{"id":65,"date":"2014-01-26T22:28:15","date_gmt":"2014-01-26T22:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=65"},"modified":"2024-04-21T15:08:06","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T14:08:06","slug":"sony-la-ea4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/sony-la-ea4\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony LA-EA4 Adapter Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

The <\/span>LA-EA4<\/a> makes it possible to use Sony A-mount lenses like the mighty ZA 1.8\/135 on E-mount bodies like the Sony Alpha 7 or Nex-6 with full AF support and aperture control.<\/span><\/h2>\n

In this article I want to give an overview about its functionality and share my experience with it.<\/p>\n

This adapter was loaned to me by Sony for this review.<\/p>\n

Technical Data<\/h2>\n

Dimensions<\/strong> (approx. mm, W x H x D): 78.5 x 86.5 x 44.5
\nWeight<\/strong> (approx.): 160g
\nPrice:<\/strong> $349.99 in the US (check on Amazon.com<\/a>), around 250\u20ac\u00a0\u20ac in Germany (check on Amazon.de<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The Adapter<\/span><\/p>\n

\"LA-EA4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Adapter is much bigger than adapters for manual lenses because it has to include an AF module, an AF motor and a second motor to control the aperture.<\/span><\/p>\n

It replaces the older LA-EA2 which wasn’t full-frame compatible and it can be used with APS-C cameras like the Sony Nex-6 or a5000 as well as with full-frame cameras like the Sony a7.<\/p>\n

The LA-EA4<\/a> uses Sony’s SLT technology, so a semitransparent mirror redirects a some of the light coming from the lens \u00a0to a AF sensor. This makes it possible to have liveview and fast phase detection AF at the same time. The cost for this is that 1\/3 stop of exposure is lost so you have to compensate with a longer shutter speed or higher ISO.<\/p>\n

The adapter is compatible with almost every A-mount lens made by Minolta or Sony from 1985 until today, the only exceptions are most Xi lenses and the Macro-Zoom, Sony \u00a0Australia<\/a> has a list of incompatible lenses.\u00a0
\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

It won’t work for older fully manual lenses which carry the MC or MD name tag. For those lenses check out my manual Minolta lenses<\/a> post.<\/p>\n

\"Carl<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Aperture control<\/h2>\n

The LA-EA4<\/a> has a motor to control the mechanical aperture mechanism of A-Mount lenses, so all camera modes will work without limitation.<\/p>\n

Lenses will be stopped down to the selected aperture value in the moment the shutter is pressed.
\nI have a feeling that this increases the shutter delay a little bit but I have no means to measure it.<\/p>\n

You can program one of the a7’s many buttons to DOF preview.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"DSC05435\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Autofocus<\/span><\/p>\n

AF is \u00a0better than I had hoped but it isn’t perfect.<\/p>\n

The Adapter has 15 AF sensors of which 3 are cross type.
\nThe area covered by these sensors is rather small, less than 10% of the image is covered when it is used with a full-frame camera. With a APS-C camera like the Sony a6000 <\/a>the coverage will be around 20% of the frame.<\/p>\n

This is an image of the camera screen showing the sensor coverage with the Sony Alpha 7 and the type of sensor.<\/span><\/p>\n

A vertical sensor will pick up horizontal structures and vice versa.<\/p>\n

\"coverage\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There are 3 options for the\u00a0Focus Area<\/strong><\/p>\n