Best way to handle FE lenses on Z-mount bodies

DxO PhotoLab
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I’m aware that the lenses are tested on high MP and lower MP bodies. I’m sure you can nitpick for hours, @Stenis. The number of angels who can dance on the tip of a needle used to be a very popular topic.

The general principle applies, older lenses outside of telephotos do not resolve detail anything like recent lenses. Most older lenses particularly do not resolve anywhere near the Z series. I have a whole collection of old Leica, Olympus, Pentax and Minolta manual focus lenses. I even a few Nikon manual focus lenses. I promise you resolution goes down as one goes back in time. The real world resolution of film varies, but generally it’s below 20MP, which is why older lenses rarely resolve more than that.

Substituting similar lenses works, when PhotoLab makes the offer.

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That is right but the general rule about the sensors MP impact on “Perceptual Megapixels” works even for older lenses. The only difference is that the flor is lowered compared with new lenses.

Despite that I have found since many years that there is a few things that have improved the results when using old lenses with adapters on modern mirrorless bodies and that is image stabilization and focus peaking. At least for me old lenses perform much better on digital camera bodies than with analog bodies and optical view-finders with in my case split with “split vision” or whatever you call it in English “crossections” ?? and micro prisms. I really hated that solution in difficult light. “Focus Peaking” have increased the “focusing hit rate” a lot and the ability to get the most out of even the old lenses.

… and according to the tread headline this tread in not about using old glass on Z-bodies but Sony EF-lenses (Full Frame even) which limits it even further by exkluding APS-C. On top of that the problem with unsupported lenses in Photolab 7 that even disqualifies supported lenses because they happen to be mounted on a third party adapter. Why using Sony FE on a Z-body when there is the real thing? - whith that I mean either using a Z-lens or a Sony-body.

I have hard to believe there would be any need for using FE-lenses on the Z-bodies 2025 on either Nikon- or Canon-cameras. In the beginning even I used adapters to my old Minolta A-mount lenses because there were a limited selection lenses for E-mount say 10 ears ago. It´s a long time since I sold and gave away my A-mount cameras and lenses. The problem with the first adapters to Sony was that they in practise made an DSLR-Fiat 500 of a mirrorless Ferrari and brought back these hatet focusing problems I had left behind since buying my first mirrorless NEX 7.

Adapter solutions are just suboptimal “bridging solutions” and this tread is very good to reveal that because it is far from just a lens and camera issue. It involves even software limitation due to some of the interlocks present in for example Photolab too.

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The simple reason why I want to use FE lenses on Z-mount is because I have them and it saves a lot of money not having to buy them again on Z-mount and in some cases, the lenses do not exist in Z-mount. The Sigma 100-400mm for example is one of my favourite FE-mount lenses and the only option on the Nikon is the much more expensive 100-400mm, not only would it cost me a lot more money to sell the Sigma and buy the Nikon version but it also means I can no longer use that lens on the Sony bodies. Some Sony lenses I bought and don’t use that often so rather than spend money again on a lens I know I’m not going to use

Many of your claims about the adapter are incorrect, you’re making out it doesn’t work well and cripples the camera (making it a Fiat out of a Ferrari as you claim) but that’s not the case. The adapter is nothing like the old adapters you reference as it’s fully functional on the Z-mount bodies and also maintains the same performance so the camera keeps working as a Ferrari.

The only problem I have is that is completely confuses Photolab and as I said above, I’m not expecting Photolab to support this combination I simply wanted a solution to stop being prompted to use the wrong modules for the Sony lenses. Unfortunately the topic has been massively derailed to the point I have no idea why people are debating APS-C and FF lens resolution but it looks like there is no solution, at least not from here.

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If (and only if) your combo causes module ambiguities, you can download all of the proposed modules and then select to use none of them. This has stopped PL from proposing modules in my case and with earlier versions of PL.

You could also disable automatic module proposals in PL’s settings. Then, you’d have to load modules manually in case you use new (supported) combos.

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John, the simple solution which will even offer you the option to use Lens Sharpening is to pick a lens close to the one you are using. If it’s a modern lens, there’s usually one which is a close match (when it’s happened to me). Like you, I’ve shot lots of different platforms, and adapted lots of lenses, including with EXIF data (EXIF focal length/apterture is what triggers PhotoLab lens suggestions). I mostly shoot native, as there’s enough lightweight affordable f2.0 to f2.8 (sweet spot for lightweight lenses) for each platform.

Unlike Stenis, I’m not obsessed with having the perfect lens, I like some character in my lenses. What I do like about native lenses is that the focus is usually faster and more reliable. One reason I don’t use adapters now is that I’ve had too many of them fail on me. At $200+ a pop, I’d rather buy a lens. But it’s not snobbism. When lens adapters work, I love them. And I usually pick the closest match for my lens and I’m done with it. I then test the Lens Sharpening palette. If it works well, I use it.

I also test distortion, and usually disable it, as native is mostly better than non-exact match, but there have been exceptions for Sigma lenses which exist on multiple mounts.

It’s a great pity that DxO doesn’t let us pick whatever profile we want for whatever lens. Then we’d be able to substitute usefully with vintage lenses. For non-vintage lenses, the multiple lens offer is very useful.

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Oh, that is not the entirely me Alec! I still have a few Pentax SMC-M manual lenses that I used for almost 30 years and I really like to put them on an adapter and to my A7 III or A7 IV, especially in the autumns since I´m especially fond of the Pentax-lenses a little earthy colors. … and they are so much better on my A7 IV than they ever was on a Pentax ME body because of the focus peaking aid there is in those bodies.

It is also true that I bought a Sony Zeiss 55 1,8 which I have wanted to have a long time. I love it. It is one of Sonys sharpest lenses and have a decent bokeh too compared to for example my Sony-zooms like the 24-105mm G-lens. … but that wasn´t all that much since I bought this lens in almost perfect condition for 400 U$. Besides that I have finished for good to buy any hardware. It is much more fun with the photo-software really and it gives so much more for the money than most hardware upgrades have done for me at least. I have everything I need now, I think.

I think the converter-software today almost always is far more important for image quality than the cameras and the lenses and sometimes it is a combination that makes it. We just got a present in the form of a new firmware that supports focus stacking in the last Sony models. I haven´t tried it yet but I will test it later with som macro shots to improve the depth of field. Have seen some really interesting shots some people have done and it looks very promising together with the right software that can handle focus stacking.

… and I fully agree to your last statement about the profile support in Photolab.

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