Anyone used Old lenses on Sony a9 (or a7)?

[billabongtim]

I would like to ask the community if anybody has used the original silver coloured Sony 70-400mm f4-5.6 on a Sony a9 /a7 body. Same/Same the 300mm 2.8 Minolta prime.

Like a lot of people, I am disillusioned with the lack of a road map from Sony for the future of a mount.

I love my Sony lenses, but am struggling to see why I should stay with the system, when I see the huge array of CanNikon lenses in ranges and prices unavailable to me from Sony.

I see the A7 and a9 as the only effective way to maintain allegiance to the brand, but there's a fair chance these older lenses won't be able to justify the price of an a7/a9.

I can't justify the expense of the upgraded and current lenses.


Does any body have any experience with these older lenses on the modern bodies?

I would appreciate any insight.

Tim

[Cogito]

As far as I remember, both the A7 and A9 are Sony E mount which means you'd need an adapter...

[rpcrowe]

"I love my Sony lenses, but am struggling to see why I should stay with the system, when I see the huge array of CanNikon lenses in ranges and prices unavailable to me from Sony."

Don't forget however, the Canon FD lenses are virtually useless on EOS cameras and Canon EFS lenses cannot fit on full frame Canons.

That might cut down the apparent plethora of lenses available, just a bit.

However, realistically, Canon and Nikon (especially Canon) have been in the DSLR business longer than Sony and there are a LOT of very reasonably priced Canon and third party lenses available for Canon DSLR cameras: especially on the used market!

My three favorite lenses from Canon are the EFS 17-55mm f/2.8 IS, along with two great tele-zooms: EF 70-200mm f/4L IS and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II... The first two lenses can sometimes be had used at decent prices while the 100-400 II is relatively new and there are not that many available on the used market. My UWA lens is the Mark-I 12-24mm Tokina f/4...

[billabongtim]

Thanks Richard,
As you point out, I'd need a converter or two.

But will these "legacy lenses" on a converter perform on a new camera?
I do a lot of birding, and I am doubtful that these old lenses on converters will perform well enough to justify the expense.

I imagine there are a lot of Sony users thinking similar thoughts.

I have received a PM from a very helpful contributor suggesting that I look at the Sony discussion sites, but I feel they can be quite biased, and not truly represent reality.

This community feels a lot more balanced and considered.

Hoping to hear from someone that has tried these lenses on these cameras.

Tim

[Dave Humphries]

Hoping to hear from someone that has tried these lenses on these cameras.

Hi Tim,

I have amended your thread title to aid your hopes.

Dave

[tao2]

I would like to ask the community if anybody has used the original silver coloured Sony 70-400mm f4-5.6 on a Sony a9 /a7 body. Same/Same the 300mm 2.8 Minolta prime.

Like a lot of people, I am disillusioned with the lack of a road map from Sony for the future of a mount.

I love my Sony lenses, but am struggling to see why I should stay with the system, when I see the huge array of CanNikon lenses in ranges and prices unavailable to me from Sony.

I see the A7 and a9 as the only effective way to maintain allegiance to the brand, but there's a fair chance these older lenses won't be able to justify the price of an a7/a9.

I can't justify the expense of the upgraded and current lenses.


Does any body have any experience with these older lenses on the modern bodies?

I would appreciate any insight.

Tim

Hi Tim,

Just taken delivery (today) of a Sony A7ll. Ah have an MD-E mount adapter and am awaiting an LA-EA3 adapter (Sony Alpha/Minolta/A mount). Ah don't have either of the lenses you mention but have several A mount lenses and several MD lenses. Traded in my Sony Alpha a700, which ah've been using for years with an MD adapter an M42 adapter and a ZM (39mm) step-up ring. The a700 took almost any lens using these setups. Ah used it in Aperture Priority, with these adapters. Set the lens' aperture manually and the camera aperture followed.

Both the LA-EA3 and the LA-EA4 adapters have had recent firmware updates tae improve AF and continuous AF. Many folk now claim the LA-EA4 is unnecessary since the improvements tae the 3 make it very capable.

Unfortunately, ah'll have tae wait 'til the weekend before ah can try them out.

What camera are ye using now? There are some great deals on the Sonys (in the UK at least). Ah got £280 trade-in for the a700 (body only - shop offer) and Sony has a promotion running 'til September offering up tae £175 cashback. Ah got £100, so a great deal on ma new Sony.

Sony Alpha has a huge range of lenses also, going back over 30 years. E-mount full-frame lenses..not a bad list? More...up to date as of April this year.

PS third party full-frame

I have received a PM from a very helpful contributor suggesting that I look at the Sony discussion sites, but I feel they can be quite biased, and not truly represent reality.

Ah find the opposite tae be true. there are always fanboys (Canikon, Leica). Ah find Sony owners tae be remarkably restrained in the face of continuous annoyances. They tend tae be much more careful in their analyses since the weight of opprobrium hits like Joe Frasier, when the tiniest, erroneous quote surfaces. Ah think it's because Sony is so far ahead of the opposition in the paths they've gone down. A fanboy? Moi? Been a Minolta man for 35+ years...