a7rii EFCS and Canon+adap​ter lenses: Work ok? Manual seems to indicates "no".

[l_d_allan]

From the a7rii's full owners manual, topic 172:

 

1. MENU → (Custom Settings) → [e-Front Curtain Shut.] → desired setting.

 

Note:

When a lens made by another manufacturer (including a Minolta/Konica-Minolta lens) is used, set this function to [Off]. If you set this function to [On], the correct exposure will not be set or the image brightness will be uneven.

 

This seems to indicate that with a non-Sony lens (such as Canon + adapter), the Front Curtain Shutter may not operate correctly.

 

This Sony newbie has the understanding that "shutter shock" is greatly reduced or eliminated with EFSC (electronic first curtain shutter). I'm expecting to be able to use my Canon EF lenses with a FotodioX adapter on my pre-ordered a7rii and have little or no "shutter shock" issues. Are my expectations unrealistic?

 

Are EFCS and "electronic front curtain" different?

 

I'm mostly ignorant on how Sony cameras work. I wouldn't think the way the shutter operates would depend on what lens was attached, but what do I know?

 

Have new owners with delivered a7rii & Canon lenses found "shutter shock" to be a non-issue? Is so, what settings are appropriate?

[Alliumnsk]

Quite weird. Probably it gets fixed in future firmware.

Well, the EFCS goes on sensor and mechanical curtains are placed IN DIFFERENT PLANES. Therefore, at very quick shutterspeeds you might notice problems with it (bokeh with vertical gradient) , and it's dependant on exit pupil position. Maybe camera wants to know exit pupil position (which is not available for non-Sony lenses) to properly synchronize EFCS and physical curtain. But it would affect only fast shutterspeeds. I have no idea.

[nameBrandon]

From the a7rii's full owners manual, topic 172:

 

1. MENU → (Custom Settings) → [e-Front Curtain Shut.] → desired setting.

 

Note:

When a lens made by another manufacturer (including a Minolta/Konica-Minolta lens) is used, set this function to [Off]. If you set this function to [On], the correct exposure will not be set or the image brightness will be uneven.

 

This seems to indicate that with a non-Sony lens (such as Canon + adapter), the Front Curtain Shutter may not operate correctly.

 

This Sony newbie has the understanding that "shutter shock" is greatly reduced or eliminated with EFSC (electronic first curtain shutter). I'm expecting to be able to use my Canon EF lenses with a FotodioX adapter on my pre-ordered a7rii and have little or no "shutter shock" issues. Are my expectations unrealistic?

 

Are EFCS and "electronic front curtain" different?

 

I'm mostly ignorant on how Sony cameras work. I wouldn't think the way the shutter operates would depend on what lens was attached, but what do I know?

 

Have new owners with delivered a7rii & Canon lenses found "shutter shock" to be a non-issue? Is so, what settings are appropriate?

 

My response from FM, to what I assume was a copy of this same question, if not from the same poster.

 

"Here's the deal with that.. In a lot of camera systems, when you're just walking around with a native lens, it sets itself to wide-open for your preview. That's why the DOF button was on most SLR cameras. When you use EFCS, it's timed for a lens that will close down the aperture only when you activate the shutter.

 

When you use MF / legacy glass, you're adjusting the aperture manually anyway, which means it's already stopped down when you take the image, so there's no issue there.

 

The question comes in to play with Canon lenses where aperture is set electronically. Since the a7, A7ii and A7s all have EFCS and we haven't seen this be a big problem, I imagine the smart Canon adapters are communicating correctly with the camera body, so I don't expect this to be an issue here.

 

Anyway, worst case scenario where you notice consistent improper exposure, you turn EFCS off. The a7rII features not only EFCS but a dampened shuttered activation, which I imagine they implemented for scenarios such as this.

 

In the worst-case scenario, shutter shock (if even present) should be far less in severity than the original a7r."

[blackfeather]

....I was using an adapted Minolta lens this weekend with EFCS "on".....three out of approx 80 images had a "dark edge" such as when your flash sync being off will give you a dark edge.  I turned EFCS off and have not had the issue....exposures seem to be more even as well.  I use many different adapted lenses on my A7s, and have the Sony 35 as well....

[nameBrandon]

....I was using an adapted Minolta lens this weekend with EFCS "on".....three out of approx 80 images had a "dark edge" such as when your flash sync being off will give you a dark edge.  I turned EFCS off and have not had the issue....exposures seem to be more even as well.  I use many different adapted lenses on my A7s, and have the Sony 35 as well....

 

Yep, this is the reason they put it in the manual. You might see it on wider lenses, at fast shutter speeds.. It's not often, but it can happen.. like your example, 3 out of every 80 images, and it depends on the lens and shutter speed. This is not an a7rii issue though, it's an EFCS issue, and can be seen on the a7, a7ii, a7s, a77, etc..

[Golem]

If a dark edge is mostly provoked by fast shutter times

and by wide angle lenses, presumably even more likely

when those two are combined, then it seemslike a real

non-issue ... other than remembering to turn EFC off.

 

Shutter shock is mainly a problem with longer lenses

as well as with "beanbag" shutter speeds [just a bit

slow, but not reeeeally slow]. IOW, a wide angle at a

fast shutter speed shouldn't need any "help" from EFC.

 

`

[l_d_allan]

Yep, this is the reason they put it in the manual.

Thanks for your replies, and I definitely hope my alarmist concerns are unfounded.

 

I did re-read Topic 172, and was again bummed that the manual is so blunt and unequivocal about using the words "will" rather than "may" or "could":

> "the correct exposure will not be set or the image brightness will be uneven." (emphasis added)

 

[kimknapp]

Not sure if it is related, but:

My version IV Metabones was at my vacation home, so I put on an older ASP-C sized Metabones (not sure what model, it just says EF-E mount) with my Canon 16-35 F2.8 lens on my new A7Rii. Worked well (except for the obvious - it cropped the image automatically). Then, I tried my son's Canon EFS 10-18. Took a shot or two ok and then.... It all went down the tubes.

Now, when I try to use the older Metabones, I get either a full black image or an image with black and purple/red horizontal stripes.

All of my Sony lenses work fine on the A7Rii and the Metabones still works on an A7ii and A6000 that I tried it with.

 

Don't know if I somehow damaged something, but I had not made any parameter changes between it working and not working.