Skin Tones – Sony 85mm GM vs Canon 85/1.2 L, Zeiss Batis 85, Fuji 56/1.2 & Panasonic Leica 42.5/1.2
This is a guest post from Rick Birt. To write a guest post follow the instructions on that page. Thanks!
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By Rick Birt of Romeo Bravo Photo
This is a follow up to my previous posts:
Like most serious photographers, I mostly shoot RAW. However, both my wife and I have clients that just want jpgs straight out of the camera. This wasn’t a problem with my wife’s old Canon 1Ds mkII that I first started with, but it was with my Sony a7R II. The out-of-camera (OOC) jpg files produce less than desirable skin tones. I’ve exchanged quite a few emails with Sony Pro support over this, and it turns out (after much testing), that my camera had an issue with either the sensor, or the software. This has now been fixed, so this post is partly a test to see how the new camera is doing – with various lenses. However, I also decided to rent a Fujifilm X-Pro2 with a 56/1.2, and an Olympus Pen-F with a Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42.5/1.2.
I wanted to judge skin tones in both OOC jps, and after processing RAW files in Lightroom (my version of Capture One doesn’t recognize the new Fuji RAW).
So, I grabbed my wife, and fellow photographer, Kelly Williams and we shot all Saturday afternoon.
First lets look at the OOC jpgs…
From the Sony a7R II using the “Standard” color profile (l did try all of the other profiles, but this seems to be the best)
OOC Sony 85GM
OOC Sony 85GM
OOC Sony with Batis 85
OOC Sony with Batis 85
OOC Sony with Canon 85L
OOC Sony with Canon 85L
As you can see, there are some strong orange tones in some of the shots, and strong yellows in others. Not ideal, but the Sony 85 G Master is definitely the best.
Now lets look at the Fuji X-Pro 2 with it’s 56mm f1.2 R:
OOC Fuji Provia
OOC Fuji Provia
OOC Fuji Chrome
OOC Fuji Velvia
As most reviews have said before – Fuji produces some of the best OOC jpgs in the business. However, I found the backlit shots with Velvia simulation produced a little bit of a waxy look to the skin. Even though the XPro-2 was supposed to have solved this issue, I saw it using both Velvia, and Astia (more with Astia) at fairly low ISO settings. This was with noise reduction set to -2.
I also have to add (even though it has little to do with skin tones) that the ACROS simulation is gorgeous!
WOW!
Now the Olypmus Pen-F with the Panasonic Leica Nocticron 42.5/1.2:
With the exception of color profile 3, I found the Olympus jpgs to be great. Although color 2 has some yellow tones, Olympus allows you to tweak these profiles with a color wheel for even more in-depth customization- brilliant!
However, the hidden gem up the Pen-F’s sleeve is Monochrome setting 2 – or Tri-X film simulation…
F’ing Magical!
So, judging jpg skin tones, I would have to rank the cameras as follows:
1. Fuji X-Pro 2
2. Olympus Pen-F
3. Sony a7R II
But, when we have a look at the edited RAW files, the skin-tone situation evens-out – see what I did there ;)
SONY
FUJI
OLYMPUS
So, I can say that my issues with Sony RAW files have been fixed, however, they still lag behind the others in OOC jpg.
All of these photos can be viewed in higher resolution here
Parting Thoughts:
-The Sony 85 GM is still freaking awesome! However, to my dismay, it hasn’t shrunk yet.
-The Canon 85L is also amazing, but in a different way. It’s not as sharp as the Sony, but that’s actually a good thing for female portraits.
-I love the Fuji X-Pro 2, and I’m thinking about picking one up. There is something magical about the photos it takes. I also really like the range-finder/classic style. However, I did an Continuous AF/Tracking test with Kelly walking toward me, and it was terrible compared to the Sony.
-Sony’s Eye-AF is a game changer, and their implementation is way ahead of the competition. Using the other cameras reminded me how great it was.
-I’m really impressed with the little m43 Olympus Pen-F! I’m not a pixel peeper, nor do I do enormous prints, so the images on my 34″ monitor look pretty damn good against the Sony and Fuji. However, the AF-C/Tracking was just as bad as the Fuji, and the battery/SD Card door is pretty flimsy. I think I’d break it in a week.
Please understand that I only had these cameras for three days, so I was fumbling through menus, and settings. I may not have set them up properly (especially for AF tracking). Therefore, if you own one of these cameras, and have some tips, or suggestions, please comment.
Special Thanks to my LOVELY wife Kelly, and my friend and fellow photog/veteran Aaron Thomas!