Wishin' and Hopin' (for an EOS Adapter) - Maybe

[Keith Moreau]

Well, I tried out my Nikon G to Sony E mount adapter today on a couple of Nikon mount lenses I got for the express reason of using them with this adapter, but then with my EOS DSLRs if I needed to with a Nikon G to EOS adapter.

The adapter I got was a cheapie from Amazon / Fotodiox. Build quality good (a little play, you can twist it a bit - though not sure if this affects anything.) The travel for adjusting the aperture is pretty short. Though the ring is ok and travels relatively smoothly, it's short.

The thing I missed most was knowing what my aperture was. I really wish there was a a working EOS adapter that powered the lens and IS and could be adjustable and I would know what the f-stop was. At the same time I'm not fond of the EOS way of jumping from one setting to the next, I like the smoothness of the manual Nikon G adapter, just not as much as I thought I would.

I'm also wondering if paying $1000 or more for a smart EOS adapter is worth it. I really like the IS on several of my EOS zoom lenses, but is that worth it? Will Sony have E mounts or A mounts that will compare in the near future without having to go through the hassle of using an adapter? I see myself using my EOS DSLRs a lot less in the future, I think their time might be nearing an end unless they can come up with something that matches the versatility and image quality of the FS100.

Conundrum.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

[Scott Caplan]

The only new Sony E-mount lens I see coming out is a 50mm prime with OIS and AF:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/818649-REG/Sony_SEL50F18_50mm_f_1_8_Telephoto_Lens.html

[Matt Davis]

Originally Posted by Keith Moreau

Conundrum.

I got to play with the MTF EOS adaptor a while back, whilst it was still in a late prototype form.

Testing the MTF EOS adaptor for FS100 on Vimeo

Now, this prototype did NOT power the IS on my Canon 17-55/2.8 but word on the wire is that 'it might do'.

To be honest, I wasn't a fan of the Zony/Zeiss lenses and their 'electronic ways', and I really wanted to share my glass between Canon and the FS100. The control box was, thankfully, detatchable - even though I'd prefer the pigtail to be on the box, so there's just a socket on the adaptor, but I am not an engineer and I don't understand why this would be a huge problem.

€/$1k is a lot for an adaptor, but it's a price that the Pro market will bear (albeit somewhat grumbly), and this is not a mass market item - AND I hear the software nightmares that all these mount builders face, as each lens has its own interpretation of how things work, power consumption, 'sleep' modes and so on.

Even the very fine steps between iris stops won't do for subtle changes. So you can spend your money on the adaptor and get IS plus the use of your L glass, or use the SAME cash to buy yourself some nice FD manual primes, and perhaps have them de-clicked.

Whilst the latter will be the sane choice for Indy shooters, I'm going to have to get an EOS adaptor as Nikon's 'widdershins' focus drives me nuts, and I NEED IS.

[Chris Johnston]

@ Matt
Matt , I also have a EF-S 17-55 2.8 for my 60D, I was looking to buy a "dumb" adapter to mount it on my FS100 till something "smarter" came along. I was concerned that the EF-S glass might not fully cover the S35 sensor and might end up getting vig.

So,....Does your 17-55 cover it? should I not bother? how bad is the vig (if there is any)?

[Matt Davis]

It's an absolute corker - no problem with coverage. Whilst I've not done Pixel Peeper tests, I don't see anything to prompt me to spend my valuable time doing exact plots. For me, S35 = APS-C = DX Series.

The 'dumb' adaptors (I have one) are great if you want your lenses wide open. No lens is at its best wide open, but hey - I even love the Tokina 11-16 at F2.8 too.

[Chris Johnston]

Originally Posted by Matt Daviss

The 'dumb' adaptors (I have one) are great if you want your lenses wide open. No lens is at its best wide open,

I've heard this before......and I've also heard that you can set the iris on your DSLR (just say 5.6 for instance) Then take the lens off the DSLR and pop it on the fs100 and it will be at 5.6. Obviously there is no way to change the iris while on the fs100 but you can select the apeture while mounted to the dslr, (at whatever apeture you want) and it will stay that way while mounted to the fs100.

Is that true? I like the 17-55 2.8 but I don't want to be shooting at that F stop all the time.

[Mike Watson]

Do any of the dumb adapters have a built in (secondary) iris?

[Keith Moreau]

Originally Posted by Mike Watson

Do any of the dumb adapters have a built in (secondary) iris?

I got the ezphoto one off Amazon. It actually is well made and it could possibly be useful in a pinch. I tried it on one or 2 lenses and it does vignette a bit, though surprisingly not horribly. I haven't tried it on all focal lengths to test it thoroughly though. Interesting idea.

[Mike Watson]

Amazon.com: EzFoto Canon EOS EF mount lens to Sony E-Mount NEX NEX-3 NEX-5 NEX-C3 NEX-5N NEX-7 NEX-VG10 camera adapter, w/build-in aperture version: Camera & Photo

 

Amazon.com: EzFoto Canon EOS EF mount lens to Sony E-Mount NEX NEX-3 NEX-5 NEX-C3 NEX-5N NEX-7 NEX-VG10 camera adapter, w/build-in aperture version: Camera & Photo

I just ordered one.

[Chris Johnston]

Mike, I've heard (don't know for sure) that those mounts with the built in iris can cause some viginette.
Let us know if thats true, and if so, when does the vig kick in? 20mm? 18mm? etc.

[Mike Watson]

Originally Posted by Chris Johnston

Mike, I've heard (don't know for sure) that those mounts with the built in iris can cause some viginette.
Let us know if thats true, and if so, when does the vig kick in? 20mm? 18mm? etc.

Tried this mount today. Vignette would depend on focal length and f/stop. The mount doesn't have f-stop per se, but numbers between 1 (wide open) and 6 (really tight, like f/22). I was getting vignetting right past f/6, and honestly, couldn't quite stop down the lens far enough to shoot in broad daylight.

Build of the mount is really solid, iris ring is really stout, and with a lens attached there is no jiggle.

For $60, I'm pretty impressed.