Adapting Tamron lenses (EF Mount) to M43... Metabones?

Hi everyone -

I am primarily a Canon shooter, hence owning a bunch of Tamron Lenses in Canon EF Mount.  I'd like to use my Lumix GH4 more for 4K filming, primarily wildlife.

Below are the lenses I'd ideally like to use on my GH4

Tamron 150-600mm VC G1

Tamron 15-30mm VC

Tamron 16-300mm VC

Tamron 90mm VC macro

Tamron 180mm macro

I am reading on the Metabones page that the EF to M43 T Smart Adapter allegedly requires an external USB battery to drive the AF on the Tamron 150-600mm VC.  Anyone have experience with this setup?  Would it not focus without an external battery?  Is using a battery with a Metabones cumbersome?

Autofocus is not my primary concern, although I would prefer it as an option.  I absolutely need electronic control of the aperture.

I tried the Jintu adapter last year and it worked erratically or not at all on most of my Tamron lenses.

Thanks for your input.

I know this is not what you are looking for but I have a Tamron 90mm f/2.8 adaptall macro lens. Aperture ring on the lens, manual focus, and a cheap $15 non-electrical adapter. Tamron stopped making adaptall lenses around 2013. Pity. Adapt-All lenses where manual versions of their lenses without a mount. So you can buy a adaptall mount to use a lens on any body. I bought my 90mm macro in 2013 to use on my Fuji and now on my Olympus - which is fantastic with IBIS and focus peaking.

Albert Valentino wrote:

I know this is not what you are looking for but I have a Tamron 90mm f/2.8 adaptall macro lens. Aperture ring on the lens, manual focus, and a cheap $15 non-electrical adapter. Tamron stopped making adaptall lenses around 2013. Pity. Adapt-All lenses where manual versions of their lenses without a mount. So you can buy a adaptall mount to use a lens on any body. I bought my 90mm macro in 2013 to use on my Fuji and now on my Olympus - which is fantastic with IBIS and focus peaking.

Sounds like a convenient setup and a good explanation of why a "dumb adapter" can be the smart choice.

For wildlife filming, AF is preferred, at least for the initial acquisition.  In general the coatings and optics perform a bit better on digital-aged lenses.

davebreal wrote:

Albert Valentino wrote:

I know this is not what you are looking for but I have a Tamron 90mm f/2.8 adaptall macro lens. Aperture ring on the lens, manual focus, and a cheap $15 non-electrical adapter. Tamron stopped making adaptall lenses around 2013. Pity. Adapt-All lenses where manual versions of their lenses without a mount. So you can buy a adaptall mount to use a lens on any body. I bought my 90mm macro in 2013 to use on my Fuji and now on my Olympus - which is fantastic with IBIS and focus peaking.

Sounds like a convenient setup and a good explanation of why a "dumb adapter" can be the smart choice.

For wildlife filming, AF is preferred, at least for the initial acquisition. In general the coatings and optics perform a bit better on digital-aged lenses.

That lens, 72B is from the digital age. It is the exact same optical formula as the AF version which was discontinued in 2013 when they added VR for stabilisation. Adaptall versions did not include AF or camera mount, but had extreme versatility as they worked on any system and cost a lot less. However, you point is right on. I had previously owned the older Tamron 90mm f2.5 52B adaptall lens which had a slightly different optical formula but lacked modern lens coatings and under certain conditions i would get flare or reflections. The 72B version above also had the hood built in - front element is deeply recessed. I picked it up for under $200 om ebay about four years ago. It is a lens i will never part with.

Anyway, i believe there is someone on this forum that uses the Tamron 150-500 (or is it the 150-600) and I know his results are excellent. I hope he sees this thread ans can help further.