Fujifilm XF 400mm f/4.5 R LM OIS WR Review: A Top-Tier Super Telephoto

I have to admit that I don’t have a ton of faith in Fujifilm when it comes to wildlife and sports photography. I don’t feel like the autofocus performance of the cameras is quite up to par with the competition when it comes to more demanding situations. However, I do think that the glass lineup is excellent, and it just got even better.

Fujifilm has released a brand-new 400mm XF f/4.5 telephoto lens, and it presents me with an interesting opportunity. You see, it’s been a while since I’ve shot the 500mm XF f/5.6 lens and when I did, that was on the GFX platform. I thought this was a good opportunity to look at my bias, reevaluate my opinions, and see if the Fujifilm APS-C platform has what it takes.

On the topic of the 500mm, when Fujifilm released that lens, it was actually initially developed for the GFX medium-format system. With some slight modifications, it found its way to the X-mount line as a high-quality prime lens for wildlife and sports. This new XF 400mm lens, however, is debuting on the X-mount cameras and it is anyone’s guess whether it will soon find its way to the bigger format. What I can say is that it looks and feels very similar to the 500mm lens in both finish and intention, and the price is similar at $3,199.

Fujifilm XF 400mm f/4.5 R LM OIS WR Review: How It Feels

The XF 400mm is a professional lens through and through. The chassis is incredibly rugged and fully weather-sealed, but it only weighs 44 ounces (1245 grams). The hood on the front has a rubberized front lip, and it surrounds a slightly more manageable 95mm filter thread. You will find customizable AF-lock buttons all around the lens barrel, and a manual focus ring that has just the right amount of resistance.

The 400mm has a full aperture ring and all the controls you would expect to limit the focusing range, switch to a preset focus mark, and engage image stabilization. The tripod foot can be removed for a more compact setup, and Fujifilm thoughtfully cuts the foot with Arca-Swiss dovetails.

There is enough clearance at the back of the lens to accept Fujifilm teleconverters, and I found myself using the 1.4x extender judiciously. I paired the lens with the Fujifilm X-H2S body, and what I really appreciated out of the package as a whole was the fast burst rates and easy-to-carry weight of the whole setup.

Fujifilm XF 400mm f/4.5 R LM OIS WR Review: How It Shoots

The linear autofocus motors had no issues with driving the large glass elements quickly. The bird detection AF worked as expected out of the X-H2S, although I still found the tenacity of the tracking system somewhat lacking compared to competitor systems. Sometimes the camera likes to hunt before locking on, and sometimes it slips off the bird and goes to the background. When it works, it works great, but there are enough inconsistencies to weaken confidence in the system’s reliability. I am confident that this issue still lies with the body and not the lens itself, though.

Flare resistance is excellent as expected, and the generous hood on modern telephoto lenses will block almost all extraneous light anyway. There were no issues with LoCA (longitudinal chromatic aberration) or distortion to worry about, and the lens was free from any harsh chromatic aberrations.

The 400mm lens translates to a full-frame field of view equivalent of about 609mm. Throw on a 1.4x converter, and you are up to around 840mm, which is ideal for most bird photography.

I found the f/4.5 aperture to give enough light during the dimmer golden-hour times of the day, and I was able to keep ISO levels around 400 with the teleconverter and still get at least 1/2000 second out of the shutter. More importantly, I could have two different focal lengths for when I needed to be up close or farther away by simply clicking the converter on and off. I found this 400mm a little more versatile than the XF 500mm in most situations, and I appreciated the extra light gathering.

The lens is too long to test on our test charts, but from my shots in the field I could see that sharpness was excellent. Frankly, in this day and age, a professional fixed telephoto lens is going to be incredibly sharp wide open. It simply has to be.

I was far more concerned with how the lens would render the out-of-focus areas. Bokeh is beautiful, with soft and round specular highlights, and a smooth transition of focus across the frame. You won’t get the silky wall of soft color that a 400mm f/2.8 will give, but your subjects will still stand out starkly against soft and pleasant backdrops.

Fujifilm XF 400mm f/4.5 Review: Essentially Perfect

This lens is basically ideal for pretty much any kind of photography a super telephoto is designed for. Optically speaking, you are getting an ideal lens as long as you are okay with the f/4.5 aperture. I personally prefer the trade-off of the slightly slower aperture (compared to, say, an f/2.8) because I often want the safety blanket that a little extra depth of field provides and the weight and size are so much more manageable.

Fujifilm does have some excellent telephoto zoom lenses, such as the XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 and the 150-600mm f/5.6-8, both of which are more affordable but also let in less light.

I really liked the fixed telephoto prime experience because it all felt lighter and the bokeh was that much nicer. However, the higher $3,199 price can be prohibitive. Still, there isn’t much in terms of alternatives on Fujifilm X-mount, so I’m happy to see this new 400mm come into the system. I’m equally happy to report that I also discovered some newfound respect for the XF system with this setup.

Fujifilm has sound glass to tackle any sports or wildlife situation and I got plenty of shots that I like with the X-H2S. Sure, the autofocus needs to get better, but this is only a matter of time. If you are in the X system and want high-performance telephoto lens, the XF 400mm is a great place to start.

Are There Alternatives?

Sigma make an awesome 500mm f/5.6 but it is not currently available for X-mount, so you will only have the Fujifilm XF 500mm f/5.6. This is an excellent lens with slightly more reach, but the cost and loss of light could be an issue.

Should You Buy It?

Yes. This is an optically ideal lens with a manageable size and weight. Coupled with a teleconverter, I feel like it brings new capability to the X-mount system.