being a active user of the commlite model on my a7s. i have found one major defect when using this adapter in the right lighting conditions. One example would be stage lighting but can achieve with any open faced over head lighting pointing directly at it. What i found is the adapter inside is smooth and causes reflections that bounce onto the sensor and washes out your image. i rented a metabones adapter to run test and found that the metabones handled this problem with no problems. the metabones has these nice ridges that continue all the way through the adapter to break up any chances of reflections unlike the commlite where its shinny and flat inside. what i personally did to fix this problem was went to my local craft store and purchased a black velvet sheet of paper that cost me $2.75. then I carefully made a templete of the inside and cut that shape out of the velvet paper. i used a thin layer of 2 part epoxy to ensure that the velvet paper adhered to the adapter and would never come off. I ran the same tests and found my hack fixed the problem. my two cents would be to just invest in the more expensive unit. there's a reason why you pay more.
Dave. I came to the same conclusion. I bought a Metabones for $399 + tax at the same time I bought my Sony A7 II and FE 55mm f/1.8, in December 2014. A few weeks later, I ordered both a Commlite and a Viltrox off Amazon for about $100, each. When I compared the three adapters, I found that the Commlite actually seemed to autofocus FASTER than the Metabones and the Viltrox was similar to the Commlite. NONE were great, but the Commlite was less bad and 1/4 the price. The ONLY thing the Metabones did that neither the Commlite or Viltrox will do is support MF Assist. For those not familiar, that is where the camera will auto magnify your focus area in the EVF or rear screen, when you turn the focus ring in DMF mode (Direct Manual Focus). I decided, for the $300 difference, I could assign the focus magnification to a button. I returned my Metabones and applied the refund against the purchase of a new A6000 body, and never looked back. The only thing I'm wondering now, is, whether the Commlite and Viltrox will work just as well on the the upcoming A7r Mark II. Most of the videos demonstrating the new camera with Canon lenses are shown using a Metabones. Unless, there is some kind of firmware update for the Metabones, I would think the Commlite or Viltrox will work just as well on that camera. FINGERS CROSSED!! :)
Dave you mention at 2.30 that the Commlite displays a flash of light as you open the aperture from f8 to f2.8 - yet the caption shows it is the Metabones that is being used.
Dave Dugdale I waited all video for the Autofocus speed test. I know u wrote that they are similar slow but a test would have been nicer that an audio test
Saieash Mohanadas The AF isn't good on either. I struggle using the Metabones EF to E adapter when shooting stills. It's just not usable unless you are really patient and don't have a moving subject. I think I focus faster in manual than the adapters can. Since the Commlite suffers the same issue it must be Sony that is having a tough time translating the Canon electronics. Native E-mount is best for stills. For video I can get by fine and it's nice to have the option to use my Canon lenses.
Great deal! Thanks for finding this Dave... was about to buy the metabones which I wasn't looking forward to after I already spend $600 on the GH4 version.
Hi Dave. You got the right adapter. I have commlite since from the time I bought my sony a7s and sony a6000. Metabones is expensive and so many issues. My commlite works like a champ with all my canon lenses. See my sample images in my google+
Bought this adapter the moment that i bought my a7s after doing lots of research, it's a really good adapter!!.... I found a video on vimeo where a guy was comparing the Metabones to the Commlite and another adapter, there was no difference every time between the Meta and Commlite.. One thing i've noticed with the Commlite is that sometimes you may get extreme lens flare if your using a 50m lens and there is bright lights plus your shooting wide open, plus this can sometimes wash the image ever so slightly as to under saturate it. Besides that thought, so far i've had no problems with this adapter, more than worth its money!
After much tooing a froing I bought the Commlite back in January when i got the a7ii. Couldnt see why you would need to pay and extra £240 for the same thing. One thing that is better on the Metabones however is the tripod foot. The commlite is useless if you want to do Long Exposure for example as it doesnt tighten fully meaning the camera can swivel. The Metabones as you will know has two allen bolts in it which stops this from happening. Good informative video that is so valuable to people looking into this minefield :) There must be about 10 EF-E mount adapters!
Hi Dave, just purchased an a7ii & the latest Commlite adapter to take advantage of my Canon lens. Just wanted to add my experience but I'll keep it short. Focus speed is very slow (about 4 secs for most all of my Canon lens), no surprise there. So I'm ok with using manual focus. However, I will be returning the Commlite adaptor.. the deal breaker was basically because the adapter won't allow me to use the full aperture on more than half of my lens. Here's a summary of what I've tested so far: Canon 40mm f2.8 pancake lens: will only open up to f3.2 Canon 85mm f1.8 lens: will only open up to f2.0 Canon 24-105mm L f4 lens : opens fine to f4.0 Canon 100mm L 2.8 macro: will only open to f5.6 I have a few more lens but I didn't bother testing them all since I'll be returning the adapter anyways. Bottom line, I can't recommend to Sony a7ii owners with Canon glass. But all in all thanks for your video a good review! Much appreciated!
Dave thank you soo much, you really know what to talk about, you always hit the swee spot when it comes to us videographers, things that we grapple with on a daiy basis, you kind of get them covered anytime you come out with a new post. just saying, thank you ever so much for this tit bit of info, greatly appreciated it was.
I have two of the Commlite Adapter, one with shiny mount like yours and the other it's kinda flat aluminum mount with flat black paint interior . The shiny one has light leaks when use high ISO like 1600 and above.I guess the flat black paint on the interior help reducing the light leak issue.
Dave Dugdale I see you have updated your blog with reflections issue. When I experienced I was amazed and confident that no matter what the blogs say it may not be fixed without problems. I was wrong.. All you need is flocking paper.. ANd you know I didn't even have flocking (don't get in my country and Post Office lost my mail in which I ordered), I just used some flocking-like paper from my mom's jewelery box (actually it was a box with a watch in it) - you know one that is like velvet. Easy Peasy 10 min fix (I lied, took me 30 min to stick it). Had goosebumps when I saw no flares. ps: you have responded to all my comments till now (I comment rarely though). Lets see if it continues..
Great video. I own 3 Metabones Speed Boosters for my BMPCC's and a Metabones Nik to E mount adapter. I'm so glad that the Commlite works as good or better, because Metabones is one of the worst companies I've ever had to deal with. No English speaking support-- no support at all, actually-- and so many faulty beta products sold as working models to the public at crazy prices. This is version 4 and Metabones still doesn't have it right. It's good to see other companies bringing out competitive/superior products- because when the a7R II comes out I think there will be a lot of people buying smart EF to FE adapters, and being stuck with only one bad company to choose from sucks.
Hi Tyler, Have you tried the Commlite with the BMPCC? If so, it would be really appreciated if you can let me know what do you think about it. Thanks in advance!
Frankly if you are going to get an adapter for Canon lenses then it makes more sense to me to get a speed booster not just the adapter. Well MetaBones is always going to be pricey because they were first to market ... If you are a Sony guy you may try Viltrox... I have mostly Canon stuff so I cannot tell you if the Viltrox works well or not on the Sony but the Viltrox certainly works pretty amazingly on the Panasonic GH4 and GH5 I am told.
Emil, if yours has no electronic connection it wouldn't. Commlite can and I can change aperture with ef lenses. Haven't tried video. To set aperture put the lens on a canon body, press dof button and remove lens for now.
what?? you didn't do a AF comparison between them two? anyways, I have the Fotodiox version, and it too was a fraction of the Metabones at $99 and I'm very happy with it.
Great review Dave. I think if I ever decide to go into manufacturing gear (not!), I'll hire you as the engineering consultant. Well worth the money. :)
thanks! Metabones is wayy over-rated to me. So it's good to confirm that the Commlite does just as well, minus maybe the glare that's been reported with it.
+Ciril Zupan for all of us who wanted autofocus in "run and gun" video with canon lenses in a6000 is this commlite adapter good or we will waste our money ?
to clarify... the flashing when changing the aperture happens with the metabones...correct? thats what was on the screen (bottom right corner)when you illustrated that but i think when you were talking you didn't state that it was the metabones that was doing this.
I just tried the commlite on the a7r2 with a canon 24mm and a 8-16 mm and they both work fine, well for me it is . I noticed that when it doesn't work I switch the camera on and off , remove and put back and who knows maybe if the commlite thinks your gonna get the metabones it starts working? But which ever thanks for this video it really helped...
I have the Commlite, it fits better on my a6000 than Sony's own e-mount lenses. The only thing I don't like, the tripod mount is useless. You can only finger tighten it and that it not enough. With a larger lens, like the EF 70-300L, it gets loose very quickly.
Chris Belcher Ah, ive just posted about that... such a shame as its something that I would really have liked doing Long Exposure stuff. There seems to be a lot of flex in the a7ii base so with EF 24-105 etc I wouldve liked to use the tripod foot on the Commlite.
9 лет назад
Chris Belcher HI Chris, does this Commlite adapter work in video mode on a6000? I recently purchased EF-E adapter made by MEIKE (MK-S-AF4) and it does not adjust aperture on the Canon lens in video mode, it works in photo mode only. I would not like to make the same purchase mistake twice. Thanks for sharing experience!
Emil Gallík Yes, the Commlite does allow for aperture adjustment while shooting video. You will want to change the Dial/Wheel Setup from it's default. Adjusting the aperture from the upper wheel is not smooth and clicks can be heard if using the internal mic.
I compared both and eventually I got the the Commlite... I was really worry wondering if I was missing something when I decided to go for the Commlite and I still cannot understand the price difference. Both perform practically the same. So it is a no brainer.... Commlite.
Commlite: for the budget photographer who doesn't mind manual focus and doesn't mind a slow auto-focus Metabones: a professional adapter with a much higher quality auto-focus and and excellent sensor conversion assuming your using the speed booster version of meta bones which i think is what you should get, for 200 more than the already premium price of 400 for the base model of Metabones i think it its worth it considering how important a faster lens is to us photographers and filmmakers alike
Hey Mr.Dugdale First off I just wanna say that I love watching your videos they're great and have a very natural and appealing style to them as if I were actually having a conversation with you every time. I wanted to ask you if you could make a video on your mobile rig or set up for when you go to places and are walking or moving in general with your camera. I know you have done many reviews on stabilizers but It would be cool to see how much and what you have intergraded into your mobile set up. Thanks Your fan from VA Rehman
My personal opinion is to sell the Canon lens and go with all native lens and have no issues. But that is just me… It’s just nice nice having a lens that %100 communicates with the camera. "Metabones is too proud" I completely agree
the metabones iv is on another league. You even get native features like eye AF with the latest firmware. With cheap adapters you get zero updates and limited compatibility. I wasted money and time with cheap adapters first then finally tried the metabones and felt very dumb for waiting so long
Bought the commlite for my Sony a7s ii to work with the Canon 24-105 f4.... used on a wedding day and it kept failing over and over again. Had to return the Canon lens. Just my experience
I wonder whether the focal length changes a lot? Because the combined focal length is about 12mm more, which is significant in the wide spectrum ofcourse. Or is it not that much?
i had the commlite and metabones same as you do, but commlite I bought earlier, and switch metabones as that one has light leak issues during sunny day. too sad i bought it too early.
I was waiting a review from a trust-warthy person like you to give me an advice on these adapters.. Thanks Dave.. ( I saved 400$ after this video, hopefully the company will not watch this video and increase the price)..
CommLite for the win as its only 1/4 of the price and a bit faster, and it works. As always, best to use Sony's native lenses if you want really fast auto focus.
I've been using the Commlite for the past two months with no issues on the A7s, for anyone in the UK, (to save confusion) it's actually listed as a 'Signstek' adapter on amazon, (but its actually branded Commlite when it arrives) ... www.amazon.co.uk/Signstek-Electronic-EF-NEX-EF-EMOUNT-Adapter/dp/B00HJPVISC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1426237112&sr=8-3&keywords=commlite
it's pity that AF is pretty slow for that sort of adapters... Have you heard any rumors about any adapters that will work at least few times faster than Metabones and others do now? LEEA4 (a-mount to e-mount) is pretty fast and very decent according to quality, so I don't understand why they don't make adapters from another systems using that translucent mirror thing to get some MORE DAMN SPEED for af?
That's really weird. My commlite has no issue with lag between turning off and on with a fresh battery at least not to that extreme. Maybe they had updated some things?
I sold my Metabones Mk III, it was WAY too tight on the e-mount side, no other lenses or adapters takes so much screw force to put on. The Commlite screws in easily like any other lenses/adapters should.
I bought a Metabones adapter when I first got my A7S and I returned it within the 30 days because I wasn't impressed with it and IMO over priced for what it is. I recently bought commlite and works much better! However, I do notice that using the Shogun at 30FPS the aperture control does not work properly. If I shoot at 24FPS it works fine. Can you confirm this also happens on your end? It works fine without the Shogun, the good thing is I shoot in 24FPS so I'm ok. But it I ever want to shoot 30FPS using the Shogun it won't work.
Hello, would you by any chance now if Tamron lens is ok to use on a7s with Commlite adapter? Actually also is it at all possible to use this camera hand held considering rolling shatters problem? Thank you
my commlites suddenly stopped displaying the aperture, saying the lens might not be attached properly. Takes ages to load and also wouldn't switch off for ages a couple of times. It seems to be a defect i saw a video with the same problem, has anyone had this problem too or know about it?
Hey, great video as always Dave! You probably don't read all the comments, but I have a request for you! I'm gonna start shooting some guitar tutorials in my small hobby room and I want to achieve as acceptable results as possible in terms of how I'm lighting myself and the scene. I've been doing lots of research and learned a lot about the basic concepts of three point lighting and such, but I simply can't find any tutorials about how to apply these ideas to a small room! I'm interested in getting a few high quality LED panels, but I'm hesitant to buy anything at all before I know that it's workable in such a cramped space. I'd take any help that I can get. Once again, thanks for the work you're doing, I'm an avid subscriber!
My Commlite is no good. I've used it with the A7S and A7RII. Autofocus is inconsistent or nonexistent, and there's a pronounced tilt-shift resulting in loss of focus and sharpness especially on the left, but apparent in all the corners. Pretty bad flare too.
+Dave Dugdale I'm guessing it's a quality control issue!. Good thing you got a good copy! One time a friend of mine bought one and it just didn't work at all haha. I've seen someone replicate the problem I have on another RU-vid video. My fault for not testing it thoroughly though, but I only noticed it on a 14mm. I've switched to the Metabones and am having significantly better performance, but it was not cheap for sure.
Hey Dave, i have read somewhere that metabones and Tamron glass don't work well together. I read that the adapter might burn the lens aperture motor. Not sure how much this can be true. Anyways, what is your experience with it?
Hi Dave, I was trying to find information but had no joy and was wondering if you can help. I have a sony a7s 2 and a canon 16-35 lens with a commlite adapter. Will this set up fit on a came tv single? Please help if you know
No no no.. That tripod foot is a major design fault of the Commlite adapter. If you use a tripod with sizable lenses (or any really), the single screw that attaches the tripod foot only goes in a couple threads at most. And it does not tighten securely. It can work itself loose very easily, leading to your camera & lens dropping right off the tripod to the ground. Furthermore- when the Commlite tripod foot it attached, it is such that the camera is tilted up at a slight angle. This is also a no-go. The Metabones adapter with it's securely mounted tripod foot (& Arca compatible!) is far superior and safer for use with your expensive cameras & lenses on a tripod.
Hi Dave, Have you ever experienced a problem with infinty focus with any of the adapters? It used work perfectly fine, but recently it won't focus at infinity (manually and on auto focus) when wide open on all my zoom lenses. Turning the focus ring all the way just won't reach to infinity...Have you had this happen, any ideas why?
would I have connection issues using a sigma lens? I'm borrowing my friend's third party adapter right now and it sucks. It's viltrox. When I click the shutter for photos, the screen turns black most of the time. Then when I already have my ISO set for recording, and then click the record button, the screen is a lot brighter than it was when I first set it. I'm using a Sony a7s II with a sigma 18-35mm. I know I'll get a little bit of vignetting, but I'm just wondering is wrong.
I bought Commlite CM-AEF-MFT(B) Canon EF/EF-S Lens to M43 Electronic Autofocus Lens Adapter Mount Camera for Panasonic GH cameras - I had an 18-300mm for my Canon SL2 - connected to my G7 - autofocus does not work. Av and Tv work fine. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Some setting I need to change in my G7 to allow this adapter to work? Must I always touch the screen to focus?
Does the commlite have a different crop factor than the metabones? Because the metabones is .71x crop factor for the mft adapter. Does the commlite do the same?
I have the commlite but I find it has a lot of play in it. Both at the lens end and the camera end. Leads to a massive amount of flex when I use a follow focus. Do you have the same issue?
Great video thanks but I've got a question: When I get the commlite adapter with my Sony a7 camera and a fullframe canon lens, would I still have fullframe sensor or it will automatically turn into APS-C?
How does continuous shooting work with this adapter? I've heard that the Sigma MC-11 locks up on the second image of a continuous burst. Does the Commlite have the same problem?
Did he use a canon 70-200mm f/2.8 or a sony 70-200 f/4? and which lens brand do you recommend in the 70-200 range for the Sony A7s? A reply would be appreciated
Did you have any issues with adjusting aperture with the Metabones? I have the Metabones on my A7s and don't have control over aperture (it just reads "F--"), when in movie mode. Trying to figure out what's causing it?
Hi I was wondering if any of you guys have the same problem with the commlite adapter When I attach the comlite with a lens with a fixed aperture of 1.8 , when I turn the focusing ring the aperture drops from 1.8 to 2.2 is this normal thanks for the help
The Commlite is a disaster on my A7iii with Tamron 70-300mm Canon mount. I wasn`t worried about the poor af, just wanted aperture control. It can`t even do that. It`s all over the place. I guess it doesn`t support Tamron lenses for some reason
Hi! For the Metabones adapter Canon EF Adapter IV: If you transfer the camera to the Sony a7sII or other a7 series to "M" mode and press the video recording button, will the aperture jump be? Will the depth of field change? Thanks !
Hi,very nice review...So is this the same adapter: Signstek Newest Version Electronic Auto Focus?? I also have Nikon glasses,what adapter would you recommend? No need to be autofocus.
Hey, can anyone let me know how compatible the Commlite is with 3rd party lenses? I don't want to buy it only to find out that the lenses I buy wont work.
Also I would like to comment on your blog but everytime I go it says "Comments closed". Do you just have a 3-5 day window that one can comment on your blog? You should really flock your adapter (its $20 from Edmundoptics for one side adhesive or use DIY like I did).
With my a7rii and canon 100mm macro, as I get to macro focusing distances, the Sony refuses to let it stay at 2.8 and the aperture drops to f4, is this a common problem?
I'm interested as to how your experience is the AF on A7sII using various EF adapters? I'm noticing some serious issues and not good performance with AF. whats your take on this? thanks!! you rock!
Good day Dave Not for sure if anyone asked. Regarding this lens adapter or any lens adapter for the matter. I have a first generation Canon XL1 lens it's a Canon video zoom lens AF and M zoom lens with options for optical stabilization on /off also ND filter on / off. zoom range is 5.5-88mm 1.6-2.6 What would be the results if this adapter would mount to my GH4? I'm currently researching now and when I find an answer I'll definitely post a how to hack a canon xl1 xl2 zoom lens to MFT cameras. Please advise. Atlanta GA USA
have you tried with sigma lens i'm having problems with my commlite, none of my lenses worked with autofocus (tamron) and dont know if the problem is a defect of the commlite
