I have always preferred to buy the native lenses for my Fujifilm body. They are of excellent quality, even the entry level does not disappoint. However, the cost of Fujifilm optics and the increasing quality of third-party branded lenses led me to purchase the 12mm F / 2 from Pergear.
All metal, it goes wonderfully with the retro look of Fujifilm.
Fujifilm offers various lenses that cover a wide focal length. The widest angle offered by the brand is the Fujinon XF 14mm F2.8 R, and its price is around 800 euros at the time of this writing. The Pearger 12mm only cost me $165.99. So of course the comparison between these two optics makes no sense here, they are both completely different.
What differentiates the Pearger 12mm F/2 in the first place is that it is 100% manual, understand that it has no electronic communication with the case. You will therefore not be able to recover some exifs, or use your camera screen. Before you get alarmed, know that for the real use of this objective, namely landscapes, architecture and real estate, this information is absolutely not essential to you, and the considerable saving on its price more than compensates this gap.
Pergear in a nutshell
Before starting to write the test itself, let me briefly introduce the Pergear brand: it is a Chinese company that offers a range of lenses, and a distributor of many notable brands such as 7Artisans, Aputure, Zhiyun , Godox, Viltrox, TTArtisan and many more.
Having had a privileged contact with one of their collaborators for the French market, I let myself be tempted, without too much risk on my investment. Pergear offers different lenses, available in many reflex and hybrid mounts, including Fujifilm.
Who is the Pergear 12mm F2 for?
Wide focal length fixed optics have the advantage of offering very low distortion, and good resolution from the center. A 12mm focal length provides versatility to capture not only landscape and architectural photos, but also excellent image quality when shooting real estate, in confined spaces.
To give you an idea of what you will get with a 12mm (with an APS-C sensor), here are some comparative images, taken at the same location, at the same distance.
12mm
18mm
35mm
Although the optics are 100% manual, using the focus distance and depth of field scales indicated on the focus ring, it is very easy to take photographs while maintaining the desired depth of field. . I can't wait to try it out for taking pictures of starry skies!
A wide angle allows you to get a lot of elements in your photo with very little perspective.
Construction of the Pergear 12mm F / 2 optics
Overall, its metal and glass construction gives it an upscale look. It is dense and quite heavy considering its small size, and seems quite solid. The frame is perfect, and easily adapts to different Fujifilm cameras. It is of course not tropicalized, and I will not go to test it on this ground!
Its focus is done manually. However, it's easy to find the sharpest point using your camera's focus assist (on that topic, see your user manual). In addition, taking into account the large aperture, with an aperture at F / 8 and its focusing ring placed on "infinity" we obtain without any effort, and each time, an image with a great depth of field and very. detailed.
To use the large apertures, marks on the optics show you the minimum distance for a successful photo. This is useful, especially if you are not using focus assist, or your eyesight is not at its best. A bit like me, what!
The aperture and focus rings are very soft, smooth and quiet, the optics could IMHO also be suitable for a filmmaker looking for a bright wide angle.
Characteristics
- Focal length: 12mm (18mm in APS-C format)
- Lens construction: 12 elements in 9 groups
- Viewing angle: 97 °
- Max. aperture: F2
- Min. aperture: F22
- Number of blades: 10 (rounded diaphragm opening)
- Focus range: approx. 20 cm / 0.66 feet - ∞
- External dimensions: ø66mm x59.5mm
- Weight (bare optic): approx. 300g
Image Quality
Honestly, I wasn't expecting exceptional optical quality. At less than $200, we do not expect much. Well I can tell you that I'm blown away, really.
As for the sharpness, you get a lot of detail, the distortions in the outlook are barely noticeable when you have the opportunity to stand up straight in front, and to straighten the outlook your processing software will do it without batting an eyelid.
So of course, at full aperture, and very close to your subject, the bokeh is a bit strange, but it's not a suitable lens for these kinds of photos. Everything in the center of the frame has a lot of detail, the ends catch up from f / 4. A problem ? Not really, because with its wide focal length you probably won't need to render extreme detail in the corners, and if you really need to use large apertures in little recoil, just place in the corners what you want. you will delete the crop later.
Its brightness is very useful indoors, in a church or an apartment, no need to go up to ISO. That is also a plus.
A beautiful star obtained at F22.
When fully opened, F2, the bokeh stretches.
Bokeh
A quick word on depth of field, because the result can be confusing at times. This is true when you are inclined in relation to the plane, or according to the materials. The stretched effect fades quickly when you are in front of your subject or the background materials are smoother, less structured. As evidenced by the pictures below.
F / 2
F / 2.8
F / 4
F / 8
Conclusion
The Pergear 12mm f / 2 is an affordable wide-angle lens with excellent build quality. It has good sharpness in the center, with softer ends. However, it is still ideal for obtaining truly detailed wide shots. The 12mm Fuji F2 lens from Pergear is for me a great alternative for those who don't mind manual focusing and are on a tight budget.
Delivered with a protective pocket that you can attach to your belt, and a metal lens hood, this lens is quite impressive as a whole by its construction which inspires confidence, and the quality of the images obtained.
This review is from virusphoto.com, thanks virusphoto for creating such a wonerful review!