Which M to E-mount Adapter Are People Using?

[pharmasian]

Hello.

I'm using the "Fotodiox Pro Lens Mount Adapter Leica M Lens to Sony Alpha NEX" along with my Sony A7.

Bought here : http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B004G1CUG6/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Very solid and fits perfectly with my Voigtlander lenses.

Here are some samples... Most of them were shot under low-light situation...

1) Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 (shot wide-open)

2) Voigtlander 28mm f/2 (shot wide-open)

3) Extra shots with native Sony Zeiss 35mm f/2.8

🙂

 

[coelacanth]

I'm using Voigtlander close-up on a7r. So far working very well. I do "tabletop" shots often for work and it is really handy. And it has a lock at retracted position (tho helicoid won't rotate too easily without it), and looks/feels very well made.

 

[Shac]

Dave - I use a Voigtlander and a Novoflex - the latter b/c I can use the Novoflex ASTAT-NEX for longer lenses on the tripod - both excellent. Also have the first version Hawk's adapter - good but not as well made. The new Voigtlander Helical adapter for Leica M looks v. good but very very expensive

 

[segedi]

I use Hawk's for close up, but really prefer using the Phigment Tech as it reads the 6-bit code for EXIF and more importantly engages the focus magnification upon changing focus.

 

[jaclarkaus]

I use Hawk's for close up, but really prefer using the Phigment Tech as it reads the 6-bit code for EXIF and more importantly engages the focus magnification upon changing focus.

Phigment Tech don't ship outside North America which is a shame (I used to run Asia Pacific for a large US company who viewed themselves as World-Wide ... which the rest of the world referred to as the NY-LA World-wide model ...)

They also have a problem vignetting with longer lenses it seems ...

I have a Voigtlander which is excellent, a no-name model with is slightly tighter and very good, and a FOTGA which is horrid ... the lens moves up and down slightly like a shift adapter ... I was surprised as FOTGA seems to be a common brand on eBay.

Have ordered a couple from Rainbow Imaging and hope they arrive in new year.

The Voigtlander is great, but extra $

 

[Kiyoshi]

I'm using the Japanese Rayqual (Kindai) LM-SαE adapter on my A7 and love it. Great build quality and tolerances, no problems. Photos with the A7 and M lenses are on my flickr, click the link in my signature.

 

[jaclarkaus]

Just got my second FOTGA one M to NEX, one R to NEX (slow learner ...) and neither fit properly, won't lock, don't align, won't get a third!

 

[dcsang]

Just picked up the close up adapter by Voigtlander. Got it locally (good) and cheaper than in the U.S. (even better considering our dollar is sinking!!). Just as well made (if not better) than the original VM-E adapter that they make and the close focusing works very nicely as Sug suggested. No need for me to keep two so I'll be putting my original (and like new since I only bought it in December) one up for sale.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[lam]

I'm using a Hawk V3 after returning the V2.5 seeing that V3 eliminates the excess metal that could (and probably) did block some light out. It's very nice. Infinity adjustment for the infinity lock. No complaints here.

That Phigment tech adapter looks really interesting, i'd be curious to see a version without the metal blocking some of the mount, i.e. for full-frame use.

 

[bwcolor]

Has anyone tested the latest version of the Hawks vs close focusing Voigtlander?

 

[mcwc]

I have one of the $40 M to NEX helicoid adapters. It does wobble a little bit and grease is exposed to the sensor.

Anyways, I decided to remove most of the grease in the helicoid and well, the grease is there to fill in the loose tolerances of the helicoid. There's more wobble then there was previously.

So, save your $40 and pick up something better. It does the job but I'm looking into getting the Hawk's Factory one.

 

[dbm]

I had a thought the other day. The Phigment Tech adapter has a rangefinder coupling that tells the camera you are focusing. Obviously, it also has electronics for that part, and will read the 6-bit coding and pass that info to the camera as well.

Is it possible to design an adapter that would use the rangefinder coupling to compute a focus distance and pass that back to the camera as well? If so, then the A7II could achieve 5-axis stabilization with M-mount lenses.

How accurate could the distance be computed? Would it need to know the minimum focus distance of a lens, or does it just need a calibrated infinity?

And if it is indeed possible, could you also compensate for a helicoid and close focusing?

 

[sevo]

Is it possible to design an adapter that would use the rangefinder coupling to compute a focus distance and pass that back to the camera as well?

Yes - that would involve actuating a potentiometer with the tab and digitizing the result. But what would you do with that? Sure, you can display the distance, but as you are manually focusing, this is not particularly meaningful (other than in AF, where it provides extra confirmation that the AF is working). For optical 5-axis stabilisation, the camera would have to be able to focus the lens independent of the operator - which it cannot, on a manual focus lens.

 

[dbm]

Yes - that would involve actuating a potentiometer with the tab and digitizing the result. But what would you do with that? Sure, you can display the distance, but as you are manually focusing, this is not particularly meaningful (other than in AF, where it provides extra confirmation that the AF is working). For optical 5-axis stabilisation, the camera would have to be able to focus the lens independent of the operator - which it cannot, on a manual focus lens.

Ah... that was the piece I was missing. The camera not only needs to know the focus distance to stabilize, it needs to be able to ADJUST it as well.