Lens adapters
May 27, 2016 21:48:05 #
ballsafire
Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana
Are there any lens adapters that can be mounted to my Opteka 85mm f/1.8 manual focus telephoto lens which would convert the lens to an auto focus lens? My camera is a Canon T1i/500d (1.6 crop). I know Magic Lantern is sometimes used but I don't want to go down that road just yet. My feeling is that this manual lens cannot be converted to Auto focus but decided to ask for advice from this forum's members--Thanks. Yes, the CANON'S lens would have auto focus and IS---
May 27, 2016 22:01:34 #
ballsafire wrote:
Are there any lens adapters that can be mounted to my Opteka 85mm f/1.8 manual focus telephoto lens which would convert the lens to an auto focus lens? My camera is a Canon T1i/500d (1.6 crop). I know Magic Lantern is sometimes used but I don't want to go down that road just yet. My feeling is that this manual lens cannot be converted to Auto focus but decided to ask for advice from this forum's members--Thanks. Yes, the CANON'S lens would have auto focus and IS---
Canon's 85 1.8 does not have IS - but the new Tamron DOES.
May 27, 2016 22:12:12 #
ballsafire wrote:
Are there any lens adapters that can be mounted to my Opteka 85mm f/1.8 manual focus telephoto lens which would convert the lens to an auto focus lens? My camera is a Canon T1i/500d (1.6 crop). I know Magic Lantern is sometimes used but I don't want to go down that road just yet. My feeling is that this manual lens cannot be converted to Auto focus but decided to ask for advice from this forum's members--Thanks. Yes, the CANON'S lens would have auto focus and IS---
You could ask your question on the Pottermore site and expect better informed answers on how to achieve your objectives. Even Magic Lantern, wonderful and life changing though it is, isn't likely to meet your objectives, although I find it to be very efficacious. I think what you may be seeking is that universal lens that completely alters your perception, I think it's got a 420 designation or something similar, but I can't quite remember...., maybe a 20mm f/4 or something like that, it's a little soft focus right now....
May 28, 2016 01:21:18 #
Wow, wouldn't that be cool, an adapter that would turn a manual focus lens into an auto focus lens. Think of all the old but really nice Canon FD lenses that could be used on EF mount cameras. Problem is, all Canon auto focus lenses have motors in them. No motor, no way to automatically adjust the focus mechanism. As for Magic Lantern, it's not really magic it's software. Maybe if it were magic then it could magically focus your manual focus lens for you.
May 28, 2016 03:04:58 #
RWR
Loc: La Mesa, CA
A Nikon 16A teleconverter will autofocus manual focus lenses so long as the camera has a built-in autofocus motor.
May 28, 2016 10:10:51 #
RWR wrote:
A Nikon 16A teleconverter will autofocus manual focus lenses so long as the camera has a built-in autofocus motor.
But only with Nikon lenses and bodies. AND it will not work on digital bodies without a pin conversion.
May 28, 2016 11:28:55 #
RWR
Loc: La Mesa, CA
MT Shooter wrote:
But only with Nikon lenses and bodies. AND it will not work on digital bodies without a pin conversion.
Right. It is of very limited use. I mentioned it as the only device of the type that I'm aware of. Canon probably could have made something similar if there had been enough demand.
May 28, 2016 11:45:33 #
RWR wrote:
Right. It is of very limited use. I mentioned it as the only device of the type that I'm aware of. Canon probably could have made something similar if there had been enough demand.
There has been much discussion about adapters for Canon cameras, but it is a very different topic and not relevant to the original question about the Opteka 85mm f/1.8 lens, which is a purely manual focus lens designed to mount on any Canon EOS SLR or DSLR. However, since auto focus requires a motor somewhere, which is in the lens with Canon EF lenses and derivatives, an adapter can't make a motor magically spring into life to deliver autofocus capabilities, you just have to learn how to "autfocus" with your hands by turning the focusing ring.
This has been the case with Canon EF lenses since 1987, when the EOS system was introduced. At this time Canon changed the lens mount design to be incompatible with the older manual focus lenses (R,FL,FD, FDn) and cameras. There are adapters and modifications that can be used with those lenses but it is completely separate and quite complicated discussion.
May 28, 2016 11:52:27 #
Not if the lens was originally design to be manual focus. If Marty Forscher were still alive, I'd bet money it could be done.
--Bob
--Bob
ballsafire wrote:
Are there any lens adapters that can be mounted to my Opteka 85mm f/1.8 manual focus telephoto lens which would convert the lens to an auto focus lens? My camera is a Canon T1i/500d (1.6 crop). I know Magic Lantern is sometimes used but I don't want to go down that road just yet. My feeling is that this manual lens cannot be converted to Auto focus but decided to ask for advice from this forum's members--Thanks. Yes, the CANON'S lens would have auto focus and IS---
May 28, 2016 12:46:15 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
ballsafire wrote:
Are there any lens adapters that can be mounted to my Opteka 85mm f/1.8 manual focus telephoto lens which would convert the lens to an auto focus lens? My camera is a Canon T1i/500d (1.6 crop). I know Magic Lantern is sometimes used but I don't want to go down that road just yet. My feeling is that this manual lens cannot be converted to Auto focus but decided to ask for advice from this forum's members--Thanks. Yes, the CANON'S lens would have auto focus and IS---
Nope... there is no way to convert that manual focus lens to auto focus. A manual focus lens has no motor inside to perform auto focus (the Canon electronic way). Nor does it have any mechanical connectivity for an auto focus system that uses a motor built into the camera body (the way some Nikon do).
There are rumors that Samyang/Rokinon (who actually make the lenses labelled "Opteka" and many other brands) are coming out with some autofocus lenses. I think they are starting with lenses for Nikon.
Still, I'd recommend you just save up a little more and get a Canon EF 85/1.8 lens. It's excellent and has very fast, accurate USM auto focus (but not IS, as noted previously).
May 28, 2016 13:09:08 #
May 28, 2016 13:16:25 #
Marty Forscher would have been the better choice.
--Bob
--Bob
ebercovici wrote:
Where is Rube Goldberg when you need him?
May 28, 2016 13:21:24 #
RWR
Loc: La Mesa, CA
Peterff wrote:
There has been much discussion about adapters for ... (show quote)
I'm thinking that it should be simple enough to design a teleconverter with a built-in motor to move it's elements to auto focus no matter what lens was attached, and that the topic is relevant to the original question.
May 31, 2016 16:00:45 #
RWR wrote:
I'm thinking that it should be simple enough to design a teleconverter with a built-in motor to move it's elements to auto focus no matter what lens was attached, and that the topic is relevant to the original question.
Seriously? A TC that will AF regardless of lens attached?! No one makes a TC that even manual focuses. A TC with "focus" capability would be large, heavy and expensive and impractical.
I only know of one example where a lens manufacturer took manual focus lenses and made them into autofocus lenses, the old Canon FD 1200 f/5.6 to EF 1200 f/5.6 and they cost around $180,000.
May 31, 2016 16:29:47 #
RWR wrote:
I'm thinking that it should be simple enough to design a teleconverter with a built-in motor to move it's elements to auto focus no matter what lens was attached, and that the topic is relevant to the original question.
Well, if you can do it at an acceptable market price you may have a business opportunity, and all speed to you. Many of us clearly don't see how it could be done, so a prototype and a patent filing could be good next steps.
As an example, a Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L costs about $1350. A used Canon FDn 50mm f/1.2 L can be picked up for between $450 and $700, so to be worthwhile a motorized adapter would need to retail at say $250 or less, which would mean a manufacturing cost of say < $100 and a very small market unless it worked on several FD series lenses. That would assume that it could have close to equivalent optical performance to the EF 50mm f/1.2L and equivalent functionality. If you can design something like that, then there could indeed be an opportunity, since most of us don't seem to think that it is simple enough to do. Perhaps you do have the magic sauce here and we just don't see it.
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