Aputure DEC Wireless Remote Adapter - any good?

[oferlevy]

Hi all,

I am keen to use this device with my Canon EF lenses (24-70, 70-200, 300, 800) on the Sony PMX fs7. Any comments regarding this device?

Thanks,

Ofer Levy

Sydney

[BTM_Pix]

I have just got the Lens Regain version for MFT last night.

I had to take it apart as the tripod foot won't let it mount on the LS300 because of the ND wheel position.

Depending on the rotation of how you put it on the FS7 you might find the same thing but with its ND wheel being higher you might be OK.

It works, it just means it not a quick swap and you have to be very careful with it as the weight of the foot pulls down on the wires while you are turning putting it on the camera. On the upside, its not some proprietary plastic ribbon cable but actual discrete wires so if it does break its fixable by anyone with a soldering iron.

The fit of the receiver/control unit into the mount is flimsy though.

Not related to the Sony version but might be of interest to anyone getting the MFT version is that it was also very tight on the mount of the LS300 (worryingly tight actually) but was OK on a GX80. Reading some reviews on B&H, some people are finding that its too loose on the MFT side of the mount so obviously some consistency issues might be a concern. Or maybe mine is a later revision where they've improved the tightness of the MFT side a bit TOO much!!

I tried it with a few different lenses of varying quality from a Canon 16-35mm 2.8L and Sigma 18-35 1.8 ART to a Tamron 17-50 2.8VC and a cheap Canon EFS 10-18 4.5 which I had pre-modified to work with it (i.e. sawed the back of the mount off).

And they all worked with it, although I had a bit of an initial idea that they didn't because I didn't realise that you had to switch it off between lens changes as it calibrates itself to the whole throw of the lens when its powered on. As a consequence, I put the Canon 16-35mm on and happy that that was working put the Tamron one on only to find it would only focus on a really restricted range. I put that down to it maybe not being supported but then put the Sigma on and was getting a similar thing. I started to wonder if it was the LS300 and something going funky because of that very tight mount so switched it off and put it on the GX80 which of course worked flawlessly and then I put it back on the LS300 and it was now working. Well, you get the gist of how the penny finally dropped about what was happening! So, yeah, switch it off between lens changes!

What I would say though is to check that all of your lenses are supported. I wouldn't see a problem with the 24-70 or 70-200 but there are a few variants of the 300 (I presume its the 2.8?) and your 800 is one that I highly doubt they'll have had access to in testing! Probably a good thing to seek out existing users for confirmation as well because Aputure's own site only lists about 15 lenses.

The A/B transitions thankfully look a lot better on the files than they sound in real life as it really is a bit crunchy stepping between positions. The transition speed control is OK but has a lot less finesse than a zoom rocker switch on a broadcast lens for example. I'm sure someone somewhere has tested how variable it is but it does feel a little bit fast, quite fast and quite slow. I'd need to test it more though and you should look at some of the YouTube videos to make a judgement.

I can't vouch for the IS as I really haven't tested it enough and I've only got mainly wide angle Canon mount lenses with me at the moment.

Ditto battery life and range.

I'll do a proper thing when I've had some proper time with it.

Interim verdict = Not shit at all.

[oferlevy]

Thanks for the detailed reply!  Sounds good to me.

Cheer,

Ofer

 

[DougB]

H

Quote

I have just got the Lens Regain version for MFT last night.

I had to take it apart as the tripod foot won't let it mount on the LS300 because of the ND wheel position.

I also have an LS300 and was considering the Aputure DEC lens regain. I was under the impression the the ND filter nob prevented the attachment of the adapter. What modification did you make in order to use the adapter?

Doug