Fujifilm GF 500mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR
Out of all the products announced by Fujifilm today, the most interesting one for me is the GF 500mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR telephoto lens for the G-mount. I previously mentioned that I am not a big fan of the X-T50, especially at its price point. The XF 16-50mm F2.8-4.8 R LM WR seems like a nice lens, but it's not a game changer by any means, and it is also overpriced at $699.
Fujifilm GFX 100S II Medium Format Camera
The Fujifilm GFX 100S II is the second most interesting product; the idea of a 100MP medium format camera with top-of-the-line features for just under $5000 is very enticing. Additionally, the new GF 500mm F5.6 lens opens up new possibilities in fields that were previously unexplored by medium format cameras, such as wildlife, bird, and sports photography.
Furthermore, the GF 500mm F5.6 is not just an ordinary telephoto lens; it is impressively compact and lightweight considering it is designed for the medium format sensors of GFX cameras. Coincidentally, Sigma recently released a 500mm F5.6 lens for full-frame cameras in E and L mounts - the Sigma 500mm f5.6 DG DN OS Sports - which impressed everyone with its compactness and lightweight. Fujifilm has managed to match the size and features of the Sigma lens with their own 500mm, despite it covering the larger medium format sensors. Furthermore, Fujifilm priced the new lens reasonably at $3,499 which is comparable to Sigma's price tag of $2,999.
Let's examine a scaled-size comparison of these two lenses. The differences in weight, height, and diameter between the two are negligible.
(click on the image for larger version)
Fujifilm GF 500mm F5.6 R vs Sigma 500mm f5.6 DG DN OS Sports
Fujifilm certainly offers an appealing lens here. I understand that the 500mm in medium format equates to a full-frame equivalent of approximately 395mm which isn't as long as what Sigma offers on a full-frame camera, but it's still reasonable to compare them in terms of physical characteristics.
Here let's look at the comparison of feature sets and specs of these two lenses.
Fujifilm GF 500mm F5.6 R vs Sigma 500mm f5.6 DG DN OS Sports Specs and Feature Comparison
| FEATURE and SPECS COMPARISON | |  |  |
| Model | Fujifilm GF 500mm F5.6 R | Sigma 500mm f5.6 DG DN |
| Lens Type | Prime | Prime |
| Lens Mount | Fujifilm G | Sony E |
| Focal Length | 500mm | 500mm |
| Max Format | Medium Format | 35mm FF |
| Image Stabilization | | |
| Number of Diaphragm Blades | 9 | 11 |
| Optical Elements | 21 | 20 |
| Optical Groups | 14 | 14 |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 2.75m | 3.2m |
| Max Magnification | 0.2x | 0.17x |
| Weight | 1375g | 1365g |
| Length | 247mm | 236mm |
| Diameter | 105mm | 108mm |
| Filter Thread | 95mm | 95mm |
| Weather Sealing | | |
| Aperture Ring | | |
| Price | Amazon, B&H Photo | Amazon, B&H Photo |
