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Anyone using intelligent adapters Canon/Nikon to Sony


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I have a small collection of Canon EOS glass, of which my prized possession is a Sigma 100-300 f4. It's a good lens, very sharp from 100-200 on full frame, and I think that it would probably do well on the smaller sensor of my Sony a6500, but I need a converter that will enable me to set the aperture from the camera. Sigma make an adapter, but when asked if it would do the job their response was "The MC11 is designed specifically for our Sigma Global Vision range of lenses so we cannot guarantee functionality with the Sigma 100-300mm F4. Sorry"  (Pleased to get a prompt response from Sigma UK, even it was not the answer I wanted!)

 

Autofocus would be nice, but I can live without it, aperture setting is essential. Actually a fixed f8 would make the lens usable.

 

Anyone have experience of this or other products that might do the job?

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Hi Bryan, I have not come across an auto adaptor for this purpose but I have an adaptor for Nikon to E mount lens which allows adjustment of the aperture manually although it is a bit hit and miss as there is no aperture markings on the adaptor, just open and locked (closed).

 

The Canon one is here.

 

Allan

 

 

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I have the Metabones IV. It works with all my Canon lenses. I only use it with my 17mm TS now. I replaced the rest with Sony lenses: they're just better on my A7R2.

If you only want f8  you could use a $5 adapter. Put the lens on your Canon; adjust the aperture to f8 and take it off while pressing the dof button. This way the lens will keep that aperture. I would test the lens using this route first.

All auto aperture adapters would work in your case if AF is not important, because that is the only reason why some fail.

Why not rent one?

The Sigma converter is 5 pound a day/weekend at Calumet. The Metabones is 12 a day/weekend. There are more rental companies, but I would be surprised if they would offer different brands.

 

wim

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58 minutes ago, Bryan said:

I particularly like the cunning trick of setting the aperture on a Canon body!

 

I hesitated to write it down, because I thought it pretty well known.

Probably only with people wanting to use their lenses backwards on their Canon bodies.

 

wim

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Be careful if you buy one of the cheap "unintelligent" adapters on eBay. I purchased one to try with some of my old Minolta AF lenses (MF of course) on my Sony NEX-6. The adapter was fairly well made and worked OK with shorter focal length lenses. However, I was unable to adjust the aperture with my 75-300mm lens, which was the one I was most interested in using.

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5 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

Be careful if you buy one of the cheap "unintelligent" adapters on eBay. I purchased one to try with some of my old Minolta AF lenses (MF of course) on my Sony NEX-6. The adapter was fairly well made and worked OK with shorter focal length lenses. However, I was unable to adjust the aperture with my 75-300mm lens, which was the one I was most interested in using.

 

The problem with Canon lenses is that there's no way at all to change the aperture by hand. Only from a Canon body or with an auto adapter on a Sony.

 

Because until the arrival of mirrorless bodies the Canons were the most universal bodies (shortest sensor-flange distance of all slrs), there were no adapters for Canon lenses to anything else, because they would not be able to focus at infinity. There were a lot of adapters to put all sorts of lenses on Canon bodies. However now we have Sony mirrorless and all of a sudden those have the shortest sensor-flange distance. So everybody is adapting whatever lens to the Sony mount. Plus of course it's become an international sport to adapt whatever stupid glass to a Sony.

 

Does your 75-300mm have a different way of opening or closing the aperture from the shorter lenses?

There are narrow and wide adapters. Maybe your lens needs a wider one?

Does your lens have a manual aperture at all? If not, you too would need an auto adapter. Like one of the Sony A to EF adapters.

 

wim

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3 hours ago, wiskerke said:

Does your 75-300mm have a different way of opening or closing the aperture from the shorter lenses?

There are narrow and wide adapters. Maybe your lens needs a wider one?

Does your lens have a manual aperture at all? If not, you too would need an auto adapter. Like one of the Sony A to EF adapters.

 

wim

 

I bought one of these gizmos.

 

Nope, the Minolta 75-300 -- which unfortunately has no f/stop markings -- doesn't have a different way of opening/closing the aperture from my shorter focal length lenses. The adapter's aperture adjustment mechanism just didn't couple properly with the 75-300 for some reason. I've read on discussion groups that some cheap adapters do work with this lens. I was apparently unlucky. Sony's own "intelligent" adapters for Sony A-mount and Minolta AF lenses are the best way to go, but they cost more than I want to spend. You gets what you pays for...

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8 hours ago, wiskerke said:

 

Metabones V?

Impressive compatibility list btw.

 

wim

 

Looks likely to be the ticket thanks Wim,  but, like John, I baulk at paying $399 for an adapter particularly for a lens with a used value of probably less than $500.

 

 

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10 hours ago, wiskerke said:

 

Metabones V?

Impressive compatibility list btw.

 

wim

 

Thank you wim. unfortunately Metabones do not seem to have a similar mount for Nikon.

 

Allan

 

 

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11 hours ago, Bryan said:

 

Looks likely to be the ticket thanks Wim,  but, like John, I baulk at paying $399 for an adapter particularly for a lens with a used value of probably less than $500.

 

 

 

That's right. I decided that if I want to use my old Minolta AF lenses, I'd be better off buying a used Sony DSLR. It would probably cost less than one of Sony's overpriced (and bulky) adapters. They reportedly do work very well, though.

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I bought my Metabones used. More and more people will have replaced their Canon lenses with Sony lenses by now. Or have upgraded their adapter to a recent one. 

That will happen / maybe already has happened with other adapters as well.

As lots of adapters had all sorts of issues with lots of lenses, do check compatibility and if firmware can be updated. In case of the early Metabones there was lots of internal reflection. For which there is a perfect and simple diy solution.

 

wim

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