Fujifilm X-H2 + XF 56mm f/1.2 WR vs Sony A7 IV + 85mm f/1.4 GM II: Portrait Blind Test with Rosina

Rosina (@rosinashakirova) and I did another side-by-side shootout, this time APS-C vs full frame: the Fujifilm X-H2 with the XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR against the Sony A7 IV with the FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II. On the X-H2's APS-C sensor the 56mm frames like an 85mm, so both setups give almost the same view, which makes it a fair fight for two of the most popular portrait lenses on each system. Rosina wore a camel cape-sleeve jacket with a tied scarf collar over a plum top, and later just the plum top.

I shot each pose with both cameras, one right after the other, from the same spot. Both cameras were set to the same 5900K white balance, with the Fuji on its Provia/Standard film simulation and the Sony on Standard. Nearly every frame is wide open: f/1.2 on the Fuji, f/1.4 on the Sony. The photos are the original JPEGs; the redwood set is untouched, and for the other locations I only nudged exposure and white balance slightly so the pairs start from the same brightness.

Gear:

• Fujifilm X-H2 + XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR
• Sony A7 IV + FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II

The full video is a blind test with all 74 pairs: each pair is shown without names during a 10-second countdown, then the camera, lens and settings are revealed. Below are 12 sample pairs, a mix of half body and full length shots. Play along: guess which side is the Fujifilm and which is the Sony, then tap Reveal cameras.

---

Redwood Grove

We started among the redwoods late in the afternoon, with the sun low behind the trees. The bark gives lots of fine texture, and the bright gaps between the trunks turn into bokeh balls: a good test of sharpness, color and background blur. These pairs are straight out of camera.

Rooftop Parking

On top of a parking structure the light was hard and bright, with a white wall behind her and the sky blown out. It's a tough scene for highlights and skin tones. On the Sony I stopped down to f/1.8 here to control the bright sun.

Building Lot & Garage Floor

Next we moved into the golden light at street level, by a modern building and then onto the open floor of the parking garage, where she walked toward the camera.

Backlit Parking Garage

Inside the garage the sun came straight in from behind her, filling the frame with haze and flare. Backlight like this is where lens coatings and contrast really show.

Golden Hour Lawn

To finish, she changed into the plum top on a lawn lined with trees, with golden hour light coming through the leaves behind her.

Want to see all 74 pairs? The full blind test on YouTube goes through every pair with a countdown before each reveal. Keep score and let me know how many you got right in the comments.

---

Side by Side: What I Noticed

I measured color and brightness on the original JPEGs of all 74 pairs (same spots, same 5900K white balance, both lenses mostly wide open):

• Color: at the same Kelvin setting, the Fuji files came out warmer in 71 of the 74 pairs, and more saturated in 59. The Sony files look cooler and more neutral, while Provia gives skin and jacket a richer, golden look.
• Brightness: the Fuji came out brighter on her skin in 55 of the 74 pairs, by about a quarter stop. Part of that is the settings: f/1.2 vs f/1.4 and ISO 125 vs 100 both favor the Fuji.
• Framing: the 56mm on APS-C and the 85mm on full frame see almost the same view. Her face is only about 5% bigger in the Fuji frames on average.
• Bokeh: on the X-H2, the 56mm f/1.2 behaves roughly like an 85mm f/1.8 on full frame in depth of field. So even though the Fuji has the faster number, the Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II gives about three-quarters of a stop more background blur at the same framing. That's the real APS-C vs full frame difference here.

Which one do you like more? Let me know in the comments on the YouTube video above, and tell me how many of the blind test pairs you guessed right.

Shop the Gear

• Fujifilm X-H2 (B&H)
• Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR (B&H)
• Sony A7 IV (B&H)
• Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II (B&H)