So as many of you know I REALLY love shooting with Sony because it gives me the opportunity to shoot with so many options that I never had before when shooting Nikon. I can shoot all my awesome Sony glass (and it's good stuff) as well as a bunch of everything else.
But when it comes to autofocus performance nothing compares to how Canon glass shoots on a Sony camera using the Metabones Mark 4 Adapter. Now back when I first started shooting Sony 2.5 years ago I said I wouldn't shoot a trash truck with the Metabones adapter that existed back then. The adapter back then (believe it was the Mark 3) simply sucked. It wasn't practical for any real world shooting application.
Metabones then released the Mark 4 adapter and WOW! It made a world of difference. One thing I really love about the adapter is that it has a USB port on the side which enables firmware updates to occur. Since I've owned the adapter (nearly a year now) I have applied the firmware updates to the adapter and they truly do make a difference in improving performance of the adapter with the camera. Updates have lead to enhanced auto focus performance as well as added features.
**Links to Gear:
Now in regards to the performance of the Metabones Adapter keep a few VERY IMPORTANT things in mind. I really don't care what anyone else out there says. I shoot so much with the Metabones and the Canon glass I honestly feel very comfortable making these statements and stand by them.
- Videography- DO NOT try and use the Metabones Mark 4 with Canon lenses and expect anything to work. It stinks in video mode. It tries to autofocus but it's miserable. Now most videographers prefer manually focusing anyways. But for those hoping to use Canon lenses on a Sony mirrorless body to record video in autofocus...it's a no go. If you want to roll video on a Sony mirrorless body, you need a native Sony FE or E mount lens.
- Compatible bodies- you'll read out there that you can use all the Sony bodies with autofocus and the Metabones adapter. While that's true, it's also misleading. Why? Well because it really only works at an acceptable level with the Sony A7Rii, A6500, and the A6300. Everything else will try your patience. If you have all the time in the world to mess around with it then have fun. For me, I actually want to use something I can use at a professional level shoot and for me that strictly happens with the three bodies mentioned. Bodies that don't work well with the Metabones adapter include: A7R, A7S, A7Sii, A7ii, A6000. This will disappoint some people but I don't people out there buying this adapter thinking it works with these bodies when it doesn't.
- Rounding f stops- on some very wide aperture lenses like my 85mm f/1.2 Canon L lens, the aperture doesn't read at f/1.2. According to the Metabones website this is due to a rounding error and it doesn't impact performance. From what I've been able to tell it doesn't impact performance at all but on my 85mm f/1.2 lens it will only read at f/1.3. It will not go down to f/1.2.
Below are images taken during the video where I reviewed the adapter. We have many more videos, pictures and reviews coming where I will show all the different lenses I use with this adapter. It's a game changer for me and I wholeheartedly recommend the Metabones Mark 4 Adapter as long as it's just for stills work with the camera bodies I mentioned (A7Rii, A6500, and A6300).
I hope it helps!!
Thanks,
Jason