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A good brand of cheap Chinese adapters


addicted2light
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Hi everyone, 

 

I just wanted to share my latest "discovery" in terms of lens adapters.

 

I ordered a couple of these cheap (10$) "K&F Concept" Chinese adapters:

 

http://www.ebay.it/itm/381090192977

 

There are other vendors that sell it, I just added the link to show you the picture, because many sellers don't put the brand name in the description so you'll have to check the pictures.

 

They are extremely well made, quite heavy compared to the other cheap ones, and at least the ones I've got (Contax, Leica M and Minolta MD) have given me perfect infinity focus, a solid connection (no play whatsoever) and the focus scale on the lenses is reliable as well!

 

Besides, they have a kind of uneven surface in their interior that's quite effective at cutting out reflections. I've directly compared it to another adapter that I modified with the same kind of flocking material used inside cameras, and the K&F stayed black while the flocking material showed some reflected light still.

 

Hope this will help someone else that finds that asking 250€ for an empty metal tube is just plain insane. Yes I know, they have to be manufactured to tight specs, but so is a lens, and with a lens they usually give you the glass as well   :D

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

An update: these adapters as well, unfortunately, suffer from severe to mild (depending on brand and / or luck) light leaks. You may not notice these in normal shooting situations, but they will pop out quite noticeably if shooting with long shutter speeds in daylight (using an ND filter or at really slow apertures, for example), especially if the light happens to shine onto the "wrong" part of the adapter.

 

On the other hand, from a quick search it looks that even the big brands suffer from the same problem in these conditions (with the possible exception of the latest model of Novoflex adapters and Voigtlander, that looks like are "baffled" to avoid this).

 

Still, for this price you can just use a rubber band or a strip of black velcro to block the leak, or buy an adapter for each lens you own and use a more permanent system like metal or rubber tape around the lens/adapter interface.

 

Anyway this will more often than not be a problem only if you shoot from a tripod, because handheld your hand will likely "shade" the troublesome section and you will definitely be shooting at shutter speeds too fast for the leak to show.

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  • 1 month later...

As for the Minolta ones: the fix for the light leaks is extremely simple.

 

All you have to do is removing the bayonet (just 3 screws) and put a bit of gaffer tape underneath the bayonet itself, in the same position where the release button is (it is an easy place to spot, it's the only one without a "lip").

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Light leaks are the worst, I carry a wide black rubber band, works perfectly. You can purchase these at a craft store or online.

 

Yeah, I actually at first come out with a similar solution involving paracord (that I still use for the Contax adapter, given that its leaks are not simply into the button release zone, so not easily fixable):

 

http://www.sonyalphaforum.com/topic/560-1-solution-to-all-the-light-leak-adapter-related-problems/

 

But a rubber band is a nice and even easier solution as well, thanks for sharing the idea!  :)

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  • 1 month later...

I'm adapting Leica thread mount (LTM) and M mount lenses to the A7II. I tried Dot Line LTM to NEX and M to NEX adapters ($50 each), and neither one worked out for me. The M mount wouldn't properly latch the lens, and the LTM was so tight on the camera side that I didn't even try to turn it far enough to click due to concern that it could damage the lens mount.

 

I returned these and bit the bullet and got the Voigtlander helicoid mount ($309). I'm using that for M mount, and combining it with a Leitz LTM to M adapter for thread mount lenses.

 

I guess time will tell whether the Voigtlander loosens up over time or develops light leaks, but so far, it fits on both the camera and lens sides - isn't too tight or too loose - and has no light leaks.

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  • 4 months later...

I got a K&F C/Y-NEX adapter after your recommendation. Works really well, so thank you for the review. Another adapter is on the way, this time an M42 for my new Helios.

 

Glad to be of help!

 

Given you're another Contax user: should you stumble across an Ulata adapter you might be tempted to buy one because 1) it is a bit more expensive than the others, so you'd think is also better made, and 2) it even looks really well put together in the pictures. Forget about it; I bought one and, while not bad, it is a bit worse than the K&F (I swear, I don't work for these guys :) ) but for 1 and a half times the price.

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Hi,

the problem with these adapters is their shape : conical. Light reflexions are "slipping" on the internal surface.

I prefer the cylindrical ULATA adapters, more easy to insert some matt black foam, and no leaks at all.

http://www.ebay.fr/itm/ULATA-Lens-Mount-Adapter-Olympus-OM-to-Sony-E-for-NEX-A7-R-A6000-OM-NEX-U-/272025843586?hash=item3f5600f782:g:IicAAOxyF0pTeyXS

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  • 4 weeks later...

The_X_Vision adapters (black brass), are another of the Chinese adaptor, and are pretty good, an advantage is that provide a wider diameter to hold while e.g. changing lenses, whereas with the Leitax on My Contax lenses, the mount diameters are similar, sometimes making it a bit awkward to hold & rotate the lens/mount to the camera.

I use X vision on a few of my Contax lenses on my A7ii and also the Leitax adapters, have had no problems with the X_Vision and would recommend them for lenses up to 135mm, over that I would use a quality adapter like the Leitax because of the weight / size and the the moment / torque this puts on the adapter

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Hi addicted2light, just receive the K&F adapter and make a quick test with my zeiss 35-70 at 50mm f5.6, same light leaking happened.

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Wow that's bad...

 

Hi addicted2light, just receive the K&F adapter and make a quick test with my zeiss 35-70 at 50mm f5.6, same light leaking happened.

 

Wow that's bad... I'm sorry to say that probably you got a lemon. If you got this result in normal shooting (not using and ND1000 filter like I mentioned, so with shutter times of several seconds in daylight) you should contact the vendor and ask for a replacement! 

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The item is exactly same as what they've advertised (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Contax-Yashica-C-Y-Lens-TO-Sony-E-Mount-NEX-VG10-NEX3-NEX5-NEX-C3-NEX-5N-adapter-/191411654192?hash=item2c91060e30:g:dUoAAOSwyQtVjQgR). I'm curious with your 'lemon' terms, can you show me the different with the one you got? 

 

 

With "lemon" I meant you probably received a faulty sample. It might happen with any manufacturer, but obviously the cheaper a thing is the less stringent the quality controls are (usually). I've experienced light leaks, and not that bad, only shooting with an ND1000 (10 stops) filter in daylight during the summer months, if the sun was shining directly on the lens/adapter junction.

 

In all other shooting situations I've never seen a leak.

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With "lemon" I meant you probably received a faulty sample. It might happen with any manufacturer, but obviously the cheaper a thing is the less stringent the quality controls are (usually). I've experienced light leaks, and not that bad, only shooting with an ND1000 (10 stops) filter in daylight during the summer months, if the sun was shining directly on the lens/adapter junction.

 

In all other shooting situations I've never seen a leak.

I don't think its a faulty product, it's the reflection from glossy paint that made it. I have covered it with velvet and no more light leaking problem.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello, I am also using K&F adapter (nikon) realy very well made and with infinity focus guaranty.

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