Will a Leica lens on a Sony A7s be autofocus?

[Humpty]

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Hi guys, if I was to use a leica lens on the Sony A7s, would the lens now be automatic? Or still manual?

 

many thanks!

Edited December 16, 2014 by Humpty

[viramati]

?

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[pop]

Assuming you mean lenses for the M kind of cameras: those are "manual" lenses and will not become "automatic" on another body.

[Humpty]

thanks for the replies. I really want to use Leica lenses but struggle with the manual focus when shooting street photography. I just wish there was a way to auto it. It's not that I'm too lazy (or maybe I am), it's just that it slows me down terribly and I buckle under the pressure.

[01af]

I really want to use Leica lenses but struggle with the manual focus ...

Use a Leica T ...

[timde]

What Leica lens do you have, or have in mind?

[Humpty]

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I have a Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 Lens – V4 pre ASPH

[timde]

Use zone focus technique, perhaps?

[Humpty]

Use zone focus technique, perhaps?

 

is this something that's difficult to master? What's the best way of learning about zone focusing? I see snippets of info on it, but ideally I'd like something more thorough.

 

I wish there was some Leica classes I could enrol in, lol.

 

thanks everyone for the replies.

[gyoung]

Nothing to do with leica per se, its optics generally. Google depth of field, hyperfocal distance.

This applies to all photography and works well with lenses that have a focussing scale (preferably with a long throw for focussing), and a depth of field scale that is comprehensive, covering most if not all apertures availabe.

Leica and Voigtlander lenses excel for this, manual focus lenses generally are pretty good, autofocus lenses pretty nearly useless, depth of field scales mere tokenism ( often just 8 & 11) and some do not even have a focussing scale!

 

A good book on basic photographic technique is what's needed.

 

Gerry

[timde]

Try Eric Kim, he runs courses all over the World, or Thorsten Overgaard. Just as examples ...

[zlatkob]

is this something that's difficult to master? What's the best way of learning about zone focusing? I see snippets of info on it, but ideally I'd like something more thorough.

 

I wish there was some Leica classes I could enrol in, lol.

 

thanks everyone for the replies.

 

There's not much to it. You don't need a class. Lessons are easily found online:

An Introduction to Zone Focusing for your Leica, Rangefinder, or DSLR - Eric Kim Street Photography Blog

Manual focus technique - Yanidel.net

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-14F_owB-bc - [How-to] Zone Focus for Street Photography -Tim Heubeck

View those, then practice. Good luck!

Edited December 18, 2014 by zlatkob

[250swb]

I see snippets of info on it, but ideally I'd like something more thorough.

 

I wish there was some Leica classes I could enrol in, lol.

 

 

The technique is very easy to master, but to appreciate what you are doing and why you are doing it, and so make the best job of it, some basic lessons in photography would be invaluable to you. You could buy a general book on photography and use that alongside You Tube videos on focusing. But even today some manuals that come with the camera deal with zone focusing, I'm pretty sure the M6 manual covers it, if you still have an M6? If not any of the old Focal Press booklets on Leica M cameras will be guaranteed to cover it.

 

Steve

[bocaburger]

The only camera I ever recall where manual lenses could be autofocused was the Contax AX. TTBOMK nobody else has embraced that technology since.

[spydrxx]

Alternatively, you could do what "street photographers" and news photographers did for years...determine at what distance you prefer to shoot your subjects, set the camera and forget about it. You then walk into the situation, and when you reach the predetermined distance, raise the camera and take the picture. It takes a little practice, but is really quite easy. When I learned this technique, we knew how many sidewalk squares we would expect to be from our subjects (outdoors), or how many floor tiles (indoors).

[JimKasson]

Alternatively, you could do what "street photographers" and news photographers did for years...determine at what distance you prefer to shoot your subjects, set the camera and forget about it. You then walk into the situation, and when you reach the predetermined distance, raise the camera and take the picture. It takes a little practice, but is really quite easy. When I learned this technique, we knew how many sidewalk squares we would expect to be from our subjects (outdoors), or how many floor tiles (indoors).

 

Keep in mind that, if you try this on an a7S with an adapter, as opposed to on a real Leica M-series camera, your distance scales will almost certainly be wrong. For each lens, focus on infinity, find the DOF mark closest to the infinity symbol, and use that marker as your focus indicator.

 

Lens adapter tolerance, part 2 | The Last Word

 

Jim

[gyoung]

I think it's a disgrace they don't make them the right length, its important to me that infinity is where it should be as I often use scale focussing with wide angles for landscape stuff, its one of the joys of Leica lenses that they have good focus and dof scales.

I shimmed my £30 adapter so it is right, if I had paid Novoflex or Metabones prices and it was short they would get it back with a stiff letter!

 

Gerry

[JimKasson]

I think it's a disgrace they don't make them the right length, its important to me that infinity is where it should be as I often use scale focussing with wide angles for landscape stuff, its one of the joys of Leica lenses that they have good focus and dof scales.

I shimmed my £30 adapter so it is right, if I had paid Novoflex or Metabones prices and it was short they would get it back with a stiff letter!

 

Gerry

 

You go, guy!

 

I have found one exception. I recently received a Kipon Nikon S to NEX focusing adapter, and it is the right length. Good thing, too, since the distances are on the adapter.

 

Jim

[gyoung]

A Kipon M to nex is £57 from amazon, might be worth it if it's right!

 

Gerry

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[mjh]

I think it's a disgrace they don't make them the right length, its important to me that infinity is where it should be as I often use scale focussing with wide angles for landscape stuff, its one of the joys of Leica lenses that they have good focus and dof scales.

I shimmed my £30 adapter so it is right, if I had paid Novoflex or Metabones prices and it was short they would get it back with a stiff letter!

For what it‘s worth, Novoflex designs their adapters so you can focus past infinity. As does Leica with their M adapter for the T system.