Fuji vs Sony Real World comparison

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art vs Fuji 23mm f/1.4

Imlek lalu saya berkesempatan untuk melakukan sedikit uji kamera, karena kebetulan ada saudara yang baru saja membeli lensa Fuji 23mm f/1.4, dan saya ada lensa Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art (mount canon). Kedua lensa ini terkenal tajam dan bisa dipakai untuk focus ke jarak yang lumayan dekat, bisa mumpuni untuk all round lens.

On Lunar New Year last month I got the chance to do some basic camera test comparison between Fuji and Sony. Since a relative just got a new lens, Fuji 23mm f/1.4 and coincidentally I have the perfect lens to be compared to, Sigma 35mm f/1.4 for Canon which I attach to my Sony A7 using adapter. Both lens are renowned for their sharpness and a good minimum focus distance which makes it suitable for an all rounder lens for the test.

Straight Out Of Camera

Dengan pengecualian dua foto udang goreng di bagian paling bawah, semua hasil foto yang saya tampilkan di sini adalah langsung dari kamera, tanpa merubah apapun di tahap post processing.

Semua parameter di kedua kamera diset sama, untuk foto makanan difoto hand held tanpa menggunakan tripod sedangkan yang foto interior menggunakan tripod.

Untuk melihat ukuran yang lebih besar, bisa klik tiap foto

With the exception of the fried shrimp photo way bellow, all shots are done with the same settings on both cameras (ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture), without changing anything on post processing.

The food photos are hand held, while the outdoor one are taken with camera mounted on a tripod.

To see in bigger size, please click on the photos

Fuji with 23mm f/1.4 - Sony with Sigma 35mm f/1.4 (ISO 1600, 1/30s, f/4)

Kenapa membandingkan dengan Sigma 35mm dan Fuji 23mm, bukannya focal lengthnya beda?

Sigma 35mm ini dipakai di Sony A7 yang full frame, sedangkan Fuji 23mm dipakai pada Fuji XT1 yang sensornya APS-C.
Hasil akhir fotonya adalah sama di kisaran 35mm untuk keduanya, karena ukuran sensor APS-C yang lebih kecil dari full frame, lensa 23mm ini dikonversi menjadi 35mm (23 x 1.5 = 34.5mm)

Why use Sigma 35mm vs Fuji 23mm, isn't it a different focal length?

The Sigma 35mm lens is used on a full frame Sony A7, while the Fuji 23mm is on the Fuji XT1 which uses APS-C sensor.
The end result is the same at about 35mm for both system, since the Sigma 35mm stays as 35mm when used on a full frame sensor, while in the APS-C sensor, Fuji is converted with 1.5x factor, to a 34.5mm focal length.

Kuo Tiek (Maximum Aperture at f/1.4)

Fuji XT1 & Fuji 23mm f/1.4 (ISO 400, 1/30s, f/1.4)

Sony A7 & Sigma 35mm Art  (ISO 400, 1/30s, f/1.4)

Walau parameter di set sama, hasil akhir di Fuji sedikit lebih gelap dibandingkan Sony, hal ini mungkin karena satu dari dua hal :

1.   angka ISO di Fuji yang riil lebih rendah dibandingkan di Sony (ISO variance) 

2.   atau lensa Fuji aperture riil-nya lebih redup daripada Sigma, misalnya tertulis f/1.8 di setting, tapi angka sebenarnya f/1.9. Hal ini lumrah karena memang angka-angka tersebut dibuat dengan perkiraan paling mendekati.

Aperture : bukaan lensa, contohnya f/2.8 - 32, bukaan lensa terlebar f/2.8 dan terkecail f/32. Hasil f/2.8 paling terang di spesifikasi tersebut, tapi daerah yang focus paling minim & background blur (bokeh) nya paling maksimum.

Though both camera are set in the same manners, the Fuji seems to produce an underexposed result in comparison to Sony's. Usually it's due to one of this two reasons or both :

1.  ISO variances on the cameras, where Fuji ISO is in reality lower than of Sony's 

2.  Fuji lenses real aperture are lower than that of Sigma's (on Sony camera), where's an f/1.8 on a setting would really produce a f/1.9. Do note that this is not a defect, rather it's a common practice where lens manufacturer would describe their lens maximum aperture number as an approximate rather than using an exact number. 

Aperture Ilustration (taken from photography.tutsplus.com)

Contoh di bawah ini (DXO Mark) adalah lensa Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art, salah satu lensa terbaik dari Sigma. Dipasarkan sebagai lensa dengan aperture terlebar f1/4, dari pengujian di DXO, ditemukan aperture riil-nya hanya f/1.7.

Lensa Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Otus, yang harganya 50jt pun, aparture riil nya hanya f/1.6

This bellow screen capture taken from DXO Mark are a good example. 

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art is one of the best lens that Sigma produce, and yet their real aperture (transmission) is at f/1.7.

Even the venerable Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Otus which cost a whopping $4000 have a transmission (real aperture) of f/1.6

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art (DXO Mark)

Apakah artinya lensa Sigma 35mm art lebih bagus daripada Fuji 23mm?
Tidak juga, memang salah satu parameter uji lensa di transmisi cahaya yang ditangkap, seperti bisa dilihat di atas (transmission) tapi ada parameter Ketajaman (sharpness), Distorsi, Vignete dan Abraksi Kromatis.
Di luar parameter teknis di atas, ada lagi dua hal yang biasanya menentukan bagus / tidaknya lensa, terutama dari penilaian subyektif (selera) fotografer, yaitu : 

• Bokeh - bagian yang out of focus, semakin lembut semakin baik, karena tidak mengganggu subyek utamanya.
• Warna - sebagian lensa warnanya lebih kebiruan/cold (Nikon, Tamron) sedangkan sebagian lagi lebih orange / warm (Canon, Sigma), di antara keduanya ada Zeiss dan Sony. Ini tentunya pengamatan saya secara kasual. Menurut selera pribadi, saya paling suka dengan warna zeiss untuk outdoor dan cahaya terang, sedangkan untuk indoor dengan cahaya artifisial dan low light, Sigma (yang tipe Art)

Does this means Sigma 35mm art is better lens compared to Fuji 23mm?
Not necessarily so, since transmission is only one of the parameters they compare in DXO Mark, and there are other qualities that one seeks from a lens.

Outside of those parameters in DXO mark which are objective, there are other subjective values too, two of them that comes in mind are : 

• Bokeh - The out of focus rendered by a lens, the softer it is the better, since it doesn't interfere with the main subject of a photo.
• Color - Some lens are a bit blueish / cold (Nikon and Tamron) while other are yellowish / warm (Canon and Sigma), in between there's Zeiss and Sony. This are of course a casual observation on my part. For me personally, I like the Zeiss color best for outdoor portrait with decent lighting, while Sigma (Art line) seems to suit my preferences in low light and indoor with artificial lighting.

Soup (Speedlight / Flash used)

Sony - Fuji (ISO 320, 1/30s, f/1.8)

Siomay & Rice Vermicelli  (Speedlight / Flash used)

Sony A7 & Sigma 35mm Art (ISO 320, 1/30s, f/1.8)

Fuji XT1 & Fuji 23mm f/1.4 (ISO 320, 1/30s, f/1.8)

Silakan disimpulkan sendiri dari hasil di atas, mana yang lebih sesuai selera.

Menurut saya keduanya sama bagusnya dengan karakteristik masing-masing.
Untuk harga, keduanya sama di kisaran $900, tapi Fuji, seperti yang saya jabarkan di post Pilih mana Fuji Vs Sony, semuanya masih menggunakan sensor APS-C dan lensanya pun hanya didesain untuk APS-C, sedangkan lensa Sigma tersebut, didesain untuk sensor full frame.

Please draw your own conclusion from the shot above.

For me both lens and cameras produce a similarly good image with their own characteristic.

Price-wise they're the same at about $900, despite that, the Fuji ones are made for APS-C camera, while Sigma Art line were designed to work with full frame cameras. 

Outdoor 

Sony A7 & Sigma 35mm Art (ISO 100, 1/250s, f/2.8)

Fuji XT1 & Fuji 23mm f/1.4  (ISO 100, 1/250s, f/2.8)

Different Apertures (indoor) :

Foto di bawah ini diambil dalam kondisi dalam ruangan dan pencahayaan yang minim. Keduanya difoto dalam dua bukaan lensa (aperture) berbeda, f/2.8 dan f/5.6. Hasil foto di bukaan besar (2.8) ada sedikit light leak. 

Seperti foto-foto di atas, Fuji cenderung lebih underexposed walau parameter keduanya sama persis.

Penilaian saya dari melihat hasil foto f/2.8, sepertinya beda kedua sistem ini ada di lensanya, di mana lensa Sigma (di Sony A7) bukaan riil-nya lebih besar dibandingkan Fuji, pada setting aperture yang sama.

Below is the indoor shots taken on a poor light condition. Both lens were shot at two different apertures, one is at f/2.8 while the other in f/5.6. There's a bit of light leak on them.

Just as pictured above, there's a bit of underexposure from the Fuji, even though the settings are exactly the same as Sony's.

Judging from the f/2.8 photo, I suspect that the differences between both system is in the lens aperture, where's Sigma lenses (on Sony A7) have larger real aperture on given settings.

Sony A7 & Sigma 35mm Art (ISO 2000, 1/40s, F5.6)

Fuji XT1 & Fuji 23mm f/1.4  (ISO 2000, 1/40s, F5.6)

Sony A7 & Sigma 35mm Art (ISO 1000, 1/40s, F2.8)

Fuji XT1 & Fuji 23mm f/1.4  (ISO 1000, 1/40s, F2.8)

Post Processed Image

Foto komparisi terakhir ini dilakukan dengan mengolah hasil foto melalui software. 

Berhubung foto aslinya sedikit gelap saya mencoba menaikkan brightness dan exposurenya di PC. 

Saya menggunakan file RAW di sony, sedangkan di Fuji menggunakan file JPEG. Alasannya adalah saya belum terbiasa mengolah file RAW di kamera fuji, jadi daripada menghasilkan komparisi yang berat sebelah, saya coba sekalian membandingkan RAW vs JPEG antara dua kamera berbeda ini, tentunya hasil RAW lebih unggul karena memilki headroom yang lebar untuk koreksi warna dan exposurenya.

This last comparison is done with post processing.

I corrected the exposure and brightness of both cameras using post processing software on PC.

For the Sony I used RAW file, while Fuji are in JPEG, this of course wouldn't be a fair comparison, and I'm just using this as a information on the differences between JPEG and RAW rather than the cameras.

The reason behind this is I'm not really proficient in post processing a Fuji RAW, and my post processing software would be tuned to give advantages to Sony in the process.

Post Processed SONY Raw - Post Processed FUJI Jpeg (ISO 320, 1/30s, f/2)

JPEG vs JPEG

Sedangkan untuk foto kedua, lebih cocok untuk digunakan sebagai perbandingan antara kedua sistem kamera. Saya memproses foto dari kedua kamera ke file JPEG, Fuji langsung dari kamera dengan proses koreksi otomatis dari JPEG engine di prosesor kamera Fuji.

Sedangkan Sony dari RAW file saya upload ke PC lalu di konversi ke JPEG tanpa merubah parameternya. 

Dari hasil JPEG yang belum diedit tersebut kemudian saya koreksi secara maksimal di software photoshop, dan dua foto ini adalah hasilnya. 

Dengan kedua proses di atas, seharusnya Fuji memiliki sedikit keunggulan karena adanya proses koreksi otomatis di kamera / Jpeg.

Posisi hasil foto fuji dan sony di foto bawah ini terbalik dari yang atas karena proses auto-collage di google photos yang saya belum bisa rubah.

For the second comparison, the playing field is more even.

I post processed the JPEG end result of both cameras, where the Fuji is literally straight out of camera JPEG, hence already getting an automated post processing on the camera JPEG engine.

While the Sony is from a RAW file, uploaded to a PC and then directly converted to JPEG without any editting.

From the final untouched JPEGs of both camera, I try to correct them as best as I could in photoshop software, and both photo bellow are the end result.

Using the method above, the Fuji result should have some slight advantage compared to Sony.

Take note thought that in the picture bellow, the position of Sony and Fuji is reversed from the above photo. Due to auto collage feature in Google Photos which I can't yet customize.

Post Processed FUJI JPEG - Post Processed SONY JPEG (ISO 320, 1/30s, f/2)

Reversed position from aboce pict

Demikian perbandingan dua kamera yang brandnya paling populer beberapa tahun terakhir ini, diwakili oleh kamera dan lensa pada kisaran harga yang sama, tapi dengan sensor full frame vs APS-C.
Pembaca bisa menarik konklusinya sendiri untuk menyimpulkan mana yang paling disukai. 

Kalau menurut saya, Fuji unggul di kemudahan penggunaan, relatif lebih ringan karena ukuran sensor lebih kecil sehingga lensa juga tidak perlu besar diameternya, dan terakhir tidak perlu banyak post processing karena hasil JPEG out of the camera yang lebih kekinian warnanya (under-saturated dan purple tint) sedangkan JPEG Sony walau bagus, tapi seleranya lebih old school (contrasty).

Di sisi lain, Sony memiliki teknologi paling matang, bahkan sensor di Fuji pun disediakan oleh Sony. Walau demikian Fuji lebih berani karena sudah memakai anti alias filter dan filter warna di sensor yang revolusioner (X-trans). 
Kamera sony juga ada yang tanpa anti alias filter tapi harganya cukup tinggi, A7r dan A7rII
Sedangkan untuk pilihan lensa, walau berat saya lebih nyaman dengan investasi di lensa full frame sony yang sudah format sensor terbesar untuk jenis kamera dslr / mirrorless (yang lebih besar lagi medium format dan large format). 

Ditambah lagi harga antara lensa Fuji yang APS-C tidak berbeda jauh dengan Sony yang full frame.

Saya juga lebih suka kemudahan untuk edit RAW di Sony yang didukung software capture one.

Fuji sendiri ada file RAW tentunya, tapi relatif lebih ribet karena faktor software pendukung.

Thus the comparison of both popular brand with both lens and camera at the same price level albeit one being a full frame while the other an APS-C camera.
Readers can draw their own conclusions based on the images posted.
For me personally, I found Fuji to be easier to use for newcomers to photography, since it used a better ergonomics and button layout, as well as being lighter in weight. Straight out of the camera JPEG tend to be more in line with the trend being purplish and under saturated, while Sony's approach is more contrasty and old school

On the other hand Sony has a more mature system in form of Full Frame cameras with great lenses.

Price wise there isn't a big difference between Sony's full frame lens and Fuji Aps-C lens, hence for me Sony is a safer investment.

Lastly it's easier to use Sony's RAW file, which have the support of Capture one software, whilst the Fuji's RAW is somewhat more cumbersome to edit, and their users seems to be more content with the JPEG coming out of Fuji, as noted in the quote bellow.

I know the arguments for shooting 100% RAW and converting later in post. Heck, I’ve made them. But I also used to advocate for computers made by Atari, for cassette decks made by Sony and Laser Discs made by Pioneer. Things change. Technology changes. Back in the day I didn’t have a Fuji X-T1, Fuji X-T10 or a Fuji X100T. And TODAY the ability to see the image in the camera, the way I want it to look (and be done with it) is mind-blowing. Try converting your Fuji RAW files in the camera. You might be surprised at the results.

https://weshootfuji.com/2015/07/30/the-absolutely-best-fuji-raw-raf-file-converter-is/