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Nex-7 Tutorial – Setting up and Using Lens Adapters on the Sony Nex-7

Nex-7 w/ Canon 135mm f/2 Lens
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In this Nex-7 tutorial I will go over everything you need to know when it comes to setting up the Sony Nex-7 for using Lens Adapters and other manufactures lenses. Focus Peaking, Shooting without Lens, and Manual Focus Assist settings will need to be change in the Nex-7 Menu to make using
In this video I’m using the Fotodiox Pro Lens Adpater with built in Aperture Iris, and the Canon EF 135mm f/2 L Lens.

There are several setting that will need to configure in the Sony Nex-7 Menu to make shooting with a lens adapter as easy as possible. First we will need to enable the “shoot without lens” option as the Nex-7 thinks there is no lens attached when using an adapter with no electronics like the Fotodiox pro. We will then move on to the focus peaking and manual focus assist settings to make sure we have all the tools the Nex-7 provides us with at our fingertips 😉

Nex-7 Video Tutorial – Setting up for lens Adapters

Come along with me in this Sony Nex-7 Video Tutorial and you will definitely be ready to use the any Sony Nex Camera with lens adapters!! You will also get the most accurate focus possible when using manual focus thanks to the Focus Peaking Feature!!

Be sure to check out all the available Lens Adapters for the the Sony Nex E-Mount Camera System in my Guide Here: Sony Nex lens Adapter Guide >>

Nex-7 w/ Canon 135mm f/2 Lens
Nex-7 w/ Canon 135mm f/2 Lens
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21 Comments

  1. This is a waste of money. Why would you want an adapter that will ruin your shot with the massive lens vignetting. It doesn’t make sense to buy $1000+ L glass on something like this.
    Why reviewing this product when you get a chance. I think it will go over well, pity about the no AF

    Reply

    1. Juan, I own all Canon Professional equipment and have just relatively recently started reviewing Sony’s incredible line of cameras. I Already have this lens and the Canon 5D Mark II etc…. Why not use the killer glass on the Nex cameras if I already have it laying around I say 😉
      The adapter itself is another story. Real world testing will prove it’s actual value, but it does definitely do something, even before the lens vignetting starts to creep in. Mild Vignetting is fixable to. The shutter speed of 1/4000 is not fast enough for bright daylight scenes and f/2.0-1.4 lens depending on the scene, so it’s possible the aperture in the adapter might help with the shutter speed issue which would otherwise make the lens useless in bright light situations wide open.
      Don’t forget, you can simple open up the aperture all the way on the Iris and not use it as well!
      Best,
      Jay

      Reply

  2. Thank you for your summary of how the Photodiox lens adapter works. I would like to use my Nikon-S lenses with a sony alpha a55 body. Photodiox claims that they have such an adapter. Have you checked this combination out? Can I presume that this combination works in a similar fashion as described above?
    i would think that Sony would want to have a better adapter to encourage cross-overs from the Nikon and Canon users if Sony wants to make big inroads into this large market.
    Thank you,
    Bob C

    Reply

    1. Hi Bob,
      This is the only fotodiox adapter I could find for Nikon Lens to Sony A-Mount Camera and it doesn’t have the Iris:
      Fotodiox Lens Mount Adapter – Nikon Lens to Sony Alpha (AkA Minolta AF A-type, Maxxum or Dynax) Camera, fits Sony DSLR-A350, A300, A200, A700, A900, A100, A330, A230, A380, A500, A550, A850, A450,A290, A390, A580, SLT-A33, A55
      The Sony A55 does not have focus peaking!! So Manual focus will be a bit harder unfortunately.
      I hope this helps!
      Jay

      Reply

  3. I have a Sony NEX-5N and would like to know it the steps you went through in setting up the Photodiox would be the same with my camera body? I have some vintage lenses that I am getting adapters for and hadn’t heard about using the settings you mentioned. I am new with the NEX-N and am not sure if it even has the same settings as the NEX-7
    Thanks
    Jim

    Reply

  4. “Hello,
    I purchased a Canon7 with the f0.95 lens back in 1964. The lens has Canon bayonet mount (original to the lens). Do you know of any adaptor for this lens on a Sony Nex body? How is exposure meterng accomplished, i.e. will the camera body sensor be able to give exposure readings? I’ve been hoping to use this lens on a digital body without the expense of a Leica M body.
    Thank you very much.
    Craig”
    Hi Craig,
    Sorry your comment got lost in the update of the website this weekend. I had it in my email though, so hear it is!
    I don’t know of any mount for that unfortunately, but Dyxum.com is a great Forum that has tons of people eager to help!! I would head over their and ask in the lens area as experts on the topic hang out and are very knowledgeable. If I do find some info for you IO will post it here asap!
    Best,
    Jay

    Reply

  5. I just bought an Sony SLT A58 camera and I am a novice as far as entry level cameras are concerned.
    I bought the Sony camera so I could use my old Minolta MD & MC lenses.
    I bought a fotodiox lens adapter ( not the pro ) from Amazon to mount the Minolta lenses and the lenses mount to the
    A58 fine.
    Now I have some questions on how to use these lenses as far a the settings on the A58 and the Minolta lenses? Since there no AF/MF setting on the lens, but there is an aperture setting on my Minolta 50mm 1:2 lens, do I set this aperture on the lens to the lowest setting and than control the aperture on my A58 with the A setting and control dial, or do I have to play with both? Is there some kind of tutorial on this subject? Any input would be appreciated.
    Thanks
    John Magann

    Reply

  6. Jay, that was very useful info. I have a NEX 5R and an MD-NEX adapter – no idea what make but its well made and it works!
    I got an 50mm F1.7 Mintolta lens that arrived in post this a.m, and of course when I put it on it didn’t work, I got the error message, so you help has been invaluable in setting up the 5R and I have taken a load of pictures in the past hour or so – including video. So thanks for that. I was just wondering though, with the adapter on does the lens stay at 50mm f1.7 or dose fitting the adapter change that in any way? Anyway thanks a lot.
    Paul Edwards, London

    Reply

    1. Hi Paul and thanks for the comments 😉
      Yes, the lens stays at 50mm with the lens adapter. It is acting as a spacer to increase the distance between the sensor and the back of the lens. The lens was original designed for a different mount, and that distance is what the adapter is making up for. The Nex native sensor to flange distance is 18mm, so a variety of different sized adapters can be used to achieve the correct distance for that given lens type.
      You do have to factor in the crop factor of 1.5x though for the APS-C Nex-5r sized sensor, which makes the 50mm and effective ~75mm lens. This has nothing to do with the adapter though, just the size of the sensor.
      I hope that helps,
      Jay

      Reply

  7. Jay,
    Thanks for the tutorial. I still have a couple off questions about mounting old pre-1970, non-AI) Nikon lenses on my NEX-6. The old Nikon lenses had one automatic feature – they would leave the diaphragm open while you were composing and focusing the picture and then stop it down when the shutter was fired. Will that feature still work with adapters? Will I need to focus with the aperture open and then step it down myself before each shot? Will the electronic viewfinder and focus assist functions work with the aperture stopped down?
    Probably a related question is “Why do some of the adapters have diaphragms?” Won’t the diaphragm built into the lens work? Your tutorial appeared to be saying that there was very shallow depth of field without the extra diaphragm.
    Thanks,
    Scott

    Reply

    1. Hi Scott and thanks for the comments/ questions.

      The old Nikon lenses had one automatic feature – they would leave the diaphragm open while you were composing and focusing the picture and then stop it down when the shutter was fired. Will that feature still work with adapters?

      No, that feature will not work, because the lens adapters have no mechanical arms or electronics for those old features. That particular feature was also used when shutter priority mode was introduced I believe?

      Will I need to focus with the aperture open and then step it down myself before each shot?

      No, you will just set the aperture manually and the light will focus normally without obstructing your view. The aperture mechanism never obstructs your view, just light. The aperture opened wide to allow more light in for easier focusing with the optical viewfinder. It would then stop down, and get darker, for the actual photo. Since Sony introduced the Electronic viewfinder, the aperture can be set and it’s actually live unlike it used to be as you described. The camera shows you what the final image will look like before you even take the shot. It’s amazing technology, and allows for using these older lenses so easily with not issues.

      Will the electronic viewfinder and focus assist functions work with the aperture stopped down?

      Yup 🙂

      “Why do some of the adapters have diaphragms?” Won’t the diaphragm built into the lens work? Your tutorial appeared to be saying that there was very shallow depth of field without the extra diaphragm.

      Great question, and it’s because the newer lenses are full electronic. You cannot control the aperture on the newer lenses unless you have an electronic Metabones lens adapter. So like you were saying before about your Nikon lens, the aperture is stuck wide open. If I try to use my Canon 135mm f/2 L lens for example it will be stuck @ f/2 all the time. I can’t change the aperture, because it’s electronic.
      This adjustable Iris is supposed to help with that by allowing you to focus down some of the light. The problem is, that needs to be done in the lens where the real aperture is. Otherwise you get Vignette as you “stop it down”. It does work a little bit for slowing the shutter down and added a little depth of field when you crank it up. It by no means works like the aperture in the lens though.
      I did not mean to imply that the iris is required for fast lenses due to the shallow depth of field, just that it does help slightly with depth of field as I tested it on the tape measure. The electronic lens adapters are the way to go newer lenses.
      I hope that helps,
      Jay

      Reply

      1. Jay,
        Thanks for the complete and helpful reply. It sounds like I just need a simple adapter for my Nikon lenses then. Can you recommend one? ( I don’t know whether you do that on the site.)
        Scott

        Reply

        1. No Problem Scott, anytime 😉 I have both the fotodiox lens adapter for my Canon EF lenses, as you saw in the tutorial, and a really affordable RainbowImaging lens adapter for my Minolta MC and MD Lenses. I prefer the rainbowimaging adapter, because it doesn’t have the iris. Check out Amazon for Nikon to Nex E-mount lens adapters (click Here) The more expensive lens adapters have accurate infinity focus where as these cheaper models do not. I use focus peaking anyway, but infinity being accurate is a pretty nice feature to have if you want to spend serious money on a lens adapter. I’m not exactly sure what mount your older Nikon lenses are. You need to make sure the adapter is for that mount and not the current Nikon lens mount. Unless they are still the same. I honestly don’t know anything about older Nikon lenses, sry.
          Jay

          Reply

      2. Jay,
        Another thing. The guy at the local Ritz Camera, where I bought my NEX-6, told me that using a lens adapter would void my warranty. Do you know anything about that?
        Scott

        Reply

        1. Scott,

          Another thing. The guy at the local Ritz Camera, where I bought my NEX-6, told me that using a lens adapter would void my warranty. Do you know anything about that?

          I highly doubt it, and have never heard that. The camera has not idea you are using a lens adapter first of all, and secondly, Sony sells lens adapters and encourages this! That being said, I would not tell the Sony warranty people you broke your camera while using a heavy old school lens a cheap lens adapter. Common sense does over rule this a bit Scott. Lots of manual e-mount lenses are available from Rokinon and others. The camera does not no the difference between those, or a lens adapter and old school lens. The camera is set to “shoot without lens attached” anyway.
          I would not worry about this to much.. Sony does not cover physical damage on their electronics for the most part, unless you get some extra warranty coverage. The default warranty covers camera glitch’s or a mechanical failure of some kind that is not your fault. When I trashed my Nex-7 it was not covered under warranty, or even re-pairable do to damage. I dropped the camera though, so how can I really expect Sony to pay for that? It depends on what happens to the camera in the end and what kind of warranty you have.
          I purchased a pair of high quality headphones from Sony and I purchased a extra warranty that covers anything. I can drop them, crush them, whatever, and it’s supposedly covered as long as I have the receipt. I felt it was worth it, because I always break headphones and these were expensive!
          I hope that helps and have a nice weekend Scott,
          Jay

          Reply

  8. Hi Jay
    I ‘ve enjolyed your site! I just recently purchased a Nex 7 and in trying to set up peak focusing I keep getting the message that this function is curently disabled. . How do I enable it?
    Thanks
    George

    Reply

    1. Hi George and thanks 😉
      It’s in the menu, but you have to be in manual focus in order to turn it on. It’s grayed out otherwise which is a bit confusing. I honestly have not used the Nex-7 in some time, so please let me know if that helped!
      Jay

      Reply

  9. Thank you SO much for that tutorial, I just donated $5!
    I recently purchased the new issue Petzval lens for Canon EOS mount & was hoping to use it with my NEX-7, and while your tips got my going quickly, for whatever reason my NEX-7 is still not recognizing the lens for the “FOCUS” button in the lower right.
    On the back of my camera it does not say “FOCUS” in that spot, there’s a picture of a rectangle and when you press the button to the right of it, it give the “lens is not attached correctly” message.
    I can take photos just fine now that I have enabled the “shoot w/out lens”, but I liked the idea of that extra focus feature, any ideas?
    THANKS AGAIN!

    Reply

  10. Hi Jay, 2 years ago I bought a NEX-7 at B&H and this year I just have from them a Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 UMC Fisheye lens, E mount. I see that you have written an article about but it not possible to open it. Please could you tell me how to use this 8mm lens with my Nex-7?
    I also want to film (I mind movie) with my camera, what are the setting for?
    I will appreciate a lot for your response.
    Regards. Georges

    Reply

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