Why I use Canon mount DSLR lenses with Metabones smart adapter for my A7R (Guest post by Dierk Topp).
This is a guest post by Dierk Topp. Feel free to send me yur articles to be posted on SAR at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com. Thanks!
Why I use Canon mount DSLR lenses with Metabones smart adapter for my A7R
by Dier Topp
If you still have and use a Nikon DSLR, you may just ignore the whole post :-)
If not, here are my experiences.
I have been Nikon DSLR user for about 25 years and sold all Nikon gear with one exception about two years ago. At that time I used NEX cameras for a while already and enjoyed the versatility of the small system. I could use my Nikon and Leica lenses with adapters (with the well known color problems with wide Leica lenses).
And I bought the fantastic Canon 17mm TS-E tilt/shift lens, for what I have always been jealous of the Canon shooters. Befor the A7 was available, I used my Leica M9 as my only FF camera with the 17mm Canon and used the trick described below with an old defective Canon body, that I got for free. After I got the A7R I used the 17mm on it with the Metabones smart adapter and have control of the electronic aperture.
I also got a F-E adapter from Metabones for my Nikkor lenses, all manual of course. I don’t know, if special G adapters where available at that time. The 24mm PC-E tilt/shift Nikkor could only be used, when mounted on a Nikon body, stopped down there and taken out while stopped down. This is no solution for practical use at all and I sold the 24mm too.
After the good experiences with the Metabones smart adapter for Canon ZE mount I decided last year to buy the new OTUS 1,4/85mm with this Canon adapter. Zeiss advised me, to get the new version of the Metabones IV too. When I got the OTUS and the new adapter, I was so exited of the function, that I ordered the Zeiss Makro-Planar 2/100mm the same day. The Makro-Planar was my dream lens for a long time and the price was about the same as I payed for the legendary Leica APO-Macro-Elmarit-R 100/2.8 with manual aperture control. So I will sell it again.
I don’t have any connections to Metabones or Zeiss. I bought all gear on these page in normal stores for my personal use.
Why Metabones adapter?
from the Metabones page:
– “True electronic integration of aperture diaphragm – let camera automatically choose aperture in P or S exposure modes, or dial in yourself on the camera body in A or M modes.”
they say further:
– Autofocus is supported, with the following known limitations.
– Autofocus speed is very slow and inadequate for most moving subjects.
– The autofocus speed is unfit for professional use for sure, and it would disappoint most enthusiasts.
30.000 pixel wide!
this only makes sense, when you want the option for huge prints :-)
On several sites and at youtube (for example this one) you find very strange arguments against the Metabones AF performance. They can’t even have looked at the Metabones page at all, otherwise they would not have expected perfect AF performance.
multi row stitch of 8 images, 170 MP
I don’t know, if there is any adapter out, that supports Canon lenses on the A7 with high AF performance and automatic aperture?
Why not for example Novoflex:
https://www.novoflex.com/en/products/adapters/adapter-finder/
for Canon they support only Canon FD!
for Nikon E-F adapters, Novoflex says:
– “The models …… are equipped with an integrated aperture control ring and can also be used with lenses that do not come with manual aperture control ring anymore.”
With this manual aperture control ring it is not possible to select an exact f-stop! How do you shoot portraits in a studio with flash, focus open and then stop down with a guessed aperture and keep the measured flash light correct: simply not possible!
In addition you need an extra tripod mount:
– “When combining larger or heavier lenses with mirrorless cameras on a tripod, we recommend the use of the adapter collars” the extra price is 99€.
My conclusion is, that I use the smart adapter from metabones and lenses with Canon mount and I am glad, that Zeiss offers their great lenses with Canon ZE mount :-))
Some examples of the use of Metabones smart adapter
Zeiss OTUS Apo Planar 1.4/85mm
my album with many more images on flickr
more on this lens in a previous post here at SAR
the lens on Metabones IV adapter
the adapter is mounted on the tripod and there is no weight on the mount of the camera
two soft boxes, test with f/2
Canon 17mm/4 TS-E tilt/shift
my album with many more images on flickr
more info on the use of this lens here at Steve Huff
thanks for looking and any critical comments :-)
dierk
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dierktopp/