made to cover the larger sensor in the Fujifilm GFX - and not just a ported 35mm lens. This makes the Mitakon a rather unique lens with special character.

The price was perfect with 560 € - as they lowered it from the original 800 € (without tax)

Plane of sharpness bends inwards

When I make photos at ƒ1.4 at infinity - the corners are fuzzy. The sharpness bends "inwards", which means towards the photographer. The borders then show that the focus point is somewhere around 20 meter away, (instead of infinity). This is not a bad thing, because, if it would bend outwards - let's say when you take a portrait at moderate distance - the sharpness would fall into the background making the trees behind (at the border) unnaturally sharp. Which is highly distracting.

But when the focus plane bends towards the photographer, then the background remains blurry at the borders, too.

One you stop down, it is not an issue. After all - you are normally not using wide open aperture ƒ1.4 for landscapes - other than perhaps for an Astro landscape.

Examples provided by Jim Kasson shows the difference, albeit here the focus bends backwards (not forwards)

Laowa Argus 28mm f 1.2

In the example of the Laowa 28mm f 1.2 taken at ƒ1.2, Jim Kasson shows that the lens has an unfavorable bend-backward plane of sharpness.

Because at the borders the background horizon, is sharp. The lens was focused on the pretty lady in the foreground (where the background is blurry). But once you get to the borders, things get sharp. This is a distraction, of course.

The Mitakon 65/1.4 does the opposite when you focus it on infinity: it puts the plane of sharpness closer. I also noticed this at ƒ8 ever so slightly that houses in the distance at around 60 meter, where sharp, while at infinity it was ever so slightly less sharp.

In an ideal world, if you focus at infinity, you wish that all objects at infinity are sharp, regardless in the center or at the borders. Like the Sigma ART 35mm f 1.2 lens does, taken at ƒ1.2 - you see that the plane of sharpness does not bend backwards like the Laowa Argus 28mm f 1.2 lens does.

Sigma Art 35mm f 1.2

I don't mind.

as long the lens bends the focus forwards (closer) at the borders when used at wide open aperture. I prefer that over the opposite; bend backwards because the latter is distracting. Which looks weird when you take a portrait while the image borders show "sharp(er)" leafs and tree branches. Very distracting.

Whopper in Weight

And boy... that it a heavy, chunky lens.... Huh ! You can feel that it is literally a ONE KILO whopper ! Manual focus. relatively stiff focus ring, and click-less which is even more stiff (which is good because it doesn't move out of its position if it would have been too loose). No electronic contacts. (But since you want the IS to work on the Fujifilm GFX 50s II etc camera - you register the focal length and name in the camera - and it will be transfered to EXIF) which then becomes visible in the EXIF data of the image file.

One bright lens (just in case)

Now the original intention of even buying a digital medium format camera, was actually only to use it with Pentax 6x7 lenses and the rotating VERTEX adapter - in order to create large, full circle covering 150 MP images. 4 images get rotated by 90° each, and then stitched together into an image, as if you took it with a 7x7 cm sensor and a Pentax 6x7 lens.

A works I will continue once we go into real springtime, and I start with tripod based outdoor photography again.

Adapted lenses

Naturally, I also tried the adapter route: testing the Fuji GFX camera with 35mm adapted lenses. there are some nice lenses that work pretty well - such as the tiny pancake Canon EF 40mm f 2.8. Albeit I am not so sure about the accuracy of the focus when used indoors in not so great light. The image circle of the pancake covers pretty much the sensor, and you get rewarded with excellent sharpness - almost all the way into the extreme borders, as you stop down to ƒ11

Wonderful Portrait lens

The Sigma ART 105mm f 1.4 is another excellent lens for the Fujifilm GFX line of medium format cameras (and similar). But it is also huge, with a weight of 1.6 kilo. A true whopper to say the least.

Extreme Wide !

The Canon TS-E 17mm f 4 L also impressed me - especially with a tiny notch of Topaz Sharpen AI / Photo AI in order to help the borders turning getting equally fine crisp details. However, this lens simply far too wide for my taste. Equivalent to a 12mm lens on a fullframe camera. Now that is extreme !

Two native Fujifilm GF lenses

I do have a few lenses native made for the Fuji GFX, such as the very wide Fujifilm GF 23mm f 4 lens, and the Fujifilm GF 35-70mm ƒ 4.5-5.6 lens. Neither of them bright for handheld indoor photography - I don't even try to attempt such pictures. The zoom is optically great - but you need to stop it down to ƒ8 in order to get excellent. Useful for outdoor landscape in daylight. Or on tripod at night with long exposure times.

Macro

The Sigma ART 70mm f 2.8 Macro is fantastic for tripod based, macro photography - I really love it - albeit there is a slight corner shading visible. The Canon EF 300/4 L IS, is OK but only if you use it with manual focus with the (Fringer) adapter and correct the darker corners - it becomes fully usable. Given that it is a light and not too large lens, I like it.

Fantastic EF 200/2 L IS

The large, heavy white Canon EF 200/2 L IS works excellent in terms of sharpness - but i am not yet sure about the AF because i have not use it so much yet. Optically it is perfect on the GFX 50s II camera !

Surely there are other lenses that can work with the Fuji GFX, but i wrote down the aforementioned lenses of memory. It's been a while i used the Fujifilm GFX 50s II last time more actively (practically last autumn in Sep/Oct). I treat it mainly like a real medium format camera. You know, on tripod and everything. So I am usually not very active with medium format cameras during dark winter times.

Back to the Mitakon 65/1.4 lens:

This is the reason i bought the 570 € super bright Mitakon 65mm f 1.4 lens. It ALLOWS me to use the bright aperture ƒ1.4 (handheld) when needed in not so great indoor light. Sharpness is NOT its strength, because it is so difficult to get it exactly at the right spot (at wide open aperture, will say).

Usually i prefer the Canon EOS R6 for such work, or the Olympus cameras. Now the Mitakon allows me to use the Fuji GFX in similar conditions - albeit a bit fiddly with manual focus and everything. I guess I have to ask the people to stand still when taking photos. *LOL* Like on the old times with an analog medium format camera. They were never truly flexible when used as hand held cameras... The Mamiya C330s (6x6) perhaps was the only medium format camera i ever felt comfortable with to use without a tripod "on the fly", wherever I went while still getting sharp or sharp-ish photos.

The Mitakon 65/1.4 being a true GFX sensor covering lens, albeit with an unusual bright aperture - makes it useful in indoor situations, which i normally wouldn't want to use the Fuji GFX in the first place.

The lens' sharpness wide open isn't much to write home about - especially in the close range - but since I do love the character - I know its value in photography. So, for me it is useful, even if the borders are fuzzy. I treat it like a Canon EF 50/1.2 L in that regard. They have both the same strong optical weaknesses.

I show the "fuzziness" again in the photo below. It is really fuzzy. But... it has that special charm ! It even has a flair of the Leica Noctilux 50/1 at times.

• Mitakon 65mm f 1.4 at ƒ1.4 at close range (0.7 m)

The curtains

behind the pyramid-like object, where perhaps 35 cm behind it - gotten totally blurred out when using the lens at wide open aperture of ƒ1.4. Now since I am using smaller images in my Diary here, I have much more leeway to "correct" the fuzzy sharpness by increasing it a notch with help of Topaz Sharpen AI or Photo AI.

Stop it down

Once you stop the Mitakon 65/1.4 down, it just gets better and better in terms of critical sharpness. By ƒ 8 to ƒ13 you get sharpness from extreme corner to extreme corner, making it excellent for landscapes.