Should I Buy A7i with LA-EA4 for my old lenses?

I think you will get a lot more out of those lenses on a full frame camera.

With an A7(I), though, you have sensor reflection issue to think about (if you do much night photography with lights around) and you don't have IBIS. It might be worth instead looking at an A99(I), if you're just planning on using A mount lenses. If you're also going to want to adapt other lenses, then the A7 might be a better choice, but, along those lines, if you can swing the A7II, there are (or were, for me, at least) some worthwhile upgrades in functionality.

I would recommend against it. The field of view is going to change significantly. Those are some nice expensive lenses. If you like the fields of view they offer, sell your A mount kit and get an A6000 + a 35 and 135 for it. The 35 is easy- SEL35F18. The 135 will be tougher.

I think with the value of those lenses you may also be able to go full frame and keep the same field of view. For the 35 you can get a 50mm. For the 135, a 200 at F/4 is about equivalent. I'd get an A7II, a 50mm of your choosing, and posslby the EF 200/2.8 with the adapter of your choosing.

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I wouldn't. Apart from the sensor size advantage you would be worse off in every way. The LA-EA4 uses the A57's auto focus system with 15 AF points clustered in the middle of the FF sensor. The adapter is also large and awkwardly shaped which ruins the ergonomics of the smaller camera. Finally you would not have any image stabilisation with the A mount lenses on the A7. Sorry, but the A7 & LA-EA4 is a dog of a combo that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.

Hi Guys, thanks for the reply.

My original thinking was also to make more out of my 2 nice lenses on a full frame body. I have been using these 2 lenses for years first on a550 and then a77, and have never used a full frame. I am just thinking have I been wasting the potential of these lenses without a full frame camera. Actually until now, this is like the only trigger point for me to get a full frame.

I don't think the field of view is an issue. With them at their native field of view, i.e. 35 and 135, I might be able to make more use of them. I don't use the 135 much, most of the time because of it's too long...So I am thinking maybe with the 135 at 135, I will get chances to use it more.

After reading all, I believe a7ii is a better choice, and I will go for it if the decision is made. But now it seems the concern is on the adapter. Will LA-EA4 be the correct one, or should I get other model, to use with my 2 lenses? Or a7ii+adapter is never a good choice for my lenses? I just don't want to compromise much and eventually get worse or not significant difference comparing with my current a77.

Thanks.

If your lenses are screw drive the LA-EA4 is a great choice, if they have the motor in the lens it will still work well, but the LA-EA3 would probably be better.

Floatersg said:

After reading all, I believe a7ii is a better choice, and I will go for it if the decision is made. But now it seems the concern is on the adapter. Will LA-EA4 be the correct one, or should I get other model, to use with my 2 lenses?

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The original A7 is an excellent camera, but the A7II IBIS is worth the extra cost... then again, so is the A7RII with its higher resolution sensor, silent shutter, and 4K video. Choices.... ;-) They're all capable of delivering better images than an A77, and (even including an LA-EA4) they're all substantially cheaper than an A99II.

As for the LA-EA4 vs. LA-EA3, the LA-EA4 supports screw drive and the LA-EA3 doesn't. This is a HUGE deal. Why? Take a look at Dyxum . There are hundreds of old A-Mount lenses available for cheap because A-mount is nowhere near as popular as when Minolta introduced it. Many of these are great lenses... but nearly every one is screw driven. For example, you might enjoy a beercan -- 70-210mm f/4 -- that you can easily get for under $100.

It is true that the LA-EA3 uses the on-sensor focus detector, so on some later Sony bodies it can AF better, and quieter, using lenses with built-in motors than the LA-EA4 can deliver with screw-driven lenses. However, there are very few A-mount lenses that aren't screw driven, and the LA-EA4 works fine with all of them too, and on any Sony E body -- including working fine with A-mount lenses that have a focus motor built-in.

It would be nice if Sony made an LA-EA3.5 -- with screw-drive support like an LA-EA4, but exclusively using the main sensor for AF like and LA-EA3 -- but they don't. Until they do, the LA-EA4 is the better deal.

BTW, I own LA-EA1/2/3/4 and the LA-EA4 is pretty much all I use. In fact, I have only a few native autofocus lenses for my Sony E bodies (other than the kit zooms they came with) and instead happily use a fleet of old A-mount lenses on the LA-EA4 for autofocus. Ok, I also have a Techart Pro LM-EA7 which can autofocus (using the main sensor) completely manual lenses adapted to M mount and works for nearly all of my 200+ old lenses, but the LA-EA4 + old A-mount lens combo is more reliable by far; it always works.