Jump to content

M42 lens on Sony A100 - Noob question

maninthemaze

By maninthemaze,
in Legacy Lenses

 Share

Recommended Posts

maninthemaze Newbie

maninthemaze

Posted
Posted

Hi everyone

 

quick question from a beginner - I've recently inherited an ancient (but near-mint) A100 from a relative. My first DSLR and a lot of fun so far. Point is, I've bought a couple of cheap lenses off Ebay, a Minolta AF and a Helios 44-2 (m42 mount) with adapter. Now the thing I've noticed is that when I mount the Helios, the camera takes much longer than usual to start up - about 5 seconds, with a whirring noise all along that seems to come from the lens mount. After that everything (lens and body) works as it's supposed to. Is that normal? Is it the AF screw struggling against the adapter, or what?

The adapter is a cheap, chipped one, also off Ebay, nothing fancy but it seems well made. Am I at risk of wrecking my new toy or just worrying over nothing? Any feedback much appreciated and apologies in advance if there is already a similar topic, I honestly couldn't find it.

Link to post
Share on other sites
miran Enthusiast

miran

Posted
Posted

I used to have an A100 once and a cheap M42 adapter and didn't notice such strange behaviour. It's possible that because you have a chipped adapter the camera thinks there's an AF lens behind it and wants to do something with it. I'm not sure but I think when an A100 (or similar camera) detects a lens it doesn't know about, it wants to turn the AF screw once from one end to the other in order to calibrate the AF system. And because the adapter of course doesn't have that, it takes a few seconds before the camera gives up with this calibration sequence. If there was no chip on the adapter, the camera would simply not know about it and wouldn't try to do anything. But that's just my guess.

Link to post
Share on other sites
maninthemaze Newbie

maninthemaze

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi Miran, thanks for your reply - it makes sense to me! I asked a friend last night who's been into photography for years (though he doesn't use Sony) and his explanation was more ore less the same. Now the real question is whether that's good for the AF screw in the long run... I guess the sensible thing to do is to get a non-chipped adapter and see what happens then!

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • NewSonyUsER
      Looking for an a7R mk I, (second generation)

      By NewSonyUsER · Posted

      I'd really like to find a package deal for an a7R (mk I, second generation) which includes the neckstrap and box. I've searched Ebay and currently no one is listing what I'm looking for. They either have the camera only or a first generation a7R and a lot of them don't offer the Sony neckstrap or box it came in. I know your site doesn't have a formal 'Equipment For Sale' thread and granted Ebay is a better place to sell gear but I thought I'd see if any of the members have one and would like to upgrade to a newer model but don't think anyone would be looking for one that old. The cameras I've been using are in the 20 megapixel range and rather than jumping to a 40mp camera due to file size, the 36mp that the first a7R has was appealing to me and wouldn't break the bank. I've been using Canon and Nikon but really want experience a Sony. If a post like this is undesirable for this website, I understand but I thought I would ask. Thank you. 
    • SonyFF32137
      Any A7R iv A issues with 200-600 zoom?

      By SonyFF32137 · Posted

      Here's a good thread on the issue.... https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4571046 And here is the info on the A7RIVA that maybe explains why I don't see the issue...  The change in wording that caught my attention is that the new A7RIVA brochure says the structure has been "re-examined and redesigned." Don't know, but given the text of other parts of the brochures are copied word for word, the change in text here seems significant. My reading of this is that it is a redesign of the A7RIV. In that case, perhaps the 200-600 issues are less severe with the new body.
    • XKAES
      2 Primes or 1 Zoom?

      By XKAES · Posted

      I'd opt for a small zoom, but I must admit that there seems to be a dearth of lenses in the e-mount in the 24-50mm range -- for some reason.  I have a small 24-70mm, but that's an a-mount Tamron.  Maybe you can find something by looking at lenses slightly longer.  I have a heavy, but small 24-100mm a-mount, and Tokina made a 24-200mm a-mount.  Maybe there are similar lenses in the e-mount.  Kill three birds with one stone.

  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...