photo:lensadapters
Table of Contents
lens adapters
see also:
introduction
- there are almost none for Nikon cameras as very few lenses can be adapted to Nikon F dSLR system.
- there are a multitude available for mirrorless camera systems cameras
- basic adapters do not allow control of AF, optical IS or aperture from the camera, nor do they record lens information in the image EXIF data
- adapters with an AF-confirm CPU chip may allow:
- manual focus confirmation on dSLRs using the camera's AF sensors to detect when a subject is in focus
- some may allow recording of a pre-set focal length and aperture into the EXIF data of an image - this needs to be programmed.
- some adapters are fully electronic and allow AF, optical IS and aperture control
- some adapters are special purpose such as tilt-shift adapters
basic lens adapters
- multitude available for mirrorless camera systems, Olympus Four Thirds dSLR system and Canon EOS camera system cameras
- Olympus make a Olympus OM to Four Thirds and Olympus OM to Micro Four Thirds adapter
- Panasonic make a Leica M to Micro Four Thirds adapter
- see Cameraquest.com
-
- Fotodiox adapters and Kipon
- even have a Four Thirds and MFT to Sony E mount but only works with fully MF lenses
- search Ebay for cheaper Chinese versions (usually $20-$40)
with tripod mount for larger lenses
- the highest quality ones with the least play in them thanks to Positive Locking PL mechanism:
tilt-shift capability
- these convert lenses into tilt or shift lenses (or both)
- Fotodiox shift adapters – most 35mm camera lenses
- Adriano Lolli tilt adapters – most 35mm camera lenses
- Flashpoint tilt adapter – Nikon lenses
-
- Kipon tilt-shift adapter Nikon to M43 $US290 (sold via Ebay)
AF-confirm chip lens adapters
- these allow dSLRs (but not mirrorless cameras) to display when subject is in focus during manual focus using phase contrast AF sensors
- AF-confirm does not work in Live View mode and thus does not work on mirrorless camera systems
- these will cause an error if directly connected to a Panasonic camera - use basic adapters instead.
- the most common chip used is a Dandelion programmable chip which you can buy separately and glue to a basic adapter.
- search Ebay for cheaper Chinese versions
manual aperture-control lens adapters
- mainly for use with lenses without aperture rings - eg. Nikon G, Minolta AF, Pentax K, Canon EOS
- if you use an adapter without aperture control on these lenses, the aperture will be fixed wide open unless you stopped it down on a dSLR of the same brand by holding down the DOF preview button as you removed the lens - the aprture will then be fixed at the aperture set prior to removal of the lens.
-
- search Ebay for cheaper Chinese versions:
- Big-is brand is preferable, nice aperture ring, less play, flange distance more accurate and less paint flaking internally than the Fotga brand
powered aperture control lens adapters
-
- uses a 9V battery via cable to power an aperture-control device as part of the adapter.
- no AF, OS available.
- at $440, only pro videographers are likely to be interested.
AF, optical IS and aperture control lens adapters
-
- Sigma, Metabones, etc adapters for Canon EF lenses to Sony E-mount (also Nikon to Sony)
- Panasonic and Olympus Four-Thirds to Micro Four Thirds adapters - these cost ~$200
- Canon EOS EF to Micro Four Thirds adapters
- Kipon Canon EF/EF-S AF adapter for MFT $US285
-
- aperture control, on-sensor PDAF support, fast CDAF, optical IS support but no C-AF or video AF support1)
- see my review
- 2016 as of firmware v2.2 on Olympus OM-D cameras:
- relatively fast PDAF support for E-M1 with certain lenses BUT NOT Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L lens which will not AF with the E-M1 but will do via CDAF on other cameras
- this quirk arises as the E-M1 defaults to PDAF mode only (and no CDAF) is the attached lens is not recognised as having CDAF compatibility - unfortunately user cannot force the E-M1 to use CDAF mode
- relatively fast CDAF on cameras excluding E-M1, including face detect AF
- multi-pt area AF, C-AF and AF tracking modes do NOT work well
- OIS works if lens OIS is ON but no dual IS support at this stage
- see also the Metabones Speed Booster 0.71x focal reducer adapter!!
- Viltrox AF EF-M1 adapter
- announced may 2017, Canon EF to MFT
- Sony have a basic adapter for Sony alpha lenses for NEX cameras with aperture control but no AF
- Sony have a large, expensive phase contrast AF adapter for Sony alpha lense on NEX cameras
- Sony FE lens to Nikon Z AF adapters
- Techart Sony E - Nikon Z AF adapter (TZE-01)
- announced June 2019
- use PDAF and supports AF-S, AF-C and MF modes, Eye AF, EXIF, timelapse mode.
- $US249
-
- announced Aug 2021
- $US249
- Canon EF to Canon R adapters
- Nikon F to Nikon Z adapters
- Canon EF to Nikon Z adapters
- Mieke MK-EFTZ-B adapter announced Sept 2022
AF, optical IS and aperture control lens adapters with drop-in filter slot
- Kipon EF-S/E AF ND lens adapter for Canon EF and EF-S to Sony NEX E mount
- announced Feb 2016 and RRP $US428
- Canon EF to Canon R adapters with drop in filters:
- Canon
AF for MF lenses
- Techart Leica M to Sony NEX E-mount
- announced Feb 2016 and incorporates a AF motor to move the lens according to camera's phase detect sensor
- RRP $US349
- Fotodiox’s Pro Pronto AF adapter - Leica M to Fujifilm X cameras
- announced Aug 2020; uses CDAF; lenses up to 680g
- $US350
- Megadap MTZ-11 Leica M to Nikon Z adapter
- announced Oct 2020
- $US349
wireless remote controlled manual focus and aperture lens adapters +/- variND for cine/video work
-
- Canon EF/EF-s lens to Micro Four Thirds system or Sony NEX E-mount camera system
- radio wireless control of aperture and manual focus setting allowing for 2 focus pulling distance settings
- 328' remote range
- RRP $US389
-
- introduced 2017 for Canon EF ;enses to mirrorless cameras - Sony and MFT
- electronically controlled variable ND filter from 3-11 stops (ND8-ND2048) plus a plain glass for no ND
- aperture, ND and manual focus pull can be controlled wirelessly
focal length reducer adapters
with aperture control and OIS
-
- available April 2013 for Sony NEX E-mount camera system and Micro Four Thirds system
- 0.71x focal length reducer = adds 1 f-stop more light and allows almost full frame field of view on APS-C cameras (become 1.09x crop factor) while MicroFourThirds cameras will have an effective 1.42x crop factor
- the EOS adapter will also allow aperture control, OIS, EXIF, fast PDAF (on E-M1) and very slow CDAF (for post-2006 EF lenses)
- ~$US699
- see also:
mechanical aperture control only
- Fotodiox Pro EXCELL +1:
- introduced mid 2014 with better optics to replace the Light Cannon
- manual aperture control ring
- 0.72x reducer = 1 stop faster aperture
- $159
- Nikon G to MFT
- Canon FD to MFT
- Vizelex Light Cannon
- 0.72x reducer
- Nikon F/G to MFT adapter also includes a manual aperture control ring
- see Fotodiox Pro
- $US159
- unfortunately users have reported very poor image quality with lots of blooming, and aberrations - might be OK for dreamy shots though
- Zhongyi Mitakon Lens Turbo
- 0.72x reducer for Sony NEX or Micro Four Thirds
- ~$US179
drop-in filter adapters
- these adapters allow a filter to be “dropped in” to the adapter thereby allowing the same filter to be used irrespective of which lens is being used
- this is very handy when using lens with very large filter threads or no filter threads such as ultra-wide angle lenses or fisheye lenses
- if only they would make one for Four Thirds to Micro Four Thirds - be very handy for use with the Olympus ZD 7-14mm f/4 lens with a ND400 filter for long exposure bright sun shots of blurred water
- having a filter in place also allows changing lenses without risk of dust entering the camera body and landing on the sensor
- examples:
- no AF:
-
- eg. Canon EOS or Nikon F to Micro Four Thirds or Sony NEX
-
- with AF:
- Meike Canon EF to Sony FE has CDAF/PDAF switch $AU289 ($AU608 if you also want CPL, BM4, BM8 filters)
variable neutral density filter adapters
- these are adapters which allow a variable neutral density filter within the adapter to change the light transmission without affecting aperture which is highly desirable in videography in particular
- variable neutral density filters tend to give weird artefacts on wide angle lenses
-
- no ability to change aperture
- Canon EF lens to Sony NEX or MicroFourThirds
- ~$US315
photo/lensadapters.txt · Last modified: 2023/02/17 10:11 by gary1