Using LA EA5 Sony.

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Hi all, I’m contemplating trying the LA EA5 adapter on my A7 iv but I’ve got no knowledge on it.

I’m tempted to try some older glass for portraits and landscape.
Do any of you use this?
If so what glass do you recommend?
How do you find the mount for focusing?
 
I have the A7iv and LA-EA5 adaptor, so hopefully my experience will be useful.
I upgraded from an A900 to the A7iv (and still have my 2nd A900 as a backup, so have been able directly compare).

Lens wise, I have just 1 e-mount lens, the Sony 200-600 G (I did have a Tamron 150-500 USM on my A900, but traded that in when getting the A7iv, figuring that was the lens that would most benefit from faster AF with a native lens - and I've not been disappointed, the 200-600 G is superb)

In terms of A-Mount lenses, the performance in terms of AF appears to be down to a given lens having in-lens AF motor or using the in body motor via.screw drive.
All the lenses I have with in-lens motors work flawlessly, smooth and fast (as was the case on the A900), plus taking advantage of the fancy AF features the A7iv offers.
The two screw drive fast primes do work, but as not as fast or smooth as they were on the A900 - I suspect this may be simply a case of the A900 having a very powerful AF motor (to the extent that it has an option to operate it on reduced power if you have older 3rd party lenses to avoid the high torque damaging the gearing in the lens), and the LA-EA5 having a less powerful motor.

I have the following lenses:
With In Lens Motors
Sony CZ 16-35 f/2.8 SSM
Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 HSM
Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 USD
Sony 70-300 G SSM

Screw Drive AF
Sony 50 f/1.4
Minolta 85 f/1.4 G RS
 
I have the A7iv and LA-EA5 adaptor, so hopefully my experience will be useful.
I upgraded from an A900 to the A7iv (and still have my 2nd A900 as a backup, so have been able directly compare).

Lens wise, I have just 1 e-mount lens, the Sony 200-600 G (I did have a Tamron 150-500 USM on my A900, but traded that in when getting the A7iv, figuring that was the lens that would most benefit from faster AF with a native lens - and I've not been disappointed, the 200-600 G is superb)

In terms of A-Mount lenses, the performance in terms of AF appears to be down to a given lens having in-lens AF motor or using the in body motor via.screw drive.
All the lenses I have with in-lens motors work flawlessly, smooth and fast (as was the case on the A900), plus taking advantage of the fancy AF features the A7iv offers.
The two screw drive fast primes do work, but as not as fast or smooth as they were on the A900 - I suspect this may be simply a case of the A900 having a very powerful AF motor (to the extent that it has an option to operate it on reduced power if you have older 3rd party lenses to avoid the high torque damaging the gearing in the lens), and the LA-EA5 having a less powerful motor.

I have the following lenses:
With In Lens Motors
Sony CZ 16-35 f/2.8 SSM
Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 HSM
Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 USD
Sony 70-300 G SSM

Screw Drive AF
Sony 50 f/1.4
Minolta 85 f/1.4 G RS
Thanks for that. Would you recommend someone on a budget at the moment to explore this route?

At the moment I only have a Sigma 24-70 2.8 DG DN ii
 
Thanks for that. Would you recommend someone on a budget at the moment to explore this route?

At the moment I only have a Sigma 24-70 2.8 DG DN ii
I think it's a good option if you already have A-Mount lenses, but with the wide range of good 3rd party native lenses for e-mount, if you are looking to buy I'd look at native lenses rather than buying an adaptor for A-Mount - if, for no other reason than the fact that A-Mount lenses will become harder to sell over time should you later look to upgrade (I took advantage of a Sony Trade-in bonus when I switched, which made the deal a bit less painful).
 
I have an LA-EA4 adapter on an A7III. It gets used with a sigma 12-24, Sony 50f1.4 and beer can, Tamron 90 macro, all screw drive. You could certainly use older lenses for portraits, but might be better off buying modern lower cost native lenses for landscape where details are important. The better older Minolta lenses are often better than the Nikon equivalents, but budget Minolta A mount lenses tended to be very poor.

For portraits, on a budget I would look at 1st generation Samyang 50 and 85 f1.4 lenses, both rendering beautifully and focussing ok.
 
I have that adapter solely to use on the fisheye lens as Sony have never updated that to e-mount. If the fisheye is anything to go by I would be looking at buying newer lenses either oem or third party as the focusing will be so much quicker and perhaps more accurate too. It is also a fairly large adapter. Saying all that it works fine for what I use it for but if Sony come out with a fisheye for e-mount it will be sold immediately
 
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