Lens Review, Camera ReviewMorten ByskovNovember 16, 2022Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS Adapted to a Fujifilm GFX, Fringer EF-GFX Pro Adapter, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS adapted to Fujifilm GFX, Adapting the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS to Fujifilm GFX1 Comment

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS Review - Adapted to Fujifilm GFX

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS adapted to Fujifilm GFX with Fringer EF-GFX Pro adapter — The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS adapted to the Fujifilm GFX 50R with a Fringer EF-GFX Pro adapter

Adapting the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS to Fujifilm GFX With the Fringer EF-GFX Pro Adapter

The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS is one of my all-time favorite lenses. I had this super-telephoto lens for a number of years and used it for a variety of genres but mostly sports, and landscapes with a bit of wildlife photography thrown into the mix.

When my friend, Carl Dubeau, came to town last week I asked him if he still had his EF 300mm f/2.8L IS. Carl also migrated to Fujifilm but I was glad to hear he kept his 300 and told him I was interested in seeing how well it would play with my Fujifilm GFX 50R.

The Fringer EF-GFX Pro adapter shown on a Fujifilm GFX 50R and Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS — The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS adapted to the Fujifilm GFX 50R with a Fringer EF-GFX Pro adapter

I recently got the Fringer EF-GFX Pro adapter and intend to test it with a few select Canon EF lenses. For full disclosure, Fringer provided me with the adapter but has not dictated a narrative. The opinions and take on the adapter will be unbiased and my own.

Handling

I will admit I completely forgot how heavy this beast is. At 2.9kg or 6.4 lbs including the lens hood and tripod collar I actually refrained from shooting it handheld like I used to do all the time. When taking it out I used my old monopod or the BeeFree Manfrotto tripod.

It was like meeting an old acquaintance as I have spent so many hours with this lens in past years.

The second thing I noticed was the sound coming from the lens when the image stabilization engages. The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS was first released in 1999 and technology has come a long way in improving optical image stabilization since then.

The Vancouver Skyline on a fall day with the first snow of the year in the North Shore Mountains. Sample image of a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS adapted to Fujifilm GFX using the Fringer EF-GFX Pro adapter. — Vancouver skyline, Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fringer EF-GFX Pro Adapter, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS @ f/11, ISO 100, 1/70s

Autofocus performance was okay for static scenes but struggled in heavily backlit scenarios. My GFX 50R has contrast-detect autofocus only and Fringer states improvements should be seen using phase-detect autofocus on the GFX 100 and GFX 100S.

The Fringer EF-GFX is a smart adapter with electronic contacts sending EXIF info to your camera. It has an aperture dial which is reminiscent of what you are used to from other GFX lenses. It does, however, not have aperture values imprinted on the adapter as it needs to work with a range of EF lenses.

The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS mounted on a Fujifilm GFX 50R using a Fringer EF-GFX Pro Adapter — The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS adapted to the Fujifilm GFX 50R with a Fringer EF-GFX Pro adapter

Vignetting, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS on Fujifilm GFX

Vignetting is quite pronounced at f/2.8 and f/4 but would be useable in 35mm format mode. The majority of the photos in this review are captured in the f/5.6-8 range.

In this range vignetting is visible but the EF 300mm covers the full 44 x 33mm quite well and with minor adjustments in post-processing I found the result useable.

In some instances, I would crop to either a 4 x 5 or 3 x 2 aspect range depending on the topic. For instance, for an image with clear blue skies vignetting is typically highly visible.

Please see the image below showing vignetting at different f-stops. At f/22 there is no visible vignetting.

Please click to view a larger image.

Sample images showing vignetting from a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS lens adapted to Fujifilm GFX using a Fringer EF-GFX Pro adapter — Vignetting of the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS on Fujifilm GFX using the Fringer EF-GFX Pro Adapter. f/2.8-16. There is no visible vignetting at f/22.

Sensor Coverage and Focal Length

The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS yields a 240mm full-frame equivalent field of view on a GFX camera. Depending on your goals this could either be positive or negative.

In my case, I like how it opens up the scenes for landscape photography and my goal was not to get close-up shots of birds. If you are a wildlife photographer you may consider the 1.4x teleconverter in order to get closer to the action. I did not have converters available for this test.

In the scene below you will see two photos captured from the same vantage point, tripod mounted. The top photo was from a Canon EOS R6 and the bottom photo was from a GFX 50R. Especially if you look at the tree on the right, you can see that the EF 300mm is covering a larger sensor plane.

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS coverage comparison on a full-frame camera versus Fujifilm GFX camera — Two photos using the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS. Top: Canon EOS R6. Bottom: GFX 50R

Image Quality

Ideally, it would have been great to have the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS for a longer period of time so that I could have tested it in more scenarios. When I had this lens back in the day I quite often shot it wide open and for sports and loved the separation created in my images with beautiful bokeh to go along.

The scenario for my brief test was quite different as I wanted to avoid the vignetting created at f/2.8 aiming to cover the full GFX sensor instead.

Shooting in a 35mm format crop mode would have solved this issue but AF tracking could become an issue with my contrast-detect autofocus for any type of action.

I was quite pleased with the overall image quality in the majority of the photos I managed to make during my two outings with the 300mm but be prepared to work within its limitations on a GFX camera.

A cargo ship in English Bay. Sample image of a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS adapted to Fujifilm GFX using the Fringer EF-GFX Pro adapter — English Bay, Vancouver, Fujifilm GFX 50R, Fringer EF-GFX Pro Adapter, Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS @ f/6.3, ISO 100, 1/420s

Conclusion

At about half the weight but approximately double the cost of a pre-owned Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS you could pick the Fujifilm GF 250mm f/4 R LM OIS WR instead. This lens offers a no-fuss solution for your GFX camera and is much easier to carry and work with.

The GF 100-200mm f/5.6 R LM OIS is in a similar price category to the Canon 300mm and offers a better all-around choice if you can live with a shorter max focal length.

But the Canon 300mm presents a viable alternative if you are willing to carry it and mainly shoot static scenes. GFX 100S owners may have better autofocus performance.

Should you rush out and buy one based on these facts? Not without carefully considering the pros and cons but if you already have this lens and you are considering adding a GFX camera to your kit, you can get lots of joy out of your EF 300mm f/2.8L IS.

Thanks, Carl for lending me your 300mm f/2.8L IS for this test. Always good to see you.

Please see more sample images below.

Photography Morten Byskov at the cross country ski races at Sovereign Lake near Vernon. Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS and Canon 5D — A blast from the past, 2007 (Yikes, 15 years ago). On assignment for Cross Country Canada covering the NORAM cross-country ski races at Sovereign Lake near Vernon, BC with the Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS on a Canon 5D

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS Adapted to the Fujifilm GFX 50R - Sample Images

Please see the sample images below. Editing was done in Capture One and I used Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos. Some of the images are cropped slightly.

Please click to view larger images.