After sharing it on Instagram a few weeks ago (@benardphoto), I have decided to post it here as it might be helpful to others: I was able to successfully attach my blue ring Schneider Kreuznach lenses to my Sony A7RIII. As a Phase One XF owner I have a love/hate relationship with that camera. It is outstanding at what I use it for (focus stacking) but at the same time it is so frustrating that it isn't more in 2019. It is a brick to carry, there is no electronic viewfinder and it feels slow and dated overall in the mirrorless era we live in. I always wanted to extend the use of my blue ring lenses to my Sony system but couldn't find any report of someone doing it successfully.
I recently read that someone was able to adapt blue ring lenses to Alpa 12 bodies. I also happen to know a few people shooting Contax lenses on the Sony with no aperture control. The idea that came to my mind was to use the XF body to lock the aperture on the lens, then unmount the lens with its locked aperture and attach it on the Sony mirrorless system not knowing if I would be able to focus to infinity or not. So I ordered a few @fotodioxpro Mamiya 645 to Sony E-mount adapters and investigated. It turns out that Fotodiox sells several versions of the same adapter; one with a flat mount and one with a recessed mount. Only the flat mount version of the tilt-shift adapter works with the blue ring lenses (no infinity focus was achieved with either shift adapter or straight adapter). My adapter is consequently a tilt-shift one that works perfectly with the 35mm LS, 80mm LS, 120mm LS but also the older Mamiya 210mm. The results are stellar! The images are sharp from corner to corner even when fully shifted. I now use all these lenses on architectural assignments. There is no aperture control but it is not a big issue for shooting interiors and exteriors. It is in my knowledge the first report ever of successful assembly of blue ring lenses on mirrorless system (see examples and more on @benarphoto). Phase One dealers will certainly not advertise about it even though they would have a lot to gain in promoting such assembly and ask Phase One to share the protocol with adapter manufacturers for aperture control. I was recently offered a trade-in for an IQ4 and after seriously considering it I declined the offer (the electronic shutter on tech cameras is a deal breaker for me). There is no doubt in my mind: the future is mirrorless.
I recently read that someone was able to adapt blue ring lenses to Alpa 12 bodies. I also happen to know a few people shooting Contax lenses on the Sony with no aperture control. The idea that came to my mind was to use the XF body to lock the aperture on the lens, then unmount the lens with its locked aperture and attach it on the Sony mirrorless system not knowing if I would be able to focus to infinity or not. So I ordered a few @fotodioxpro Mamiya 645 to Sony E-mount adapters and investigated. It turns out that Fotodiox sells several versions of the same adapter; one with a flat mount and one with a recessed mount. Only the flat mount version of the tilt-shift adapter works with the blue ring lenses (no infinity focus was achieved with either shift adapter or straight adapter). My adapter is consequently a tilt-shift one that works perfectly with the 35mm LS, 80mm LS, 120mm LS but also the older Mamiya 210mm. The results are stellar! The images are sharp from corner to corner even when fully shifted. I now use all these lenses on architectural assignments. There is no aperture control but it is not a big issue for shooting interiors and exteriors. It is in my knowledge the first report ever of successful assembly of blue ring lenses on mirrorless system (see examples and more on @benarphoto). Phase One dealers will certainly not advertise about it even though they would have a lot to gain in promoting such assembly and ask Phase One to share the protocol with adapter manufacturers for aperture control. I was recently offered a trade-in for an IQ4 and after seriously considering it I declined the offer (the electronic shutter on tech cameras is a deal breaker for me). There is no doubt in my mind: the future is mirrorless.