Fred Miranda wrote:
Disregard the version numbers; the current model is simply the LM-EA9. It’s confusing because Techart refers to it as version II since it’s the replacement for version I, which was the LM-EA7.
Ah ha. Thank you for the clarification. Going to try the new 1.8 firmware now though.
In Japan there were press releases and lot of sites reporting about version II of LM-EA9 last week (9/20) as a "minor update" over the previous version of LM-EA9. However, the announcements were a bit confusing because the product introduction video on them was the same old one and part of the listed improvements were comparing to LM-EA7. The original LM-EA9 has been available in Japan since it was originally releases so it looks like something was updated.
[Improvements to the Mark II version]
- Four small motors are perfectly synchronized. The adapter has been improved to operate more quickly, accurately and powerfully. Test results show that the load capacity has increased by 30-50%.
- The shape of the electronic contacts has been changed to accommodate the new camera bodies, and it can now be used with the Sony α7RV, α7CII, α7CR and α9III.
However, I think even the original LM-EA9 worked with the newer Sony bodies, but it does look like there might be some small update to the HW. Shoten Kobo Online store has been selling the original LM-EA9 since it came out but they also announced "version II" and replaced their order page for the original version with one for the "version II" from 9/20. At the same time they announced firmware update for the original version. I think they are the official importer / distributor of this adapter in Japan (they also distribute many other Chinese brand lenses / adapters etc. in Japan market).
I don't have the original LM-EA9 nor have I ordered the "version II" so I don't have personal experience with these, but I do have an old LM-EA7 (not in active use anymore).
Juha Kannisto wrote:
In Japan there were press releases and lot of sites reporting about version II of LM-EA9 last week (9/20) as a "minor update" over the previous version of LM-EA9. However, the announcements were a bit confusing because the product introduction video on them was the same old one and part of the listed improvements were comparing to LM-EA7. The original LM-EA9 has been available in Japan since it was originally releases so it looks like something was updated.
[Improvements to the Mark II version]
- Four small motors are perfectly synchronized. The adapter has been improved to operate more quickly, accurately and powerfully. Test results show that the load capacity has increased by 30-50%.
- The shape of the electronic contacts has been changed to accommodate the new camera bodies, and it can now be used with the Sony α7RV, α7CII, α7CR and α9III.
However, I think even the original LM-EA9 worked with the newer Sony bodies, but it does look like there might be some small update to the HW. Shoten Kobo Online store has been selling the original LM-EA9 since it came out but they also announced "version II" and replaced their order page for the original version with one for the "version II" from 9/20. At the same time they announced firmware update for the original version. I think they are the official importer / distributor of this adapter in Japan (they also distribute many other Chinese brand lenses / adapters etc. in Japan market).
I don't have the original LM-EA9 nor have I ordered the "version II" so I don't have personal experience with these, but I do have an old LM-EA7 (not in active use anymore)....Show more →
Wow, thanks for posting this. It’s super confusing! As you mentioned, the LM-EA9 I have works great with the A7CR, so I’m not sure what they mean by one of the 'improvements.'
I don’t think there are different versions of the LM-EA9. It is just an updated name. The “improvements” listed are vs. the original LM-EA7. That is why B&H just has the same product listing updated with “Version II”. I could be wrong but I have seen nothing to indicate differently.
Juha Kannisto wrote:
In Japan there were press releases and lot of sites reporting about version II of LM-EA9 last week (9/20) as a "minor update" over the previous version of LM-EA9. However, the announcements were a bit confusing because the product introduction video on them was the same old one and part of the listed improvements were comparing to LM-EA7. The original LM-EA9 has been available in Japan since it was originally releases so it looks like something was updated.
[Improvements to the Mark II version]
- Four small motors are perfectly synchronized. The adapter has been improved to operate more quickly, accurately and powerfully. Test results show that the load capacity has increased by 30-50%.
- The shape of the electronic contacts has been changed to accommodate the new camera bodies, and it can now be used with the Sony α7RV, α7CII, α7CR and α9III.
However, I think even the original LM-EA9 worked with the newer Sony bodies, but it does look like there might be some small update to the HW. Shoten Kobo Online store has been selling the original LM-EA9 since it came out but they also announced "version II" and replaced their order page for the original version with one for the "version II" from 9/20. At the same time they announced firmware update for the original version. I think they are the official importer / distributor of this adapter in Japan (they also distribute many other Chinese brand lenses / adapters etc. in Japan market).
I don't have the original LM-EA9 nor have I ordered the "version II" so I don't have personal experience with these, but I do have an old LM-EA7 (not in active use anymore)....Show more →
The original LM-EA9 came out in 2022 before some of the recent Sony Cameras such as A7RV, A7CII, A7CR, A9III and those were not in the list of officially supported cameras with the original version, although they have been found to work.
Now the 4 newer Sony cameras were added to the list of supported models with information such as:
> The Mark II version of this product is additionally compatible with Sony α7RV, α7CII, α7CR, and α9III.
> To accommodate new camera bodies, the shape of the electronic contacts has been changed, and it is now also compatible with the Sony α7RV, α7CII, α7CR, and α9III.
The "shape of the electronic contacts has been changed" sounds like it would be a HW change over the original version of LM-EA9. However, this "Mark II" seems to have replaced the original version so that the official distributor in Japan replaced the purchase page of the original version with "Mark II" version, keeping the same price.
They also mention this as a new change in Mark II:
"With four small motors perfectly synchronized, the adapter is improved to work faster, more accurately and more powerfully. Test results show that the load capacity is improved by 30-50%."
It sounds like a bigger change, I'm not sure if it's a true change over original LM-EA9 or whether it's referencing LM-EA7 though, as the the 4 small motors were already there on "original" LM-EA9.
I don't know for sure what has changed, but it wouldn't make a lot of sense to change the naming of the product to Mark II without changing anything on the HW or packaging. It could be that the same change has taken place in other markets as a running change without any announcement.
grahamgibson wrote:
I don’t think there are different versions of the LM-EA9. It is just an updated name. The “improvements” listed are vs. the original LM-EA7. That is why B&H just has the same product listing updated with “Version II”. I could be wrong but I have seen nothing to indicate differently.
lattesweden wrote:
It is hard to know if they have made a change on the LM-EA9 hardware or if they refer to changes vs the LM-EA7, the whole text is rather unclear.
My LM-EA9 which was bought soon after it was introduced works on both my A7RV and my A7CII with the 1.8 firmware.
I agree, and the claim about the four motors being perfectly synchronized doesn't make much sense. The motor's function is largely determined by the software controlling it. My LM-EA9 fits and works perfectly with the A7CR; in fact, it's superb on it.
Perhaps updating to 1.8.0 is the actual update and newer adapters will ship with this firmware version.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I agree, and the claim about the four motors being perfectly synchronized doesn't make much sense. The motor's function is largely determined by the software controlling it. My LM-EA9 fits and works perfectly with the A7CR; in fact, it's superb on it.
Perhaps updating to 1.8.0 is the actual update and newer adapters will ship with this firmware version.
If we can find a picture of the LM-EA9 II contacts and compare to the one unit that has been out since the start, that would tell if there has been any HW change.
Also it would be interesting to compare the contacts between the LM-EA9 and the LM-EA7 to see if the "changed contacts" claim might be made vs the 7 unit.
I’ll wait a bit until the dust settles before buying the new adapter.
I own 4 LM-EA7 adapters, 2 still function, and 2 don’t.
I am most interested to use the new adapter with my Leica 80/1.4 Summilux-R lens, as the new adapter can accommodate heavier lenses than the old adapter.
Hopefully a 700 g lens plus additional R-M adapter is not too heavy for the LM-EA9.
My Sony cameras are A1, A9, and A9.3.
I tried to order the "Mark II" from Shoten Kobo Online Store in Japan but they are already backordered. I registered to get a notification mail when new stock arrives.
Once I get it (might take weeks though), I can take a photo of the contacts. Then just need somebody who owns an early copy of LM-EA9 to help with comparison reference, or maybe there are photos in the internet showing the contacts.
I also checked Twitter for Japanese posts of "Mark II" but didn't find any comparisons to "original" LM-EA9. There was one Tweet from a person who had bought the "Mark II" from Shoten Kobo immediately after last week's press release who had posted some pictures of the unit. At least there was Japanese paperwork included calling it "Mark II", but no photo of contacts. This person has been using LM-EA7 until now and hadn't purchased LM-EA9 before.
I also found some photos of the original LM-EA9 packaging in Japan market and Mark II text wasn't there in the original Japanese paperwork so it must have been newly added now.
I sent a query to Shoten Kobo Online Store about the HW differences between original LM-EA9 and Mark II... Waiting to see if they reply with some useful information. I also asked them about expected arrival timing of new stock.
EDIT: I found this additional note from Shoten Kobo Online Store's product page:
*The Mark II version has "MKII" written on the JAN code sticker on the package. The shape of the electronic contacts has been changed to accommodate newer models.
*We are not responsible for any damage caused when installing on a non-compatible model.
Juha Kannisto wrote:
I found this additional note from Shoten Kobo Online Store's product page:
*The Mark II version has "MKII" written on the JAN code sticker on the package. The shape of the electronic contacts has been changed to accommodate newer models.
*We are not responsible for any damage caused when installing on a non-compatible model.
Now this was an interesting piece of info. If this is true then they did change something in the contacts for some reason.
Makes me want to see a picture of the "II" versions contacts even more.
Juha Kannisto wrote:
I also found some photos of the original LM-EA9 packaging in Japan market and Mark II text wasn't there in the original Japanese paperwork so it must have been newly added now.
I sent a query to Shoten Kobo Online Store about the HW differences between original LM-EA9 and Mark II... Waiting to see if they reply with some useful information. I also asked them about expected arrival timing of new stock.
EDIT: I found this additional note from Shoten Kobo Online Store's product page:
*The Mark II version has "MKII" written on the JAN code sticker on the package. The shape of the electronic contacts has been changed to accommodate newer models.
*We are not responsible for any damage caused when installing on a non-compatible model.
That website has clear pictures off the LM-EA7 and EA9 contacts and you can see there is a change in shape. Again, I'm thinking "Version II" naming is being added to the EA9.
grahamgibson wrote:
That website has clear pictures off the LM-EA7 and EA9 contacts and you can see there is a change in shape. Again, I'm thinking "Version II" naming is being added to the EA9.
When I look at the picture at the site: https://www.stkb.jp/shopdetail/000000001785 that shows the contacts of the LM-EA9 II adapter (as they claim it is) and compare it to my LM-EA9 bought at the time of the original launch, I can't see any difference at all at the contacts. Sure they could have moved something a 1/10th of a millimetre or so, which would be hard to see on a picture. But not much more, since that would have been visible.
Now if we do play with the idea that the II version does have different contacts, we are not sure that the site actually has a picture up of the right version even if they claim it is the II version in the pictures, it could as well be the I version they publish an image of. Sales and marketing people are not always that well informed.
I guess until someone either manages to get a statement out of Techart with a clear and believable answer, or actually have a mark II labelled version in the hand we can compare to, we will not know for sure.
EDIT just for clarity: I couldn't obviously judge if anything has moved in the depth axis since the image of the claimed II contacts is taken flat on.
nehemiahphoto wrote:
This complete crappy botch in communication and product release (maybe) is about on par for this line and company.
Oh, I agree fully, this is probably the worst case of communication and customer care I have seen in a rather long time.
It is a little sad actually since they are alone in this market niche. If they needed more money (keeping a product going with new software does cost), why not take a few dollars on new firmware updates to support the new camera models instead of a (what we believe at this point in time) fake new version launch with just a new name label.
lattesweden wrote:
When I look at the picture at the site: https://www.stkb.jp/shopdetail/000000001785 that shows the contacts of the LM-EA9 II adapter (as they claim it is) and compare it to my LM-EA9 bought at the time of the original launch, I can't see any difference at all at the contacts. Sure they could have moved something a 1/10th of a millimetre or so, which would be hard to see on a picture. But not much more, since that would have been visible.
Now if we do play with the idea that the II version does have different contacts, we are not sure that the site actually has a picture up of the right version even if they claim it is the II version in the pictures, it could as well be the I version they publish an image of. Sales and marketing people are not always that well informed.
I guess until someone either manages to get a statement out of Techart with a clear and believable answer, or actually have a mark II labelled version in the hand we can compare to, we will not know for sure.
EDIT just for clarity: I couldn't obviously judge if anything has moved in the depth axis since the image of the claimed II contacts is taken flat on....Show more →
The claim is that the supposed change in contacts is for compatibility with newer cameras. However, the current EA9 works perfectly with newer cameras, with no issues whatsoever. I honestly don’t know what to make of this!
Fred Miranda wrote:
The claim is that the supposed change in contacts is for compatibility with newer cameras. However, the current EA9 works perfectly with newer cameras, with no issues whatsoever. I honestly don’t know what to make of this!
The image on the Japanese website that is claimed to be of the II version and is linked to above, is 100% identical to how my adapter looks from the same angle. Even the small "dots" on the contacts plates are in the same location. I can't obviously see if they have made any changes in the depth axis.
My LM-EA9 goes on my A9 and also A7CII and A7RV without problems. Maybe a little to stiff to unmount since the mount really sucks the adapter tight onto the mount.
I have not seen any info anywhere that Sony has made any smaller changes in their mount or the contacts on newer models vs the older ones (there was a smaller change in the mount between generation 1 and 2 bodys when Sony transitioned to a full metal mount. I remember that some adapters suddenly became extremely tight, but that was 10 years ago).
Fred Miranda wrote:
The claim is that the supposed change in contacts is for compatibility with newer cameras. However, the current EA9 works perfectly with newer cameras, with no issues whatsoever. I honestly don’t know what to make of this!
Addition: If you or anyone else have a LM-EA7 adapter and also a LA-EA9 could you compare the contacts? The claim they make about changes can as well be directed to a comparison with the LM-EA7 adapter.
