Are there drawbacks to using an A-mount Sigma 60-600mm on a Sony E-mount body with an adapter?
Asked 5/14/2023
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I’m considering a used Sigma 60-600mm DG HSM in Sony A-mount for use on a Sony a7R III. If I use an A-to-E adapter such as the Sony LA-EA5, will it perform similarly to the native E-mount/DG DN version, or are there tradeoffs? I’m mainly wondering about aperture/light loss, autofocus performance and feature support, and any other practical issues when adapting a third-party A-mount lens to an E-mount body.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
3y ago
2 Answers
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There can be some downsides to using these LA-EA* adapters with Sony E-mount cameras, compared to native lenses, particularly with previous generation cameras/adapters. Sony publishes a list of restrictions on a lens-by-lens basis, but only for Sony/Minolta lenses. I would not assume that a third-party lens will work any better than a Sony A-mount lens.
The latest adapter – LA-EA5 – should not cause any loss of light transmission. This adapter has no translucent mirror to deflect light to an autofocus sensor like some earlier adapters; rather, autofocus is handled entirely by the host camera's sensor. Some autofocus modes/features may not work fully (e.g. eye-detection) – these are the kinds of restrictions to watch out for. Watch out for limitations in video mode too.
Sony publishes an online Help Guide for each camera model. Unfortunately the guide for the α7RIII does not cover the LA-EA5, but take a look at the guide for the α7RIV where some of the restrictions for this combo are mentioned.
Note of course that some of these restrictions may not be deal-breakers. At the end of the day, it's the image that counts.
Originally by user38159. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user38159
3y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—there can be tradeoffs, and it may not behave like the native DG DN version.
With the newer Sony LA-EA5, there is no translucent mirror, so you should not expect inherent light loss from the adapter itself. However, adapted A-mount lenses can still have limitations versus native E-mount lenses, especially in autofocus behavior and supported AF features. Depending on the body/lens/adapter combination, some AF modes or features may be reduced or unavailable, and video AF can have additional restrictions.
A key caution is that Sony’s compatibility information is mainly for Sony/Minolta A-mount lenses. For a third-party Sigma lens, don’t assume full compatibility just because a Sony lens works. Performance may vary, and reports of issues such as vignetting with some adapted Sigma lenses do exist.
There are also practical downsides: the adapter adds size, weight, and another connection point.
So: no automatic aperture penalty with the LA-EA5, but autofocus/features may be compromised, and third-party compatibility is less certain. If those tradeoffs are acceptable for the price and focal range, it may still be worthwhile—but it is unlikely to be equivalent to the native E-mount version.
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