Techart EF-NEX III

[daemorhedron]

Although released a while ago, the news hit SAR about a newly released adapter called the Saker Falcon Lite or Techart EF-NEX III.

 

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/new-deo-saker-falcon-lite-canon-ef-to-sony-fe-dual-focus-adapter-in-stock-for-the-first-time/

 

I have yet to see any reviews on it though so was curious as to peoples experience with it?

[Freyr]

Since I own an A7 and a Techart EOS-NEX III, a.k.a DEO Saker Flacon Lite for some time now, I decided to dig up this topic in order to share my experience so far

 

Here's a quick list of lenses that I've tried and my personal impressions:

 

1. Wide angle:

 

1.1 Canon 17-40L - I've read that it shouldn't work, but it does. Not a speed demon, but it's accurate and reliable. I'd say completely adequate.

1.2 Canon 16-35/2.8L mk2 - same as above

1.3 Tamron 17-35/2.8-4 - a bit of a rare lens so I had my doubts, but it worked. Maybe a bit slower than the 17-40L, but I can't be sure since I haven't tested them side by side. I actually bought this lens since it's a 2.8 at the wide end and was less than half of the price of the 17-40.

1.4 Cosina 19-35/3.5-4.5 - another oldie, but it worked, surprisingly

1.5 Sigma 24-35/2 - this one focused (slowly), but it wouldn't change aperture below 2.8. 

1.6 Sigma 17-35/2.8-4 - manual focus only, allowed aperture control

1.7 Sigma 35/1.4 Art - (very) slow autofocus, allowed aperture control

1.8 Sigma 30/1.4 (Crop) - did not work at all.

1.9 Canon 10-18/4.5-5.6 - This one came as a surprise, but it covered the full frame on the A7 at 14mm. Focus was quick and accurate.

 

2. Normal(ish) lenses:

 

2.1 Canon 50/1.8 STM: Quick, accurate, quiet. I own this lens and I'm happy with it. I'd say that it could give the new Sony FE 50/1.8 a run for its money.

2.2 Canon 40/2.8 STM: Same as the fifty, maybe even a bit quicker

2.3 Canon 24-105/3.5-5.6 IS STM: also quick, accurate an quiet. I'd say it's a great walkaround lens and a viable alternative to

2.4 Canon 24-105/4L - handled just fine, same as 2.3

2.5 Canon 28-90/3.5-5.6 II - I bought a used Canon film camera that came w/ this lens, so I tried it on the A7 just for kicks and giggles. It worked . Wasn't fast and reliable as the other ones, but still..

2.6 Canon EF-S 60/2.8 focused very accurately and quite quick for a macro

 

3. Teles:

 

3.1 Sigma 85/1.4 HSM - given my past experience with Sigma lenses I thought that it wouldn't work, but it did. Focus was decently fast, and quite accurate

3.2 Canon 135/2L - fast and accurate, faster than the Sigma. TBH I prefer the 135L + Techart than the Zeiss 135/1.8 + LA-EA4, but that's a whole other topic

3.3 All Canon 70-200s worked great, be it f4 or 2.8, with or without IS. I personally enjoyed the 70-200/4 (no IS) the most since it was the smallest and lightest of the bunch. I also tried a Tamron 70-200/2.8 Di LD. Sounded like R2-D2, but otherwise worked fine.

3.4 I found an old Canon 70-210/4 (push-pull zoom), which worked OK till about 200mm. After that it started to hunt and struggled to acquire focus.

3.5 Canon 200/2. Yes. F2. Worked like a charm.

 

And finally I'm dedicating a special category, called 

 

4. Why the hell are you not working!?

4.1 Canon 50/1.4

4.2 Canon 85/1.8

4.3 Canon 100/2

 

These were all exhibiting the same symptoms: camera was able to lock on quickly (i.e. green rectangle) but it just wasn't in focus. As a person who's fascinated by portraiture and is on a budget it's a real shame. Hoping Techart fix this with a firmware update, however it's doubtful.

 

Hope this is of some use.

[Langstrum]

Be aware, this adapter quality depends on the copy, and some of them is very easy to be malfunctioned. Mine suddenly stopped working after 2 months and I can't do anything to restore it, even though I used the adapter carefully. I heard about 4-5 cases having the same problem.