p.1 #1 · Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter with 17-55mm f2.8 IS
I plan to post a more detailed report on the Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter in the future, showing how it works with a variety of lenses.
But for today, I bought a Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS just to use with this adapter on the NEX 5N and couldn't be more pleased. I don't know whether this is the convenient, fast, image stabilized lens that the NEX 5N has been waiting for; or whether this is the mirrorless body that the Canon lenses have been waiting for -- either way it's a good match.
The Metabones adapter does everything you could ask except autofocus -- it allows you to control the aperture from the camera. It passes complete and accurate exif data from the lens to the camera including lens ID/focal length/aperture. It powers the IS. When you turn the focus ring on the lens it triggers magnified focusing in the camera. It's really great.
While the Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS doesn't have the same high contrast pop right out of the camera that my best primes do (obviously) it does have incredibly effective IS, the images can yield terrific results with a little work in post processing, and sometimes because you're in a rush/with other people/in an inappropriate location/don't want to carry a bag etc. having a zoom in this range instead of a bunch of primes can be very useful.
My first stop after buying the lens was a dark abandoned warehouse I knew about nearby that would be a great test of the IS.
Then went for a little walk. Both these images are cropped and/or heavily processed, and the IS is no longer a factor, but the point is that the lens/adapter combo worked well and easily captured the images I saw in my mind.
p.1 #4 · Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter with 17-55mm f2.8 IS
Someone on the B&S has one up for a cool $150 profit if you don't mind being royally hosed. According to Conurus they have ramped up production but still unable to meet current demand. Must be tons of Canon people buying the NEX and want to use the lenses they already have.
John
p.1 #5 · Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter with 17-55mm f2.8 IS
I think it's really useful for a second body type thing (you can use your NEX as a backup) or for bringing one or two lenses along with the rest of your kit, but I don't really get the appeal for mass use of Canon lenses. I mean, the lenses are big, designed for DSLR, so the only size savings you're getting is on the body, which isn't much compared to a small DSLR when the lens size is unchanged. If you're going to be using a lot of Canon lenses, why not just get a DRebel?
It makes the most sense for using a few MF primes along with mostly your NEX cultured kit, say you want the ZE 85/1.4 along, but the rest of your lenses are the smaller ones. If you're going to use all Canon glass, it's pretty much a waste, though.
I for one wouldn't want the 17-55 IS on an NEX...the lens is BIG, and while a great lens with a larger aperture, it sort of defeats the point of the NEX, doesn't it?
p.1 #6 · Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter with 17-55mm f2.8 IS
Jman13 wrote:
I think it's really useful for a second body type thing (you can use your NEX as a backup) or for bringing one or two lenses along with the rest of your kit, but I don't really get the appeal for mass use of Canon lenses. I mean, the lenses are big, designed for DSLR, so the only size savings you're getting is on the body, which isn't much compared to a small DSLR when the lens size is unchanged. If you're going to be using a lot of Canon lenses, why not just get a DRebel?
It makes the most sense for using a few MF primes along with mostly your NEX cultured kit, say you want the ZE 85/1.4 along, but the rest of your lenses are the smaller ones. If you're going to use all Canon glass, it's pretty much a waste, though.
I for one wouldn't want the 17-55 IS on an NEX...the lens is BIG, and while a great lens with a larger aperture, it sort of defeats the point of the NEX, doesn't it? ...Show more →
Note that in terms of IQ, the NEX's, particularly the 5N and 7, offer the highest IQ for APS-C for EF mount shooters via this adapter. You are taking a noticeable IQ hit at low ISO's if you use a Canon 18MP body vs a 16MP or 24MP NEX. And therefore I can see the NEX's as a good APS-C body for Canon FF shooters who don't want to give up as much IQ when carrying a smaller APS-C kit.
p.1 #7 · Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter with 17-55mm f2.8 IS
I guess so, but that's an awfully big compromise (losing AF) for a frankly minimal image quality hit. I don't think the image quality difference between APS-C Canon and NEX is great enough to make a particularly noticeable difference in 99% of shots.
I do think it's a great development, and certainly has its uses, but as a primary body for Canon glass, I don't think it's a great investment.
p.1 #8 · Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter with 17-55mm f2.8 IS
Jman13 wrote:
I guess so, but that's an awfully big compromise (losing AF) for a frankly minimal image quality hit. I don't think the image quality difference between APS-C Canon and NEX is great enough to make a particularly noticeable difference in 99% of shots.
I do think it's a great development, and certainly has its uses, but as a primary body for Canon glass, I don't think it's a great investment.
Canon bodies are not an option for me because I've given up on OVFs and moved pretty much entirely to EVF / mirrorless. So the question isn't "should I use an NEX with this glass instead of a Canon body?" The question is "what's the best glass for my NEX?"
I don't know of any smaller, equivalently good alternatives for my NEX than the Canon EF-S 10-22mm, the 17-55mm f2.8 IS, and the 70-200mm f4L IS with this adapter.
There are alternatives, but they're slower/optically worse/don't have IS.
p.1 #9 · Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter with 17-55mm f2.8 IS
Jman13 wrote:
I guess so, but that's an awfully big compromise (losing AF) for a frankly minimal image quality hit. I don't think the image quality difference between APS-C Canon and NEX is great enough to make a particularly noticeable difference in 99% of shots.
I do think it's a great development, and certainly has its uses, but as a primary body for Canon glass, I don't think it's a great investment.
Personally I find there's a pretty big difference between the APS-C Canon's and the NEXen as soon as you hit challenging light. The NEX 5N & 7are IMHO close to FF performance in terms of DR in particular, and maintain detail resolution far better at high ISO's. Frankly Canon's a lot further behind in APS-C IQ than they are in FF IQ. Canon's been resting on its laurels in terms of IQ, the 18MP sensor was unexceptional when introduced and hasn't aged as well some of the competition.
p.1 #10 · Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter with 17-55mm f2.8 IS
ebrandon -- Okay, I gotta ask: So why can't you use an OVF? To me that's an awful limitation, not being able to use FF imaging except through LV. Then again, why not just use DSLR with LV?
If you want the best imaging for the Nex, won't you be buying Leica and Zeiss lenses anyway?
I can understand using this product as an adjunct when you already have Canon system, as has been said, having the Nex as back-up. It's nice to be able to use your Canon lenses. But even with Canon gear, I don't find myself much inclined to use my "L", Zeiss or Leica lenses on crop frame bodies -- my take is: why waste all that great AOVand imaging real estate?
Your images do look very nice, and if they could supply AF as well as IS, I think they'd have a winner here.
p.1 #11 · Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter with 17-55mm f2.8 IS
Gunzorro wrote:
ebrandon -- Okay, I gotta ask: So why can't you use an OVF? To me that's an awful limitation, not being able to use FF imaging except through LV. Then again, why not just use DSLR with LV?
If you want the best imaging for the Nex, won't you be buying Leica and Zeiss lenses anyway?
I can understand using this product as an adjunct when you already have Canon system, as has been said, having the Nex as back-up. It's nice to be able to use your Canon lenses. But even with Canon gear, I don't find myself much inclined to use my "L", Zeiss or Leica lenses on crop frame bodies -- my take is: why waste all that great AOVand imaging real estate?
Your images do look very nice, and if they could supply AF as well as IS, I think they'd have a winner here. ...Show more →
1. Why not use an OVF instead of EVF? Because I prefer to manual focus almost all the time -- it's more precise, it's faster overall if you're shooting multiple shots of the same thing, you don't have to focus & recompose over and over, you don't have to worry about AF calibration, etc.
While old-school OVFs from the film days are fine for manual focusing, I've never enjoyed it or had much success with it on my Canon 5DII (now sold), Nikon D3 (now sold), Sony A900, Olympus E-5, or any APS-C camera with an OVF.
Other people like Curtis Grindahl over on the Nikon forum can manually focus incredibly accurately on modern OVFs and I have no idea how they do it.
Once I got my hands on EVFs in the m43 and NEX lines there was no going back for me -- the ease and accuracy of magnified manual focus do it for me like nothing else.
[NOTE: while all of the above is true, I still do use AF lenses too, but there EVF is still no worse than OVF]
2) Why not use live view on a DSLR? Because I hate screens instead of viewfinders. Can't see them in the sun, can't focus on them without bifocals.
3) Why not use Leica or Zeiss glass? Oh, I do. But no fast zooms in these focal ranges. No IS.
4) Why "waste" all that glass on APS-C sensors instead of FF? Because FF means I'm always fighting with depth of field that's shallower than I want it to be. Because FF means my long lenses don't have enough reach. Because FF cameras are big, heavy and expensive -- everything m43 and NEX isn't. For me, APS-C is goldilocks' "just right".
I think what this discussion points out is that every photographer is idiosyncratic in their needs and preferences and that given enough time we'll all cobble together solutions that meet our unique requirements and probably no one else's.
p.1 #12 · Metabones/Conaurus EF->NEX adapter with 17-55mm f2.8 IS
Most of us are at least slightly different in both our needs and wants when it comes to photography. I bought a 5N , with kit 18-55, and took it on a vacation trip to NZ & OZ as my only camera. It was liberating as the total weight was less than the battery in my 1ds2. My canon lens lineup was 24-70L which I sold as it was not convenient on the NEX and I hardly ever used it for anything with the 1ds2, and 70-300L. I had and still have three ZEs so for me the adapter was a no brainer. I've since bought adapters for my one almost buried FD 50 1.4, a sixty dollar OM Zukio 28 3.5. To be honest I can't see myself buying any more Canon glass for either camera.
