Monster Adapter LA-KE1 Pentax K to Sony E Lens Adapter

Construction and Handling

The Monster Adapter LA-KE1 is a well-made product, with a metal housing, a robust feel and a small size. Despite its being made by a lesser-known company, the product feels premium and high-quality.

This section will give you a complete tour of the adapter, from every angle.

Body

The body of the lens is made of metal. It has an irregular shape, with a small bump to the right (as seen when mounted on a camera) and a larger one on the left. The top bears the printed company and product names.

The larger bump to the left holds the AF/MF switch. This switch, ubiquitous on Pentax cameras but often missing on Sony bodies, will feel familiar to Pentax users, even though it doesn't use the rotating movement found on a Pentax body.

The second bump does not bear external features. Close to it is the K-mount release lever. As can be expected, it is located exactly in the same position as on a Pentax body. It operates just as well.

When operating, there is no change in shape or size whatsoever. The adapter lets the lens and camera communicate together, translating protocols as needed, but does not itself perform AF or exposure actions.

Front

As seen from the front (K-mount side, where a lens is mounted) the irregular shape of the adapter is obvious. It is also clear that the adapter is pass-through, without any optics inside. What it does (in addition to allowing communication) is to place the lens at the correct register distance. In other words, the adapter thickness replaces that of the mirror box in a DSLR, so that the sensor is at the expected distance from the lens. Mirrorless bodies have a shorter register distance and the adapter corrects for this.

On the picture above, the AF/MF switch is visible to the left. To the right is the standard Pentax red alignment dot. Top-right is the lens release lever. Close to the AF/MF switch is the screw-drive shaft, and next to it are the KAF3 / power zoom contacts. To the top are the A contacts.

In other words, the Monster Adapter offers a full K-mount interface. It looks exactly like a modern K-mount camera.

Inside the adapter is a small lever. It offers something no Pentax camera proposes: the ability to switch between SDM and screw-drive. Some of the first SDM lenses proposed by Pentax feature both types of AF motors, to allow backwards compatibility with older bodies not supporting SDM. In some cases those lenses suffered from faulty SDM motors which started behaving poorly after a few years. Some users have taken to hacking the firmware of their lenses to force screw-drive AF at all times since camera bodies do not offer the choice. In that regard, the Monster Adapter offers something unique, and could allow a user to revive a faulty lens by forcing the use of screw-drive.

The list of lenses which can benefit from this option is as follows:

• DA* 16-50mm (v1)
• DA* 50-135mm
• DA* 200mm
• DA* 300mm
• DA* 60-250mm

Rear

The rear of the adapter is black. A Sony E-mount alignment dot is visible, as are all the required electronic contacts. There is no protection against water or dust ingress. Despite most Sony cameras, and most Pentax lenses being weather resistant, the adapter offers no such protection.

Mounting a Lens

Below is the Monster Adapter with three lenses mounted, to give a sense of scale.

FA 43mm	FA 77mm	D FA 100mm macro WR

Mounted on Camera

Below are images of the adapter with the FA 43mm and D FA 100mm Macro WR, mounted on the Sony a7C, the smallest full-frame camera in the Sony lineup.

In the Hand

Contrary to a typical lens, the Monster Adapter LA-KE1 has an irregular shape with bumps on the sides. Because of this and of the position of the bump closest to the camera grip, space can become tight for users with larger fingers.

In use, we have not found space to be too tight when holding the camera, but we did squeeze our middle finger once or twice when releasing the camera. This will vary with finger sizes, camera grip format and the way the user holds the camera, but is something to be aware of.

Verdict

The Monster Adapter LA-KE1 lives up to expectation regarding build quality. It is solid, well assembled, made of quality materials. It mounts well, with the right amount of friction, both on the E-mount and K-mount sides. The few levers and buttons operate as they should. Mounting a Pentax lens feels exactly the same as on a Pentax body.