OT: lenses (Was: Front Panels - PDP8 and PDP 11

[Fred Cisin]

>> If anyone knows of a good digital body  that will adapt to RTS optics,
>> please let me know.
On Thu, 10 Mar 2016, Zane Healy wrote:
> Take a look at the Sony a7 series of bodies, people are using RTS lenses 
> on them.  You can put almost anything on them, and they’re a full 
> frame sensor.  I know that the wider lenses might have some fringing 
> issues at the edges.  I’ve started looking seriously at the a7 series, 
> as it would allow me to use a lot of lenses I have, that I can currently 
> only use on 35mm film bodies.

one of these days, . . .
The Sony Nex/E-mount is a very thin camera.  Thinner than the 
Micro-Four-Thirds.  It can take a C-mount lens without needing a recessed 
adapter.  I gotta dig out my Goerz Hypar and try that on my Nex (not an 
A7, alas).
Even the canonical Leica mount adapter has thickness.

(Note: the only digital that can handle a D-mount is the Pentax-Q.  It 
claims to be the smallest interchangeable lens digital - I need to get a 
letter writing campaign going to convince Minox to redo their Minox-Leica 
as a screw-mount using C or D mount!)

I have not seen an RTS adapter for Sony Nex/E-mount.
If you can find an RTS adapter, even for anything else, . . .
There are readily available adapters for a lot of other mounts.  Even for 
Micro-Four-Thirds!  So, if you can tolerate stacking adapters, you could 
adapt to something else, such as Canon EOS, and then adapt from that.
Some lenses may produce some vignetting, particularly if the 
adapters weren't intended for full-frame.

You might also get a little vignetting from any very short focal length 
lens that isn't retro-focus, since the sensors are expecting all light 
to be coming in perpendicularly, not from a optic node very close to the 
center of the lens.  THAT could be handled by a firmware mod, to give 
appropriately more exposure towards the edges.

And, of course, use of most adapters elimates lens/camera communication, 
losing auto-focus, and sometimes even auto-stop-down.


I have a Kenlock/Hama tilt/shift bellows, and a 47mm Super-Angulon 
(inCompur).  With an A7, that would make a FUN close-up technical camera.