186 thoughts on “Guide to Adapters for Manual Lenses on the Sony a7 series”

1. My K&F Nikon-G adapter broke in the middle when I had a small bicycle accident (The camera was inside a camera bag, btw.). I could not find any screws at the point where it broke – apparently, it was glued: http://www.chr-breitkopf.de/tmp/ND7_2744.jpg
   One could argue that it’s a feature – if either the camera mount or the lens mount had been damaged, it would have been much more expensive 😉

   Using Novoflex now. And sometimes the CommLite Nikon AF adapter, but only to get EXIF data.

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   1. Is the Commlite AF adapter functioning stable?
      I thought about trying a 300mm 4.0 PF with it, but all the AF videos didn’t look good as soon as the focus point left the center of the frame…

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      1. I don’t have that many AF lenses. So far I’ve only used it with the AF-S 24-85 VR, and a few MF lenses (Zeiss ZF.2 and Sigma) to get EXIF data. No problems, except for:

         – The adapter is too long and lenses don’t reach infinity
         – Can’t focus at working aperture – it always keeps the aperture wide open

         Reply

2. Any feedback with using the Sigma MC-11 with either the Sigma 100-400mm or Sigma 150-600mm? How does AF performance on the long end?

   Heard conflicting feedback on that front so want to understand what the real situation is.

   Thanks,
   Tony

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   1. Sorry, never tested the adapter with these lenses.

      Reply

   2. both sigmas work very well with the mc-11. i use often the 100-400 with the a7r2. one time the 100-400 dosent work, so i must switch off the camera.

      Reply

3. Some additions to your useful article. First I would like to add Leitax, who have started to make direct E-mount adaptors for several mounts. Apart from reduced tolerances (at least that’s my experience with several XX->EF mount adaptors) a rock-solid stability, they offer a kind of spacer ring, which in combination with a cheap Canon (copy) tripod ring allows to put a tripod ring on the adaptor similar to the ASTAT-NEX from Novoflex. While the ASTAT-NEX can be used on any XX->E-mount adaptor from Novoflex the Leitax seems to be different for every mount type, which is much less flexible when you use lenses with different mounts.

   For people who like to have EXIF data with their adapted manual lenses there is the possibility to use an adaptor with programmable chip for the respective mount to Canon EF and then use a second adaptor from EF to E-mount. Of course your issues with tolerances become even worse when using two adaptors, which is why I recommend to use it with Leitax mount conversions only. It’s not cheap though, when you convert many lenses…

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   1. I once leitaxed my Minolta MC 1.2/58 to EF mount, I was very happy with the quality.

      So do you use lenses leitaxed to EF-Mount with a chip and an electronic adapter to E-mount? If so which adapter do you use and what EXIF data does it transfer?

      Reply

      1. Due to cost, I have limited the lenses with Leitax mount to my C/Y Zeiss 35m f1.4 and 85mm f1.4 lenses. Those two are a good complement to my Canon glass. The EXIF should say 35mm f1.4 or 85mm f1.4, but I haven’t glued and programmed them yet. The reason is that I still don’t have a working EOS camera at hand, which is required to program the chips…

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         1. Before changing to Sony, I had 5x lenses with Leitax re-mount for Canon EF, and found them excellent. (You can even speak to the guy who makes them!)
            Good to hear that the Sony E mount is now being done, though I imagine it will be pricey, as a lot more metal to machine. With EF mount, “Dandelion” made programmable chips, I wonder if something similar will appear for the Sony EXIF, to read which lens is on.

            Reply

4. Thanks for the large Information on adaptors for the Sony E-Mount cameras. I am using for my C/Y Zeiss and other lenses various adaptors with an fair success. I personally, can recommend the K&F adaptor. The NOVOFLEX seems to me overpriced, and there is an connect with the Chinese KIPON company! LEITAX has an good reputation! The cheap HONGKONG adaptors are often not CNC machined, and therefore fit not very precisely.

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   1. Where do you see the Kipon/Novoflex connection?

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      1. Die Firma Shanghai Transvision Photographic Equipment (KIPON) ist nicht nur für seine zahlreichen Adapter, sondern auch als Objektivhersteller bekannt!

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         1. Ich kann grad nicht folgen.

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            1. Das macht nix, man darf alles essen, aber man muss nicht immer alles wissen!

      2. Novoflex sells some adaptors made by Kipon (still labeled Kipon). I don’t believe there is any deeper connection than that.

         Reply

   2. I don’t know what’s about you, but why hate on chinese makes.
      You have no idea how angry it makes me.

      Reply

   3. My Canon FL 58mm/1.2 would not mount on any cheap chinese adapter nor on the Kipon, there is a conflict between a slight nodge on the lens and the lever on the adapter for the aparature . But Novoflex adapters, Sony E and Nikon Z, work perfectly. So Novoflex is not selling rebadged Kipons.

      Reply

5. Very nice article! Ever since I found your blog, I was unsure if the cheaper Adapters would degrade image quality (in earlier articles you often recommended novoflex adapters). But novoflex was out of my price range. The K&F Koncept adapters work for me, although I can focus past infinity with most lenses.

   I would like to add that there is a cheaper speed booster alternative to the metabones adapters: Zhongyi II Speed Booster. I own one (EF-Nex) and it works quite well. Zhongyi Adapters don’t have electrical contacts, so no aperture control or AF through the camera, but with manual lenses you don’t need it anyway. One should look out to buy the second version of their adapters, the first version had issues with flaring.
   The Zhongyi speed boosters are also quite close to the image quality of the Metabones speed boosters according to Matthias Proske, a camera and lens tester from germany (Test of several Speed Boosters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrqNHBHFxf0): Central sharpnes seems to be very similar. Edge sharpness is a bit better, although the crop factor of the Zhongyi is only x0,72 and not x0,71 as the Metabones (though it is said they would be almost the same sharpness if the Metabones Image would be cropped in post production to match the x0,72 crop factor of the Zhongyi).

   A comparison of a speed boosted wide angle lens an a crop camera and the same wide angle lens on a fullframe camera would be very interesting! I guess the would be a difference in image quality, but I’m not sure how much the speed booster would affect the IQ.

   Reply
6. Pingback: Pros and cons of using old manual lenses on Sony a7 - The Web

7. Dear friends,

   thanks again for this excellent overview.
   As I am also a lens junkie (to some extent), AND also a photographer with old eyes and some modern lenses, I can add some experiences with AF adaptors, all valid for A7RII and A6500. I won’t comment manual focus lenses and adaptors, Phillip and Bastian have said enough.

   1. Metabones model IV and Sigma MC-11 AF adaptors for Canon EF:

   As a lazy guy I don’t like to change adaptors and lenses constantly, so I own several (4, to be exact) of the Metabones (some internally flocked, some not) and 2 of the Sigma MC-11 for Canon EF mount, each of them is attached to one single lens – so it is much faster in the field to change lenses regardless of brand, this helps to shorten the time of “open Sony cameras” and minimizes dust collection inside.
   All Metabones have been purchased in used condition via ebay, so no “positive” selection. I use these adaptors not only with Canon, but also with Sigma EF mount lenses, especially the Macros. I have very rarely any issues with them, I remember one case when I had to update FW of a Metabones to overcome some sort of not working AF. As I update FW anyway as soon as Metabones announces new ones, no problem. I have also owned for some time the Sigma Sports 150-600 in EF mount, which worked MUCH better with Metabones compared to the Sigma MC-11 (the Sigma adaptors have been purchased new on Amazon, with the 150-600 in mind…). The Arca base of the Metabones is a nice feature, but as my Sony’s are equipped with Arca type L-plates, space gets quite limited in case you have a big clamp. What I have to confess: due to the floating elements problem I do not use wideangles with these adaptors anyway, so flange distance is no issue for me. My main use are longer lenses and macros. I have exchanged the Sigma 150-600 and replaced it with the latest Canon 100-400, which is MUCH better optically and works fine with the adaptors. With these Metabones and Sigma Macros 150 and 180 and the mentioned Canon 100-400 I have survived 4 macro workshops in the field in 2 years and did not miss one shot due to adaptor related problems. I also still own one Metabones EF-M4/3 AF adaptor, which works equally well with Olympus OM-D E-M1 (now in possession of my brother). So we can exchange lenses, a fine option, especially as M4/3 had the same missing long lens problem for a long time!
   To say it clearly: I cannot confirm the Metabones comments of lensrentals. Maybe the lensrentals clients had no time to learn what the adaptors can do and what not (especially the confusing “green” and “advanced” modes…).

   As for the Sigma MC-11: in the beginning there has been much hype around these, which in all honesty I couldn’t understand. My examples had several issues, would focus much slower than Metabones and had big problems in not so bright situations. After two or three FW updates, I think they are better now and work comparable to Metabones. Not better. Mechanical fit is nice, though. I also own one Sigma MC-11 for Sigma SA mount, which I use with a Sigma C 17-70 as a “holiday combo” on A6500 – no complaints, works fine, optically a good solution for a general purpose zoom. In the beginning however, with first FW version of the MC-11, AF would hunt, miss, fail and make noise as soon as light is not super bright. Now, after FW updates, its just fine.

   2. Commlite AF for Nikon:

   Basically, this adaptor works, again my experience valid only with longer lenses. Main issue is that you need fast lenses. Performance on Nikkor AF-S 1,4/85 was fine, on slower zoom lenses I cannot recommend this adaptor. Meanwhile I don’t need it anymore, as I have done the step to sell the Nikkor and to acquire a Batis 85.

   3. Sony LA-EA3

   Works just fine with the Sony ZA 2,8/24-70 and a Sigma 150 Macro HSM OS. Again, all comments only valid for use with the PD-AF-capable Sony e-mount types like A7RII and A6500.

   4. General AF issues with Sony E mount.

   On Sonyalpharumors, a couple of days ago some photog colleague mentioned the “oszillating AF problem” (but nobody helped him): starting with F/8 and then downwards with slower apertures, native Sony E-mount lenses would hunt for AF and fall into some “pulsing” or “oszillating” behaviour, and stay there trapped. No AF possible. This may happen in less than optimal contrast scenes (but still far away from dusk or dawn!). I would tend to describe it as some strange kind of interference between AF-point pattern on the sensor and structure of the targeted area. Open up to at least F/5.6 and the AF will work. In my case, this happens with the A7RII and the G-Master 24-70, before also with the Vario-Tessar 24-70. NO problem at all with the LA-EA3/ZA Vario-Sonnar 24-70 combination, where the aperture is fully opened and will be closed only after pressing shutter release. Now while all this may be excusable, as SLR’s also don’t AF with F < 8, one would expect that the all-so-clever Sony engineers would tackle that and implement simple algorithms to open the aperture for AF, in case such an oszillation occors. Nope.
   For me, this is part of the inconsistencies of Sony's E Mount AF strategy. Main problem is, besides sacrificing the focussing advantage of shallow dof: you do not really and always know what the camera actually does: open the aperture for AF or not? If yes, to which extent? In which situation? More with one lens, less with the other? Adapted SLR lenses, as inferior their AF possibilities may be, do not show this incalculable behaviour but rather focus wide open. (If there wouldn't be the focus shift sometimes…). These things are still my main concern with AF of Sony's E-Mount cameras.

   All the best,
   Uwe

   Reply

   1. Hi Uwe, any news on the oszillating issue? I experienced the same behaviour with my 24-70 GM on an A7RII. Could you please share the link to the post on Sonyalpharumors? Can’t find anything there.

      Reply

      1. Hi Berthold,

         here you can see the effect on youtube:

         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hwPzdFbsFk&feature=youtu.be

         This is REALLY annoying behaviour. You may find it with several E-mount lenses.

         Regards,
         Uwe

         Reply

      2. You find an example here:

         http://www.sonyalphaforum.com/topic/7414-cant-even-focus-at-f8-or-f16-with-a7riiwobbling/

         and note the completely incompetent answers of the “forum experts”!

         As a matter of fact, the inconsistent Sony AF strategy leads to situations where you have to open up, focus and then close down to the desired aperture. Not exactly elegant.

         Regards,
         Uwe

         Reply

8. Just a tip – I use my Voigtlander V-ME Close Focus Adapter with my OM lenses on E-Mount Cameras, using a Fotodiox OM-L/M adapter. Just need to own one helicoid…

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9. For a budget EF(-S) > E adapter, I would recommend Viltrox II instead of Commlite. Internet forums suggest the Commlite can damage the electronic contacts on lenses, and the Viltrox II (but not Viltrox III) seems to work with more lenses, although it’s reportedly getting harder to find. For example, I like the Viltrox II with EF-S 10–18, which is a popular budget alternative to the Sony ultrawide but allegedly doesn’t work well with Commlite.

   Overall, great overview, as usual!

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10. Thanks guys for another extremely useful review. I use Novoflex and K&F adapters for various makes of SLR lenses. One of the advantages of the K&F adapters is that they take the Novoflex ASTAT-NEX tripod adapter – so great for longer/heavier lenses.

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11. I like also Kipon. They are more or less three times more expensive than K&F Concepts, but still affordable, are typically as good or better on every parameters, and weight one third less.
    Very interesting if you like to take multiple legacy lenses with an adapter on each.
    More anecdotic: the Vello for Canon FD is wonderful. Cheap, light, excellent at reducing reflections, and infinity is exact.

    Reply

12. Great review, thanks.

    One thought: if you find a good adapter, stick with it!
    I’ve tried dozens, the worst being a $140 Contax G adapter.

    I now use just one ($6 Fotga) with the fantastic and underrated Olympus 24-48mm zoom which beats the pants off Sony, 100mm 2.8 and 135mm 2.8.

    Result: an ultralight, ultracompact combo., leaving the adapter permanently on the camera and just changing lenses.
    All the best,

    Robin

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13. And what about the Techart AF which makes manual lenses autofocus? Did you come across? Any good? Impact of having 2adaptors if you want toadapt with non Leica M lens?

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    1. Check out my in-depth review of the LM-EA7 for a detailed discussion. It works well enough but currectly I can’t recommend it due to reliabilty issues.

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14. Philip,
    Thanks a lot! Saves me a big costly mistake. I just hope they will fix the problem as it is an interesting proposal. Will be patient.

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15. When it comes to dumb adapters, I wonder why you always recommend (peace of mind recommendation) the expensive adapters from Novoflex, Rayqual, Metabones and Fotodiox as they still have strong downsides. You can’t focus to infinity with Rayqual. That’s a huge downside, IMO. Novoflex, Metabones and Fotodiox are too short, wobble, have too much play … You can get the same or less for much less with K&F. They’re not peace of mind, IMO. You still need to test them, may return them or live with the shortcomings. And that for a very high price.

    I have a couple of K&F adapters and they work great. Twice I needed to re-buy them because they were too short but that was no issue. I just returned them within 14-30 days. You just have to test them asap – but also Novoflex, Metabones & co.

    In my opinion, if there is no general production problem with this adapter, you can just go with the cheapest, buy a couple of them, test them all, choose one and send back the other ones. K&F is a good start to avoid general production issues.

    Somewhere you mentioned that you had had problems with your Minolta SLR adapter, it too short. I wonder if there’s a general problem with Minolta mounts/lenses/adapters because my Minolta adapter also was the only one which was waaaay too off. Maybe the lenses have too much variations because the cameras had too much variations too? And now the adapters need to compensate for that? I don’t own many Minolta lenses to see if there’re any lenses which need so much play.

    For example I have a M42 adapter which has infinity in focus with the lenses I had where the infinity symbol starts, not at the hard stop. I looked for better adapters and was about to fix it myself. But now I have a M42 lens that has infinity focus at the hard stop. So the adapter is absolutely right and I need this kind of play because the lenses have so much variations. Maybe the same is true for the Minolta lenses but even more exaggerated. My cheap C/Y adapter has no play with my Contax/Zeiss lenses. Maybe they’re build to higher standards and therefore the adapter needs no play.

    Reply

    1. We also recommend the K&F adapters because they usually get the job done but there are certain benefits to the Novoflex/Rayqual adapters which are worth the money in some cases.

       Of course you can focus a Rayqual adapter to infinity. As we elaborated in the article there will be cases where you can’t but that’s because your lens and/or camera is out of spec, it is not the adapter’s fault.

       And the reason that we recommend Novoflex/Rayqual as a peace of mind solution is that they are very well made and have zero play. I own three Novoflex adapters and they have zero play on my a7ii. My half a dozen or so K&F adapters have very little play but they do not fit as well as the Novoflex adapters.

       I own K&F adapters for Nikon, Canon FD, Minolta SR, Leica M and M42. They are all quite a bit too short. My noname C/Y adapter has quite a bit of play. I have no reason to assume, that this is a brand specific issue.

       Reply

       1. I own Novoflex adapters for both Nikon and Contax Zeiss lens on Sony A7S2. They are simply awesome. I would not use any other brand.

          I would recommend a German website called Grooves. Their prices are almost 30% below Amazon and others. Only thing it takes 2 weeks to get to the US. At that price it was a no brain trade off for me….

          Reply

       2. Hi, Phillip!
          I have many vintage lenses and I’ve never had issues except infinity coming before the hard stop. 28mm lenses and 35mm lenses always performed very well even with Fotga and noname adapters. K&F adapters were more precise with infinity at hard stops or a tiny bit before.

          But recently I’ve bought a CZ CONTAX 35/2.8 lens. I like it very much, but there is a problem: one side of the frame is always blured closer to the right corner. The problem remains through all apertures. At f11 the problematic corner is only OK. I’ve tried 3 adapters (K&F, Fotga, Noname) and all had the same result with minor differences. I thought that the problem could be in a decentered lens element, so I bought another CZ CONTAX 35/2.8 lens with the same result. Do you think I should try the novoflex adapter or I just had very bad luck with two faulty lenses?

          Reply

          1. I have never had a case where I actually noticed a tilted field because of an adapter and a 2.8/35 shouldn‘t be very susceptible to it. Think I would try a third copy if the lens 🙂

             Reply

             1. Thank you for your experience and prompt response, Phillip! 🙂

                Such a pity with these 35mm zeiss contax lenses. I’ve never had such issues with pentax or minolta wide angle lenses!

    2. Hi! What adepter do you use with Contax Lenses? Have you had any problems with corner sharpness? I have a problem with CZ Contax 35/2.8 lens, which always blures one side of the frame starting after the middle of the frame, closer to the corner. I’ve tried two copies of this lens and 3 adapters and the result was always the same! Fotga Adapter, K&F adapter a no-name adapter all gave almost identical results with minor differences. At infinity the focus starts before the hard stop with all of them.

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16. Hi,
    It happens that I’m using FOTGA adapter for my Minolta lenses and I hate it as it has a little play at the mount of the camera and a smaller one in the lens mount. I have one Minolta Rokkor PF 50 1.7 a little wobbly somewhere around the aperture ring, but in conjunction with the adapter feels like a ballerina on my camera mount.
    I’ve decided to buy the Novoflex adapter for SR mount, but stumbled on Ulata adapters on ebay. They look well built and also have matte black interior. Has anyone tried these adapters? A couple of forums on the web say that it’s a good adapter but would love to hear one objective opinion about them before my purchase.
    I’ve also tried Selens for FD and they’re pretty well built and also have that play that you should really look for it to say that it is there. The paint on the exterior looks somehow very expensive, profi-like, but the interior for some reason is a little shinier on the grooves than the exterior, but still better than K&F first generation ones.
    Also I have one no-name M42 adapter that is a perfect fit. Too bad the Russian lenses weren’t made to fit their read-out always vertical. If my Helios lenses fit perfectly with it, my Jupiter 37A is somehow to the side and my Tair 300mm has also a little offset. By the time I figured out what that little hex key is provided for, I’ve lost it. Even so I wouldn’t screw and unscrew those little screws for every lens.
    All these adapters reach infinity before the mark by a tiny bit, but that isn’t a problem for me, …yet :))
    Over all I’m staying away from Fotga as the tolerances are way bigger than what I can accept and I’m also open to other cheaper but well built alternatives to Novoflex, Rayqual or Fotodiox since all I’m buying is a metal spacer without glass.

    Reply
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18. Good stuff, PR.

    FYI: a Speedbooster is referred to as a ‘focal reducer’ in some circles. The f-stop increase is often less than a full stop but anything is better in that regard.

    Like all non-native, add-on gear, results can vary wildly depending on the lens being ‘reduced’ to its native optical focal length. But when you find a working combination it doubles the value of each lens!

    I’m using Zghongi’s Turbo model and it does well on some, not so much on others. A real crap shoot…

    Reply

19. I have had problems with the Metabones tube adapter for Minolta SR (MC/MD) mount. I got metal flakes ripped of after some on and off mountings of the Minolta lenses.

    Has anyone else experienced this?

    See my post here for images, scroll down to the adapter part after all the nature images here:
    https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/59823581

    Best regards from Sweden!
    /Anders

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20. My question has to do with adapting the Minolta Maxxum 70-210mm f3.5-4.5 and the Minolta Maxxum AF Zoom 70-210 1:4 (32) 55mm (beercan) to the Sony A7. Since there is no aperture ring control on these lenses is there an inexpensive adapter available that can control the aperture setting on these lenses? I’m told the Fotodiox Lens Mount Adapter – Sony Alpha A-Mount (and Minolta AF) DSLR Lens to Sony Alpha E-Mount Mirrorless Camera Body adapter has an aperture ring on it although I have not seen or used this adapter before.

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    1. The LA-3 is too expensive for you? It is certainly the most comfortable option and it is a solid adapter.

       I only briefly used an adapter with mechanical aperture control and I couldn’t select exact aperture values which bothered me. Plus if you have a second generation a7 it is really annoying to readjust focal lenght with a zoom for the stabilizer.

       Reply

       1. Thanks, that was the answer that I think I was looking for. The LA-EA3 it is, then. Much obliged.

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          1. T retain Auto focus w/ Screw drive Minolta/Sony AF lenses (like the 70-210 f4) you need the LA-EA4 that has a screw drive motor built into it, The LA-EA3 will only auto focus SSM/SAM lenses that have the focus motor built into the lens

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21. Hi Phillip,
    Thanks for sharing your passion and inspiring ohters. You actually made me buy a Sony A7R! Now I have some nice vintage lenses like the Pentax K 28 f/3.5 that I really would like to use with the Voigtlander VM close up adapter for Sony E mount, but that means I would have to first put a (K&F) Pentax K to Leica M adapter on the Pentax K in the first hand to convert it to a Leica M mount, and subsequently connect it to the Voigtlander VM?Will this work? Have you tried this on e.g. Minolta lenses? In theory it sounds tempting, as it would give close up ability on lots of lenses.

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    1. Hi Lennart,

       I haven’t used such a combination and there could be mechanical issues, the Techart pro AF adapter for example only works with some SLR to M-mount adapters. But mist likely it will work just fine.

       If you just have lenses in one mount helicoid adapters for that mount might be more affordable.

       Reply

22. I have 6 K&F adapters for use with F mount Nikkors and my A7ii. Plus three more with the LTM Leitz and Voigtlander lenses.

    No issues, good build quality with a quality feel.

    A very useful article. And one of the best sites around, by a country mile.

    That said, I hope the team will venture into testing the older Nikkors if samples are available.

    Reply

23. I tried the Sigma MC-II adapter on my A7, with Canon 24/2.8 IS USM. Whilst very accurate,(it didn’t miss in over 100 shots), it was also very slow, 3-5sec. I believe though, that on MkII bodies it can be nearly as fast as native, (though it depends on which lens are on.)

    I’ve just had my first K&F Concept “dud”. Praktica PB to NEX. It was 0.9mm short! If you Google “Praktica B register distance”, you get a variety of different results,(It should be 44.41mm). I can only assume that they went by one of the wrong distances, or else mine was just a rogue adapter. To the credit of the seller, in China, they were very helpful and immediately offered replacement or refund. As I couldn’t be certain the replacement wouldn’t be any better, I went for refund.

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24. BUYER BEWARE! Nasty things can sometimes happen using an adapter!
    Above I mention the K&F Concept Praktica B adapter. The mounts each end were a very good fit, but I had to buy another cheap make to get the length right! (I’m trying out the PB version of the famed Carl Zeiss Jena 135.3.5 Sonnar MC)
    The PB bayonet mount on the lens, has a row of three, quite substantial round brass, “sprung” contact pins, with straight sides and rounded ends, which protrude 1-2mm beyond the face of the mount . One of these, has “spring-locked” itself, like a lens locking pin, into a deeply recessed screw hole on the adapter mount, and firmly jammed it in place, with no way to remove it, no matter what I do!
    It took me several tries, over several hours (on and off), with 3 and 4 thou” feeler gauges between the mounts, to work out where and what had jammed. The rounded end of the contact isn’t sufficiently bevelled to “lift” it out again when the lens is turned! That could happen with any make of adapter, and deeply recessed screws are usually a good thing!
    I still haven’t decided whether to leave it as is, or saw the adapter off! (After first carefully sealing the rear of the lens against any debris!)

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25. Many M42 adapters I’ve seen don’t have anything to push the aperture pin into the lens, so M42 lenses without a manual/auto switch on the side will be stuck at full aperture. You can try gluing the pin in or taking the back of the lens off to rejig the spring inside.

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26. Pingback: Review: Samyang 14mm 2.8 MF DSLR on Sony A7 cameras

27. Hi.
    I’m in trouble to find an adapter from Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58 f2 in Praktica mount to Sony E. I got a Praktica B mount adapter but it doesn’t fit with the lens. I realised the Praktica B mount is different from the old Praktica bayonet of the Biotar. Any suggestion?
    Best compliments for your blog!
    Stefano

    Reply

    1. We have no experience with those older eastern lenses and I don’t want to give you any wrong advice, sorry.

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28. Hi, I was wondering if any of you had any experience with adapters for lenses made for Contax IIa and IIIa cameras? Wanted to get the legendary Sonnar 1.5 but adapting it looks tricky.

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    1. We have no first hand experience with those and since adapting seems to be tricky indeed I don’t want to give you unreliable second hand information. Maybe you could get the modern Zeiss ZM 1.5/50 which is easy to adapt? Or the also easy to adapt Jupiter 1.5/50 which are both based on the same optical design?

       Reply

       1. I’ve never been happy with the build quality of the Jupiters (even the post war East German Jena built ones aren’t great). Guess I’ll wait till I can afford the new ZM version. It’d be great if you could do a review on that sometime. Appreciate the help and all the work you guys do here. Thanks!

          Reply

          1. David owns one and will probably do a review of it in the future 🙂

             I can understand your reservations about the build quality and you are welcome!

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29. One that you’ve not mentioned is the MTF. It’s made here in the Uk and they make adapters for the movie industry. It’s not cheap and doesn’t offer Af but it’s rock solid. I have the Nikon mount version.

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30. I got a Novoflex Nikon to Sony adapter. It is well made, no play whatsoever. Nevertheless, it is short and lenses focus pass infinite. Deceiving!

    Reply

    1. You should have read the article first 😉

       Reply

       1. I do like a lot the article! and the other one in which it is explained about adding some straps to correct this. I love the blog! I though nevertheless that the Novoflex had the correct distance so that infinite was at infinite 🙂 Maybe I did not understood your comment and I am missing some information ? Thanks a lot and regards!

          Reply

31. Please reread/edit the part about the speed booster.
    Let us assume, that we use a full frame lens on an APS-C camera.
    A normal adapter does not change the f-stop. It crops the full frame picture, so one works with a focal length multiplied 1.4, compared to a full frame picture.
    A speed booster concentrates the light of the full frame lens on the half frame (APS-C). Herewith the user wins one fstop. The light of the full frame concentrates on the half frame. The focal length is the focal length (angle of view) of the lens, as on full frame.
    jankap

    Reply

    1. If you use the crop factor for the focal length you should use it for the aperture as well since that is defined in relation to the focal length.

       Reply

32. Sorry, but the lens itself (focal length, f-stop) does not change. A Summicron stays f/2 independent of the case, that you only use a part of the picture, it delivers. Just as the focal length.
    In case of a 50mm lens one could speak of 75mm eq. or something like that.
    My standard bag contains a 50mm and a 17mm lens, an adapter and a booster. Herewith I have 4 focal lengths. Two real and two virtual ones to use another term.
    jankap

    Reply

33. Hello,
    I need help!
    I have A7 ii and the picture of this article is the same body;
    I think the link of amazon.de for K&C Concept for Canon FD lenses might NOT be the right link. There it is written that it is perhaps not suitable for A7S, A7ii and A7Rii …
    instead in the list I chose the FD-NEX (instead of FD-NEX, II) and there it is written that’s working with E mounts (not specifically named anything). So I am just confused.
    Please let me know which one is the right choice.
    Thanks a lot ! 🙂

    Reply

    1. I don’t know why it is listed as incompatible since it is not. You can trust the link.

       Reply

       1. Hi Phillip, just got one of these K&F C/Y adapters for my A7ii and it does not fit the camera body. It looks just the same at that side as my fotodiox ones but will not engage and I do not want to force it and risk it getting stuck or damaging the body. I have since looked at K&F’s own site and it specifically says that their adapter will not fit A7ii, A7iiS, A7iiR etc bodies. Just the original A7 and A7R. However, they also show a version with a tripod collar and the details for that one by contrast say it will work with A7S, A7ii etc as long as the camera mount is metal not plastic! So, is it just the ones with collars that will fit the A7ii or will they both fit but I just have a bad sample? Many, thanks, Andy

          Reply

          1. I think it is a bad sample because I have never had any issues with their adapters on my a7II. Nor had the others on their a7rII or a7rIII.

             Reply

             1. Many thanks. I’ll send it back and ask for a replacement

             2. Would do the same 🙂

             3. Just received the replacement C/Y adapter. Same problem unfortunately, so I think itmust be not right for the A7ii as per the main K&F website rather than the description on Amazon. I will send this one back and probably go for the Novoflex. One or two of my Fotodiox adapters have some movement – others are OK – but I would like to get one really good one that I could completely depend upon for my 28mm which is my main landscape lens

             4. Sorry to hear about that.

          2. one first explanation here:
             => https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/59391598

             “it appears that sony tweaked e-mount very slightly, and there have been complaints that some of the cheap adapters don’t quite fit as easily on the newer mount.”

             Reply

          3. Hi,

             Just to let you know I have purchased a Contax C/Y adaptor from K&F for my A7II and it WORKS. Perfect fit, no problem whatsoever. So I guess the information are not accurate on K&F website (and resellers just repeat this mistake).
             K&F C/Y adapters + A7II == OK, FIT, TESTED!

             Reply

             1. What lenses have you tested with the K&F Contax adapter? I have this adapter (and tried two others) and I’ve had a bad experience with contax 35/2.8 lens. One side of the frame is always blured closer to the corner. The problem remains through all apertures. At f11 the problematic corner is only OK.

34. After just five months, about 1500 photos and a few hundred lens changes the lens locking mechanism on my Metabones (MD to E) adapter is lame, when you focus a lens it comes loose.

    Reply

    1. After five and a half weeks I received a new adapter. This one has a felt lining and is slightly longer than the old one 25.50mm vs. 25.45mm, infinity now realy is infinity on the lenses I tried, (this leaves nog margin for errors). We’ll see how long it will last.

       Reply

       1. Actually it’s between 25.55 and 25.56 and that’s a tiny little bit too long for my MDII 24mm, it almost reaches infinity in the center but I can’t get midfield sharp, which you need to be able to do because of fieldcurvature. So I’m sending the €134,- Metabones adapter back again and in the mean time I will be using my €11,- secondhand K&F adapter. That one does allow me to focus midfield and when you stop down two or three stops everything is sharp.

          Reply

          1. I send the adapter back and the shop said they will refund it. No more Metabones for me.

             Reply

35. I have been following your website for a few years (great photography is what attracted me) so I think I should make some small contribution here.
    I am happy with Kipon adapters for Contax-G lenses. You need to “work” the focus ring a bit after any period of non-use in order to get smooth-ish movement (it is never truly smooth!). I found the Metabones version too gritty in the focus movement despite having a nicer big ring to grip.
    I use K&F and Kipon for Rokkor MC/MD mounts and Fotga for M42. I have not seen any infinity focusing issues, but I tend to use my beautiful (old) manual lenses for non-infinity subjects mostly. I use the longer Contax and Takumar lenses for landscape and the results are excellent with the mentioned adapters.

    Reply

36. PS to my earlier comments: has anyone come across an adapter to allow me to use my E-mount lens (fabulous Loxia 21/2.8) on a micro-4/3 camera?
    I a tinkering with the 4/3 system because the lenses are so amazing (such as a compact 24-200mm lens with constant f4 aperture….even an APS-C version would be a monster by comparison!). But i am not convinced about the 4/3 sensor compared to the A7II or A6000.

    Reply

    1. Not possible because of focal length problem.

       Reply

       1. Maybe this is an usefull site reading what exactly the problem is:
          http://m43photo.blogspot.com/2013/06/using-micro-four-thirds-lenses-on-sony.html

          Reply

       2. Because the flange focal distance of MFT is longer than of E-mount to be precise.

          Reply

37. Does all adapters mentioned in your article should fit to mine A6000 the same way as to your A7? I’m asking because i found some different namings on ebay , ones mentioning NEX and A bodies, some – only A7RII?

    Reply

    1. Yes.

       Reply

38. Hi,
    I am checking adapters on amazon for Pentax/Minolta/Nikon mounts and description says that the adapters do not have electrical contacts so i have to set the exposure manually.
    Which means i set the aperture in the lens and shutter speed in the camera. But my question is that how do i arrive at correct exposure? Does camera help me in any way? I assume there wont be exposure scale visible in M mode..

    So how do you do it?

    Reply

    1. You don’t need eletronic contacts for exposure metering. With manual lenses you can use A-mode and the camera will automatically select the shutter speed.

       Reply

39. Hello! I make just this comment concerning Leica-M to Nex adapter. I am trying to adapt Ultron 35mm to Sony A7rii.

    -In the good quality range: I have tried Rayqual and Novoflex adapters. Rayqual seems much more comfortable. Length is almost ok, slightly short, but just slightly, so that infinity is still not in place but almost. It has no play. After a small trial, I send Novoflex back as I consider Rayqual superior. The price is surprisingly the same in Europe including postage and import taxes. The only issue with Rayqual is delivery time, around 10 days. Buying in Amazon, this can be helped adding 30€ more, but I waited, as I am not in a hurry. Good quality.

    – In the cheap range: I bought this to mount the plano-convex lens. I have tried several K&F and Fotodiox. All too large until now. I would say K&F maybe slightly better. With Fotodiox I had light leaks at day. Not a big issue, but I had them.

    Reply

    1. Price was my main argument why I kept recommending Novoflex adapters in Europe. Where did you get the Rayqual for the same amount of money?

       Reply

       1. amazon.com, for the command in Europe, 4€ difference in my case

          Reply

40. Has anyone looked into putting a Canon FD to EF mount conversion on an FD lens (like the Ed Mika mounts) and also mounting a Dandelion chip… then using a EF to FE adapter with electronics to connect to the camera?

    If this works well, it would allow a few things: you could use an EF telecom enter and it should communicate the correct focal length for IBIS. Because it is EF on one end and FE on the other, you have the choice of the Canon teleconverters and the Sony TCs, so you would have good flexibility.

    If this all works, you will get good partial EXIF in the camera, and the IBIS should work correctly with FD lenses automatically.

    Anyone know if that is viable?

    Reply

41. What would you suggest for the best old manual wide angle lenses for using on the crop APS-C camera like the Sony a6000 for street photography getting around a 35mm effective focal length (20-24mm lens x 1.5 crop factor). Minolta, Canon, etc? Thanks

    Reply

    1. I wouldn’t use an old prime for that since the available lenses are not that cheap and usually outperformed by kit lenses which aren’t much faster. If you are certain that you want to do it none the less: Canon nFD 2.8/24

       Reply

42. Hi Phillip,

    I need an adapter for Contax C/Y and Pentax K for use on a Sony A7 II.

    You recommend K&F II for both. But there is no K&F II for Pentax K mounts, only the old version.

    The same applies to C/Y. There is only version I and a warning that this will not fit on Sony a7S, a7 II, a7S II, a7R II, a7R III. (On the K&F-Website.)

    A version II is only available for Minolta MD, Canon FD, Nikon Ai and M42.

    I think I will go with Novoflex for Contax C/Y and Canon FD.

    And I’m still on the search for Pentax K. Or maybe I should sell my only Pentax lense 😉

    Thanks for your great work on this site!

    Sincerely
    Michael

    Reply

43. Am using “dumb” Novoflex and Metabones Nikon F-to-Sony E adapters to mount Nikkor Non-Ai,Ai an Ai-s lenses to Sony A7II & A6500. Both brands are working great. I prefer the Novoflex for all except for the Nikkor non- iA f4/200 where the Metabones tripod mount is most handy. Also use Fotodiox-Pro M39/LTM for canon rangefinder lense 1.2/50 & Komura 2.8/135 this adapter works well for these lenses. None of these adapters show any play yet, but I am not professional photog giving them significant use.

    Reply

44. Phillip,

    I just picked up an old helios with the LTM/m39 thread mount and was very dissappointed to find that the m39-E adapter wasn’t the correct flange distance. It needed the m39-m42 adapter and then the (comparatively) huge m42 adapter tube. Do you know of why this is the case? How can you tell if a LTM/m39 lens is actually that flange distance vs the m42 flange distance? I had hoped for a really tiny package, but with the m42 adapter, this formerly tiny lens becomes quite long. 🙁

    Reply

    1. That is curious but I have little to no experience with older M39 lenses so I have no idea what the reason might be. But I can tell you that if the lens needs a certain flange focal distance there is no way to use it with a shorter adapter.

       Reply

45. I have to report that Commlite adapter doesnt provide enough quality with Samyang 14mm 2,8f canon mount version lens.
    I mounted it on my Sony a7 II and the corner sharpness is very bad. It might not be issue in day light.. But try photographing stars. Nearly 2/3 of the image is effected of Stretched stars effect looks like tilt shift like effect at the corners, and that effect covers quite a lot of image.

    Same happen with Sigma art 24mm 1,4f also Canon mount. Effect is less pronounced but it is there at the corners.

    So I wouldnt recommend using this adapter if you are aiming for wider angle lenses.

    AF does not work with Sigma art lenses. It does work with canon EFs, I tried 10-22mm APSC wide angle lens AF worked.

    Currently trying to find out how to put my wide angle lenses on Sony camera without deteriorating image quality in the corners, because this adapter simply cant be used in night sky photography the way it is now…

    Reply

    1. I had the same experience with the shitty Commlite adapter. Only somewhat usable for tele lenses.
       Try the Sigma MC-11 instead (won’t work with EF-S lenses!).

       Reply

       1. I really hope that it will make a difference, at least for my Sigma ART 24mm 1.4f if it wont, then I dont know :/

          Reply

46. Per rendere l’interno degli anelli veramente antiriflessione ,secondo la mia opinabile opinione,si deve verniciare con tempera all’acqua nero opaco

    Reply

47. Have you tried Ciecio7 adapters? (a small, independent adapter maker that sells on eBay). They state “0.002mm ACCURACY”

    Read very good things about those adapters on FM. Also, much more affordable than Novoflex and Rayqual.

    Reply

    1. Just had a look and they seem to be targeted at videographers and they are more expensive than Novoflex adapters.

       Reply

48. Hello Again, so I received my Sigma MC-11 adapter. The adapter is way better compared to Commlite. But I must say that the problem with “stretched” stars still can be noticed :/ With samyang 14mm 2,8f left side of the image is affected a little. With Sigma ART 24mm 1,4f bottom part of the image is the most affected, the stars stretching is pronounced, not as sever as Commlite adapter, but it is still there… Also Sigma MC-11 automatically adds a lens profile over the pictures, the profile can not be turned off in lightroom or Photoshop. The image looks like it is stretched towards the corners and that also adds a little more to the stars stretching effect.. :/ The images taken with adapters are nowhere near those taken with Canon 6d.
    Autofocus seems OK with 24mm 1,4f but Eye -focus and AF-C does not work with this lens, so be aware of this.

    It is very sad that not many people seem to report these issues. Also I tested only 8sec. exposure times on night pictures with my Sony A7 II and I must say it does feel like some of the stars are removed from the picture, although many claim that A7 II “star eater” is not visible until BULB mode. But it really look like some of the dimmer stars are removed from the picture..

    For all of those who are wishing to move from Canon to Sony to get better DR I urge you to think things through a little more. Because the lack of DR you have now is not that big of a deal compared to the other things you might face when switching over..

    Reply

49. Dear Philip:
    Thanx for these great articles which are giving me deeper insights. As I am growing out of my Sony A58, I tried 8 Minolta and Sony etc AF lenses on the A7R using the LA-EA4. They all worked fine especially the Minoltas as they were recognized as full frame lenses. Oddly, I could not do manual focusing on the APC lenses from Sony and Tamron even after I had set the A7R to do manual focusing. I plan to buy the A7RII as I like the IS which it has.
    On another front, I have an old Voigtländer VSL 1 (Made in Singapore) with the Ultron F1.8 50mm and Dynarex F4/135mm. I understand they are really Rollei’s. On the web, people call their mounts QBM (never heard off). Do you know of a good adapter in mind for these lenses to the A7 E-mount? Have you tried similar lenses? And finally, I also have a micro four third camera. Can you recommend an adapter for this last one as well? Thank you again.

    Reply

    1. I have no personal experience with the QBM mount.

       Reply

       1. I got this afternoon a Rollei QBM adapter for the MFT and tried it on the shitty Kodak S1 PixPro. The adapter is pretty solid. There was no space between the camera and the adapter nor with the lenses. I have no way of knowing whether the flange distance was preserved, yet the first pics were stunning with the above lenses in particular the F1.8 50mm which behaved like a 100mm macro. Manual focusing isn’t great on the S1 though but everything worked fine.

          Reply

50. One more question dear Philip. I am reading in a Dutch Photo magazine that the combination a sensor of e.g. 12MP (with a resolution of 3000 horizontal lines) and a lense with a resolution of 2000 horizontal lines will give a picture with a degraded resolution 1200 horizontal lines. He gives the following formula for the real resolution:
    1/result = 1/(sensor resolution) + 1/(lense resolution). Once you invert the result, you get the real resolution. E.g.
    1/3000 + 1/2000 will yield 1/result = 5/6000
    which will gives a resolution of 1200 lines. A sensor with 42MP will not give much higher horizontal lines with such a lense. What do you think? Did you have a degradation of pics taken by the 42MP?

    Reply

    1. In my experience any lens performs better on a higher resolution sensor. With weaker lenses the gain is pretty small but they won’t perform worse.

       Reply

51. Hi Phillip,
    I just purchased a Canon FD 24mm 2.8 to go with Sony a7 and can’t find an adapter that fits the lens, tried the Novoflex fd to sony e adapter as well as other brands but issue seems to occur when lens is set to manual aperture mode (by twisting lens mount clockwise). Adapter fits fine when not set to manual aperture, but alas then have no aperture control. Can you help? Thanks.

    Reply

    1. Are you sure that you understand how the adapter works? With FF lenses that is often an issue.

       Reply

52. Hi,
    I am looking for an adaptor for older Nikkor manual lenses, to go with both Sony E and Canon EF camera mounts, for video, not stills (on cameras such as Sony FS7/ A7S/ A7R and Canon dslrs). I have been using cheaper adaptors, and while the image quality is good, there is a play because of which any shots with focus change becomes unusable due to the shift in the image.
    Your budget recommendation K&F seems to have the same problem? If there is noticeable play, I run the risk of shots becoming unusable. Do you have any experience of this, can you say if the K&F will work well with video?
    The Novoflex and Rayqual are steep. Still, it would help to know how they work. Can I leave them attached to the camera and change lenses? The cheap adaptor rings that I have been using so far attach to the lens, therefore I have several of those and they remain attached to the lenses I use more often. But invariably there are times that I need to remove the adaptor from one lens and put it on another. The metabones on the other hand (E to EF) mounts on the camera, making it very easy to simply change lenses. Is that how these adaptors (R&F, Novoflex, Rayqual) work? That would make life much simpler!

    Reply

53. Also, any experience of Vello (such as http://www.vellogear.com/product/9152/Vello-LA_NEX_NGII-Nikon-F-Lens-to-Sony-E_Mount-Camera-Adapter)?
    Thanks!

    Reply

54. Okay, the manufacturers you mentioned (haven’t looked at K&F so far, but certainly Novoflex, FotodioX and Vello) make both kinds of adaptors- ones that fit on lenses and ones that fit on cameras. My apologies, I should have checked before shooting off a question to you.

    Reply

    1. Every adapter except for the Leitax ones you can leave on your lens or on your camera.
       If you are looking for maximum image quality you have to pay higher prices, simple as that.
       That Vello looks like the same generic stuff as Meike, Neewer, Andoer and the likes.
       Don’t expect much.

       Reply

55. So far I’ve used Pixco, K&F and a no name chinese adapters first on my NEX-5T, then NEX-7 and now on my a7.

    In my experience, the genuine Pixco ones (there are knockoffs as well) are the best overall.
    They fit really nice and tight, no light leaks, all of them correctly reach infinity (and often slightly beyond) and most importantly they have no reflections as the insides are already flat black, so no need to do any kind of modding.

    You can tell a genuine Pixco adapter by looking at the sides of the adapter where you’ll find “Pixco” written and on the box there’s a holographic sticker. If the adapter came without its original box is probably a fake one.

    Hope this helps!

    Reply

    1. A small update: as I went to AliExpress to buy another adapter, I realized that there are actually two versions of Pixco adapters. One is a slightly cheaper one and another, marketed as “Pro” is 3€ more expensive and is the one I have.
       Just a heads up, as I have no experience with the lower cost Pixco, so you might end up with the issues reported by Phillip.

       Reply

56. Hi, have anyone encountered this problem? I acquired a copy of Jupiter 37A and happily attached it with the K&F M42 – Nex adapter for my A7Rii, but all the distance scale and aperture reading is facing the bottom instead. How can I fix this? This adapter works perfectly with my Super Takumar 55mm f1.8.
    Kindly advice. Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Could it be that those rings on the lens were put together in a wrong order? I had a Helios 44 once, that was disassembled before and the aperture ring was put backwards, the result were that when you close the aperture to f16 it actually is wide open and vice versa.

       Reply

57. Just some findings – there is Fun to use and cheap tilt shift adapter from Fotga.
    Nikkor F – Sony E tilf shift adapter it cost around 20-30euros. Very simple design, looks quite cheap, but does what is intended and other brands do no offer anything like this even for a bigger price.
    You can use it as a normal lens adapter, but you wont be able to reach infinity, at least using 55mm 1,2f Nikkor lens.
    But you get tilt shift at 1,2f which looks pretty amazing bokeh wise and can be used in some artistics applications.
    Here is my images using it https://flic.kr/s/aHsmiATFTf the first 4 images.

    Reply

58. Hi
    being new to E mount (I’ve been in micro43 for some decade now) I found this page. However I’m surprised that you don’t mention probably the best adapter made on the planet. I assume this is because its not “marketed” and only available on eBay.

    In the spirit of Adam Smiths “invisible hand” here is a blog post I’ve written about my new E mount adapter, but from that post you can find my experiences on other m43 adapters

    https://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2018/10/ciecio7-e-mount-fd-adapter.html

    I am not affiliated with the maker, but his work has been exemplary since 2009 with iterative developments and improvements … more than you can say for many others.

    Reply

    1. So which other adapters have you compared it to?

       Reply

59. The K&F Concept Copper II MD-NEX adapter has problems when unmounting. This on both my cameras. Mounting works fine but when unmounting it overturns a little and locks on again. So I have to back it again rotational wise 1-2 mm and the flanges then releases.
    Anyone else have the same problem?
    Best regards from Sweden!

    Reply

    1. As said in the article: Don’t expect perfect quality control for $20. Usually qualuty will be fine, you are one of the unlucky ones. Return it and you have a pretty good chance to get a good one.

       Reply

60. @Phillip, thanks!

    Sending stuff back from Sweden to the German Amazon shop is always a little fiddly. No one in Sweden sells K&F and we don’t have any Amazon in Sweden, so the German one is the closest, and they also offer free shipping to Sweden for orders over 29 Euro.

    But when returning they max pay Euro 8.40 for returning and that is a little low from here so I need to put in some extra. And then when re-buying it I need to come up to Euro 29.

    So what I was wondering was if all the Copper II adapters are like this or if this is a unique bad one. From your answer I read it as it is a unique bad one and then I can take my chance and send it back and re-buy it when I also need something else as well to come up to the 29 Euros.

    /Anders

    PS. I have two of the K&F version one and they are fine. DS.

    Reply

61. Hi!
    Ive been using fd lens for a while and decided to get an adapter for my sony a7ii. I followed your recommendation and got myself the K&F concept adapter, which is very solid, however, the locking ring seems to be quite loose and can easily rotate while shooting, making me shoot and the wrong apertures. Is there any quick fix for this to increase the resistance for the locking ring? Also, how can I be sure that the adapter allows me to focus to infinity exactly?

    Thank you so much!

    Reply

    1. Hi Clement,

       since I didn’t have your issue with the adapter I don’t know how to fix it. maybe with time you’ll internalize not to touch it while focusing?
       I test infinity focus by focusing on a far away object and then check what distance the distance scale shows.

       Reply

62. Hi! I’m using a Sony a7rii + metabones + Leica R 50 2.0 and have trouble getting correct focus at +3 meters. The focusing aids appear to misguide me at those distances and the result is not satisfying.

    Any tips and tricks out there?
    (Don’t want to rely on focus magnify)

    Reply

    1. You have to rely on focus magnify to get best sharpness with manual lenses, especially on a 42mp camera.

       Reply

63. No love for Konica AR? 🙂

    A new player in the adapter game seems to be Gobi, a Japanese company that also does filters and other camera accessories. I have their Minolta SR – E adapter and it seems to be well made, you might want to take a look at them, they offer adapters for most mounts to e.

    Cheers

    Reply

    1. Which adapter would you recommend for Konica AR, Stephan?

       Reply

       1. I’m happy with the Gobe one, didn’t try other adapters. Got mine from Amazon.

          Reply

64. Hi! First of all, thank you for all your reviews, much appreciated. I wanted to ask you if you still find the Novoflex to be one of the best adaptors from Minolta MC/MD lenses to Sony e? Many thanks in advance, e.

    Reply

    1. yes, I do.

       Reply

65. @Phillip: Link to Minolta SR mount @ amazon.de seems to be wrong.

    Reply

    1. fixed, thanks 🙂

       Reply

66. Hi Phillip,
    you did not mention a “budget” solution for Leica R-mount lenses. I was wondering why there isn’t any. I got my hands on some and am looking for a budget solution…
    Thanks a lot for all the work and effort you put into all this. I really appreciate it!

    Reply

    1. Well going by prejudice I didn’t link a budget option but of course there are K&F (affiliate link) and other budget adapters

       Reply

67. Hi! Do you guys have any experience with the new “Pro” line by K&F? Thanks in advance!

    Reply

68. Hello and thanks for all interesting info and testing 🙂
    All your diy-fix on adapters are really helpful!

    What´s your experience on the Kiwi adapters?

    Best Regards!

    Reply

69. Hey! I just purchased a Jupiter 8 lens with a Contax bayonet mount and I’m looking to attach it to my Sony A7iii… Do I need an M42 or M39 adapter?

    Thanks!!

    Reply

    1. When the lens is Contax bayonet you need an adapter for that and not for M39 or M42.

       Reply

70. “Gobe” is now called “Urth” and they un-urthed (haha) a “budget” helicoid Leica M adapter, around 70€. Probably better than the cheap no name China ones from Ebay, no idea how it compares to the Voigtlander one…

    Reply

71. Great article, thanks! What’s your take on the latest K&F Concept adapter that has the orange ring on it to (gah!) match sony alpha cameras?

    Reply

    1. As we all use fewer adapted lenses today where there are so many native options I don’t think any one of us has used it yet.

       Reply

    2. Hi, I used such adapter for md to nex. It looks smart and works just fine. Locks on smoothly and almost no play. Matte paint inside against reflection.

       Reply

72. After reading your reviews I decided to go for the zeiss distagon 28/2.8. I need it for documentary and the Hollywood looked to heavy…
    Can you recommend me Which adapter to get to connect with Sony a7r3?
    I was looking at the novoflex and Rayqual but there are so many kinds…

    Also, I am a bit worried about the focusing on short distance …
    I thought mabey to get a close up adapter, will it affect the long distances as well? Is the close up adapter complicated to function in fast photography?
    Can u recommend a specific one?

    Thank you,
    Love your reviews.

    Reply

73. I am contacting you having read the article ‘Guide to adapters for manual lenses on Sony A7 series on phillipreeve.net http://phillipreeve.net/

    I have a Sony A7s and have been attempting to use it with a Tamron Adaptall-2 24mm f/2.5 prime lens. I have three different adapters from different manufacturers. With each of the adapters it is not possible to focus unless the lens is stopped down to f/11 or smaller.

    I have also used these adapters with a Tamron Adaptall-2 24-80 f/3.5 zoom lens. With the zoom set at 28mm the lens has to be stopped down to at least f/5.6 and ideally f/8 before anything is properly in focus.

    I also have a Tamron Adaptall-2 80-210 f/3.8 zoom – and that seems to work OK,

    I also have a K&F M42 adapter for use with a Pentax Takumar 55m f/2 lens. That lens also has to be stopped down to f/5.6 to get sharp images.

    As things currently stand these lenses are of limited use – I had hoped to use the 24mm lens for landscape astrophotography, and a maximum aperture of f/11 is scarcely helpful!

    Are these lenses just incompatible – or have I been unlucky with all three of the adapters? Or are the adapters too long?

    Your thoughts would be much appreciated.

    Reply

    1. There is also tolerance in the camera‘s mount. So I wouldn‘t discount the adapters being too long but also a chance that your camera‘s mount is too long.

       Reply

74. Useful article. I have a Zuiko 50mm 1.8 which has quite a bit of play when mounted via a Fotodiox adapter. Having read this I bought a Novoflex adapter and it is a much more precise fit.

    Reply

75. Wow, you have really done a lot of research here. I have a Sony A6000 & being a Pensione/cheapskate have accumulated a number of older lenses & adaptors. I quite like using manual lenses as most of my photography is based on birds, so with a large aperture & manual focus I can generally get the bird, not the bush. This becomes a bit problematic however when the bird is moving as I don’t seem to have enough hands to make all the necessary adjustments. Have you tried the Urth electric adaptor Canon to E mount. My current pairing of a Sigma 170-500 lens with Canon Mt via a Gobe adaptor has served me well, but have tried the electric version of the adaptor today, it seems to work pretty much as intended – I can now adjust the aperture (which is purely electronic) but am struggling with the auto focus which hunts endlessly at large apertures. I can improve this by increasing the depth of field, but still the autofocus seems to miss it’s target by just a tiny amount. I’ve juggled with AF-A,C & S but still struggling. I just wondered if you had any insight with this relatively new adaptor. Thanks

    Reply

76. Hi!
    Thanks for a very interesting guide on adapters.
    Your tuning how to’s were most useful.
    I wonder if you have tried or know users that had tried
    Pentax 645 lenses on a A7-body?
    I’ve also seen shift/tilt adapters for 645 lenses like Mamiya and Pentax. Any recommendations adapters, budget / non-budget?

    Greetings from Sweden!
    David

    Reply

77. If you have the issue that an adapter doesn´t fit stiff to the lens and feels loose. Lens turns in adapter when you rotate the focus ring. Then this solution might be something for you.
    I use Teflonband (used in Germany for Heizung Sanitär), this band is extremely thin, doesnt have any glue (so doesn´t leave any rest on lens surfaces). You can wrap it around the lens mount as often as you need. Attach the adapter and then it feels realy solid.
    I use for all my lenses seperate adapters. I don´t share the adapter in between the lenses.

    Reply

    1. I have used some duct tape for that purpose in the past, but your approach seems to be smarter 🙂

       Reply

78. Hello guys, great fan of your site. Did you ever consider including (more) reviews of Minolta/Sony A-mount lenses? Some are very good and moderately priced since E-mount has taken over. I know there are many reviews on dyxum etc, but not many based on use on modern Sony A7 bodies with LA-EA4 type adapters. Anyway, many thanks for the good work.

    Reply

    1. The screw drive AF ones are a bit clunky to adapt, the better SSM ones are usually commenting collector’s item prices and more often than not smarter alternatives are already available, so rather unlikely at this point.

       Reply

       1. Hello Sebastian, I can follow your view. I happen to own a lot of Minolta lenses that work fine for me. E.g. Minolta/Sony 50 and 100mm macro lenses deliver great results and can be had for good prices now. AF is not much worse than Sony FE 85 mm. It is not up to the latest standards, for sure, but perfectly usable in my opinion.

          Reply

79. Are there any adapters that do the reverse – allow modern Glass (Emount) to be used on an old Minolta MC/MD film camera (just for fun) ?

    Reply

    1. No, due to E-mount lenses having a shorter flange focal distance this is technically not possible.

       Reply

80. Hallo Bastian
    Mit grossem Interesse folge ich euerer Seite. Geniale Sachen, die mir echt sehr helfen.
    Ich suche einen CloseFocus Adapter für Leica M auf Canon R Mount.
    Die guten Voigtländer gibts nicht mehr, jetzt habe ich aber die von Lomography gesehen. Hast du Erfahrungen mit diesen?
    https://shop.lomography.com/eu/lomography-m-mount-to-canon-r-lens-adapter-with-close-up-function
    Liebe Grüsse Remo

    Reply

    1. Hallo Remo,

       hatte ich persönlich noch keinen von, bei den Lomography Sachen zahlt man aber auch einen guten Teil für den Name.
       Wenn du bereit bist soviel auszugeben würde ich lieber ein Modell von Shoten nehmen, die haben einen sehr guten Ruf, was solche Adapter angeht.

       Reply

81. Hello,

    I have come across Cosina Voigtlander made Nikon F and Pentax K to Sony E mount adapters recently, they seem to have been discontinued several years ago but appear to be high quality.

    Are these still a good choice? It is difficult to find any reliable information about them online as they seem to be fairly obscure.

    Reply

    1. I don’t think any of us have used these so we cannot comment on their quality.

       Reply

82. Another excellent guide, thank you so much!

    I do have a specific issue mounting an older Canon FL lens (58mm f1.2) which has a slightly raised half baffle around the aperture pin on the rear side of the lens that makes mounting usual FD to Sony-E adapters impossible without removing the locking/open pin that engages with the rear aperture pin.

    So one can remove this pin for the 58mm FL and the adapter will then mount using the breech lock, however, without the adapter pin in place you lose the ability to close down the lens without employing a second aperture ring on the lens which is a bit fiddly to say the least.

    Not sure if anyone has encountered and solved the issue another way?

    I can see that if the adapter pin were just 1 millimetre higher, it would miss the baffle housing, and maybe some adapters the position of the pin might vary enough to clear at the right height but such information isn’t generally specified 🙁

    Reply

83. habe kürzlich eine brandneue Canon 7sZ erstanden und bin nun auf der Suche nach m39 screw mount auf Leica M Lens Adaptern (für Vogtlaender, etc.)

    Laut Text “There are very slim adapters from M39 to Leica-M available and I would recommend getting them” – leider hilft mir keiner der Links weiter, saemtliche Modelle gehen von M-mount auf screw lens und nicht andersherum.

    Gibt’s evtl. einen konkreten Hersteller welcher einen solchen Adapter anbietet? Habe bereits BHP, Adorama und Urth angeschrieben, warte noch auf Antwort.

    Vielen Dank aus NYC,

    Marcus

    Reply

    1. Andersrum geht rein mechanisch natürlich nicht.
       Es wird niemals einen Adapter in die Richtung geben.

       Reply

84. Tokina revealed their EF-E AF adapter with video AF mode at CP+. The price tag was about $300. At first, I thought “why now?”. Tamron released inexpensive FE native lenses pretty early, and even Sigma used MC-11 to help mirrorless transition. Sure, there are some unique EF lenses like 200 f/2, and EF lenes are getting cheaper, but should I invest more for dying mount? I guess the adapter performance should be very good.

    Reply

    1. That comes unexpected.

       Reply

85. Hi,
    Please allow a couple of adapter questions!

    For an M42 SMC Takumar 1:1.4 / 50mm
    with a pin to push for the set aperture, have you heard of an adapter (to Z or E)
    that has a button or lever to manipulate that pin?

    And, please, this question also for an adapter from Minolta MC/MD/SR to Z or E — for the Tokina AT-X Macro 90mm f/2.5?

    Thank you all of you for this knowledge source!
    I’ve recently found it and especially enjoyed your comparisons and your discussing alternatives in your reviews!
    ( Even though I use a Nikon Z5 — bought for IBIS & possible use also of FE lenses.)
    Best wishes,
    Kristian

    Reply

    1. Regarding those M42 lenses: it is best to try finding an adapter that always presses the pin or just to put tape on it.

       For those Minolta MC/MD/SR lenses any dumb/cheap adapter should do.

       Reply

86. Thanks Bastian
    for good advice, but my question remains:
    I’d like my adapters to — if possible — switch aperture quickly between wide open for focusing and exposure aperture.

    And my brick & mortar shop told me there are adapters with a mechanism to change the position of the aperture pin — but couldn’t say which. Hence my question.

    The Takumar has an auto-manual switch. But its pin can’t be pushed in completely, so the adapter had better not push it!
    How about e.g. the K&F?

    The Tokina works with an Urth adapter with no contact to the pin — which works by being moved sideways.

    Reply

    1. I am not aware which adapter can do that. My K&F M42 to E definitely can’t.

       Reply

       1. Thanks Bastian!
          How about the K&F for M42, will it leave the Tak. pin alone?

          Reply

          1. I know nothing about those Takumars, sorry.

             Reply

             1. Thanks anyway, Bastian!
                Have a nice Weekend!
                /Kristian

87. Hi Everyone,

    Just FYI.

    My Stockholm brick & mortar photo store sells Urth lens adapters for ~ 55:- €.
    I’ve bought two , Z-M42 & Z-Minolta MD.

    ( Urth also makes electronic adapters for different mounts to Canon EF(-S) lenses.
    https://camerajabber.com/reviews/urth-lens-mount-adapter-electronic/
    )

    They both fit nicely with pleasant friction and no unnecessary play.
    And none of them engage the aperture pins of my Tokina (Minolta MD) and Takumar (M42) – so both work well.

    A quick check focusing on trees 2-300 m
    away
    with my Tokina AT-X 90mm Macro: ~60m
    and SMC Takumar 50mm: ~8m,
    gave both their lengths (including my Z5) to be about 1/4 mm short.

    Best wishes,
    Kristian Wannebo

    Reply

    1. Forgot to mention:
       Insides are matte black & ribbed.
       K.W.

       Reply

88. Hi, thx so much for this review! Really appreciate it and learned a lot. I remember that there was a blog post somewhere explaining how to change the shimming rings to adapt the thickness of the adapter. I use a c/yl lens on a Fuji gfx using a K&F adapter. It is a mess that sharpness at infinity is before the end of the focus throw ‚infinity‘. Possibly, I have to add some shim rings to the adapter holder. Do you have any experiences? Where can I order this shim rings for the GFX mount? Thx! Michael

    Reply

    1. I think it will be very hard to find shims that exactly fit a random adapter.
       Personally, I have a roll of copper foil with adhesive on the back which I cut to small pieces and attach radially orientated.

       Reply

89. If I use an adapter for Nikon G-type lenses with older lenses that have a physical aperture ring, will that combination function something like old preset aperture lenses? Specifically, if I set the lens aperture ring on (say) f/8, and rotate the ring on the adapter all the way back and forth, will that switch between f/8 and wide open?

    In some situations I like to use focus-peaking wide open and then stop down for the shot, but it’s annoying to always be counting clicks or pulling my camera down to look at the aperture setting. It would be great if I could set my aperture on the lens and then toggle on the adapter for focusing.

    Thanks for all the information on this website, it’s an amazing resource!

    Reply

    1. Yeah it should work as you described.

       Reply

90. Hello to the whole team,

    I have been reading you for 2 or 3 years, and you are “responsible” for my GAS of old and manual optics, thank you 😉
    For the adapters, I have K&F of the 3 generations:
    For the last two generations, I measured the thicknesses with an electronic caliper.
    The parallel edges of the rings are not perfectly parallel!
    My measurements range from 25.36 to 25.50 mm depending on where I take the measurement.
    To what extent can this (small) difference explain the soft corners and edges of some lenses?
    I had Fotga rings that I measured, and threw away immediately. They all exceed the desired dimension.
    Thank you for your blog, and above all, keep it up!

    Reply