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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Best cheap eBay F to EF adapter

M

Matt W.

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Can be dumb, no AF chip or aperture control.

What's the best one in terms of fit and finish? Want one I can remove ideally that also isn't super loose. Looking to buy a bunch so cheap is good lol. Thanks.
 
There are a lot of $15-20 adapters. What makes it worth the extra money?

If infinity focus is correct (in that it focuses to and not past) I'd consider.
 
I just bought 4 for $20 of the flat aluminum rings to keep on my manual AI/AIS nikkors. They get infinity and because I don't take them off/on, they tend to stay pretty tight (one got loose, but I just re-tightened all the screws)... I mean, I'd get the cheap ones and if they really don't suit your needs, you can replace them with better ones and you aren't really losing much money (plus you'll have a bunch of secondary back-ups).
 
Mike P. said:
I just bought 4 for $20 of the flat aluminum rings to keep on my manual AI/AIS nikkors. They get infinity and because I don't take them off/on, they tend to stay pretty tight (one got loose, but I just re-tightened all the screws)... I mean, I'd get the cheap ones and if they really don't suit your needs, you can replace them with better ones and you aren't really losing much money (plus you'll have a bunch of secondary back-ups).
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Where? I'd take those. I like to keep them on the lenses, but it frustrates me if they're stuck so tight I can't remove them as I like shooting on my Nikon SLR.

How close are the focus marks on the lenses to being accurate? I've given up on getting an adapter with the proper flange focal distance, but closer is better.
 
All alloy adapters play after few months of use. Problem is "soft" material used to make them. Just spend extra $ for stainless steeel ones and do not be tight a....;-)
 
Jiri Vrozina said:
All alloy adapters play after few months of use. Problem is "soft" material used to make them. Just spend extra $ for stainless steeel ones and do not be tight a....;-)
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The fotodiox pro is aluminum, not stainless, nevertheless... I have found the cheaper adapters to be very "soft." With the long lenses they sag, with the small ones it messes up collimation or whatever.
 
Honestly, they were the cheapest Chinese "F to EF Adapter" on eBay. I think they were $6-7 with free shipping, so I just "made offer" of $20 for four. I was originally planning on replacing them with good ones, but they've worked fine (and I've had them since 2008!)

They are tight to get on/off, but I rarely take them off (just make sure you lift the pin-catch thing and it's probably more a lack of grip on just the ring-edge, than over-tightness, that's prevent their removal).

As for marks, I usually don't pull focus using the marks on still lenses, so I can't comment on the accuracy. I do get infinity focus a smidgeon early though. Further, I only have them on primes, not zooms, so I'm not sure how that affects their focusability or sag or wear (primes are really light). Truth is, I don't see how something so simple can be screwed up too badly... That is, as long as it's the correct thickness to achieve proper FFD within tolerance, how can the expensive ones be that much better ($5 vs. $65)?
 
Mike P. said:
Honestly, they were the cheapest Chinese "F to EF Adapter" on eBay. I think they were $6-7 with free shipping, so I just "made offer" of $20 for four. I was originally planning on replacing them with good ones, but they've worked fine (and I've had them since 2008!)

They are tight to get on/off, but I rarely take them off (just make sure you lift the pin-catch thing and it's probably more a lack of grip on just the ring-edge, than over-tightness, that's prevent their removal).

As for marks, I usually don't pull focus using the marks on still lenses, so I can't comment on the accuracy. I do get infinity focus a smidgeon early though. Further, I only have them on primes, not zooms, so I'm not sure how that affects their focusability or sag or wear (primes are really light). Truth is, I don't see how something so simple can be screwed up too badly... That is, as long as it's the correct thickness to achieve proper FFD within tolerance, how can the expensive ones be that much better ($5 vs. $65)?
Click to expand...

One of these guys?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-Lens-...ens_Adapters_Mounts_Tubes&hash=item4172fac1ae

I have (or am acquiring) a lot of lenses:

20mm f3.5, 24mm f2, 28mm f2, 35mm f1.4, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.8, 135mm f2.8, 135mm f2.0, 180mm f2.8, 90mm f2.5 Tokina....

So cost is an issue for me...
 
I used a lot of these for Nikkors to EF. Started with the Fotodiox "no play", ended up with cheap eBay chinese adapters - they're fidgety to swap out on set and I went with the "every lens" scenario. Really no issues with the cheaper ones. If you're shooting every single day, they may wear out faster than my several days a week/month schedules. But if you're using 'em so much they wear fast, keep replacing or buy something pricier. But I found the quality essentially the same from $18 to $80. I shoot a lot of still gigs, but I don't use as many lenses for stills as I do for motion, many of my older primes went months with adapters attached.

If you go this route, remember to buy a bulk pack of EF rear caps!!!
 
M Carter said:
I used a lot of these for Nikkors to EF. Started with the Fotodiox "no play", ended up with cheap eBay chinese adapters - they're fidgety to swap out on set and I went with the "every lens" scenario. Really no issues with the cheaper ones. If you're shooting every single day, they may wear out faster than my several days a week/month schedules. But if you're using 'em so much they wear fast, keep replacing or buy something pricier. But I found the quality essentially the same from $18 to $80. I shoot a lot of still gigs, but I don't use as many lenses for stills as I do for motion, many of my older primes went months with adapters attached.

If you go this route, remember to buy a bulk pack of EF rear caps!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks, this is the route I'm going with I think.

Just picked up a 90mm f2.5 Vivitar in F mount. Apparently not quite as nice as the Bokina, but same optical design. Should be fun.
 
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