I’m wondering why no brand has come out with a new 500mm F4 supertelephoto for mirrorless yet. Back in the DSLR days, sports and wildlife shooters depended on the classic lineup of fast superteles: 300mm F2.8, 400mm F2.8, 500mm F4, and 600mm F4. The 500mm F4 sat right between the 400mm and 600mm and was a good compomise of size, focal length, and cost, and have been a real workhorse for years, especially for Canon and Nikon pros and enthusiasts.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f4E FL ED VR is one of the last of its kind
Canon’s last 500mm F4 was the 500mm f4.0L IS II USM from 2011, and Nikon’s was the 500mm F4E FL ED VR from 2015, still sold as new!. Even Sony, before dropping the mount, had the Alpha A-Mount 500mm F4 G SSM in 2012. Sigma also made a 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport in 2016 for Canon EF and Nikon F mounts.
These days, Canon, Nikon, and Sony are mostly focusing on 400mm and 600mm lenses for their mirrorless systems. Sigma makes a 500mm for Sony E and Leica L mounts, 500mm f5.6 DG DN OS Sports, but it is apparently not F4. Fujifilm also has two 500mm lenses, both also F5.6. One is for its X-mount (APS-C) and called the XF 500mm f5.6 R LM OIS WR and the other is for its GF mount (medium format) and called the GF 500mm F5.6 R LM OIS WR.
Sigma 500mm f5.6 DG DN OS Sports impresses by its compact size and light weight
So what now?
I don’t think a 500mm F4 is high on most people’s wish lists, and it’s not like photographers are losing sleep or waking up upset every morning because it’s missing. Still, it would be nice to see this focal length make a proper comeback on mirrorless mounts sometime in the future.
Check these links for options:
