I think you're being too harsh on the 16 - 50 ssm..dude you paid $250 for it...saved $1000 bucks and had nothing good to say...

A new stabilized tamron 17-70 constant 2.8 for apsc is coming out...

Oh Arthur you really made me excited after a while! I'm just so curious to see some other A mount lenses performance on this little adaptor.....specially Minolta lenses which are so damn cheap!

The 16-50/2.8 was Sony's first entry in that range, it was priced much lower than the new 16-55/2.8 and at the time it was competing with Tamron and Sigma 17-50/2.8 entries. I originally bought the 16-50/2.8 when I ordered the a77. Its a good lens but I never expected it to perform like a higher end lens. I consider it very good for what it was competing against. Unfortunately the autofocus on mine stopped working, I haven't bothered to find another copy. I am also holding out on upgrading to any body with full support with the la-ea5, for now.

I daily use for years LA-EA4 + 16-50 2.8 SSM, is it so cheap used (less than $250 !! ), and for photography, it is perfectly great combo

The biggest problem with 16-50 SSM is that the bodies for alpha 6000 series cameras don't perform lens (ie. CA and distortion) corrections.

This wasn't fungus inside of the lens, but balsam separation. Unfortunately this is a common problem with this great lens, under hot weather conditions.

It's a huge miss for Sony that they couldn't use this adapter to take advantage of their A mount lenses. Sony could've built a variable ND, focal reducer, or CPL inside the adapter to satisfy videographers while boosting their lens sale. Just look at what Canon did.

Hi Arthur, great topic. Thank you for this. BTW: Your indoor setup looks much better than your walking outdoors. Keep going on!

I'm using the 17-50 2.8 Sigma EX HSM with this adapter and it works great on my A6500. Excellent lens and can be had for under $200. But yeah I was upset that I couldn't use screw drive lenses (which most of my A-mount glass are) unless I upgraded to an A7RIV or newer.

Thank you for this information

Thanks for the great review. Now I know to avoid the adapter since no autofocus in video mode is a deal-breaker.

I did get the LA-EA5 so I could use my old Minolta screw drive lenses on my A7R4 and this combo works very good. I do have the Sony DT 16-50 AF f/2.8 and use it with the LA-EA3 on my A6500 for time lapse, sunrise and sunset photography. I am sure Sony will do a firmware update. Nice video by the way.

May you show more of the distortion performances of the 2 lenses when auto-correcting distortion turning off? I've owned a 16-55 lens and it has a pretty strong barrel distortion (even the very edges of the frame are missing, unfortunately).

Hmm i just discovered you by your CREE Q5 vs CREE C3 vs Mini Maglite flashlight video... Quality has improved over 9 years, Ill tell you that

Hey just a thought, maybe the camera adjusted automatically for vignetting, CA and distortion on the G lens, because of integrated profile and didn't do anything on the older SSM lens. Maybe in another RAW converter it will show up a bit different IQ. Still very impressive imaging from the new lens this is why it is sooo expensive.

Hi Arthur, great topic. I tried A7C+ LA-EA5 + Sony 16-50 F2.8 SSM. No obvious distortion was found.

So glad to see that you made a video about this adapter! I'm using an a6400 and was super excited because I have a small collection of Minolta AF lens that I'd love to adapt to that camera. I love the vintage feel and look. However, very disappointed with the lack of autofocus support for the a6400. An easy add on with a firmware update because I really don't wish to buy a whole new camera to use this adapter?

Hey nice vid man, as a creator myself I know a lot went into this vid... keep up the good work

Hey Arthur The comparison is super interesting. But I come to a different conclusion. The E-Mount G lens is ideal for landscape / architecture. BUT for portraits the SSM 16-50 is much better. Your wife looks much better (and more natural) through the color of her skin. In addition, the G lens is absolutely "too sharp" for faces. But that's just my opinion. Greetings from Germany (and sorry for my bad english ;-) )

Will you review more adapted A mount glass? Would love to see a modern take on the Minolta Beercan

Was the lens comp. function available and working for both lenses on the camera?

Arthur you are the man, I too was thinking if this would be a good substitute for the g version? The lack of auto focus in video was a great piece of info. Thanks for the video. Spot on

Very much love your comparisons!

Can I ask the autofocus on the combo for events like weddings can you recommend it?

Sony's support site states that lens compensation does not work with that lens on the adaptor which accounts for the barrel distortion. On a-mount bodies it was corrected in camera.

Great video, but for the distorsion difference I feel like it could be that the E -mount is corrected directly in camera as the lens communicates more infos to the body (same for chromatic aberration)

In fact, there's Monster Adapter which is based on LAEA4 has the same function to LAEA5, but support all SONY bodies

thanks for the video. I actually sold my 16-50 2.8 SSM that I used with the EA3 on the a6500. I‘m curious about that you say the EA5 brings Eye-AF to the Lens if used with a6600. So many says that there are no advantages to SAM/SSM lenses with the EA5 against the EA3. Only with Lenses that don’t have an AF inside will get more features with the EA5. ? Looking forward for a comparison between the Sony 16-55 G and the new Tamron 17-70 2.8. Thanks in advance!

Using the adapter with Sony HVL-F60M, will you get AF assist beam from the flash?

Hi Arthur. I wanna ask if the laea5 works on the Sony A6000, A6300 or A6500?

agreed with you, I returned my copy as well, my hope was they will provide the firmware update for the A9 or A73, but didn't happen

Is this lense Adapter good for video

Hello. whether it works with sony a6000 i am only interested in photography ? Thanks

I remember I tried this lens with ea3 version adapter on a6500. The photo single shot auto focus is pretty decent. I would say you can use it professionally for portrait and event. The tracking is not good. And there is no video auto focus.

You shure the lens correction for the g lens on the camera? It could made a huge difference in results specially on distortion and aberration...

Revisiting this video to see if your stance on both adapter and this lens still stands, if adapted to the new A6700?

Isn’t the LAEA5 best on new bodies that have the latest AF etc?

will you be testing the new tamron 17-70 f2.8 when it comes out? Very excited about that lens

have you tried it with the la-ae3? that seems like a cheaper option given it has a SSM so doesn't need the motor from the la-ae5?

Most interesting. I own the a99 with a lot of the very best minolta and zeiss a mount lenses. But I want to upgrade either to the a99ii or the a7r iv (or v) with the LA EA 5 adapter. My question is, does the adapter work well?

Can't wait for you to get your hands on the tamron 17-70 f2.8 for sony apsc !!!!

Hi Arthur, waiting for your review on the new Tamron 17-70f2.8 lens for APSC E mount..

No video AF? Well that's how to cripple a product. I wonder how this adapter would hold up with older cameras like the A6000 and telephoto lenses, i.e. for wildlife photography. As always a fine video, Arthur. Love to see you sticking to covering the APSC cameras.

Just pre-ordered the Tamron 17-70 2.8 It’s a game changer.

I have the LA-EA3 and LA-EA4 adapters and also tried it with my 16-50 f2.8 A mount lens on my A6300, exact the same conclusion on the purple fringing. On my A mount camera (A57): no issue. So I concluded the adapters are 'nice', but don't expect to much from it.

Is that adapter really compatible with an APSC lens and body?

Hmm wonder why in comparison you still say both wide open if they are both 2.8 so cannot open or stop it on different f-stop

You have tu use the LA-EA3 for the SSM 😊

I think the colors are better on the SSM. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Arthur, Nice comparison, but I’m not surprised of the outcome at all. Like you, I’ve used the LA-EA3 and the LA-EA4 - first with the NEX-7 and later with the A6500 - in combination with the Sony f2.8 16-50 plus the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 edition 3. The LA-EA4 holds it`s own 15 point PDAF system through a translucent mirror, which is why it allows for video on an APS-C e-mount body like the NEX-7 / A6000. The AF-system improved hugely on the A6300/A6500 and allowed the LA-EA3 adapter to be used with camera on body sensor PDAF sensor and hence achieve decent AF in photography with 3 fps in C-AF or 11 fps with AF on the first frame. Video is not supported with the LA-EA3. On my A6500, Eye-AF isn’t supported either, BUT some A-mount lenses produced like the ZA 24-70 f2.8 does support eye AF. Still it’s disappointing that Sony is unable to provide a functional solution for it’s own adapter for it’s own camera with it’s own lens. I’m not surprised with your image comparison though. I used the 16-50 f2.8 as my go to lens for quite some years and was pleased with it, as nothing else at the time came close in terms of optical performance. If you handle the lense visely and only use f2.8 if sharpness in the center matters - or constrain yourself to 24mm if corner to corner is important at f2.8 - your good. And do note, the the a6xxx series does NOT perform in body corrections to the JPG output. That will have to be done in post either way you try to adapt an A-mount lens. So I would advise anyone to go with the G 16-55 or perhaps wait for the all new Tamron 17-70 f2.8 - the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 does a great job for Sony Full Frame for a decent investment. Kind Regards

Thanks for the info, video was very helpful doesnt make any sense that it doesnt support video focus. There where such great lenses in the A series, such a waste. I wish Sony cared more about their consumers... Also you can test it with the Minolta AF 28-70mm F2.8 G its a cheap lens and can be fitted to this adapter!

Why is the new Rokinon AF 35 f/1.8 video private?

Hi Art...Really love your reviews. You are my go to guy. I also listen to John Sisson (that camera guy) and Christopher Cross just in case I can't make up my mind. Currently I have the Sony A6100 and based on your recommendations I currently own 7 native Sony Lenses and the Sigma 16 and I was thinking about getting the Sigma trio. But based on your comparison I got the Sony 16-55mm f2.8 today(used near mint condition- ebay $948) and decided to scratch my idea of purchasing the rest of the trio. I will now put my hardly used Sigma 16 on ebay. I haven't had a chance to use the 16-55mm yet but I put it on the camera. Immediately I could tell I was going to like it based on the aperture only. Me I struggle a bit because it doesn't have OSS but I know you said it is something I would get used to. I also have the Sony 35mm and 50mm F1.8 OSS the 18-135mm OSS the 55-210mm OSS, 10-14 mm and the 70-350mm. I have used the 18-135 the most along with the 55-210mm until I purchased the 70-350mm. I was doing a lot of sports shots and vacation shots but I want to do more model street scene pictures etc. So with all that said, I want to streamline my lenses to 4 or so. This is what I thought.... beside getting ride of the Sigma 16, I would also sell my 55-210mm, the 55mm f1.8 and perhaps the 18-135mm. The latter is perhaps my favorite lens solely base on the fact it was the most used. What would you recommend? I kept the 35mm purely for its low light capability and your recommendation to keep the 35mm over the 50mm. Thanks Rick

Huge fan of this background for talking head shots!

I thought the new LA-EA5 adapter is for screw driven lenses which are not the SSM lenses..this lens should have the same performance on a LA-EA3 or LA-EA 5..theoretically it should not matter? Correct me if I am wrong

Arthur, will you consider testing the LA-EA5 with the Sigma 18 35 1.8 (Sony Alpha mount) or the Sigma 17 to 50 2.8 (Alpha mount)? Those Sigma lenses were popularly more superior than the Sony 16 to 50 2.8 SSM.

Exactly what I was wondering about

since it's a SSM, doesn't the LA-EA3 work just as good? Or didn't the APS-C cameras get firmware updates to enable all the native-focus features like the A7 series got? (Even the older A7 / A7m2 ones).

Is it good for a6000? Plz

I noticed you’re comparing JPEGs. Could it be that the E-mount version has straight-to-jpeg lens corrections and with the A-mount lens you have to do this in post processing? Of course, sharpness, contrast and bokeh are going to be better with a new G lens, but the barrel distortion and CA from the 16-50 can be easily cleaned up in Lightroom

I suppose you can use the 1st version of the adapter that is much cheaper than the 5th

thanks for sharing

Great video, Thanks. What about comparing it to the Kit lens? I feel like the SSM lens is a bit soft. Thanks again.

Do you have any relation to Hoovies Garage? You look and sound so similar to Tyler Hoover!

I actually liked the SSM lens in a lot of shots. The CA was the biggest offender, but I liked the style in most of the shots and the lighting more often produced a pleasing skin tone on your wife's face, but I think that's something that can be dialed in a little more since the G lens had pleasing tones sometimes too.

Hey, which lens is the best multi function lens for a6x00?? I don’t wanna spend too much money buying 3 or 4 lenses!

I have the 16-50..i used it on a57 and on a77.. This lens always focuses wrong on both my cameras.. But i can get tack sharp results if i do manual focus.. Af microadjust is not perfect.. If i do microadjust in 16mm..it works good only at 16mm..but tbat works fine for me.. I do autofocus on 16 mm.. And when i do portrait.. I go at 50 mm and do manual focus

Can we have a visual autofocus test with the adapter in stills mode?

Tamron is going to release a 17-70 F2.8 soon... And it will probably be less expensive then 800 USD... So just wait...

Hi Arthur, what’s the best lense for a6k in taking pictures of heavenly bodies?😍😁 Thanks so much!

Probably a good vid, as all your others, but...Not useful to me because I have an a7iii. Do you think Sony will come out with something better than the LA-EA4? since the LA-EA5 is not compatible with the a7iii.

Why not the LA-EA3 adapter? The SSM has it's own AF motor. This adapter os for screw AF lenses.

Please please please! Can you make a review of the vintage pentacon 50mm 1.8? I have it and I've seen other reviews but want to hear your opinion. Very special and cheap lens with dream like bokeh.

looks like the ssm is letting a bit more light than the G lens. is a combination between the amount of light and the shit in color that make it brighter images.

Too bad the G Master is so expensive. When it was announced I was very excited but nope

Can you do a video guide for buying used camera gadgets from eBay? Like things to know before you buy maybe?

Doesn't look like a good buy, but thank you for the review, now we know. I guess we will still have to wait for a G lens competitor from Sigma or Tamron. $1400 is way too much for an APSC glass

You could have used the LA-EA3 adapter, which was released long ago along with the 4. The 16-50mm F2.8 A-mount lens has internal SSM focus motor, so it doesn't use the screw drive from the camera (or adapter). Should work with all e-mount cameras since A7II/A6300.

Love to see if the sigma 18-35 f1.8 works with the adaptor

Holy shit! You're lucky that the adapter only costs 250 usd. In Europe, it costs about 350 usd, converted

Arthur, I sure was hoping this would have been a good combination. I'm a new DAD like you, my baby was born June 19th 2019 and really relate to your personality and style of communication. Bought my A6400 this summer and have been loving it. I think it was your video that sold me on the a 6400. Keep it up. If you come to Tahoe, Truckee reach out, and I would love to show you around.

Don't be surprised that video Autofocus does not work with any camera using this adapter. It doesn't make any sense, but it makes plenty of cent$ for Sony. Everything Sony does is completely on purpose, including disabling what should be working so that you're disatisfied, disappointed and spend more and more and more on their lenses. Hey, I'm a Sony fanboy, but they're nickel-and-diming has always been something that irks me over and over again.

I use that lens on my a6400 with the LAEA3 adaptor and it works great

I’m surprised the SSM is so much brighter. Since you’re shooting JPEG are you using auto DRO?

My girlfriend is using the SIGMA 18-35mm f/1.8 (SA Mount) with the MC-11 on her a6600 and is highly satisfied. I think that's one of the best combos available at all

Have you tried the lens with an A-Mount camera and compared the photos with the ones from the lens + LA-EA5, to see if it was the lens or the adapter? I am certainly disappointed with the findings, since I already own that SSM lens. I also own the 70-200 F2.8 G (A-Mount), which I hope to use with the LA-EA5 (still waiting for delivery). I would be disappointed if it was the adapter.

There is an option the Sigma Contemporary 16-50 2.8 for Sony E

one thing you should consider, that the SSM lens is never claimed the G badge, in fact, it was lunched as a kit lens with sony a77. So there shouldn't be any surprise out there. One interesting aspect, I wish you did cover, is the focus speed between these two lenses. It would be interesting to see how much the mechanics have developed. Good work, thank you

You have ssm lans

What about the sigma 16-35 f/1.8 + MC-11? I know image quality is amazing, but my biggest concern before picking one up, is the length of the overall combo. Does it feel awkward? (I think the 16-55 GM is nice, but the price and the f/2.8 are drawbacks to me)

I'm pretty sure SSM-lenses aren't mechanically engaged. That would be the SAM-lenses. The reason A-mount lenses don't work in video mode on the LA-EA5 is that their controls were designed to work with the translucent mirror AF technology, not with on-sensor AF. The LA-EA5 doesn't work very well on my Nex 7, if at all. I'm just glad that it allow me to use my A-mount macro lenses on the A6600. For video, I prefer power zoom lenses anyway.

Arthur please prepare a review for Tamron 70-300 zoom lens.

Hey KZfaq people 👋 I was researching what camera to buy my fiancé. And I could really use your help. Maybe I’m over thinking this but I just want to make sure I got the right camera. My fiancé isn’t a professional photographer, but she loves taking pictures while we are out on hikes, on vacations, we live in Alberta Canada so we are close to the mountains and she would also do some vlogging. As for cameras I was going between the Nikon Z50 and Song A6100. The guy at the camera store convinced me the Sony was the way to go because the cameras are so similar and Sony has more lens options. Did I make the right choice?? Would really appreciate and help you guys can give me.

Really looking forward to see how the Tamron 17-70 f2.8 performs. The Sony 16-55g is just too damn expensive.

I used the 16-50 SSM lens on my a6500 with the LA-EA3 back in the day. It did not have auto-focus in video either. Surprised the LA-EA4 did. But some things seems improved with the 5, as it has eye-AF and faster continuous shooting. Other things seem the same. Mine was also sharp in the center, and for most of the frame, but fell apart at the edges. One annoying thing was that there was a delay of a few tenths of second between pressing shutter and picture being taken (except when shooting wide open). Made it difficult to shoot fast action. Is that delay still there with the LA-EA5? It had a lot of promise, but in the end the compromises were too big for me and I sold the lens and adapter.

I'll keep sticking with the kit-lens, a beast of a lens

You .. Sir ... are an inspiration. Plain and simple. You are honest and relatable. For that, you should pat yourself on the back and I will raise a glass in your honor. Being “human” is often frowned upon these days, but IMO, you appear to tell things as they are. This is sincerely appreciated. Keep up the wonderful work and I wish the best for you, your extended family ... and your friends. Cheers 👍. Thanks for teaching me so much, and making me appreciate my Sony Camera equipment.

Tamron just announced a 17-70mm f2.8 lens (B070) for sony e mount apsc cameras! (with oss!) According to dpreview, the price will be ~799 usd. In my opinion, the MTF is comparable to the one of sony 16-55G. Can't wait to have one! The full name of the lens is 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD (Model B070) and Tamron expects the lens to begin shipping on January 14th, 2021.

I can't afford the native 16-55mm lens. That's why I'm using sigma 18-35mm f1.8 with mc11 on my a6400. The only disadvantage are the weight, slightly slow on auto focus and it drain the battery faster compare to native lens but I don't mind that because it's cheaper and it is the only crop lens with a constant f1.8 aperture available right now. If I got the budget, I'm also planning to buy the sigma 50-100mm f1.8 and sell my sony 18-135mm