First test
PRICE: £129.99
KENTFAITH.COM
K&F Concept Canon EF lenses to Sony E-mount camera adapter
Thinner mirrorless camera bodies mean there’s the potential to fit optional adapters to use lenses old and new, with great compatibility
Mirrorless cameras have many great advantages. Live previews, no complex and noisy reflex mirrors, and the option of totally silent shooting. There is also the matter of size – the smaller bodyforms of mirrorless cameras offer a space-saving benefit but this doesn't mean compromising when it comes to lenses. It is now possible to fit virtually any lens to a mirrorless body and maintain infinity focus. Better yet, many current lens adapters don’t just give infinity focus but a good deal of exposure and focus automation, too, so they behave almost like a native lens. K&F Concept has a huge range of camera-to-lens adapters covering most camera and lens brands, so all manner of camera/lens permutations are possible. If you want to use legacy lenses on a modern camera, K&F probably has a suitable solution. Its latest offering is an adapter that fits Sony E-mount cameras and accepts Canon EOS mount lenses; it gives autofocus and autoexposure compatibility, plus EXIF data transmission, the use of the camera or lens’s image stabiliser, and the availability of camera features such as face detection AF. And the cost? It retails for £129.99. With that feature set and at that price, this accessory looks a total bargain – assuming it works as promised... Build quality is very good, with metal mounts, gold-plated contacts, matt black coating inside to avoid internal reflections, and a lens lock button that is positive and secure in use. The well-machined mount
locates and locks firmly on the camera body just like any dedicated Sony lens, and it’s the same when fitting the Canon lens on it. Give the lens a twist and there’s little give between the lens, adapter and camera body. There is a tripod mount with a 1/4in fitting, and this is part of the adapter so can’t be rotated or removed (there are no optics to impact on the performance of the attached lens, either). I tried the adapter with a Sony A6300, with two Canon lenses – the EF 24-105mm f/4 and EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6. I also took the Sony A7R III fitted with a Canon EF fit Tamron 35mm f/1.4 for a day’s street shooting. With the A6300/Canon lenses, the pairings behave like a Canon lens on a Canon body, and the slim mount means handling remains good. The A6300 has six AF area modes – three were not available with this adapter/ lens combination, but the key ones of wide, centre and flexible spot M were accessible. I was in wide area autofocus mode with face detect, and AF was fast, accurate and very quiet. Various AF boxes came on and off as subjects walked into frame or if they turned their faces away and back again. Face detect was as ‘sticky’ with the Canon lenses as native Sony lenses, which is very impressive. I got the same impressive AF performance with the A7R III/ Tamron 35mm f/1.4 combination. In wide zone AF and face/eye detection, the pair focused smartly even when light levels dropped. The A7R III’s latest firmware gives animal
SPECS
› Prices £129.99 › Features Allows Canon EF/ EF-S lenses to be fitted to Sony E-mount cameras with AF, infinity focus and exposure compatibility, gold-plated contacts, EXIF data transmission › Dimensions (hxd) 78x29mm › Weight 167g › Contact kentfaith.com
eye AF, which also worked well with the Tamron lens. On both cameras you get full exposure compatibility and the auto modes A, S and P work just as normal, as do light measuring methods. In manual exposure mode, you get aperture and shutter control. All in all, this K&F adapter was very impressive, and ideal for those looking to make the most of mirrorless systems. WC
Verdict This K&FConcept lens adapter is a really impressive piece of kit. If you are an owner of both systems and want to continue to enjoy your Canon lenses on your new Sony body, or if you’re a Canon owner contemplating adding a Sony camera to your kit, this adapter is an essential buy. It’s great value for money, compact, and performs very impressively. PROS Great value, excellent AF skills, build quality, tripod mount, slimline CONS None!
ABOVE The K&F Concept converter features gold-plated contacts to ensure reliable performance
ABOVE Well-machined metal mounts front and back, and solid locking mechanisms mean the lens and converter fit very securely on the camera body without any slackness
Issue 73 | Photography News 49
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