Originally posted by orfeas76 I see you 've tested all 3 limited FA's on A7.
Could you please show us your A7+Novoflex+FA
Can't wait to see the combo... I care about the weight and the size ...a lot!
How smooth is manual focusing on those lenses? Does Focus Magnification and Focus Peaking engage automatically ?
Here are a few quick photos of the a7+novo+FA 77mm combo, next to the K-5+FA 31mm.
Also, I used my kitchen scale to weigh a few of the various combos (camera+battery+hood, no lens caps):
a7+novoflex+FA 31mm: 923g
a7+novoflex+FA 43mm: 761g
a7+novoflex+FA 77mm: 866g
k5+31mm: 1096g
k5+43mm: 934g
k5+77mm: 1030g
And, for additional reference:
a7+Sony FE 35mm SEL35F28Z: 619g
a7+Sony FE 55mm SEL55F18Z: 810g
In the photos of the K-5, I have a couple 58mm rings (no glass) on the 31mm for a bit of extra protection. This combo doesn't vignette on the APS-C K-5, but I have to take them off when using the 31mm on the FF a7 in order to avoid vignetting. I took off the rings when weighing the K-5+31mm. Also, my 43mm has the DA 40mm hood on it, so the listed weight above will vary slightly from one with the native lens hood.
While I really like the photos produced by the Pentax FA limited lenses on the A7 (and LOVE the limited lenses themselves), since getting the native mount FE 35mm and 55mm, I mostly use those instead of the Pentax limiteds. The a7 native mount FE lenses are amazing lenses and produce fantastic photos, like the Pentax limiteds, but with the native mount lenses I'm able to use autofocus and there is little to no CA to deal with (unlike with the Pentax limiteds). In addition, the native combos are smaller and weigh less. If using manual focus, though, the Pentax limiteds are the way to go. Manual focus with the Sony lenses (focus by wire) just don't feel right to me.
camerons already commented on focus peaking and magnification, so I'll just add that I've turned on peaking, and set magnification to the C1 button on the a7. I never really used manual focus before picking up the a7, so I don't have much of a basis to make comparisons. However, with peaking and magnification on the a7, using manual focus is a breeze. When I really need to ensure I have accurate focus, I use the magnification feature of the a7 to make sure exactly what I want is in focus without fail.