Pros & Cons
-
- Adapts EF and EF-S lenses to Sony mirrorless cameras.
- Autofocus and aperture control.
- Removable tripod foot.
- Inexpensive.
-
- Limited lens compatibility.
- Inconsistent performance.
The Fotodiox Fusion Smart AF Adapter ($99.95) is a bargain option for mounting Canon SLR lenses to Sony mirrorless cameras. It promises autofocus and aperture control support, and delivers it for select lenses, but it behaves erratically with some Canon lenses and every third-party lens we've tested. Unless your needs are limited to the list of lenses that work well with the adapter, you're better off spending a bit more money and opting for the MC-11 ($139.00 at Amazon) adapter from Sigma. It worked well with every lens we tested it with.
Design
As a lens adapter, the Fusion is pretty basic in design. It bayonets on to a Sony E-mount mirrorless body, and is spaced so that its front lens mount is the same distance from the image sensor as you get with a Canon SLR. Lenses attach to the front mount as you'd expect, and the identical spacing ensures that proper focus is maintained through infinity.
The adapter includes a removable foot with a tripod mount, which is a nice touch for mounting heavier lenses that don't include their own tripod collar. Even if you don't always utilize a tripod, it's a more solid connection point for use with a BlackRapid or similar strap that secures via the tripod socket. It's a feature that's missing on the Sigma MC-11.
Compatibility and Performance
Fotodiox states that the adapter will work with any Sony E-mount mirrorless camera. Older models will utilize contrast detection focus to lock targets, but newer models like the Alpha 7R II ($1,798.00 at Amazon) offer on-sensor phase detection for focus speeds similar to that of an SLR.
Lens compatibility is a big issue. Fotodiox publishes a list of lenses it has tested with the adapter and found to work well. In short, it covers most Canon lenses from the past ten years, but not all. I found that the adapter worked very well with one lens not on the list—the EF 11-24mm f/4L USM ($2,699.00 at Amazon) —but struggled to lock and acquire focus with another that wasn't listed, the EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM. Both lenses worked well with the Sigma adapter using the same A7R II body.
I tried a few third-party lenses and the results were poor. The Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art fared the best, locking onto most subjects, but still hunting frequently. The Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 performed about the same, locking onto targets with a solid hit rate at the wider end of its range, but struggling when zoomed to 600mm. The Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD ($649.00 at Amazon) hunted back and forth continuously, never locking focus at all.
Autofocus does work during video, though it's not as speedy as with stills, and you have to manually initiate focus changes, even when the camera is set to AF-C. EXIF data is transferred, so you'll be able to see the focal length or your lens (or the length at which a zoom is set), along with the working aperture and shutter speed.
Conclusions
The Fotodiox Fusion Smart AF Adapter can be considered a bargain at its $100 price point if you don't have a large number of Canon lenses on hand, and if they're all completely compatible with the adapter. But our testing shows that the Sigma MC-11 handles a larger number of lenses more readily. It's a bigger investment—around $250—but a better choice, as it offers much more consistent performance.