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?

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.

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.