Adapter question at DVinfo.net

Steve Bobilin · August 11th, 2014, 12:30 PM

Someone gave me a used lens. Canon EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 from a Rebel.
If I buy this adapter would it be worth it?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1041731-REG/fotodiox_vzlx_thrtl_eos_nex_pro_vizelx_nd_throttle_adpter.html
Would another adapter be more versatile? How does aperture work with a dumb adapter?

So here's the deal: I've been sitting on the fence about lenses, as I only have the kit lens. I've read the discussions here and I kind of wanted to go Canon, but am I right in thinking that Nikon lenses would give aperture control with a dumb adapter, whereas Canon lenses would require a smart adapter for aperture control?

Chris Harding · August 11th, 2014, 08:04 PM

Hi Steve

What that adapter appears to do is keep the lens iris full open and then allow you to control aperture using an ND filter ...sounds weird to me but it will work but you need to decide exactly how good the ND quality is? It's no good putting a fancy lens on the camera with a poor ND in between. I think I would rather have a manual aperture lever/ring on the adapter than a ND !

The lenses are up to you totally! I use all Nikon mount lenses simply because I have 2 x Nikon still bodies so it makes sense to have lenses that work on both cameras.

Decide on what lenses you are going to use and then see whether they have an aperture ring (the DX Nikon ones don't have a ring) and then choose an adapter that will work. Most 3rd Party lenses (Mine are Sigma and Tamron) also come in either Canon or Nikon mount so the choice is yours.

Chris

Jody Arnott · August 11th, 2014, 08:39 PM

$99 for a lens adapter with ND filter seems very cheap. A decent ND filter by itself would be more than that. I would question its quality.. but in saying that I've never used it, so I'm just speculating.

Chris Harding · August 11th, 2014, 10:45 PM

Hey Jody

Did you sort out your adapter issues with you Canon mount lenses?? I still prefer to get faster lenses and a dumb adapter. Most simple dumb adapters have a ring or slider which activates the DOF preview arm inside the lens and enables you to set the aperture (not accurately) but close enough.

With a little bit of careful filing with my wife's nail emery board (which got me into trouble) to make a cheap adapter fit snuggly on the EA-50 I find that the $15 dumb adapters work just as well as my pricey Novoflex and do the same job.

I'm also with you here about the adapter with ND filters ... I would suspect the quality of the variable ND inside that $99 adapter will be terrible!! It certainly won't be anything as good as a Genus so I would stay away from it and get an adapter that has a ring/slider to adjust the iris

Chris

Steve Bobilin · August 12th, 2014, 12:21 AM

Thanks Chris,
Noa also mentioned awhile ago about a holymanta adapter:
HolyManta VND EF | MFT | Holymanta
because it has an off switch for the ND, but it seems like an upstart company and their products are not even carried by B&H.
So I'm really thinking Nikon if only they have an aperture ring. Chris you said—
"Most simple dumb adapters have a ring or slider which activates the DOF preview arm inside the lens and enables you to set the aperture (not accurately) but close enough."
Does that mean that Canon EF lenses can have the aperture (not accurately) controlled by a dumb adapter?

Jody Arnott · August 12th, 2014, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Hey Jody

Did you sort out your adapter issues with you Canon mount lenses?? I still prefer to get faster lenses and a dumb adapter. Most simple dumb adapters have a ring or slider which activates the DOF preview arm inside the lens and enables you to set the aperture (not accurately) but close enough.

Chris

Hey Chris,

Unfortunately I'm still having a bunch of issues with the Metabones adapter. Auto iris is flakey at best, and occasionally the adapter bugs out completely and stops controlling the iris. Restarting the camera is the only way to bring it back to life. I'm guessing it's because my lenses aren't officially "compatible" according to Metabones. So I'm not sure that I would recommend that particular adapter to anyone.

On a side note... Last week the opportunity to buy a very reasonably priced 2nd hand Canon C100 came up, so I took the plunge and bought it. I've been wanting one for a while now, and it's going to make life a lot easier in a few respects.

So the EA50 is probably going to be sold unfortunately. It's a fantastic camera and I'd love to see a version 2.... But for now, loving the C100 so far :)

Cheers

Chris Harding · August 12th, 2014, 01:24 AM

Hi Steve

Yikes! That's a pricey dumb adapter! My Novoflex cost me 160 Euro and I thought that was too expensive. I find that the best way to go is with a dumb adapter ..in fact apart from my Novoflex on the one camera, my $15 Fotoga works perfectly ... I really don't bother with ND's much as there is no degradation on the Sony's big sensor even at F16 and if I do want a shallow DOF I just open up the lens and use a higher shutter .... ND's can be a nightmare unless you pay megabucks for them ..anything under $100 has horrible IR contamination and not very good optics either!

Jody? Awesome it would make sense to get a C100 if you are a Canon lens person. I have a huge collection of lenses fro my Nikon still cameras so it was an obvious move to use a Nikon adapter!

Hope it works out well for you and it matches the JVC well too?

Chris

Steve Bobilin · August 12th, 2014, 01:59 AM

Chris you said—
"Most simple dumb adapters have a ring or slider which activates the DOF preview arm inside the lens and enables you to set the aperture (not accurately) but close enough."
Does that mean that Canon EF lenses can have the aperture (not accurately) controlled by a dumb adapter?

Chris Harding · August 12th, 2014, 06:27 AM

Hi Steve

I have never looked at a Canon lens so I'm not a Canon person but if EF lenses have an aperture ring then there is no need for any control on the adapter as you simply rotate the ring. If there is no ring which I think most don't have then a simple Fotodiox adapter is all you need and the blue ring on the adapter controls the aperture. B&H have them for $69.00

FotodioX Adapter for Canon EF Lens to Sony NEX EOS(IRIS)-NEX-P

Chris

August 11th, 2014, 12:30 PM	#1
Steve Bobilin Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 53	Adapter question Someone gave me a used lens. Canon EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 from a Rebel. If I buy this adapter would it be worth it? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1041731-REG/fotodiox_vzlx_thrtl_eos_nex_pro_vizelx_nd_throttle_adpter.html Would another adapter be more versatile? How does aperture work with a dumb adapter? So here's the deal: I've been sitting on the fence about lenses, as I only have the kit lens. I've read the discussions here and I kind of wanted to go Canon, but am I right in thinking that Nikon lenses would give aperture control with a dumb adapter, whereas Canon lenses would require a smart adapter for aperture control?

August 11th, 2014, 08:04 PM	#2
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Adapter question Hi Steve What that adapter appears to do is keep the lens iris full open and then allow you to control aperture using an ND filter ...sounds weird to me but it will work but you need to decide exactly how good the ND quality is? It's no good putting a fancy lens on the camera with a poor ND in between. I think I would rather have a manual aperture lever/ring on the adapter than a ND ! The lenses are up to you totally! I use all Nikon mount lenses simply because I have 2 x Nikon still bodies so it makes sense to have lenses that work on both cameras. Decide on what lenses you are going to use and then see whether they have an aperture ring (the DX Nikon ones don't have a ring) and then choose an adapter that will work. Most 3rd Party lenses (Mine are Sigma and Tamron) also come in either Canon or Nikon mount so the choice is yours. Chris

August 11th, 2014, 08:39 PM	#3
Jody Arnott Major Player Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Hamilton, New Zealand Posts: 747	Re: Adapter question $99 for a lens adapter with ND filter seems very cheap. A decent ND filter by itself would be more than that. I would question its quality.. but in saying that I've never used it, so I'm just speculating.

August 11th, 2014, 10:45 PM	#4
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Adapter question Hey Jody Did you sort out your adapter issues with you Canon mount lenses?? I still prefer to get faster lenses and a dumb adapter. Most simple dumb adapters have a ring or slider which activates the DOF preview arm inside the lens and enables you to set the aperture (not accurately) but close enough. With a little bit of careful filing with my wife's nail emery board (which got me into trouble) to make a cheap adapter fit snuggly on the EA-50 I find that the $15 dumb adapters work just as well as my pricey Novoflex and do the same job. I'm also with you here about the adapter with ND filters ... I would suspect the quality of the variable ND inside that $99 adapter will be terrible!! It certainly won't be anything as good as a Genus so I would stay away from it and get an adapter that has a ring/slider to adjust the iris Chris

August 12th, 2014, 12:21 AM	#5
Steve Bobilin Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 53	Re: Adapter question Thanks Chris, Noa also mentioned awhile ago about a holymanta adapter: HolyManta VND EF \| MFT \| Holymanta because it has an off switch for the ND, but it seems like an upstart company and their products are not even carried by B&H. So I'm really thinking Nikon if only they have an aperture ring. Chris you said— "Most simple dumb adapters have a ring or slider which activates the DOF preview arm inside the lens and enables you to set the aperture (not accurately) but close enough." Does that mean that Canon EF lenses can have the aperture (not accurately) controlled by a dumb adapter?

August 12th, 2014, 01:24 AM	#7
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Adapter question Hi Steve Yikes! That's a pricey dumb adapter! My Novoflex cost me 160 Euro and I thought that was too expensive. I find that the best way to go is with a dumb adapter ..in fact apart from my Novoflex on the one camera, my $15 Fotoga works perfectly ... I really don't bother with ND's much as there is no degradation on the Sony's big sensor even at F16 and if I do want a shallow DOF I just open up the lens and use a higher shutter .... ND's can be a nightmare unless you pay megabucks for them ..anything under $100 has horrible IR contamination and not very good optics either! Jody? Awesome it would make sense to get a C100 if you are a Canon lens person. I have a huge collection of lenses fro my Nikon still cameras so it was an obvious move to use a Nikon adapter! Hope it works out well for you and it matches the JVC well too? Chris

August 12th, 2014, 01:59 AM	#8
Steve Bobilin Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 53	Re: Adapter question Chris you said— "Most simple dumb adapters have a ring or slider which activates the DOF preview arm inside the lens and enables you to set the aperture (not accurately) but close enough." Does that mean that Canon EF lenses can have the aperture (not accurately) controlled by a dumb adapter?

August 12th, 2014, 06:27 AM	#9
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Adapter question Hi Steve I have never looked at a Canon lens so I'm not a Canon person but if EF lenses have an aperture ring then there is no need for any control on the adapter as you simply rotate the ring. If there is no ring which I think most don't have then a simple Fotodiox adapter is all you need and the blue ring on the adapter controls the aperture. B&H have them for $69.00 FotodioX Adapter for Canon EF Lens to Sony NEX EOS(IRIS)-NEX-P Chris