Sony LA-EA5 A-mount Lens Adapter ($248 from B&H Photo | Amazon) allows Focal Plane Phase Detection AF, AF/AE Tracking up to 11 FPS with SSM & SAM A-mount lenses along with built-in screw-drive functionality for Sony A-mount lenses that when coupled with Sony a7R IV and a6600 cameras, allows still photography autofocus without the need for the SLT mirror. Teleconverters and Movie Recording are not Supported.
Screw Drive Focus Motor
Cutaway drawing shows the Sony LA-EA5 lens adapter’s screw drive focus mechanism that is powered by the camera body.
Sony LA-EA5 Lens Adapter Camera Compatibility
Sony α7R IV (FW 1.20), α6600 (FW 1.10)
• Download Sony a7R IV FW Update 1.20
• Download Sony a6600 FW Update 1.10
Sony α9, α9II
Sony α7 III, α7R III, α7S III, α6100, α6400
Sony LA-EA5 Lens Compatibility Guide
for Focal Plane Phase Detection AF
Sony SSM/SAM lenses & 2nd Generation Screw Drive (8-pin) lenses
Minolta lenses will perform similar to Sony counter-parts of the same design. For instance, the Minolta AF 70-200 F2.8 APO G D SSM & Minolta AF 300 F2.8 APO G D SSM are should perform similar to Sony SSM lenses. Minolta 35mm F1.4, 50mm F1.4, 50mm F2.8 Macro and 100mm F2.8 Macro should also perform similar to their Sony counter-parts.
1st Generation Sony Screw Drive lenses (5-pin)
Minolta 1st Generation Sony screw drive lenses should also perform similar to the Sony lenses on this list.
Sony Manual Focus lenses
Specs
Camera Mount: Sony E
Lens Mount: Sony/Minolta A
Dimensions: 2.6 x 1.2″ / 66.0 x 31.7 mm
Weight: 3.10 oz / 88 g
In the Box
Sony LA-EA5 A-Mount to E-Mount Adapter
Sony ALC-R1EM Rear Lens Cap
Sony ALC-B55 A-mount Camera Body Cap
Case
Limited 1-Year Warranty
Field Tests
A-mount lens adapters have been a challenge to say the least. While Sony LA-EA1 & LA-EA-3 enabled focal plane PDAF for stills with SSM & SAM A-mount lenses they could not drive older A-mount lenses that incorporated screw-drive autofocus technology inherited from Minolta.
SSM & SAM Lenses
LA-EA5 offers Eye AF and Focal plane phase-detection AF with AF/AE tracking at:
up to 11 fps* on a7R IV & a6600
up to 10 fps* on a9 & a9 II
up to 2.5 fps* on a7 III, a7R III, a7S III, a6100 & a6400
*Continuous shooting speed may change depending on the attached lens
.
Sony a6600+ Sony LA-EA5 + Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G II| (VIEW LARGER)
Sony a6600+ Sony LA-EA5 + Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G II | (VIEW LARGER)
Sony a6600+ Sony LA-EA5 + Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G II | (VIEW LARGER)
Sony a6600+ Sony LA-EA5 + Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G II | (VIEW LARGER)
2nd Generation Sony Screw Drive lenses (8-pin)
This adapter is great news if you own 2nd Generation A-mount screw drive lenses like Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA or 135mm F 1.8 ZA. While AF is not nearly as responsive as their native FE G Master counter-parts – at least it works well enough to breathe new life into these lenses or to allow you to transition to E-mount cameras.
Sony LA-EA5 with Sony a7R IV + SAL 85mm F1.4 ZA
When coupled with Sony a7R IV and a6600 cameras running the latest firmware, Sony LA-EA5 unlocks the potential of my favorite Sony A-mount lenses including Sony’s Zeiss 85mm F1.4, 135mm F 1.8 ZA lenses allowing still photography autofocus without the need for the SLT mirror.
Sony a7R IV + Sony LA-EA5 + SAL 85mm F1.4 ZA | (VIEW LARGER)
Sony a7R IV + Sony LA-EA5 + SAL 135mm F 1.8 ZA | (VIEW LARGER)
1st Generation Sony Screw Drive lenses (5-pin)
I’ve honestly got to do more testing on this one, before offering a final opinion in terms of compatibility, but I’d temper your excitement if you have this older Sony or Minolta screw drive lens designs.
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Smith photographs portraits of Hollywood A-List and Fortune's 500 for magazines, corporations and advertising. He's a Sony Artisan of Imagery, Profoto Legend of Light, Adobe Influencer and X-Rite Master Coloratti.
Comments
Any idea whether this adapter will support legacy Minolta AF lenses on the A7Riv, or is it limited to the lens IDs of the Sony-branded lenses?
They should perform the same as similar Sony designs. Minolta SSM lenses like the Minolta AF 70-200 F2.8 APO G D SSM & Minolta AF 300 F2.8 APO G D SSM should perform quite well. Screw drive lens performance depends on whether the lenses are 1st or 2nd generation.
what about a LAEA4 – LAEA5 compare of focus performance when used with the Minolta 300 f2.8 and 400 f4.5 high speed? I believe there are a lot of lenses like these around waiting to see some action.
Minolta High Speed lenses are 2nd generation screw drive lenses with a shorter focus throw, so they should perform similar to the SAL 85 ZA & 135 ZA lenses that I tested which I’d rate as ok, but a bit slow for sports. On the other hand, the Minolta 300mm 2.8 SSM should perform as well as the Sony SAL 300mm 2.8 G – but not as fast as the G II
I really don’t understand Sony!
They put more compatibility on a7r4 and 6600 vs a9II or a7sIII !!!
that’s so stupid!
I really hope in a fw update on the top body (but even on the older) to use that adapter at the best possibility (just to say there is no compatibility on 135 1.8), as I hope in a new animal af to reach actual Canon system.
It’s certainly possible that additional compatibility will be added to the cameras listed in this post.
Hi,
I wonder (I am assuming really) if Sony will release a firmware for the A7ii etc to use screw drive lenses with this?
I think it’s more likely for a7 III, but I have no indication of whether even that is possible.
I order one at 5pm. I have the 135mm f1.8. This is just what I needed.
Martin
LA-EA5 A-MOUNT what are the compatibilities and restrictions using the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Sony (A-Mount) when paired with the a73/a7r3 series
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens is a HSM lens so it should behave similar to the chart for Sony SSM lenses.
thankyou …..and eye auto is fully functional?(with ssm lenses)?
Eye AF is functional with SSM lenses on a7R IV & a6600 with the latest firmware updates. Just be aware that as with all adapted lenses, Eye AF is not as responsive with rotational stepping motors as it is with FE lenses that use Linear AF motors.
I have a Sigma 50mm 1.4 ART A mount lens (V1.0) and the focusing does not work with A7R IV (V1.2). Apparently one guy from youtube was able to make this work with some sort of firmware update from a Sigma dealer but I have not had any luck from US Sigma corp. I hope that Sigma will come up with some sort of solution through a new firmware update.
Is that lens compatible with the Sigma USB Dock for Sony A-Mount Lenses? If so that’s how you update Sigma A-mount lenses.
I would like to know if the 4 or the 5 version of this adapter works with the sigma 300mm 2.8 or the 150-500 mm 5.6-7.1. as the 3 version does not support autofocus
Sony LA-EA4 uses its own AF system so that should definitely work with both of those lenses. Sony LA-EA5 adds AF functionality for Sony & Minolta screw drive A-mount lenses with the cameras listed in this post. Sony doesn’t test or support third party lenses so I cannot say whether they will work with the cameras listed.
thankyou…i guess ill just have to buy one to see how the eye af works with adapter and lenses(Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Sony A and the
Sony Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA SSM ) using the a7r3/a73
Any idea if the LA-EA5 will support the Tamron 16-300?
Tamron 16-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II PZD MACRO Lens for Sony is an APS-C lens, so I assume you’re asking in regard to a6600. While Sony does not test third-party lens compatibility, I see that lens uses an ultrasonic motor, so chances are fairly good that it will perform similar to SSM lenses.
I have the 85mm ZA and several quality Minolta lenses, which I use on a A7. I was looking to upgrade the body but realized the limitations of the LA-EA4 adapter. The rep at Sony recommended buying FE lenses, but you are really buying a whole new system then, so it opens you up to other options (Nikon z and Canon R). So I am very glad to see this adapter announced. Sony has been the only player in this space – it is good to see some competition to keep Sony on its toes.
The Sony FE lens line-up is MUCH more complete than Canon or Nikon mirrorless. Canon is doing a better job with their RT line than Nikon Z, but they both have a lot of catch-up to do and Sony has not taken their foot off the gas.
Is there any difference in AF performance with the LA-EA5 & SSM lenses compared to the LA-EA3?
LA-EA5 and LA-EA3 both enable Eye AF and AF/AE tracking with SSM lenses on all E-mount bodies since the a9 but the max FPS rate varies depending on the camera.
Are you sure about your statement? I own a Sony 300 2.8 SSM II + LA-EA3. Eye-af and focus tracking are simply fantastic with both A9 and A7RIV. So good that I am not lusting after a possible 300mm G-Master. I used to own other SSM A-mount lenses and they all worked like a charm. What is the actual difference for SSM lenses? The huge advantage over LA-EA4 is clear, but I am wondering if it is worth upgrading from LA-EA3 just for SSM lenses.
If you’re happy with performance from LA-EA3 with the lenses you own, I’d stick with it.
I can also tell that Eye-AF works very well with SSM lenses on a7r4 with LA-AE3.
I will get the LA-AE5 for the motor-less lenses.
Indeed. I sold almost all of my (excellent) motorless A-mount lenses when I moved to E-mount mainly because of the limitations of LA-EA4. I kept only the Minolta 100mm soft focus and the 500mm f/8 reflex since there is no equivalent in the E-mount world. I think I will buy the LA-EA5 for them. And maybe I’ll buy again a Minolta 200mm HS!!! 🙂
Nice but there is no mention about any Minolta lenses. Preaty useless unless you own 85 & 135 ZA lenses and A7R IV.
Minolta lenses will perform similar to Sony counter-parts of the same design. For instance the Minolta AF 70-200 F2.8 APO G D SSM & Minolta AF 300 F2.8 APO G D SSM are SSM lenses. I believe the Minolta version of the lenses listed in Generation 2 will function the same though that excludes the Sony Zeiss designs which were not based on Minolta lenses. The vast majority of Minolta lenses are Generation 1.
Looks like Sony updated their website and now Minolta 1-st gen. lenses are included as working with la-ea5 (at least with a7r IV).
I have a Tokina 300 mm F2.8 screw drive lens. Any chance it’ll be supported?
It will most likely preform like 1st Generation Sony A-mount lenses
Interesting but…
5 years late, limited support for screw driven lenses ( monster adapter proved it is possible to have older bodies like the A7II and III work with such lenses and use the sensor PDAF). No support for matched TC (older 200, 300 APO lenses). 500mm Reflex can still only use the center focus point.
Many artificial limitations. I have been waiting for years for this product but Sony disappoints again 🙁
What are the “artificial limitations”?
Hi Bryan,
The ‘other’ adapter (Monster) allows using any focus points with the 500mm Reflex. No reason why the Sony adapter would not support this, even if functionality was a bit degraded on cloudy days.
As for support of older (screw-driven) Minolta matched tele-converters: no reason why they would not work as intended when used with old-style Minolta HS 200 f2.8 APO Or 300 f2.8 APO.
About body support: why only the most recent bodies support AF with screw-driven lenses? The “other” adapter supports AF with screw-driven lenses with the A7II and A7III, the only requirement here is to have on-sensor PDAF. Performance might not be optimal with those bodies but it maybe made to work, nonetheless.
All of these are either artificial limitations or real technical ones but in light of what the other adapter can do, I would think Sony actually limited its adapter hardware to avoid offering some functionalty.
We’ll see in the future if Sony chooses the high road and extends the capabilities of this adapter. Hopefully, they will.
Best regards,
Patrick
I assume “Monster adapter” refers to the hacked LA-EA4 I’ve seen posted on the web. It’s an interesting concept, but since it’s a hack use at your own risk…
Is there any difference at all in functionality between LA-EA5 and LA-AE3, when used on a7Riii with SSM lenses
There is not. Both offer AF/AE tracking at up to 2.5 fps
I think that la-ea5 sales will be poor, since the screw drive motor is disabled all of the affordable bodies. I sold my la-ea3 and sal70400G when I bought my sel100400GM. The la-ea4 will do for my old Minolta AF lenses fo now. I always enjoy your site. It is where I get the complete story on new equipment.
I think it’s possible that support might eventually be extended to additional cameras through firmware updates, but I’ve heard no official word to that effect.
Any chance this will af-s when in movie mode, before or during record?
Autofocus is not available during movie recording, but assuming the shutter release is not assigned to movie recording, you may be able to pre-focus with a half press of the shutter release.
That is what I mean, hope somebody can confirm this. I record some talking head stuff, where I am the head. Being able to focus with the app, and without changing modes before recording would be nice.
Have you compared the AF performance to the la-ea3?
Would be good to know if it’s better. Currently using the 70-400G2 with LA-EA3 on A9II, and the AF is fairly good, a bit slow but mostly sharp.
I’ll be testing next week, but the specs are the same.
Sony A-mount lenses use rotational stepping motors so the max speed for AF tracking on a9 II is 10 FPS.
This is notably slower than Sony FE lenses which use more responsive linear autofocus motors that can adjust focus up to 60 times per second on a9/a9 II.
Hello and thanks for giving us interesting informations.
I’m currious if the continuous AF with a6600 better than a77II?
I’m using SAL70200F2.8G.
In my opinion, no it is not.
SAL 70-200 F2.8 G uses rotational stepping motors, so focus speed is limited by focus design no matter what camera body you put it on.
Thank you for your comment.
i agree that this lens will be the main bottle-neck.
I ever try to shoot something moving in a shop with this lens in combination with a7iii and la-ea3 and found that the continuous AF performance is something degraded in comparison to a77II. This is the main reason that make me hesitate to move to e-mount.
With a77II it is possible to AF to moving subject around 50km/h and if it is possible to maintain this performance I will consider to move to e-mount.
Could you please tell a little bit more about the performance of the adapter with “1st Generation Sony Screw Drive lenses (5-pin)”? Your post indicates that it works, a very big surprise, but then you make a point about the performance which is cryptic. Can you please elaborate?
Does it AF at all? Is it very slow?
Most of the A-mount lenses I own are Sony (generation 2) A-Mount lenses. The only generation 1 A-mount lens I could find was the SAL 20mm F2.8 and I don’t want to make any wide ranging statements having only tested one lens.
Thanks a lot! Do you mind sharing your basic observation on SAL20F2.8? Did adapter allow camera to Autofocus?
What are your thoughts on 300ssm and 500mm f4 af speed, would it be enough for soccer and sports? I also have the 135 ZA and find my la ea4 a bit slow, but thinking about investing on the long glass!
The advantage for screw drive lenses like the Sony 135mm f/1.8 CZ is that you can focus across the entire PDAF area – not just in the limited 15-point focus area of LA-EA4. But it’s far from native performance.
If you already own Sony 300mm f/2.8 G II or 500mm f/F4 G you’ll get fairly quick AF with LA-EA5 – but not the lightning fast AF of native FE glass like Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS.
Is there any technical reason this adapter will not work in video mode or is this just a software restriction?
It’s an issue with the lenses – not the adapter. Video AF is simply not possible. Same is true of adapted Nikon lenses.
I am not sure I buy that as an accurate explanation. if the phase detect of the laea4 works, why not the pd of a camera’s sensor? I suspect that the performance is not so great, so they won’t allow it.
LA-EA4 has a dedicated AF module (albeit a rather dated one) that works continuously even while the camera is exposing 24 FPS (or more). Trying to do this off the imaging sensor is much more challenging. The max FPS for autofocus with LA-EA5 is 11 FPS (and that’s only with SSM & SAM lenses) so the math will tell you it’s not possible to provide autofocus when shooting 24, 30, 60 or 120 FPS…
That makes sense. What I would LOVE to see is AF-S while in movie mode. I shoot some talking head videos every year, where I am the talking head. I don’t need AF-C, but if I could use the app to focus and then start recording, it would work. If you could AF-S using touch during record, that would be icing on the cake.
While waiting for my pre-ordered copy of LA-EA5, I decided to order the Monster Adapter (the hacked LA-EA4) to give it a try. I received it today and it works nicely with old Minolta lenses such as the 500 f/8 or 200 2.8 when paired with the A9 — a camera currently not supported by LA-EA5. In my opinion, this tells a lot about Sony limiting their products on purpose. I really hope Sony will release future firmware updates to support LA-EA5 and screw driven lenses on older E-mount cameras.
What do you mean by hacked ? I have the la-ea4 and use it with my 16f2.8 exclusively on a7iii. I was thinking if selling the ea4 nad buying the ea5 but then I read it not being compatible with a7iii for af.
In two minds now, should I go for the switch and wait for the firmware update or sit low as is.
Please suggest.
The “Monster Adapter” that a previous poster mentioned in a third-party hack of the LA-EA4 adapter. My comment referred to that – not an unmodified LA-EA4.
I opened my LA-EA4, removed the mirror pellicle and replaced the motherboard with a new one produced by Monster. After such a “hack”, the camera no longer uses the phase detection sensor of LA-EA4. Instead, it relies on the on-sensor PDAF like any other native E-mount glass. With A-mount screw-drive lenses. With my A9 — which is not supported by LA-EA5 when paired with screw-drive lenses.
You’ve just listed the definition of a “hack”
For instance, I have focus tracking and eye-AF with an old Minolta 500mm f/8 reflex, across the whole frame. Attached to my Sony A9.
Thanks, I saw the video on you tube. How the focus speed ?
Also could you please share the link where you ordered the circuit board.
Thanks
There is no website, I bought mine on eBay. I contacted the authors and they sent me a link to an eBay auction. Search for “MonsterAdapter” on Facebook and you will find the official group. This is the only page I am aware of.
As for focus speed, right now it is not that fast. The authors told me that they preferred focus accuracy in earlier releases of the firmware. I will never use it for birds in flight, but it is decent for slow moving subjects. As an example, I tried eye-af for a portrait with Minolta 200mm f/2.8 and Minolta 85mm f/1.4 and they work fine.
Last note: you can always revert back to the regular LA-EA4. Just store the pellicle mirror in a safe place. I don’t think I will ever do it, but in case you are not satisfied with the performance you have that option.
Okay, I’m still confused. Am I able to get Eye AF on motorless (screw drive) lenses? I have old Minolta and Tokina lenses with no internal motors. All I want is eye AF to work.
No. Screw drive lens technology in not capable of Eye AF.
The Sony LA-EA5 is two weeks overdue to ship. Anyone know what the problem is?
Martin
Hello Martin. With the exception of camera launches where Sony tries to distribute cameras to all their retailers in each country by a certain date, most release dates for are estimates. I just checked the B&H Photo website and I don’t see an estimated ship date – only “New Item – Coming Soon”. I’ve set an alert to notify me when they’re in stock.
Thanks Brian. B&H took down the October ship date after it came and went without shipping.
Appreciate your follow up.
Martin
Mine arrived yesterday, Monday the 24th.
I tried it out on my model “Wanda” using the a7r IV and Sony 135mm f1.8. Apparently I can’t upload the pic here, but my results were very good. It’s a headshot and being that close at 1.8 her iris is amazing sharp but her lashes at not because of the DOF. This is a good combo for portraiture. It saved me a ton of money over buying the Sony native 135mm.
It’s really strange, in an impressive sort of way, to see the A7r4 focusing ancient 1980’s screw-drive AF lenses using object and eye tracking, quickly and accurately. I didn’t really expect it to work as well as it does on these old lenses, and certainly not as fast. For what it’s worth, just for kicks I had excellent results with the old screw-drive Minolta 28-135, the 50 f/1.4, and the 35-70 f4, the kit lens from the Maxxum 7000 in 1985.
I am also getting good results with my legacy Minolta Maxxum 85mm 1.4 lens. In fact better results than I got with my A-mount Sony bodies! Since someone stole my Sony 85mm 1.8, I plan to use the Minolta lens on the job for portraiture. It is true classic glass.
I have the Minolta 200mm f2. 8 g apo hs lens and a Sony a9 camera. Will the AF work with this combination with the a9 and this lens?
“Sony α9, α9II
SCREW DRIVE LENSES: Manual Focus Only”
Will Sony update the software to enable use of this adapter on the Sony A7RM2 and A7R? I want to use some Minolta Maxxum lenses. I will buy this Sony LA-EA5 A-mount adapter when this happens.
I doubt either of those cameras have the processing power to drive AF with screw drive lenses. LA-EA4 is still your best bet for that with cameras not listed in this post (or those cameras released later)