The Fujinon GF 500mm f/5.6 is one of the more unusual lenses you can buy right now. Pairing a 500mm telephoto with a medium format sensor is a rare combination, and the results raise real questions about where medium format ends and wildlife work begins.
Coming to you from mathphotographer, this detailed video puts the Fujinon GF 500mm f/5.6 through a genuine real-world test on the Fuji GFX 100 II, covering both landscape and wildlife shooting. The lens weighs 1,375 g, has 21 elements in 14 groups including two super ED and five ED elements, takes 95mm filters, and opens to f/5.6 with a minimum focusing distance of 2.75 m. On a full frame equivalent basis, the 500mm focal length on the GFX's 44x33mm sensor works out to roughly 396mm. That compression effect is one of the key reasons he reaches for this combination for landscape work specifically.
For wildlife, the test took place at Knie's Kinderzoo near Zurich, shooting birds, elephants, zebras, flamingos, and other animals at 1/400 s to 1/500 s, all wide open at f/5.6, with bird subject detection and continuous autofocus running. The bird eye-detection locked on reliably even when branches partially blocked the subject. At eight frames per second in burst mode, the tracking stayed consistent through moving animals. One of the more practical features covered is the lens barrel's three-position switch, which toggles between autofocus, autofocus lock, and a preset mode. That preset function lets you store a specific focus distance and snap back to it instantly by pressing any of the four customizable buttons on the barrel. For anyone who shoots from a fixed position waiting for an animal to return to a nest or perch, that's a genuinely useful workflow.
What the video makes clear is that this isn't a sports or action system. The video explicitly points out that if you need to track fast, unpredictable motion like a Formula 1 race, you'd be better served by something like a Sony a1 II, Canon EOS R1, or Nikon Z9. But for deliberate, observational shooting where you control the scene, the GFX 100 II and GF 500mm deliver image quality that's hard to argue with. The landscape sample images, some of them panorama stitches reaching 417 megapixels, show a level of detail and micro-contrast that makes the case plainly. Pixel-peeping distant architecture, water reflections, and mountain scenery at those resolutions reveals just how much this lens holds up even when stopped down to f/14 or f/20. Check out the video above for the full sample image walkthrough and settings breakdown.
No comments yet