Fotodiox recently released an interesting experiment for medium format shooters looking to add a distinct, vintage character to their images. They demonstrated how adapting the full-frame Lensbaby Twist 60 to the larger Fujifilm GFX sensor can exaggerate the lens’s famous “Petzval-style” swirling bokeh effect.
The Gear Setup To achieve this look, Fotodiox utilized the Canon EF mount version of the Lensbaby Twist 60 [00:46]. Because the Twist 60 is a fully manual optic, they paired it with their standard, fully manual Fotodiox Canon EF to GFX adapter rather than their more expensive electronic Fusion adapter [00:53].
Medium Format Performance & Vignetting Putting a lens designed for full-frame cameras onto the 44x33mm GFX sensor naturally introduces some physical limitations, but the results are surprisingly usable:
Infinity Focus: When the lens is focused out to infinity, there is noticeable, hard vignetting in the corners because the image circle simply wasn’t designed to cover the medium format sensor [02:21].
Close-Up Focus (The Sweet Spot): The Lensbaby Twist 60 is designed to shine in close-up portrait situations. When focused closely, the hard vignette mostly disappears [02:41]. What remains is a dark, heavily swirled edge that beautifully frames the center-sharp subject [02:48].
By utilizing the larger GFX sensor, photographers can essentially capture the extreme outer edges of the Twist 60’s image circle, unlocking an “extra” level of swirly bokeh that gets cropped out on standard full-frame or APS-C bodies [02:59].
Lensbaby Twist 60 (Canon EF): Amazon / B&H Photo
Fotodiox Pro Canon EF to GFX Manual Adapter: Amazon / B&H Photo
Fujifilm GFX100SII:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Moment / Adorama
Fujifilm GFX100II:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama