photo:sonye_lens_adapters
Table of Contents
Autofocus lens adapters for Sony NEX E-mount cameras
introduction
- the Sony E-mount cameras have a short sensor to lens flange distance which makes them extremely versatile when it comes to adapting lenses made for other systems
Sony Alpha dSLR lenses
- this allows Sony E mount users to mount Sony Alpha dSLR system lenses
- Sony LA-EA5
- announced Sept 2020
- “surprisingly compact adapter houses an aperture drive unit as well as a newly developed autofocus drive unit, yet there is no protrusion like seen in the older LA-EA4.”
- supports phase detect autofocus, Real-time Eye AF for humans and animals, Real-time Tracking, and when using the a7R IV or a6600, can even do it with autofocus lenses that do not feature internal focus motors such as the Sonnar T* 135mm f/1.8 ZA and Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 ZA.
- autofocus not available for video, STF lenses being manual focus, no teleconverter support,and AF is only supported on some cameras
- $US248
- Sony LA-EA4
- older style
Canon EF lens adapters with aperture and AF functionality
see also: Canon EF lenses
Sigma MC-11 adapter (Canon EF to Sony E version)
- introduced in early 2016
- incorporates the data necessary for each compatible lens and uses a dedicated control program to optimize AF drive, aperture control, and other function
- there is a USB port in the adapter that allows users update MC-11 when future Sigma Art, Contemporary or Sport lenses are released.
- much more affordable ($US249) than the Metabones Smart IV adapter, and although Sigma designed it for its own Sigma lenses in Canon EF mount, it does work with variable success with other Canon EF mount lenses, interestingly, it even works with the Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L lens which does not work on the Metabones adapter!
- It is NOT compatible with teleconverters
- not compatible with AFC (continuous AF) or AFA
- only some Sigma lenses are compatible with DMF (Direct MF - ability to change focus manually after AF is locked)
- compatible with Dual Sync IS when using compatible Sigma OIS lenses
- when used with non-Sigma lenses:
- you don't get Eye AF
- in camera MF mode is disabled - must you lens switch to get to MF
- the light on the adapter will not light indicating incompatibility - but most will AF to some degree and have aperture control
- sensor IS support ONLY IF the lens does not have OIS in which case both are disabled (Metabones adapter not only allows IS but supports dual IS)
- EXIF does not indicate brand of lens, and if aperture is wider than f/1.3, it only gives f/1.3
- MicroAdjustment of AF is disabled rendering AF potentially inaccurate - a pity as the AF needs manual adjustment so this limits the utility of these lenses when using shallow DOF and that's one of the main reasons to go full frame!
- see http://briansmith.com/sigma-mc-11-mount-converter-for-sony-e-mount/ for list of compatible Sigma lenses which will work in “native” mode
- my tests with Canon EF mount lenses:
- Sigma EF 35mm f/1.4 ART - no major issues, AF seems accurate but perhaps slower than with a Canon lens
- Sigma EF 50mm f/1.4 ART - no major issues, AF seems fast seems accurate
- Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II - no major issues, AF seems fast
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II - works but you must re-mount the lens every time you turn the camera off!
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L - no major issues, AF seems fast
- Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L - no major issues, AF seems fast
- Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 - no major issues, AF seems fast but mine front focuses by about 2cm!
- Canon EF 135mm f/2L - no major issues, AF seems fast but mine front focuses by about 2cm!
- Canon TSE tilt shift lenses - obviously only in MF as these don't have AF, but you get aperture control, IS
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS version I - no major AF issues, AF seems fast - BUT no OIS or sensor IS available - adapter is presumably telling camera to turn off IS altogether if a non-Sigma lens is attached with OIS.
- Aurora Aperture is selling drop in filters for this adapter - see https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aurora-aperture/drop-in-filters-for-mirrorless-cameras/
Metabones Smart Adapter V
- $US399
- now supports AF including 10fps tracking AF-C with many lenses including Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L lens on Sony a7III/IV and Sony a9
- many other improvements
- PDAF only with some lenses such as many of the Sigma ART prime lenses
Metabones Smart Adapter IV
- expensive ($US399 or $AU749)
- variable support for Canon EF lenses but the following will NOT AF:
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro
- Green mode vs Advanced mode:
- Green mode is the default mode and it is designed to conserve battery power by limiting aperture diaphragm movements and image stabilization. Certain other functions are not available in Green Mode including Auto-Magnify MF Assist and DOF preview
- Advanced mode allows more function but uses more power (most may be best using Green mode):
- CDAF as well as PDAF support
- Eye AF on all supported cameras (Green mode Eye AF only works on a7III, a7RIII and a9)
- 10fps AF-C on a7III instead of only 3fps
- AF-C in video in central PDAF area
- improved AFD with long telephoto lenses
-
- June 2019 v0.62:
- increased AF speed on a camera with PDAF support when adapter is in Advanced Mode eg. Sony A7III now AF-C within the central PDAF area to 10fps may be possible
- improved exposure accuracy and AF accuracy in Advanced Mode
- fixed IBIS issue during continuous shooting
- fixed some incompatibilities
- Mar 2019 v0.60:
- Support for “AF Stop” button on some Canon super-telephoto IS lenses
- June 2017 v0.57:
- Added autofocus support during high speed and medium speed continuous drive (up to 10fps) on Sony A9 (“Green” mode only) - Sony a9 users should use Green mode not Advanced Mode as the latter has AF inaccuracies in this and prior firmwares
- Enabled AF illuminator (Advanced mode only)
- Jan 2017 v0.55:
- Fix AF accuracy issue.
- Dec 2016 v0.54:
- fixed issues with certain Tamron lenses
- Added an option in Metabones App to enable the use of Digital Zoom in Advanced mode.
- Stability improvement
- Nov 2016 v0.53:
- Easier user interface to select between Green and Advanced mode using Metabones App, with separate settings for newer cameras and older cameras
- Option to close down the aperture or leave it where it is when camera shuts down
- Option to let camera body decide whether OIS, IBIS or a combination thereof shall be selected
- AF accuracy improvement for subjects near infinity.
- July 2016 v0.52
- eye AF
- fast CDAF
- DMF (direct manual focus) for E-Mount cameras, where the camera switches to MF as soon as AF completes. This is useful for checking AF accuracy when used with focus peaking.
- Smooth iris
- Feb 2015, 0.40 for EF-E Smart AdapterTM MARK IV supports 5-axis or 3-axis stabilization including dual-sync IS
Nikon F lens adapters
with AF capability
- Vello LAE-SE-NF Select Nikon F Lens to Sony E-Mount Camera Auto Lens Adapter (Version 4)
- $US399
- allows “fast” AF in AF-S mode with a large range of Nikkor lenses, as well as aperture control, but you may need to test it yourself to see if it suits your needs:
- Commlite Electronic Lens Mount Adapter CM-ENF-E(1)
- $AU479 on Ebay from HK
- Viltrox AF NF-E1 adapter
- announced may 2017
Pentax K lens AF adapters
- Monster Adapter LA-KE1 adapter
- announced Oct 2020
- an electronic adapter with a built-in iris and dual screw-drive auto focus motors
- connect Pentax K mount AF series lenses to the Sony E-Mount mirrorless cameras and retains all the functionality of the K-Mount lenses (including Eye AF and Animal Eye AF but only in stills mode).
- too noisy for video work?
- Compatible with KAF、KAF2、KAF3、KAF4 lenses
- will support the screw-drive AF and mechanic lever aperture control lenses (F, FA, DA, DFA series) first, and through firmware updates, it will later support the motorized AF lenses (SDM, DC) and the electromagnetic aperture lenses. And, the older A and M series lenses will not be supported.
AF adapters for manual focus lenses
-
- LM-EA7 adapter for Leica M 35mm camera system lenses
- released mid 2016
- only works with Sony PDAF cameras which open the 3rd party PDAF system, as such the adapter is optimized for Sony A7II and Sony A7R II only. It will also work on Sony a6300/a6500 BUT it will NOT AF with the Sony a7S full frame mirrorless camera, Sony a7S II full frame mirrorless camera, Sony a7R full frame mirrorless camera, Sony a7 full frame mirrorless camera nor Sony a6000 or other older Sony cameras.
- does not work with CDAF
- has an extendable Leica M mount controlled by an internal motor powered by the camera battery which responds to electronic communications with the camera to provide up to 4.5mm z-shift resulting in AF in less than 1 sec and supports both AF-C and AF-S modes (but no AF-C in video mode) and supports Wide, Center, and Flexible spot.
- does not support Face Detect AF or Eye EF.
- set the focus ring at infinity focus and use the Techart PRO for focusing
- for close up shots, you can set the focus ring at closest and use the Techart PRO for focusing where it can act as a 4.5mm extension ring to get even closer than normal
- for longer focal length lens, you will need to coarse adjust the focus ring and use Techart PRO for fine focusing
- can also further adapt other lens mounts with longer flange distance such as Canon EF/Canon FD/Nikon F/Contax CY/Leica R/Olympus OM/Minolta MD/Pentax PK/etc to the Techart PRO adapter via an additional adapter such as AR-LM, LR-LM, FD-LM, EOS-LM, AI-LM, MD-LM, EXA-LM, OM-LM
- weighs 133g, max. supported weight of lens 700g BUT you can use larger lenses if they have a tripod mount and you use it on a tripod, in this case, the AF motor only has to push the camera and adapter and not the lens!
- Techart PRO allows you to save 10 sets of lens data, including focal lengths and aperture values, via their complementary mobile app. The camera body will be able to make corresponding adjustments including sensor based IS.
- No electronic communication with lens, so NO aperture control and no OIS - user can use the smartphone app to set the lens EXIF info for the camera but currently aperture cannot be set for EXIF so camera displays f/2 only irrespective of lens aperture
- the adapter will not fit when using a Sony battery grip on the camera
- AF is faster with aperture wide open, thus if shooting at smaller apertures you may need to AF at wide aperture then stop down the aperture
- AF is fastest with lenses less than 300g and becomes slower with larger lenses but will AF up to 800g lenses reasonably fast
- can turn OFF the adapter by setting camera to MF mode
- if becomes unresponsive in AF mode, made need to dismount and re-mount adapter to camera
- Bluetooth for firmware upgrades and smartphone app communications
- $US379 from website or $AU499 on Ebay
- other lens mount to Leica M mount adapters on website for $US70 (more for medium format), but it seems these can only be purchased at same time as the AF adapter although compatible Fotomix adapters are available on Ebay
- you can use some other adapters such as Fotodiox C/Y to Leica M but the Fotodiox Canon FD to M does not appear to fit as it hits the motor base
- as the base sits BELOW the base of the camera, you can purchase an L plate for the camera to make it sit level with the camera L plate base
photo/sonye_lens_adapters.txt · Last modified: 2020/10/31 11:14 by gary1