Mitakon 35mm f0.95 Mark II First Impressions

Mitakon 35mm f0.95 Mark II First Impressions:

My review is coming up, so I’m going to keep this a little shorter.  The Mitakon 35mm f0.95 Speedmaster Mark II is by far one of the coolest lenses to get for the Fuji X Series system.  Yes, it’s a lens that produces fantastic bokeh but there’s so much more to it than that.

For one, the build quality is fantastic.  I was actually a bit blown away by the quality when I first opened the box.  The metal used in this lens is rather thick, and dense making it feel very solid.  Assembly is excellent as well.  There’s nothing loose here, and the focus ring is absolutely buttery smooth, which is especially important since the Mitakon 35mm f0.95 has no autofocus capabilities.  The aperture ring is equally as smooth, since it doesn’t click into place.  Overall, the Mitakon 35mm f0.95 feels better in terms of build than any of the comparable Fuji offerings.

Fuji-X-T2-Mitakon-35mm-f0.95-Speedmaster-Mark-II-Portrait Fuji-X-T2-Mitakon-35mm-f0.95-Speedmaster-Mark-II-Flowers

Of course, the image quality is equally as pleasing.  The bokeh is obviously the superpower of this lens.  It seems there’s no background that this lens can’t melt away in a dream-like state when shooting at f0.95.  But here’s the thing; the Mitakon 35mm f0.95 Speedmaster Mark II is more than a one trick pony, which to me, is one of the reasons why I love this lens so much.  It’s actually a very sharp lens not just at f0.95 but throughout the aperture range.  In fact, the results are good enough throughout the aperture range that you won’t need to reserve the Mitakon for only special purposes.  It can be used as an everyday lens just like the XF 35mm f2 and f1.4 lenses but in this case, you get f0.95.  That’s why right now, I’m even thinking about trading my XF 35mm f1.4 for this lens.

Fuji-X-T2-Mitakon-35mm-f0.95-Speedmaster-Mark-II-Coney-Art-Walls-Coney-Island Fuji-X-T2-Mitakon-35mm-f0.95-Speedmaster-Mark-II-Portrait-Candid

What makes the Mitakon 35mm f0.95 Speedmaster Mark II even more tempting is that you’re not really sacrificing much in choosing it over say the Fuji XF 35mm f1.4 or even the f2 version.  First off, it’s not much bigger than my XF 35mm f1.4.  At 460 g, it is heftier but not heavy; the weight actually helps me hold the camera steadier.  The Mitakon is also in Fuji X mount!  So, you don’t need any adapter.  Furthermore, the focusing is actually easier than I thought it would be, especially when you have focus peaking on.  I didn’t even use the magnification feature on my X-T2, so focusing was actually really quick.  Lastly, the price is in my opinion, totally reasonable.  I don’t think $599 is asking to much considering the build quality, optics, and of course, the f0.95 aperture.  It’s actually the same price as my XF 35mm f1.4!

Fuji-X-T2-Mitakon-35mm-f0.95-Speedmaster-Mark-II-Candid-Street-Photography-NYC

So, expect my review soon, and here are some pictures all taken at f0.95 for you to look at.  I’ll be posting a lot more photos in my review along with ones taken throughout the aperture range.  Thanks for stopping by!

B&H Photo has the Mitakon 35mm f0.95 in stock: Silver or Black

13 comments… add one
  • Jed Orme Link Reply

    Hello Patrick,

    This looks like a very promising lens. I know you will be testing it on your X-T2 & I don’t know if you even still have your older X-Pro1. But I would want to use it on my X-Pro2, so my question is whether you can either test it or otherwise give us an assessment of how this lens might work with the optical finder on these XP1 & 2 cameras. Specifically, I would be interested in how much finder view blockage there might be using the lens with the OVF instead of the EVF on the X-T2. Thanks much.

    Jed

    • Patrick Link Reply

      Hi Jed,

      It’s great to hear from you. I would love to give you a proper assessment but unfortunately, I don’t have any of the X-Pro bodies on hand. I sold my X-Pro1 a long time ago, and the X-Pro2 I had was a loaner. If it helps, it’s not much longer than the XF 35mm f1.4, so if you didn’t have any trouble with that lens, my guess is that the mitakon should be okay as well. I’ll have a picture of the two lenses side by side in my review as well. Sorry I couldn’t be more help!

      Best,

      Patrick

  • Elderin Link Reply

    Seems to be a very good lens for the system. I even like the color better than what you get with the Fuji lenses.
    What about the SL review ? Is it still coming or have you cancelled it ?

    • Patrick Link Reply

      Hi Elderin!

      Good to hear from you. Yes, the color is actually really good. I’ve been editing some of the photos for my review, and am pretty happy with what it can produce.

      As for my SL review, these months were busy, and kind of flew by. But I will definitely post reviews for the lenses and the body. To make up for the delay, they will be my longest and most detailed reviews ever :). I finally cleared up some time to use my SL (it’s been sitting in the bag for weeks). I’ll also post some pics from the SL in a few days. Tomorrow, I am going to an aerodrome museum, which should be fun :). Sorry for the delay, and thanks for stopping by!

      Best,

      Patrick

  • Hello Patrick,

    Look like a sweet lens…bokehlicious 😁

    • Patrick Link Reply

      Hi Meng!

      Yes, it is a really sweet lens :)!

      Best,

      Patrick

  • Hello patrick,
    Look like a sweet lens,….bokehlicious

  • inthedarkroom Link Reply

    This is a pretty cool lens for the Fuji.

    • Patrick Link Reply

      Hi inthedarkroom,

      Yes, it’s a great lens!

      Best,

      Patrick

  • Looks fantastic! Loosing some sharpness around the edges, no? Interesting how the shape of the bokeh changes from center to edge. It comes alive. It almost looks like a mix of bokeh and motion blur in some cases. Cool stuff.

    • Patrick Link Reply

      Hi Cuckoomusic,

      Sorry for the very late reply! Yes, it loses some sharpness in the edges but sharpens up quite nicely once you stop down a bit :). Plus, the images are truly unique with this lens…it’s very addicting to use :)!

      Best,

      Patrick

  • I have owned this lens for over 4 months and LOVE IT! However, I have had 3 different Fuji copies and 2 Sony E-mount. The quality is hit and miss. Some of my lenses had dust spots within them and others developed a looseness/wobble in the body. The materials of the lens are indeed dense and high quality, but I wouldn’t rank the build up there with Fujifilm XF lenses. The wide-open sharpness is outstanding and makes focus peaking a cinch! I have settled on my latest X-mount copy (though it has a small dust spot) and returned both the E-Mount as the lens just didn’t perform as well on the Sony APS-C A6500 as it did on my X-Pro2. Odd.

    • Patrick Link Reply

      Hi Juan!

      Sorry for the very late reply! Thanks for sharing your experience with us! How strange because I’ve actually had the exact opposite happen to me with several Fuji lenses lol. For instance, I went through three XF 56mm APD lenses before I found one that I liked (one had a loose barrel, another had a very loose aperture ring, one had more dust in it than I was willing to live with) but even with the one I kept, I still have dust bits in it. Seeing as it didn’t affect my image quality, I just didn’t want to go through the hassle of returning it again. My XF 35mm is ok but it still has dust in it. This is my second one as well.

      Best,

      Patrick

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