Will an EMF AF-confirm adapter work with a Helios 44-2 on a Canon 6D?
Asked 5/13/2015
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I have a Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 (M42 mount) and want to use it on a Canon 6D with an M42-EF adapter. Some adapters are sold with an EMF AF-confirm chip and some are not. Since this is a fully manual vintage lens, will the chip still provide focus confirmation or EXIF data, or does the lens itself need electronic contacts?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
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Yes. The EMF chip, when correctly positioned and glued to an adapter ring will perform autofocus confirmation and communicate EXIF lens information (focal length, max. aperture, and even the aperture setting used--if you follow the correct steps while shooting) on a digital Canon EOS body (I've used them on an XT, 50D, and 5DMkII). The adapter ring and the lens it's attached to don't really affect this function. The quality/fit of the adapter ring, however, is independent of the chip. The chip is sold separately from the rings, and can be glued on by anyone.
You may also want to look at the manual for the EMF chip.
In my experience, however, AF confirmation is not as useful at nailing focus with very thin DoF on a fast lens as the Canon "matte precision" focus screens (if your camera body allows for the use of one), or liveview with 10x magnification or focus peaking & Magic Zoom a la Magic Lantern.
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes. With a Canon EOS body like the 6D, an EMF AF-confirm chip on the M42-EF adapter can provide focus-confirmation and can also report programmed lens EXIF data such as focal length and maximum aperture. The vintage lens itself does not need electronic contacts for this to work, because the chip is on the adapter, not in the lens.
That said, the chip is not reading real data from the Helios lens. It is essentially presenting preset information to the camera, and any aperture data only works if the chip is set up and used correctly.
The lens and adapter ring do not fundamentally change the chip’s AF-confirm function, but adapter quality and chip positioning do matter. A poorly fitted adapter or badly placed chip can cause problems.
Also, focus-confirmation with fast manual lenses can be less reliable than using a proper manual-focus screen or magnified live view, especially at very shallow depth of field.
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