Pentax Lens Turbo for Sony NEX Cameras

How to (almost) replicate full-frame rendering for your Pentax lenses on a Sony NEX camera?

By carpents in Articles and Tips on Sep 13, 2013

When reading initial announcements about speed-boosting adapters, I will admit to thinking it was an April Fools joke. The concept was simple: make a focal lens reducer which adapted lenses built for 35mm cameras onto the NEX and µ4/3 cameras. The effect was dramatic, and to me, unbelievable; namely, the adapter would widen the field of view at the same time make the aperture one stop faster. In other words, it brought those 35mm camera lenses back to (almost) their original rendering. Wide angle lenses are back to being wide angle lenses, with a faster aperture to boot.

The initial adapters were made by Metabones for Canon and Nikon lenses, and more recently Chinese manufacturers have started making adapters for the smaller brands. There are now options for using brands like Contax, Leica R, Canon FD, and importantly for me, Pentax.

Despite switching to ‘full frame’ (24mm x 36mm sensor) Nikons several years ago, I never replaced my beloved Pentax lenses. In fact, weighing all the attributes, I don’t think any other manufacturer offers analogous replacements for my Pentax collection at any price. These sorts of adapters could be the solution for which many of us with 35mm-format lenses have been waiting.

Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Sony, Pentax, Metabones, Zhongyi or any other manufacturer. This review was not paid for by any party.