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Canon EF adapters

gazwas

Active member
Hello Sony forum.

Sorry if this is a rather basic question but I know nothing about Sony cameras as I've been a very content Canon 1Ds3/TS-E shooter. I was going to upgrade to the 5Ds but now I've seen the specs of the A7RII I've decided to wave good bye to Canon camera bodies and pre-order the new Sony camera.

The plan is to get a Cambo Actus but until their Canon EF lens adapter is ready I'm holding off on that purchase and looking for a regular adapter for my Canon glass. Obviously I've seem Metabones adapters mentioned many times but for some reason here in the UK most of the usual sellers don't stock them (?) and further investigation (Amazon) brought up many different manufacturers doing Canon EF to E mount adapters and at a massively reduced in price.

Anyone offer any insight into which adapter to go for or just stick to the most obvious and well known Metabones? Worth noting, I don't use AF with the TS-E lenses so paying more for an adapter with better AF performance is of little importance to me but compatibility with tilt shift lenses is.

Thanks, Gareth.
 

UHDR

New member
Hello Sony forum.

Sorry if this is a rather basic question but I know nothing about Sony cameras as I've been a very content Canon 1Ds3/TS-E shooter. I was going to upgrade to the 5Ds but now I've seen the specs of the A7RII I've decided to wave good bye to Canon camera bodies and pre-order the new Sony camera.

The plan is to get a Cambo Actus but until their Canon EF lens adapter is ready I'm holding off on that purchase and looking for a regular adapter for my Canon glass. Obviously I've seem Metabones adapters mentioned many times but for some reason here in the UK most of the usual sellers don't stock them (?) and further investigation (Amazon) brought up many different manufacturers doing Canon EF to E mount adapters and at a massively reduced in price.

Anyone offer any insight into which adapter to go for or just stick to the most obvious and well known Metabones? Worth noting, I don't use AF with the TS-E lenses so paying more for an adapter with better AF performance is of little importance to me but compatibility with tilt shift lenses is.

Thanks, Gareth.
i just fall foul of the adaptor last week. without reading the description in details. i bought a yougnuo adpator, and only to find out that it is in fact...an APS-C only adaptor..... so while i cant tell you exactly which brand to go for, just be ware that there are some adaptors on the market that are still APS-C only.
 

gazwas

Active member
How do I know if its an APS-C adapter as I thought if it says for Sony Alpha then its full frame........ Very confusing???
 

UHDR

New member
How do I know if its an APS-C adapter as I thought if it says for Sony Alpha then its full frame........ Very confusing???
im afriad im on the same boat. i bought mine through ebay, the yougnuo adaptor actually tells you A7r is compatible....in APS-c only mode. i fear a lot of the advert/amazon listings are play on words telling you A7r is compatiable but dont mention about APS-C mode.... but i will keep trying, since i still have to fail 5 times before the cost equal to a metabone :D
 

Slingers

Active member
I have two EF adapters, a metabones and a viltrox, and both have the same functionality. When looking for full frame coverage, the apsc adapters will have a baffle on the bayonet where the full frame adapters will have very minimal plastic on the bayonet and most just the electronic contacts.
 

Bob Parsons

New member
I use the Canon 17 and 24mm II TSE lenses on the A7R with the latest metabones adapter. I also have the A7RII on order.You need to be aware of the following:

1. The firmware of the latest Metabones adapters can be upgraded by the user (there's a usb port on the side of the adapter). That's of particular relevance since the A7RII is a new camera which very few people have see let alone used with an adapter. There are few, if any of the other adapters that can be upgraded in this way. (There may be one that can be upgraded by WIFI/NFC, I'm not sure).

2. The latest Metabones adapter has a widened redesigned internal throat/aperture to reduce vignetting and flare with tilt shift lenses. Some people have still found it advantageous to add flocking to the internal surfaces of the adapter.

I've found the fit of Metabones to be somewhat variable with some being very tight. I have 3 adapters 2 of which are early versions and have to be returned to the manufacturer for firmware upgrading.

At the moment I think the biggest unknown is that the camera is new and we won't find the adapter/camera bugs yet. I agree, there's a very big price difference between Metabones and others and if you don't need autofocus maybe it's worth taking the risk of a cheaper alternative provided the alternatives allow tilt/shift.

Bob.
 

gazwas

Active member
Thanks for the replies everyone.

Yes, one of my worries was compatibility with the new camera but I've not sen any mention of problems when the A7II launched so thought I might try one of the cheaper adapters first. After all, its just a tie over until Cambo or Arca comes up with a working Canon smart lens mount for their mini view cameras.

Looking at a couple of online reviews, many report the difference between the Metabone and cheaper alternatives is price alone. The Commlite (Amazon) adapter seems to work better than the Metabones in some instances if shooting video and avoids the flash if opening up the lens aperture however, I've not seen any instances of people using TS-E lenses when comparing the adapters only regular zoom lenses.
 

Annna T

Active member
Thanks for the replies everyone.

Yes, one of my worries was compatibility with the new camera but I've not sen any mention of problems when the A7II launched so thought I might try one of the cheaper adapters first. After all, its just a tie over until Cambo or Arca comes up with a working Canon smart lens mount for their mini view cameras.

Looking at a couple of online reviews, many report the difference between the Metabone and cheaper alternatives is price alone. The Commlite (Amazon) adapter seems to work better than the Metabones in some instances if shooting video and avoids the flash if opening up the lens aperture however, I've not seen any instances of people using TS-E lenses when comparing the adapters only regular zoom lenses.
I think that the main issue will be to get maximum aperture at the bayonnet level, aka no baffle. All these adapters are available on Ebay and the offering is often completed by a lot of pictures. You should compare the pictures of the Metabones Canon to Sony FE smart adapter version IV and those of other potential candidates. If there is no pictures showing how wide the opening will be, don't buy. If the opening isn't as wide as that of the last Metabones, then don't buy.

I own a Metabones version III and have two TSE lenses : the 90mm and the 24mm (version one, not two). I know that the 24mm v II is much better than the first version, but it is also considerably heavier. The performance of the version one in the corners isn't extraordinary, but I've come to wonder whether just updating the Metabones adapter won't take care of part of the problem. If I decide to update to the 24mm V2, then I would need an updated adapter anyway. But some photographers also have had good experiences with other brands of smart adapters, so I'm also on the look out. I'm happy with the A7r and don't plan to get the A7rII. The advantage of smartadapaters over the usual dumb adapter is that you can adjust the aperture using the body (since there is no aperture riing on Canon EOS lenses). Plus the EXIF info will be stored in the pictures.

Right now, Canon is offering cashback on some lenses, but never on the TSE lenses, at least not here where I live. Recently they had a rebate on the 17mm TSE (which you could get for the same price as the 24mm) but there is no rebate, no cashback on the 24mm (which would trigger my will to update).
 

gazwas

Active member
Right now, Canon is offering cashback on some lenses, but never on the TSE lenses, at least not here where I live. Recently they had a rebate on the 17mm TSE (which you could get for the same price as the 24mm) but there is no rebate, no cashback on the 24mm (which would trigger my will to update).
Cash back or no cash back, the 17mm and 24mm Mk2 TS-E lenses (along with the older 90mm) is the sole reason why I shoot Canon and why I've stuck with them for so many years regardless of the nay sayers. Using lens adapters does not thrill me in the slightest and why I didn't bother with the Sony A7R but with the release of the Cambo Actus (and soon Canon lens mount) have fueled my interest, especially considering the flexibility of lens choice when using a mirrorless camera.
 

sbay

New member
Looking at a couple of online reviews, many report the difference between the Metabone and cheaper alternatives is price alone. The Commlite (Amazon) adapter seems to work better than the Metabones in some instances if shooting video and avoids the flash if opening up the lens aperture however, I've not seen any instances of people using TS-E lenses when comparing the adapters only regular zoom lenses.
I don't feel that I can trust many of the online reviews because I don't think they critically check for focus issues caused by imprecision in manufacturing. It seems like they mostly put the lens on the adapter and see if the AF button operates. Some reviewers test for flare and I've found that very helpful.

What concerns me is that there is a huge variability in fit issues especially with the Metabones (the other adapters may have it too but with less reports because they are less popular). Also some individuals have reported expensive damage to their lens due to the adapter.
 

Bob Parsons

New member
Gareth, if you do think about getting the Cambo Actus with the Canon EF lens board make sure that you have some way of electrically setting the aperture on EF lenses. As far as I can tell the Cambo lens board doesn't have this facility. The only solution I know of is to mount the EF lens on a Metabones adapter which is mounted on a Sony camera, set the aperture, and without switching the camera off remove the lens - the aperture remains set. You can also do the same trick with the lens on a Canon body. Unless I'm missing something, this is a severe limitation to using EF lenses on the Actus.

Bob.
 

gazwas

Active member
Gareth, if you do think about getting the Cambo Actus with the Canon EF lens board make sure that you have some way of electrically setting the aperture on EF lenses.
Hi Bob, my interest in the Actus with the Canon lens board is they are incorporating lens aperture control into it so gone are the issues with setting aperture on a different camera body.

 

Hausen

Active member
I recently exited my Leica kit for a A7r primarily so I could go back to the Canon TSEs. Use the latest version of Metabones adaptor with no problems. Have the 24+45+90 TSEs, passed on the 17 because I have the Zeiss 15 2.8. Metabones, while expensive, works perfectly for me and I had no problem stumping up the cash for one because it was the price of entry to use TSEs again.
 

mazor

New member
How do I know if its an APS-C adapter as I thought if it says for Sony Alpha then its full frame........ Very confusing???
make sure the adapter description says for full frame, or for FE mount as opposed to just Emount.

If there are images of the adapter, check the size of the round hole, the larger ones are more likely to support full frame, rather the adapters with a smaller square window inside.
 

Annna T

Active member
Hi Bob, my interest in the Actus with the Canon lens board is they are incorporating lens aperture control into it so gone are the issues with setting aperture on a different camera body.


Thanks for that, this is very interesting indeed, but I looked at B&H and, compared to other lens plates available, they are asking a prohibitive price for the Canon one : aka 1300$ compared to 165$ to 460$ for the other five lens plates. That is three times as much as the most expensive other (the Mamiya).

Cambo ACTUS-B View Camera Body (Black) 99010700 B&H Photo Video

(Click on the accessory tab to see the prices of the different lens plates)
 

gazwas

Active member
Thanks for that, this is very interesting indeed, but I looked at B&H and, compared to other lens plates available, they are asking a prohibitive price for the Canon one : aka 1300$ compared to 165$ to 460$ for the other five lens plates. That is three times as much as the most expensive other (the Mamiya).
Yes it is very expensive and more than I was hoping when I spoke a UK Cambo dealer a few weeks back (near the cost of the Actus camera) but if it works imagine the possibilities. Just think of all those 35mm EF mount zoom lenses that potentially become TS-E lenses or some top end primes that perform better at f5.6-f8 getting the ability to tilt or swing for increased DOF. Sounds like a bargain to me then.

The only problem is the release has been delayed due to manufacturing issues. Now having no set release date I'm resorting to finding a regular lens adapter for use with the A7R II as a tie me over that eventually will remain in the once used camera cupboard once Cambo figures out their Canon adapter.
 

Annna T

Active member
Yes it is very expensive and more than I was hoping when I spoke a UK Cambo dealer a few weeks back (near the cost of the Actus camera) but if it works imagine the possibilities. Just think of all those 35mm EF mount zoom lenses that potentially become TS-E lenses or some top end primes that perform better at f5.6-f8 getting the ability to tilt or swing for increased DOF. Sounds like a bargain to me then.

The only problem is the release has been delayed due to manufacturing issues. Now having no set release date I'm resorting to finding a regular lens adapter for use with the A7R II as a tie me over that eventually will remain in the once used camera cupboard once Cambo figures out their Canon adapter.
I know that some wa zooms have a rather large image circle, but don't you think that this imaging circle will still be limiting the movements you can get with the Actus ? Obviously not for the TSE, but I'd be doubtful about other EF lenses.

There is an interesting thread in this forum (HCAM TMaster) where Stefan Steib and other measured the movements available with some lenses like the Nikon 11-24mm zoom and the shift available could go as low as 6mm at the longer focals.

Will look for a link to this thread : http://www.getdpi.com/forum/sony/54571-hcam-master-ts-11-24mm-2.html
 

gazwas

Active member
I know that some wa zooms have a rather large image circle, but don't you think that this imaging circle will still be limiting the movements you can get with the Actus ?
Who knows and all part of the fun of owning an Actus and rediscovering all your lenses again. :thumbs:

The main part of me wanting the Actus is so I can get shifts together with rise or fall without having to resort to diagonal movements (which do work well) on the TS-E lenses. Additionally it would be nice to have movements at the sensor rather than the lens for better stitching just as I used to get with my Arca/Phase combo.
 

dmward

Member
The reason I purchased an A7R was for the high resolution in combination with Canon TSE 17 and 24 lenses.
I purchased a Metabones IV adapter to fit the lenses to the camera.
As illustrated in the blog post, I've not had a problem with the Metabones adapter causing problems when the lenses are shifted to an extreme.

Panorama with three images - blog

I also have an inexpensive Fotodiox adapter that I use with a couple of Canon lenses for handheld work. I haven't tried the TSE lenses because the tripod mount isn't steady enough.

The Metabones IV adapter, when the latest firmware (V .41) will now recognize aperture and IS control for the Canon 300 F4.0 IS L lens. It even works when using a Sigma teleconverter.

Here is a blog post showing my initial test results.

Sony A7II, Metabones IV, Canon EF 300mm F4.0 IS L and Sigma Teleconverters - digifotografi
 

mazor

New member
Good you are having better luck with your MB smart adapter iv. I am still having issues where the camera will simply lock up when the shutter is depressed with my Canon 300 F4L IS USM when used on my Nex 5r. This does not occur when I use my other Canon lenses like the 16-35 F4L IS USM, 50mm f1.2L or 24-105 F4L IS USM.
 
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