New Techart 2nd Gen Leica M / Sony E Adapter Released. Techart has introduced its 2nd generation autofocus lens adapter for mounting Leica M lenses on Sony E-mount cameras. This adapter does away with the bulging design of the first generation adapter, making room for other accessories. It is even possible to stack adapters to use other mounts than Leica M.
Vintage glass. How nice it is to dig out used lenses, dust them off a bit, place them in front of the sensor and as a result get dreamy old-time vibes. But there’s one thing holding us back, isn’t there? The lack of autofocus on most of these old lenses.
So if you’re a filmmaker who relies heavily on the autofocus smarts of your Sony cameras, this 2nd generation Technart Leica M / Sony E adapter might be worth a close look.
But how to enable autofocus on a fully manual lens? Well, the adapter itself is equipped with a clever motor design which alters the flange distance and therefore the focus of the lens.
Techart 2nd gen Leica M / Sony E adapter
According to Techart, it took the company 7 years of research & development to get this new Leica M to Sony E autofocus adapter (LM-EA9) done. It features a more powerful motor, sleeker design and better autofocus performance.
The most noticeable difference from the previous model is the now bulge-less design, which no longer obstructs other accessories or tripod plates. Compatible Sony camera models include:
- ZVE10
- a6000, a6100, a6300, a6500, a6400, a6600
- a7, a7 II, a7 III, a7 IV
- a7S, a7S II, a7S III
- a7R, a7R II, a7R III, a7R IV
- a7C
- a9, a9 II
- a1
In order to make this new adapter more compact and less bulky, four radically positioned, small and light servo motors offer a much stronger support and faster autofocus operation.
The adapter replaces the lens’ focusing mechanism and, by communicating with the host camera, the extendable bayonet moves back and forth to achieve focus. Additionally, you can even stack other adapters on top of the Techart adapter.
So all you have to do is convert the Leica M mount to another mount, such as Canon EF or Nikon F using an adapter, and you can use that EF or F lens on the Sony camera with autofocus.
| Features | LM-EA7 (Gen 1) | LM-EA9 (Gen 2) |
| Motors Plan | 1 big motor underneath the mount | 4 light servo motors radically positioned |
| Appearance | With the bulge | Bulge-less |
| Supporting lens weight | 300g | 500g |
| Focusing Speed & Performance | Normal | Faster |
| Camera models support | Last Generation of Sony cameras | A1, A7SIII, A7IV |
| Noise | Loud | Quieter |
| Firmware Update | Via Bluetooth | Via included USB Update Tool |
| Lens Compatibility | All M mount lenses (or other mount lenses via adapters stacking) | All M mount lenses (or other mount lenses via adapters stacking) |
| Weight | 135g | 135g |
Pricing and availability
The new Techart Leica M / Sony E Autofocus Adapter (LM-EA9) is priced at $399 and is available now from the Techart website and authorized dealers. Shipment will start in late August.
Whether this adapter is suitable for filming (aka continuous autofocus) or works better in photo mode remains to be seen, but it is undoubtedly a unique and pretty cool product.
Link: Techart website
What do you think? Would you try using one of these in one of your projects? Share your experiences in the comments below!
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