PSA: Fotodiox adapter is reportedly killing Sony E-mount cameras

fotodiox_fusion_smartaf_nikonSomething for all Sony E-mount camera owners with Fotodiox adaptors to take note of – apparently their latest adaptors, the Fusion SmartAF Nikon G mount to Sony E-mount, is bricking cameras. Gannon Burgett writes for Digital Trends:

 The first instance of an issue was noted by photographer Jason Lanier on November 24. In a blog post and accompanying video, Lanier said the $370 adapter started by draining the battery of his camera, then ultimately killed his Sony A6300 mirrorless camera. According to Lanier, his camera which he’s taken all over the world […] will no longer power on at all. 

As for Fotodiox, they at least seem to be on top of things and have issued the following:

 the problem almost certainly lies with the Nikon AF-S VR Macro 105mm f/2.8 IF-ED lens, as it is the common link between the errors experienced in the wild and the testing we’ve been performing since those incidents occurred. 

In tech, problems can always arise despite something being tested a million times – just ask PlayStation or Apple when they push out a system update that ends up causing issues for a small subset of the population. What’s even more frustrating about these instances is that not everybody is affected by them in the same way, which makes finding the root of the problem that much harder. Luckily for E-mount owners, Fotodiox appears to be doing everything right to address the problem.

 Fotodiox says all sales of the Fusion have been halted until a solution for the compatibility issue is found, which is most likely to be in the form of a firmware update. Customers will be notified when a solution is found.

In the meantime, Fotodiox is advising all owners of Fusion adapters to avoid pairing them with the affected Nikon 105mm Macro lens (or any other Nikon Macro lens for that matter). As always, if customers aren’t satisfied with their adapter, Fotodiox suggests returning the adapter for a full refund, no questions asked. 

In the complicated world of electronics, things like this happen and a company’s response to the problem at hand is how they should be judged and not on what the original problem was. Let me know if you use any adaptors with your E-mount camera.