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Metabones has announced the release of the EF-GFX Smart Expander, a new adapter that makes it possible to use every Canon EF mount lens on Fujifilm GFX camera systems.
The adapter uses an optical design consisting of five elements in three groups to multiply the focal length and F-stop of Canon EF-mount lenses by 1.26x to match the image circle of EF lenses to Fujifilm’s GFX cameras while retaining the same diagonal field-of-view.
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| A front and back view of the EF-GFX 1.26x Smart Expander adapter. |
The EF-GFX Smart Expander offers electronic integration, including support for phase-detection autofocus (PDAF), in-body image stabilization (IBIS), optical image stabilization on stabilized lenses and smooth iris on lenses that support it. The adapter features a physical toggle that can switch between auto aperture (for use with Program and shutter priority shooting modes) and manual aperture (for use with aperture priority or manual exposure). If an entirely manual lens is attached, the button will bring up the manual lens selection option on the GFX camera system being used so you can manually enter the focal length to account for IBIS operation and EXIF data.
As you would expect for such an all-encompassing adapter, there are some limitations in place. Below are a number of issues Metabones is aware of as of the initial release of the adapter:
- In some rare cases lens hoods designed for 3:2 may need to be removed for 4:3 use with Smart Expander.
- Each lens needs to go through a calibration procedure when first used. Refer to the online user manual on Metabones’ web site for instructions.
- Autofocus may have unsatisfactory performance and may not work at all with some lenses
- For video autofocus, increasing FOCUS SENSITIVITY and decreasing AF SPEED are required under the AF-C CUSTOM SETTING (MOVIE) menu.
- AF+MF and lens aberration correction are not supported.
- Some film-era lenses may not be able to achieve the sufficient AF accuracy required for digital cameras. Worn lenses with faulty sensors may lead to AF problems on a mirrorless camera even though the lens may appear to function normally on a DSLR.
- Aperture diaphragm makes frequent noises with older lenses. Use aperture priority and manual exposure modes, or use a lens which supports smooth iris.
- With IS/OS/VC lenses the IS MODE setting is ignored and both SHOOTING ONLY and CONTINUOUS modes behave in the same way which is similar to a Canon camera but different from what Fujifilm OIS lenses do. This is done to maximize IS effectiveness. A negative consequence of this is that there may be no OIS during focus check.
- MF Distance Display does not work (although AF Distance Display does if the lens transmits distance information).
Metabones has included a Micro USB port on the adapter so future firmware updates, some of which may address the above issues, can be installed via its macOS and Windows Metabones app.
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| A front and back view of the optics-free version of the EF-GFX Smart Expander adapter. |
The Metabones EF-GFX Smart Expander 1.26x is available now for $ 729 through its online shop and authorized Metabones retailers. An optics-free version of the EF-GFX Smart Adapter is also available for $ 439.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)