E mount alternatives
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Discussion

bazza white

Original Poster:

3,727 posts

151 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2017
quotequote all
Little photo dunce help here.

Looking at getting a Sony a5100 or A6000. Whats the alternative to Sony amount lenses is other brands and/or which adapter to get for what lenses. Can I keep the auto focus and how does it effect the settings using an adapter. Do fstops and focal length remain the same.

Fordo

1,568 posts

247 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2017
quotequote all
I can help a little

One good thing about E mount, is its as close to the sensor as you can get a lens mount. - Meaning any lens can be used, with the right adapter.

A lot of people in the video world, use Sony cameras with E mount, and use adapters to use Canon lenses - I own a Sony FS7 camera, and i regularly use a metabones EF to E adapter to use canon lenses. I've also have a much cheaper 'commlite' adapter that does the same, and costs a lot less.

Most straight up adapters, with no optics in, won't change focal length or f-stop. All they do is position the lens the correct distance from the sensor. I also use, from time to time, a metabones 'speed booster' EF to E adapter. This has an optic inside, a focal reducer- when used with full frame lenses, it shrinks down the image circle slightly, so full frame lenses retain their field of view on a crop size sensor. It also makes lenses brighter- madness. So a Canon L series 24-105mm f4, used through a speedbooster, behaves like a 17-75mm f2.8.
View a speedbooster adapter as turning your crop sensor into a full frame camera. (24mm on a speedbooster on a crop camera, will be almost exactly the same field of view as a 24mm lenses used on a full frame camera)

Simple rule of thumb - a basic adapter won't effect focal length or f-stop. An adapter with optics inside will.

Whether autofocus etc works, depends on the camera, the adapter, and the lens used. I've heard reports that sometimes autofocus can be a bit rubbish, but on a lot of the newer cameras, like the A6500 and the A7sii and A7rii, that the autofocus through adapters is super fast.

I cant report much on autofocus myself - i mostly do video work and manual focus everything.



Edited by Fordo on Tuesday 3rd January 17:56

bazza white

Original Poster:

3,727 posts

151 months

Tuesday 3rd January 2017
quotequote all
Cheers great reply.

Not very PH i know but what budget lenses are worth looking at to get going having a play. Stick with canon or an alternative ?



Edited by bazza white on Tuesday 3rd January 19:02

Lynchie999

3,622 posts

176 months

Wednesday 4th January 2017
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bazza white said:
Cheers great reply.

Not very PH i know but what budget lenses are worth looking at to get going having a play. Stick with canon or an alternative ?



Edited by bazza white on Tuesday 3rd January 19:02
unless you already have the lenses and / or need them for a very specific reason, I would just stick with native e mount lenses... (SONY or other)

sgrimshaw

7,572 posts

273 months

Wednesday 4th January 2017
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Lynchie999 said:
unless you already have the lenses and / or need them for a very specific reason, I would just stick with native e mount lenses... (SONY or other)
+1 but with the suggestion to add one of the Sony A to E mount adapters, especially if you want something longer than 200mm without spending a fortune.

With either the Sony LA-EA2 or LA-EA4 you open up all A-mount lenses.

The EA4 replaced the EA2, so the latter is only really an option as "secondhand".

The EA4 works with full-frame e-mount cameras as well as APS-C, so probably the better buy.