GF500mmF5.6 for Railway photography
Creating a variety of sample images with a single prime lens. With one super telephoto lens.
This series of photographs taken with the GF500mmF5.6 lens was a great challenge for me, as I am now completely immersed in the comfort of the zoom, both mentally and physically.
In recent railway photography, the lenses used have become longer focal lengths. The sides of the railroad tracks, especially in urban areas, are now heavily guarded by fences and walls. In addition, changes in social consciousness have made it less acceptable to approach the railroad tracks. As a result, photographers often shoot with telephoto lenses away from the tracks.
Also, railway photography tends to emphasize sharpness, and photography with large-format and medium-format films has been widely used for a long time. Due to this background, the world of railway photography should probably most welcome the introduction of GF500mmF5.6, which offers 100 million pixels of super high-resolution images at a focal length of approximately 396 mm on the 35mm film format.
[When shooting from a safe place outside the fence, it is essential to eliminate unnecessary things and only collect what is necessary within the frame. A telephoto lens is indispensable for this task.]
[A diesel locomotive resting in the engine shed in the setting sun. GF500mmF5.6 accurately reproduces the wide range of light shades created on the hood.]
[The Izuhakone Railway has a convex electric locomotive built in 1948. The majestic figure of this old veteran locomotive is sharply captured here.]
GF500mmF5.6 is eye-catching with its large diameter front element and a large hood with a logo covering it. When I saw it for the first time, my first impression was, “What a cool lens this is.” I may be laughed at for such a childish opinion, but coolness is an important element that cannot be underestimated when it comes to using it as my own equipment for a long time.
For this shooting, the lens was attached to GFX100II. The combination of the two is well balanced and provides a stable hold. The combined weight of the lens and body is less than 2.5 kg, so I don’t feel tired even if I hold it for a long time. This is an advantageous specification for railway photography, where it is often necessary to walk to the shooting location.
[With a super telephoto lens, it is quite difficult to take panning shots while following a train through the viewfinder, but the stable hold of GFX100II + GF500mmF5.6 makes it possible.]
I have been shooting with GF500mmF5.6 for a month and a half, starting with a nearby railway line, then steam locomotives, which I like the most among railway vehicles, and the Izuhakone Railway, which can be said to be the main feature of this project. I don’t really like using a tripod. So, most of the shots were taken handheld, but thanks to the image stabilizer, I had no trouble in framing the image.
[The railway vehicles have a hidden charm as a photographic subject, not only as a whole but also as a part of it. Without any difficulty, I was able to take close-up shots with a super telephoto lens, which should be difficult to frame.]
[The amount, shape, and direction of the smoke emitted by a steam locomotive vary from time to time. Handheld photography is the best way to deal with these differences.]
[This is a shot of the roof supports covering the platform. It is interesting to note that old rails are used instead of just steel beams. Thanks to the image stabilizer, I was able to shoot with confidence even at a shutter speed of 1/200 second.]
And what is particularly noteworthy is its high resolution. The reproduction of the texture of the tarnished silver of the old steam locomotive is also very sharp. Bokeh is also one of the most enjoyable aspects of photography, and I am very satisfied with the rendering of GF500mmF5.6, which produces beautiful bokeh.
[Is this a model train? No, it’s the real thing. The photo was taken from about 1 km away, so the train looks really small, but the markings on the train body can be clearly read when the image is enlarged.]
[This steam locomotive has been in operation for many years since its birth in 1946. It seems that the heavy texture of this steam locomotive, which is not found in other railway vehicles, comes through along with the smell and heat.]
[The train operator inspects the vehicles before boarding. Against the background of the body of the train with smooth bokeh, a dignified figure of the train operator pointing at the train emerges.]
[The soft front bokeh of the rape blossoms spreading along the railway line seems to express the excitement of the arrival of spring.]
By the way, when shooting a railway line that is difficult to get close to, such as the Shinkansen, I often find myself thinking, “I wish I could get a little closer.” GF500mmF5.6 can also satisfy such a wish, because it supports a 1.4x teleconverter. A focal length of approximately 560 mm on the 35mm film format can be obtained while maintaining high performance.
[The theory of railway photography is to collect the entire train from the front to the back within a frame, but sometimes you may be tempted to rebel and let something stick out of the frame. With a 1.4x teleconverter attached, I was able to capture the train running on the curve in the exact position.]
I started shooting with the GF500mm F5.6 with some apprehension, but as I used it more and more, the focal length of approximately 396 mm on the 35mm film format became familiar to both my mind and my body. What is a super telephoto lens? How can it be used to bring out its characteristics? It was a good opportunity to reflect on this again.
[At first, I was at the mercy of the unique super telephoto sense of distance that GF500mmF5.6 has, but I think that the more I struggled with it, the more I came to understand the depth of its appeal.]
[One of the theories of photography is often said to be that photography is a subtraction. In this photograph of a wheel, which I took because I found a historical value in the pine-needle-like shape of the spokes, I took advantage of the super telephoto lens to capture only the necessary portions.]
