Hello all,

I am considering getting the LA-EA2 adapter so I can expand my choice of lenses with AF. I would love to hear comments on this adapter. How is the performance and which lenses are you using with it? Anyone using vintage Minolta Maxxum lenses? Do you get AE along with AF with this adapter? Thanks!

I'd like to hear also as I have a couple older minolta lenses I'm using with a teleconverter and a set of macro rings on the FS-100.

So if you hear anything Joe from anyone please post it.

Woody

I do have the LA-EA2 and although it has some advantages over the EA1, it seems that it's not much of a problem solver as I hoped it would be.

It does autofocus well enough, but since you cannot control the focus point, then off-center shots are likely to cause some focus hunting. The iris control is improved (no much jumping to wide-open), but I wouldn't consider it as smooth as a cine-lens iris ring (how I miss my ENG lens of old).

No auto-iris with my 50mm Alpha or 70-210 Minolta lenses. I think the aperature must be set to wide-open for the autofocus to function.

Worst of all, when you disengage the auto-focus, it temporarily 'loses' focus and you'll have to work around that in post.

Honestly, I feel a bit cheated by Sony. They have some nice lenses out there, but I can't commit to them if I can't get full functionality like the DSLR's get.

Thanks Oren!

I do have the LA-EA2 and although it has some advantages over the EA1, it seems that it's not much of a problem solver as I hoped it would be.

It does autofocus well enough, but since you cannot control the focus point, then off-center shots are likely to cause some focus hunting. The iris control is improved (no much jumping to wide-open), but I wouldn't consider it as smooth as a cine-lens iris ring (how I miss my ENG lens of old).

No auto-iris with my 50mm Alpha or 70-210 Minolta lenses. I think the aperature must be set to wide-open for the autofocus to function.

Worst of all, when you disengage the auto-focus, it temporarily 'loses' focus and you'll have to work around that in post.

Honestly, I feel a bit cheated by Sony. They have some nice lenses out there, but I can't commit to them if I can't get full functionality like the DSLR's get.

Thanks Oren for the insights. So to have auto focus working, you have to have the aperture wide open? That must be a pain in full sun. I read that the translucent mirror knocks down the light by as much as half a stop. Have you noticed this? Does the minolta lens focus just as well and as fast as the Alpha lens? There are lots of vintage Maxxum lenses on Ebay for pretty cheap. Is your Minolta lens one such as these? Thanks again. Joe

Joe, there is some light loss, although that doesn't trouble me much with the FS-100. It's clean at high ISO and the fast 50mm f1.4 can afford to be closed down a bit (especially since the DOF is so shallow). I haven't done a head-to-head focus comparison for speed, but the 50 and 70-210 (Minolta 'beercan') seem to be pretty equal in focus response. I don't use the auto focus often (almost never actually). It's a shame that the integration couldn't be smoother. I'd like to have touch-screen controlled focus point option, a focus lock, or face tracking. The e-mount lenses are probably still your best bet for auto-focus, auto iris and push-to-focus functionality.

I see this as a better way to control your iris with Alpha/Minolta lenses, but not a great tool for run-and-gun focus control. It will focus quickly, but there is no way (I know of) to select and hold your focus point.

Thanks again Oren. That is disappointing to hear. I was hoping Phase Detection AF was going to be an improvement over the AF system on the FS100 but without the whole package of face tracking and the focus point option it really is just another basic adapter. I am planning on acquiring an A77 as a second camera and I may get the LA-EA2 just so I can share lenses between the two. I find it ironic that a camera body (A77) costing around $900 will have a superior AF system to my $4500 FS100. Maybe the A77 will get the Run and Gun duties. Thanks again for the insights. Joe