For the time being, I am knocked out by a cold. So, there is that...

Second; this is a so called Photo-Geek Diary Entry - nothing really to write home about for the many. Just one of my photo-babbling Diary entries, you know.

Take it or leave it...

Adapting lenses to Fujifilm GFX cameras

In the mean time, for people who don't know what the Finger Pro adapter is; it is the best working adapter on the market allowing and supporting other brand lenses to be adapted to Fujifilm GFX mediumformat cameras.

It ensures the support of electronic features that comes with modern, digital lenses; support for Image Stabilization (IS) if present in the lens, but also support of the internal (Fuji GFX in-body) image stabilization, AF of course, but also the electronic aperture, lens corrections, vignetting etc. (Vignetting and lens correction are mainly features for when you want corrected JPG's from the camera. Those corrections are never applied to the RAW file, though.

Andoer GFX-EF adapter Story

Other adapters i have tested (only one, actually - the Andoer GFX-EF) which was... no good (AF was a disaster) and even when working with manual focus. So, let me just any further words on this. That adapter is a cheaper knockoff from another brand (equivally bad) yet the latter twice the price. Anyway none of them worth to write home about.

Fringer Pro adapter: Firmware 1.7

So, Fringer Pro GFX-EF adapter has a new firmware. It adds more lenses that will be recognized with the adapter. I will not list all the new features that the latest firmware updates, only the lenses (None of which I use or have).

Download site | You find the Fingeradapter site with info here

There, you find the huge (!) amount of lenses listed, that are supported by the Finger Pro GFX-EF adapter. It is really a huge list. Well worked !

New added lens support

• Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM
• Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
• Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM + 2x
• Sigma 24mm F1.8 EX DG Aspherical Macro
• Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM
• Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM (S018) + 1.4x
• Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM (C015/S014) + 1.4x
• Tokina AT-X 24-70mm f/2.8 PRO FX

Additionally the latest firmware also addresses AF issues with

• Tokina AT-X M100 PRO D Macro 100mm f/2.8
• Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM + 2x
• Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM (S018) + 1.4x
• Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM (C015/S014) + 1.4x

Firmware version 1.6

In the previous firmware, i noticed that the Canon EF 300/4L IS (Which I used, but found the AF to be unreliable - so i only use this lens with manual focus). So, this one got updated as follow:

1. Fixed AF performance issues for some lenses of the following models: (Canon EF 300/4L IS) Lens didn’t get recognized by the adapter due to different lens version.

Since I never updated my Fringer Pro adapter - who knows, maybe the AF issues with the Canon EF 300/4L IS may actually work (better) ? That would be pretty cool. Albeit if i recall correctly, the adapter did recognize the lens even with firmware 1.5 - but the AF was not that reliable/exact, really. (So i used it with manual focus instead, especially at night, that is the way i prefer it anyway). Most cameras with adapted lenses focus slower or even more unprecise when the light is at a low level.

When you work with mediumformat
you out to be very precise in everything you do - because mediumformat cameras are merciless unforgiving. Even the slightest handling errors lead to subpar results. Worth to point out, that this has always been the rule for analog mediumformat cameras back in the days. Now, that we can work with digital mediumformat cameras, but they are even less forgiving; e.g. image files will reveal any sloppy work and errors.

Just sayin'

Canon EF 300/4 L IS on Fujifilm GFX 50s II

My Fringer Pro adapter was still on the Firmware version 1.5 when I tested the Canon EF 300/4L IS - which means i don't know yet how the newer Firmware 1.7 works with this lens. It may or may not make a difference, but i'll get back to that later.

When i used the Canon EF 300/4L IS on my Fujifilm GFX 50s II camera, it was a surprisingly good lens. Some minor vignetting was visible, yes - but the sharpness was very good indeed. My criticism was about the inferior AF when mounted on the Fujifilm GFX 50s II camera, therefore using it mainly with manual focus.

I like the 300 mm lens

because it is relatively compact and easy to handle, compared with other 300mm lens versions. Such as the mighty SMC Pentax 67 M* 300/4 - which is a whopper of lens, handling a bit more iffy due to its size and weight. Well, that isn't strange given that the lens covers a very large image circle of 7x7 cm made for analog 6x7 mediumformat cameras.

The main photo above, was the first test shot I made with the Canon EF 300/4L IS with Fujifilm GFX 50s II - shot at my balcony, at wide open aperture ƒ4.0 and as you can see... there is clearly serious sharpness evident already at wide open aperture.

Worth of note

When i write 300mm (telephoto) - it means that when adapted onto a Fujifilm GFX camera, the effective focal length is equivalent to that of a 240 mm lens, due to the larger sensor. Counted with factor 0.79 = 237 mm.

Now, if you put on a 300mm lens on a 6x7 camera, it becomes equivalent to around 150 mm focal length. As if you would put a native 150 mm lens on a fullframe / 35mm / 24x36 mm type of camera, so to speak. Which means, the look of the photo on a 6x7 camera, is just like a light-medium telephoto lens only. Or like a "long portrait lens".

If you put a 300mm lens onto a MicroFourThirds camera - you get a focal length equivalent of a 600 mm super telephoto lens. Example: the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 300 mm f 4 IS PRO. (A truly formidable lens, by the way).