So I’ve been trying to find an E-Mount ultrawide lens as a counterpart to my lovely Pentax SMC-DA 14mm. The SEL 10-18 F4 is within my price range, but it lacks large aperture, and its’ minimal focus distance of 25cm is a far cry from my the DA14’s 17.5cm. Samyang/Rokinon 12mm F2.0 is actually a very great candidate, but they have been out of stock for quite some time. There’s also the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm F2.8, but at this point, I might as well just use the DA14.
With an adapter of course, and manual focus. The A6000 is a actually a great body to use 3rd party lens with adapters since it has (almost) all the tools you need to use an adapted lens such as magnifying view and focus peaking/zebraing.
The adapter that I’m looking for should have an aperture ring since the DA14 lacks one. But yet again I hit a proverbial wall, as not a single shop in Jakarta carries them. Luckily there are plenty of them at my favorite online store, AliExpress.
After 20 days of waiting, the Pixco VA lens adapter arrived at my door.
The VA is as basic as you gonna get. It’s made of brass, no motor, no electronic contact, and no glass, and my A6000 will not recognize it at all. But it’s ok, the A6000 can wing it.
The DA14 is constructed out of metal, so it’s a friggin heavy lens and I am compelled to hold the combined abomination by the lens, not at the body because there’s a looming feeling that it will break at any moment.
But I have to say, the fit and finish of the adapter is great, at least for the price. The connecting parts to the body and the lens are snug fit, no room for wiggle. The aperture lever is dampened and moves smoothly, albeit the travel distance is too short for micro adjustment. And since there’s not glass element between the lens and the sensor, I notice no loss in image quality.
And the DA14’s 17.5cm close focus works too!
The product page claims that the adapter should allow focus to infinity, but I’ll need to do a more thorough testing to check that. It would be fun to test out my Helios-44M on the A6000 😀