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Sony A7r II Focus Testing w/ Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS Lens

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Get ready to watch how the New Sony A7r II focuses using the Metabones III electronic lens adapter and my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS Lens courtesy of the killer 399 phase detection points on the sensor.

So how does she do?

Well, pretty awesome below 140mm and not so good above 140mm at f/2.8. I was quite surprised how well the focus worked to be honest until I tried using the lens at 200mm. Then I was disappointed, and sort of confused as to why? After that though I learned to not go above 140mm and the focus is totally usable in almost any situation in my opinion. Portrait work and even moving subjects could be captured with this set-up and that is flat out amazing if you ask me!

When you watch the lens struggle at 200mm it can be a bit discouraging, but I think this is just a matter of a firmware update to the Metabones perhaps. I’m not really sure, because it should work and just doesn’t for some reason.

See for yourself and please let me know what you think in the comments below.

Sony A7r II Focus Testing

The Sun
Taken at 200mm out of focus:

Sony A7r II w/ Metbones and EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS Lens
Sony A7r II w/ Metabones and EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS Lens @ F/2.8. 1/8000sec

Closing Remarks:

Thanks for checking in guys and please stay tuned for more testing using other Canon EF L lenses, native Sony E-mount lenses, plus video testing with focus tracking accuracy and more…
If you have any testing you would like me to do, please let me know below! Request encouraged and welcomed 😉

I plan on going over the menu system as well, so if you have something you need help with, let me know, so I can cover it for you in that video. I might make it a mutli part, because the menus are deep and loaded with options.Will see how it goes when I create the video…

I also want to do a “how to use the camera” video tutorial that will cover the settings that I use most often and how to change focus modes, metering modes, and other critical settings that can be confusing if you are new to Sony. Some features for example, only work in certain modes, and this is where the confusion comes in most often. Auto HDR will only work in Jpeg mode for example, so if you are in raw quality that feature will be grayed out and not work. I will break all of that down, so it makes sense as best I can.

Have a great day,
Jay

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Jay
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6 Comments

  1. Was the subject matter too close, when zoomed out above 140mm? You could have demonstrated this by manually focussing when AF didn’t seem to work. Is AF improved by using Center rather than Wide focus area and/or in brighter conditions? When Live View Display Setting Effect is Off doesn’t the aperture remain open to assist AF? So, particularly in low light, AF will be slower at smaller apertures when this setting is On.

    Reply

    1. Hi Martin,

      Was the subject matter too close, when zoomed out above 140mm? You could have demonstrated this by manually focussing when AF didn’t seem to work.

      No it was not to close and yes manual focusing worked. You can see this because at 200mm the focus locked onto the train and that was closest to the camera. In the live scene I made sure the candle was beyond the minumum focus distance @ 200mm.
      The fact that the lens does not work well beyond 140mm is why not many videos at all show this. Remember when the camera first came out and all the focus tests showed canon lenses that were like 24mm, 35mm and so fourth. Either way, the fact that it works below 140mm is good enough for me considering it’s a canon lens on the Sony camera. I need to test the rest of my Canon EF L lenses to see if they work good or not. I really don’t know at his point if my 135mm f/2 lens will work or not. The 17-40mm f/4 L Lens works so good, it miles well be native glass! It’s incredible…

      Is AF improved by using Center rather than Wide focus area and/or in brighter conditions?

      No, AF does not seem to improve when changing focus modes, infact it got slower and hunted more. Lighting did not make a difference either, because in the live scene it had tons of light compared to the lab.

      When Live View Display Setting Effect is Off doesn’t the aperture remain open to assist AF? So, particularly in low light, AF will be slower at smaller apertures when this setting is On.

      Really great question Martin 😉 Yes, the aperture does stay wide open when in that mode I believe, so it should help for sure at higher apertures like f/4,5.6 and so on. You would lose the killer advantages of live view though, which sort of sucks once you get used to it.
      Excellent questions Martin and thank you very much for stopping by and taking the time to comment,
      Jay

      Reply

    1. Thanks for the comments and feedback with your testing 😉 The Mark IV version is supposed to be much better I heard, and have one on order to try out. We shall see…
      Jay

      Reply

  3. I have been told by the manufacturer in China that the Metabones III needs to be send to Hongkong for an up-date free of charge plus a $25.00 mailing fee (Fedex).

    Reply

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