Techart Pro LM-EA9 Review

1. Eliminated "Wobble": The new design with 4 radially positioned servo motors provides even extension and retraction, fixing the focus plane instability common in the older model.
   
2. Quieter Operation: The four smaller motors are noticeably quieter than the single large motor of the LM-EA7.
   
3. Sleek Design: Removal of the bottom motor bulge allows for easier tripod mounting and a cleaner look.
   
4. Simplified Firmware Updates: Updates are now done via a Micro-USB port integrated into the rear cap/dock.
   

1. Reliability Concerns: User reports indicate potential reliability issues with the LM-EA9, including adapter failure (motors stopping). While many users have had positive experiences, be aware of this risk. Failures have been reported even within the warranty period. Techart's customer support responsiveness has also been criticized by some users.
   
2. Warranty: Techart explicitly states NO WARRANTY will be provided for units purchased through eBay or Amazon. For warranty coverage, purchase directly from Techart or authorized dealers like B&H Photo.
   
3. Basic Safety: To prevent fire hazards or electric shock, do not expose the adapter to rain or moisture. Avoid changing lenses in dusty or dirty environments.
   
4. Handling: When carrying or shooting, support both the camera body and the lens, especially with heavier lenses.
   
5. Cleaning: Clean lens contacts and adapter mounts gently with a blower or soft brush. Avoid touching contacts with hands or using organic solvents. Dirty contacts can cause malfunctions. Some users have fixed connection issues by gently cleaning contacts with Ronsonol/lighter fluid on a toothbrush.
   
6. Heavy Lenses: The official weight limit is 500g. Users report success with heavier lenses (e.g., 600g-770g) PROVIDED THE LENS IS SUPPORTED BY HAND. Relying solely on the adapter's motors for heavy lenses may strain them and potentially shorten the adapter's lifespan or slow down AF.
   
7. Grip Space: The adapter has a wider diameter than standard adapters. On smaller camera bodies (e.g., Sony A7C series, A6xxx series), this significantly reduces the space between the adapter and the camera grip, potentially making it uncomfortable for users with larger hands.
   
8. Dust/Weather Sealing: When the adapter extends to focus, a small gap is visible. This adapter is NOT weather-sealed and the gap may allow dust ingress. Use with caution in adverse conditions.
   
9. Video Autofocus: This adapter does NOT support autofocus during video recording. Focus mode will be automatically set to Manual Focus (MF) in video mode.
   
10. Sensor Stack Effects (Important Context): Sony cameras have thicker sensor cover glass than Leica M cameras. This affects the performance of M-mount lenses (especially wide-angle and fast aperture lenses), causing increased field curvature, potential corner smearing, and altered rendering, regardless of the adapter used. This is not a fault of the LM-EA9 but is crucial context when adapting M lenses to Sony. Performance is generally better with lenses 50mm and longer, or when stopped down. Using crop mode or a modified thin sensor stack camera can mitigate these effects.
    

1. Camera Bodies: Compatible with most Sony E-mount Full Frame & APS-C cameras with phase-detect autofocus (PDAF). Performance (speed, accuracy, off-center AF) is generally better on newer bodies (A7IV, A1, A9 series, A7RV, A7CR) due to their advanced AF systems.
   
   
   
   2. Note: Eye-AF functionality on the A7R II is inconsistent; some users report it works, others report an "Invalid Lens" error. It is confirmed *not* to work on the A7R (original CDAF-only model).
      
   
   
2. Lenses: Designed for Leica M-mount lenses.
   
   
   
   1. Incompatible Lenses: Lenses with infinity locks or physical protrusions at the flange level may not mount or may interfere with the adapter mechanism. Known incompatible lenses include:
      
      
      
      1. Leitz Elmar 35mm f/3.5 (LTM version)
         
      2. Leitz Hektor 50mm f/2.5
         
      3. Leitz Hektor 28mm f/6.3
         
      4. Leitz Summar 50mm f/2.0 (rigid version)
         
      5. Leitz Summaron 28mm f/5.6
         
      6. TTartisan 28mm f/5.6
         
      7. Voigtlander Heliar 40mm f/2.8
         
      8. Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 Nokton (LTM version - mount base too wide)
         
      9. Canon 50mm f/1.2 LTM
         
      11. Note: Canon 50mm f/1.4 LTM *is* reported to work.
          
      
      
   2. Stacked Adapters: You can stack additional adapters (e.g., M42-M, FD-M, CY-M, R-M - ensure the R-M adapter physically fits) to use lenses from other mounts. This adds weight and increases the potential for mount tilt/skew, affecting image sharpness alignment. Performance impact on AF itself is minimal. Ensure the *combined weight* is considered.
      
   
   

1. Note on Removing Rear Cap/Dock: To remove the rear cap/firmware update dock from the adapter, you need to slide the small silver button on the dock away from the adapter body. This releases the locking mechanism.
   
2. 1. Download the firmware update software ("TECHART Update" app) for Mac or PC from: https://techartpro.com/?page_id=5023
   
3. 2. Ensure the camera body battery is over 50%. (Not strictly needed for update, but good practice).
   
4. 3. Attach the rear cap/dock securely to the LM-EA9 adapter.
   
5. 4. Connect the dock to your computer using a Micro-USB cable. (If connection fails, try a different USB cable or ensure the cap is fully seated and the release button mentioned above is not being accidentally pressed).
   
6. 5. Open the TECHART Update software. It should detect the adapter.
   
7. 6. Select the desired firmware version from the list (you can upgrade or downgrade).
   
8. 7. Click the "Update" button and wait for the process to complete.
   
   
   
   1. Note on Firmware Versions:
      
      
      
      1. v1.8.0 is the latest stable version as of recent reports. (v1.7.0 was temporarily recalled but later reinstated).
         
      2. Firmware v1.4 allowed the adapter to remain at its current extension when switching the camera to MF mode (useful for manual close-focusing).
         
      3. Firmware v1.5.0 and later cause the adapter to retract to the infinity position when MF mode is selected via camera controls.
         
      
      
   2. Reset Function (F90): If the adapter behaves erratically (e.g., constant hunting, not responding), try resetting it: Set camera aperture to F90, take a picture, then set back to F2. Turn camera off and on. This has helped some users, sometimes in conjunction with downgrading firmware (e.g., to 1.5.0) and resetting.
      
   
   

1. 1. Mount the lens and adapter to the camera and turn the camera on.
   
2. 2. Set the camera's aperture dial to the F-stop corresponding to your lens's focal length using the table below.
   
3. 3. Take a picture. (Pressing the shutter button confirms the setting).
   
4. 4. IMMEDIATELY set the camera's aperture dial back to F2.0. This is crucial for correct exposure metering and AF performance. DO NOT leave the aperture set to the focal length value while shooting.
   
5. 5. The focal length is now stored in the adapter and will remain until you change it using this procedure again. Turning the camera off does not reset it.
   
6. 6. Set the desired working aperture using the physical aperture ring on your lens.
   

| Camera Aperture | Lens Focal Length |   | Camera Aperture | Lens Focal Length |

|-----------------|-------------------|---|-----------------|-------------------|

| F2.8            | 12mm              |   | F11             | 80mm              |

| F3.2            | 15mm              |   | F13             | 85mm              |

| F3.5            | 18mm              |   | F14             | 90mm              |

| F4              | 21mm              |   | F16             | 135mm             |

| F4.5            | 24mm              |   | F18             | 150mm             |

| F5              | 28mm              |   | F20             | 180mm             |

| F5.6            | 35mm              |   | F22             | 200mm             |

| F6.3            | 40mm              |   | F25             | 250mm             |

| F7.1            | 45mm              |   | F29             | 300mm             |

| F8              | 50mm              |   | F32             | 400mm             |

| F9              | 60mm              |   | F36             | 600mm             |

| F10             | 75mm              |   | F40             | 800mm             |

1. Important: This procedure only sets the focal length for EXIF/IBIS. It does not record the lens's actual working aperture in the EXIF data. Unlike the LM-EA7, there is no workaround using exposure compensation for this model.
   
2. Alternative: For IBIS only (no EXIF update), you can often manually set the focal length directly in the camera's SteadyShot menu settings. This is often quicker than the aperture method if you change lenses frequently.
   

1. General Speed & Accuracy: AF speed and accuracy are significantly improved compared to the LM-EA7, but still generally slower and less decisive than native Sony lenses. Performance is best in good light using the camera's Phase Detection AF (PDAF), typically enabled in AF-C mode.
   
2. Focus Area Limitations: This is a key characteristic. Autofocus is most reliable and accurate within the central area of the frame. Performance degrades significantly towards the mid-zone and edges/corners, especially with wide-angle lenses (<50mm). The adapter may fail to lock focus or focus inaccurately in these outer areas. Telephoto lenses (e.g., 75mm, 90mm) tend to perform better off-center than wider lenses. Set your expectations accordingly.
   
3. Recommended Focus Modes:
   
   
   
   1. Tracking (Center or Flexible Spot): Often recommended. Lock focus on the subject in the center and recompose. Tracking works reasonably well on newer camera bodies.
      
   2. Wide Area: Useful for enabling Eye-AF. Eye-AF generally works well (especially on newer bodies) but is mostly effective when the subject's eye falls within the adapter's reliable central AF zone.
      
   
   
4. AF Techniques & Tips:
   
   
   
   1. Wide/Normal Lenses (<50mm): Set the lens focus ring to infinity for general shooting. For closer subjects, adjust the lens focus ring towards the subject distance to ensure the adapter has range.
      
   2. Telephoto Lenses (>50mm) / Close-Ups: Roughly pre-focus using the lens's focus ring near the subject distance first, then let the adapter fine-tune with AF. This helps speed and accuracy.
      
   3. Lenses with Floating Elements (FLE): For optimal image quality at closer distances, set the lens's focus ring closer to the actual subject distance (e.g., 2m mark if subject is at 2m) rather than leaving it at infinity.
      
   4. AF Tracking Sensitivity: Experiment with the camera's "AF Tracking Sensitivity" setting; some users find adjusting this (higher or lower, depending on lens/situation) improves AF lock-on consistency, especially on bodies like the A7C.
      
   
   
5. Troubleshooting AF Issues:
   
   
   
   1. Hunting/Hesitation/No Response: Try the F90 reset procedure. Ensure firmware is up-to-date (or try downgrading if issues started after an update). Clean adapter and camera contacts. Ensure lens focus ring is set appropriately for the distance. Check if the lens is known to be problematic with the adapter. Low light or low contrast subjects will naturally be more challenging.
      
   2. Shutter Lag (AF-C): In AF-C mode with default priority settings, the shutter may not release until the adapter confirms focus lock, which can cause a delay. Setting AF/Shutter Priority to "Balanced" or "Release" might help, or use AF-S mode (though AF-S performance is reported as less reliable by some users).
      
   
   

1. f/45 – Parking Position: Determines adapter extension when camera is off or switched to MF.
   
   
   
   2. Behavior depends on firmware:
      
      
      
      1. Firmware v1.4: Parks at the *current* focus position (useful for manual close-ups).
         
      2. Firmware v1.5+: Retracts adapter to *infinity* position.
         
      
      
   3. Factory default is typically "unchanged" (like v1.4 behavior).
      
   
   
2. f/51 – Normal Focus Mode: Standard operating mode. The adapter focuses as normal. This is the default behavior if no other mode is set.
   
3. f/57 – Slower Focus Mode: Intended for lenses faster than f/1.4 (e.g., f/1.2, f/0.95). Aims for more careful, potentially slower focusing to improve accuracy with extremely shallow DOF. User reports on its effectiveness vary.
   
4. f/90 – Reset Adapter: Resets the adapter's internal settings. Useful for troubleshooting erratic behavior.
   

1. 1. Set the camera's Focus Mode to MF. This can often be done via a dedicated switch/dial on the camera body (e.g., A9, A1) or by assigning "AF/MF Control Toggle" to a custom button.
   
2. 2. Focus using the lens's manual focus ring. Focus peaking and magnification assist will work as usual.
   
3. 3. Adapter Position in MF: As noted under Firmware and f/45 setting, the adapter will either stay at its last AF position (FW v1.4 or f/45 set to 'unchanged') or retract to infinity (FW v1.5+ or f/45 set to 'infinity').
   
4. 4. Easy Switching with Back Button Focus (BBF): If you configure your camera for BBF (disengage AF activation from the shutter button and assign it to a back button like AF-ON or AEL), you can seamlessly switch between AF and MF. Simply press the back button to autofocus when needed, and release it to immediately use the lens's manual focus ring without changing any camera modes.
   

1. Reliability: Potential for adapter failure exists; buy from authorized sources for warranty.
   
2. AF Limitations: Best performance is center-weighted, especially for wider lenses. No AF in video.
   
3. Ergonomics: Reduced grip space on smaller bodies.
   
4. Lens Incompatibility: Certain lenses with infinity locks/physical design won't fit.
   
5. Heavy Lenses: Require hand support for optimal performance and longevity.
   
6. Dust: Gap when extended is not sealed.
   
7. EXIF: Cannot record working aperture.
   
8. Rear Cap Removal: The release mechanism (sliding button) isn't immediately obvious to all users.