Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 Review: Fujifilm’s Biggest Problem Holds This Lens Back

Last Updated on 10/23/2024 by Chris Gampat

Birding with a medium format camera? Well, yes. Fujifilm wants you to believe that it’s possible. Even I was a bit excited yet skeptical. But the Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 is indeed a real lens. The company, which has never had the best autofocus system, believes that medium format photographers and others will really enjoy this lens and all that it can do. As I was testing this lens, several questions were in my mind. Can I really make better pictures with this thing than I can with several 35mm full-frame lenses? Will it be able to keep up with small, erratically-moving birds in the foliage? And is it something that I’d want to carry around for a while? Let me tell you: I haven’t been this surprised at a lens since the Fujifilm 50mm f1. But man, you will really work hard for those great photos.

Editor’s Note: Some of this review was done with a pre-production version of the Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6. In October 2024, this review was updated with a full production unit loaned to us by Fujifilm.

Declaration of Journalistic Intent

The Phoblographer is one of the last standing dedicated photography publications that speaks to both art and tech in our articles. We put declarations up front in our reviews to adhere to journalistic standards that several publications abide by. These help you understand a lot more about what we do:

• At the time of publishing this review, Fujifilm is not an advertiser with the Phoblographer. Regardless, this has nothing to do with our reviews and brands understand that our reviews will always be transparent. In the past few years, we’ve had to reteach brands that journalists shouldn’t be treated the same as YouTubers.
• Our initial review was done with a pre-production unit. Later on, we got a full production unit for testing.
• Note that our reviews are constantly works in progress. This review will be updated later on if we manage to get the unit back in.
• None of the reviews on the Phoblographer are sponsored. That’s against FTC laws and we adhere to them just the same way that newspapers, magazines, and corporate publications do.
• Fujifilm loaned the lens, camera, and accessories to the Phoblographer for review. There was no money exchange between Fujifilm and the Phoblographer for this to happen. Fujifilm and several other manufacturers trust the Phoblographer’s reviews, as they are incredibly blunt.
• Fujifilm knows that they cannot influence the site’s reviews. If we don’t like something or if we have issues with it, we’ll let folks know. When I penned my recent article about being done with Fujifilm X series, I received many emails and messages commending me for my bravery on what I said. The future of photography for Fujifilm is with GFX.
• Fujifilm sent the product to Phoblographer in NYC to loan the camera to us. Our home office is based in New York.
• The Phoblographer’s standards for reviewing products have become much stricter. After having the world’s largest database of real-world lens reviews, we choose not to review anything we don’t find innovative or unique, and in many cases, products that lack weather resistance. We’ve also steered away from Micro Four Thirds and APS-C as they’re dying formats. This is a conclusion that even the other members of TIPA agree on. Unless something is very unique, we probably won’t touch it.
• In recent years, brands have withheld NDA information from us or stopped working with us because they feel they cannot control our coverage. These days, many brands will not give products to the press unless they get favorable coverage. In other situations, we’ve stopped working with several brands for ethical issues. Either way, we report as honestly and rawly as humanity allows.
• At the time of publishing, the Phoblographer is the only photography publication that is a member of Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative. We champion human-made art and are frank with our audience. We are also the only photography publication that labels when an image is edited or not.
• Nothing in our review writing process is done using Generative AI. It’s all done by humans who sometimes use assistive AI like Grammarly to copy-edit.

More can be found on our Disclaimers page.

The Big Picture: Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 Review Conclusions

This lens is beautiful. But it and the GFX 100S II can only really focus on slow-moving animals or very still ones. The problem with trying to photograph birds is that they’re so frenetic. At times, Fujifilm’s autofocus will tell you that it detects a bird, but it’s really actually detecting something like a leaf. It’s even worse when it’s in the continuous autofocus mode, and it does this.

But in the minuscule chance that it nails the focus, it’s absolutely glorious.

This is a long way to say that the Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 lens is capable of producing some of the most beautiful photos of wildlife and birds that I’ve ever seen. It wipes the floor with some of the stuff that I’ve seen from Canon, Nikon, and Sony. This is partially because of how beautiful this lens renders images and the processor that applies Fujifilm’s great film simulations.

What holds it back so much is Fujifilm’s archaic autofocus system. I understand that Fujifilm sometimes wants us to slow down with taking images and shoot fewer great images. But if you’re tailoring this for birding, you need to have the autofocus system that’s ready for it. Otherwise, why even bother? Fujifilm could’ve instead been making more f1.7 lenses that everyone wanted anyway.

I don’t think that the GFX 100s II or the lens is ready for being able to photograph wildlife. Instagram seems to agree with me, because if I try to search for images shot with this lens, I can’t find very many.

The Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 receives 3/5 stars. It’s a phenomenal attempt and effort but it’s falling flat on its face like a bride tripping over her wedding dress.

Interested? You can buy one on Amazon or Adorama.

Pros

• Very lightweight for what it is
• Weather resistance
• Sharp, but also at times, soft image quality
• Wonderful color rendition
• The bokeh makes images look like a dream

Cons

• Autofocus speed is what I expect from a lens made for a DSLR. In fact, those were faster at times.

Innovations

This is the longest telephoto lens for digital mirrorless medium format cameras. Period. That’s it, at least as of the publishing of this review. It’s also very lightweight, weather resistant, and balances the line between sharp and character. They did a very good job here.

Gear Used

We tested the Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 with the Fujifilm GFX100s running the latest firmware. Our initial tests were done with a pre-production lens loaned to us by Fujifilm. The camera was loaned to us by a dear friend and super fan of the website whom we adore like a bokeh fanboy.

Our testing with the production version of this lens was all loaned to us by Fujifilm. We’ve always sent back every Fujifilm GF product we’ve ever had from the company and we do not keep them. Our latest updates were done using the Fujifilm GFX 100S II.

Hardware

When I got the Fujifilm 500mm f5.6 in for review, something felt odd. I immediately wondered if it’s a Sigma lens of the same make. Yes, we know that’s a full-frame 35mm lens. But to get their image quality, Sigma often makes the optics larger than full-frame to cover medium format. As it is, the dimensions are pretty much the Sigma 500mm f5.6. Even the front filter thread is the same 95mm.

Could Fujifilm have really just licensed the lens from Sigma the way that other brands tend to do? Olympus (or OM System) and Leica both have done this in the past, but put their own spins on everything else but the optics.

On a call with our Fujifilm reps, who we have reasons to believe, they stated that it’s an original OEM lens. Typically, in this industry, a manufacturer will say something instead like “It was developed by Insert The Name of Their Company Here.”

But in this case, I got a straight-up, “Nope.” Later on, and without my asking, my rep confirmed that the two lenses have different optical formulas, designs, number of elements, etc.

I have reasons to believe our reps, and generally folks at Fujifilm have some of our highest trust of any manufacturer. But it still oddly feels like a lens that would be made for full-frame cameras. Why is it so incredibly similar? For decades, Fujifilm was the OEM glass maker for other brands. These days, it tends to be Tamron, Sigma, Hoya, and Cosina.

In essence, that’s also a way of saying, “Jeez, this thing is light.” I walked around the Ridgewood Reservoir and Highland Park in Queens, NY with this lens and the camera for around 4 hours with little to no fatigue. In fact, I could’ve been shoot for far longer if I didn’t have a doctor’s appointment to go to. From 5:30am to 9:30, this lens was attached to the GFX body and I had no issues handholding it for a very long walk of several miles. To boot, I didn’t even drink caffeine or had more than a few sips of water.

This lens feels great in the hand and it’s got weather resistance built in. That’s needed much more than you’d think, especially when it comes to birding. Here in NYC, the best birding time is typically in fall or spring. It’s during that time that you need the durability of this lens. With lots of controls all over it, you’re always going to be able to find what you need easily. At one point I needed to set the focus to manual override, and with a switch of a slider on the lens, I got it activated.

Update October 2024

I used the Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 with the GFX 100s II while done some birding around my neighborhood. This is one of the most busy birding periods in NYC as so many species stop by during migration. While using this lens and the camera both, my hands were never fatigued. The entire experience felt easy and lightweight. However, I’m a healthy 37-year-old man who does triple yoga classes, walks for miles as a native New Yorker, and takes care of myself. I can’t guarantee that everyone is going to have the same experience as I did.

At the same time, I don’t consider myself exceptional. My experience, however, is that I could’ve kept shooting with this lens for far longer than I have with any Sigma lens that I’ve ever used.

A Reminder to Protect Your Camera Gear

Even though the Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 boasts weather resistance, your warranty won’t cover problems that may occur with it from wear and tear. This is why we have the Photography Care Plan.

For years, here at The Phoblographer we’ve done tests on cameras, lenses, bags, computers, lights, and more. And we know that your warranty doesn’t always cover the damage. Plus, accidents can happen on set.

This is why we’ve created a Photography Care Program in partnership with Full-Frame Insurance. Now, photographers across the United States looking for extra security can get various protections to cover their craft. The Photography Care Program provides peace of mind; now you’ll know you can bounce back from a photoshoot gone awry, on-site or inside. We’re making it super easy to get it done, too! Better yet, there is coverage outside of the US and Canada when the photographer is traveling for short periods of time for business.

We’re able to do this through our partnership with Full-Frame Insurance, a company specializing in Small Business Insurance. Are you a Freelance Photographer? We’ll cover you. What about a freelance multi-media journalist? We’ve got you. The Photography Care Program will protect you.

Focusing

The autofocus is really only as good as the camera system in many ways. And overall, Fujifilm is behind the pack. Still, you can get great photos with this lens. I tended to use the Fujifilm GFX 100S in AF-C mode with tracking. Overall, it did an alright job. But even when setting the camera up to track and lock onto birds, it’s not the most ideal system. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Leica, and Panasonic are all still doing a better job. It doesn’t hurt that they all have scene detection, either.

With the Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6, the autofocus is pretty slow when the GFX is set to normal mode. Set it to Boost Mode with one of the autofocus priority settings, and it will indeed get a bit of an extra boost. But still, you’re going to miss shots. With patience and perseverance, a skilled veteran photographer will still get a lot of great images to take home.

By all means, though, this isn’t capable of standing up to anything from Canon or Sony’s 35mm full-frame options. Nor can it match any birding lens attached to the Nikon Z8, Nikon Z9, Leica SL3, or Panasonic S5 II with the latest firmware update.

So, is it slow? Yes. Is it medium format? Yes. Am I surprised and disappointed at Fujifilm? No.

Oh, and it will have problems finding small, fast birds in the foliage, let alone keeping up with them. However, that could be because it’s attached to an older GFX camera. As it is, I’d be a bit disappointed if I had to upgrade cameras to get the most out of a lens like this.

Mind you, slow isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With the GFX, I returned to shooting a single frame at a time with continuous and tracking autofocus enabled. I took home fewer images, but I was much more intentional and careful about what I shot. This is the type of photography that I’ve been missing for such a long time. It’s the antithesis of shooting 120 frames a second just because you can only so you will need to figure it out later. If you need an AI plugin to cull your images for you when you’re not shooting a paid gig, are you even being intentional when you shoot?

Even if I’m on a paid gig, I cull in-camera with star ratings, and I never look back. Slowing down yields you great images, and there’s something to be said for giving the camera and lens more assistance than using scene detection. Don’t get me wrong, scene detection is an incredible invention that has democratized photography is so many ways. But I wouldn’t expect it at all to work that well with the GFX system because they’ve always been behind in that department.

Update October 2024

During the fall, when it’s very busy for birding season, I tried this lens out. I wouldn’t use it compared to full-frame 35mm camera lens offerings. Bird photography already requires patience. But bird photography with the Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 requires patience with the animals and your gear. Isn’t it just better to not have to worry about at least one thing?

Ease of Use

When photographing birds with this lens, always ensure the OIS is activated, the autofocus presets are dialed in, and the focus limiter it set to what you want. Using the GF 500mm f5.6 is a point-and-shoot affair for the most part. I’m really not kidding about the image stabilization — I’m very capable when it comes to handholding lenses but even I need help here. Otherwise, bring a tripod with you.

For extra fun, enable the GFX camera to 35mm format mode to get a true 500mm f5.6.

Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 Image Quality

This next section of the hardware segment is for anyone who’s been shooting Fujifilm for years. I’ve been a Fujifilm user since the X Pro 1, and please trust me when I say this: something feels off – and it has ever since the release of the new 23mm f1.4 R WR lens. It’s far more clinical and sterile feeling than the company’s previous lenses. In meetings with Fujifilm, they’ve also acknowledged that you can get the character you want from those older lenses.

At the same time, I’m talking about X mount. This is GF mount – so things might be different. They’re probably going much more clinical here overall. For the wildlife crowd they’re reaching long and hard for, I understand that.

So yes, it’s sharp – and at times can even have a soft sharpness. But I’m pretty sure that this is based on the film simulation. With Velvia enabled, I got some insanely sharp photos. With Classic Chrome, I got some softness. With that said, this lens teeters between clinical and character. This, again, makes me believe that this is a Sigma lens at least in some way. But again, I’m not 100% sure.

I shot most of my photos using the Classic Chrome simulation because it mimics the look of vintage National Geographic magazines. And overall, I loved the look I got. I truly can’t complain much here. This was indeed my inspiration for the images as well. When I first got into photography, I used to enter National Geographic’s Weekly Shot contest where they’d showcase images from readers on their website. That, and many of the photos that I’ve seen in magazines are the ones that I love so much. The last time that I really got images like this from a Fujifilm camera were with the Fujifilm 200mm f2 lens and the 150-500mm Tamron lens on X mount. But on GF mount, they’re even better.

During the morning sunrise, the sun and leaves would interplay off of the natural colors of the birds’ feathers. At times, it would mimic the wonderful look of the sun shining off of the sea. That’s to say that it seemed to almost sparkle. Where the sun sparkles a celestial silver off of the water, it glows with a warm, welcoming, and wondrous soft golden in the trees. This soft gold is bedazzling – and with the right white balance it creates images that many will want to stare at for a long time. This soft light only helps to accentuate how beautiful the bokeh from this lens can be. Even when I was having traditional “issues” with the electronic shutter, the images were still nice to look at and made for aesthetic effects that I couldn’t stop staring at.

Here is an unedited photo. You buy the GFX series for all the potential that it can give you. And indeed, you can get a lot of potential from the image quality here.

Here are some edited photos.

On the LCD screen, some of the images absolutely looked like a beautiful, hyperrealistic painting. In the way that old master painters were inspired by swans along a lake, you could be easily enamored with Mallards in murky pools. Some of you folks might be going for the most clinically sound images. But there comes a point in your photography journey where you know that you can get that easily from all the camera gear on the market and if you can’t, then you often just need to use a flash or a CPL filter. This lens is one of the best ones I’ve seen to live on the edge of each of those worlds.

With so much gear on the market, it’s hard to sometimes stay inspired. But this one makes it easy. The GFX system is far superior to the X series, where APS-C sensors are truly now running into performance barriers. Using this lens made me so proud of the photos I made.

Extra Sample Images

The Phoblographer has been huge on transparency with our audience since day one. Nothing from this review is sponsored. Further, many folks will post reviews and show lots of editing in the photos. The problem then becomes that anyone and everyone can do the same thing. They’re not showing what the lens can do. So, we have a section in our Extra Image Samples area to show edited and unedited photos. From this, you can decide for yourself.

Unedited

Edited

Flawed, But Artistically Cool

I’m purposely including these images to remind everyone that we’re an art website first and to move away from the traditional conversations around image quality. Every camera and every lens can give you a great image these days. The manufacturers are overengineering things to suppress what they think are flaws. But at the same time, by creating more clinical images, we’re all creating the same photos and not differentiating ourselves from AI.

Fujifilm GF 500mm f5.6 Tech Specs

The following specs are from the Lensrentals listing: