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Lens Adapters for the Sony A7 and A7R: Add your own experience!

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
An extra advantage of the Sony A7/A7R cameras is the ability to use almost any other brand of lens. This opens up the use of exotic special purpose lenses such as the Canon tilt shift lenses a lot of Canon users have acquired and other lenses that offer focal lengths either that Sony has not delivered as yet.

I'd highly recommend readers also look at Brian Smith's rich review of adapters for the FE camera mount here.


There are so many lenses to choose from, but the link is the adapter!

Minimum Requirements for an adapter: At the very least, it has to:

  1. Fit well, free of wobble
  2. Lock safely on the camera and lens
  3. Maintain optical alignment
  4. Deal with reflections

For Manual focusing: a button to open up the aperture blades for focusing is helpful

For AF and vibration stabilized lenses:: matching electronics are obviously needed, with transmission of distance and lens aperture information an added bonus.


My own experience is quite limited, so I'm hoping everyone else will share their own choices and opinions. Here's what I have to report this far:

1. The Novoflex adapted Canon 20mm FD is one of the very best extra lenses to carry around. This combination is so well executed one can rely on it working even under pressure of a professional shoot.

2. The Metabones adapter for my Contax Zeiss lens collection, however, is so disappointing! It could be that there's another version I need to discover!

  • 18 mm f4.0 Distagon wobbles but works.

  • 28mm f2.0 Distagon fits beautifully, but the wonderful images are totally vignetted to black at the corners. Still very usable.

  • 28-85 mm f4.0 Contax MM Vario Sonnar doesn't lock in place and has to be held there with one's pinky, LOL! The latter lens, however, works beautifully. I will try it out with some gaffers tape to keep on on the camera while I look for a better fitting mount.


I hope this report us useful to others. I have delayed getting an adapter for my Canon Eos lens collection, but am looking favorably at the Metabones smart Adapter version IV. It would be appreciated if you would add your own experience with your favorite lenses and available adapters.


Asher
 
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Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Just maintain the line of the optical axis of the, presumably, perfectly telecentric lens.

Unfortunately, many adapters are not machine with great attention to orthogonaliry of contact surfaces to the existing lens and camera optics.

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Asher,

Just maintain the line of the optical axis of the, presumably, perfectly telecentric lens.
It is very rare that we use an actually telecentric lens. Some of our lenses are "quasi telecentric" in the sense that the exit pupil is not located in the classical location.

An actual telecentric lens gives the same magnification regardless of the distance to the subject. It makes it seem as if the camera is located an infinite distance from the subjects.

I have an idea you are thinking of some other property. Perhaps you are thinking of a lens in which all the elements are "precisely centered" with respect to the optical axis.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
............

I have an idea you are thinking of some other property. Perhaps you are thinking of a lens in which all the elements are "precisely centered" with respect to the optical axis.


Well, Doug,

You caught me again, shifting a meaning for my convenience, LOL!!

Still, you guessed correctly! The concern is the centering of the various components along the optical axis, from the front of the lens to the entrance of the central ray orthogonal to the camera film or sensor plane. Makers of extension tubes are not always so fastidious and within a brand, one might have to test several examples to find one that fits, doesn't wobble, locks, can be removed and keeps the optics aligned as expected.

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I've ordered the latest version of the smart Metabones adapter for my Canon EF AF lenses with the A7R and in addition to migrate over the 24mm TSE II. The widened diameter and antireflective coating should be just right. Still I might have to add some black flocking from Edwards optical if there's flare.

Also, on the way, is the Novoflex CY to FE adapter which should address the issues I've noted above with the Metabones CY to FE adapter.

Asher
 

Ben Rubinstein

pro member
Did you mean the 20mm FD lens Asher?

I've got Novoflex on everything, I couldn't be bothered with worrying if my adaptors were good enough for the saving it would give. Buy the best first time and you save buying twice.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Did you mean the 20mm FD lens Asher?

I've got Novoflex on everything, I couldn't be bothered with worrying if my adaptors were good enough for the saving it would give. Buy the best first time and you save buying twice.

Yes, the 20mm FD lens.

I'm not bothered by the prices, LOL! Just want the best fits.

Update on the 28-85 Contax Zeiss not locking in to Metabones adapter. I discovered that one of the tiny screws at the mount end is missing. That could explain the lens not locking in to the adapter, perhaps. I will get that screw replaced and then, hopefully, the lens will lock in to the adapter perfectly and not wobble.

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
From what I've heard about metabones, nice functionality but really bad fit, i.e. tight.

Yup: bad fit, but not tight just sloppy!

Now an update on the Novoflex CY to FE Adapter: Mounting the Contax Zeiss 28mm f2.0 MM Distagon and the Contax Zeiss 4.0 18mm MM Distagon is like a native Sony FE lens! All my MM lenses now fit well with zero wobble and a good lock. (But for some play because a missing screw on the back my 28-85 mm zoom). Focusing manually with the A7R with both these lenses is a dream and no vignetting! Will invest in 2 more of these wonderful adapters, one dedicated to each lens. This allows me to just have Sony FE front and rear caps for everything, quite useful when swopping our lenses in a shoot.


Now I have to find a tiny screw for the Zeiss Contax Vario Sonnar to cure the wobble in that lens.


Final Opinion on the Metabones CY to EF mount: It's not as fine a fit as the Novoflex and the slight wobble is a disaster for fine manual focus operation. So reluctantly, this adapter has to go back.


Asher
 
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