Sigma MC-11 Adapter

[BTM_Pix]

During my 2nd hand lens buying frenzy last week, I picked up one of these really cheap.

I know its only really for Sigma's own lenses and the only EF mount Sigma that I've got is the 18-35 ART but I thought "well, even if it only works with that then its a cheap way of getting it onto the A6500"

Turns out from the testing I've been doing today that that is just about all I'm going to be using it with.

It pretty much performs as a native lens with the 18-35mm but testing it with non-Sigma EF lenses that I've got around (a 17-50mm f2.8 Tamron, a nifty fifty, and a couple of L zooms) its kind of OK in stills mode (reasonably good with a long L zoom actually) but unusable in video mode.

It makes an attempt to focus but then backs up, goes forward, backs up and then gives up.

So.....

As a novice with Sony cameras, is there anyone who has this adapter that has it working in video mode with non-Sigma lenses that could perhaps point me in the direction of exactly which of the 827 menu screens the magic settings are lurking ?

Or does it really just not work?

 

[Andrew Reid]

Yeah they just don't work in video mode. Only Sigma's new lenses have the faster bus between the lens and camera for advanced protocols in video mode.

The Sigma MC-11 really is wonderful for Sigma's own lenses and stills mode.

I believe Metabones have made some progress with video AF on Canon L lenses although not sure if it goes from being unusable to great... I'll have to give their latest firmware a go soon.

[BTM_Pix]

So....

The best way to get AF in video mode on an EF lens is to actually put it in MF mode and put it on a TechArt Pro then?

Kinky!

[Andrew Reid]

That would be ironic. Well it certainly saves having to buy more than one expensive autofocus adapter. Even for Nikon G glass.

The TechArt is mindblowingly good for stills and AF-S... but again same limitation as the Metabones for AF-C in video mode... And it's pretty noisy.

Apparently it can focus larger lenses up to 700g

The motor housing is tiny, much smaller than the motorised Sony A-mount adapter.

Vogitlander 35mm F1.2 autofocus anyone?

[webrunner5]

Wow lens envy on that Vogitlander 35mm F1.2! ?

[Mark Romero 2]

@BTM_Pix

One other option that "seems" to work ok is to pick up the Sony LA-EA1 adapter (about $50 used) and put sony A mount lenses on it. It works OK-ish...

Here's the thing though:

There are probably only three reasons that you would want / need an a6500 over a GH5 or a G85, and one of those main reasons is the excellent autofocus (the other being an edge in low light and having more detailed 4K). Otherwise, the GH5 / G85 makes a lot more sense than the a6500 (and this is coming from someone who shoots with an a6500).

So if you giving up the excellent autofocus advantage by using adapted lenses... well... not a whole lot of reasons left to use the a6500 over the Panasonic cameras...

 

[BTM_Pix]

2 minutes ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

@BTM_Pix

One other option that "seems" to work ok is to pick up the Sony LA-EA1 adapter (about $50 used) and put sony A mount lenses on it. It works OK-ish...

Here's the thing though:

There are probably only three reasons that you would want / need an a6500 over a GH5 or a G85, and one of those main reasons is the excellent autofocus (the other being an edge in low light and having more detailed 4K). Otherwise, the GH5 / G85 makes a lot more sense than the a6500 (and this is coming from someone who shoots with an a6500).

So if you giving up the excellent autofocus advantage by using adapted lenses... well... not a whole lot of reasons left to use the a6500 over the Panasonic cameras...

 

The fourth reason is if you are mad enough to be creating a hardware remote control for the infernal thing

To be fair, the Sigma EF lenses do act as if they were native on this adapter, I was just trying to be cheap and not buy any real E mount lenses for what will be a short term relationship with it.

Of course, this didn't stop me then buying a couple of E mount lenses !!