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

Who is this product for?

The invariable question that must be asked for any product like this is, "Who is this for?"

On the one hand, pessimists will view this as simply a way to siphon off Pentax users from the fold by offering a way to use their existing lenses with a different camera brand. That's a fair point, although it is doubtful that the number of users who follow this path will be large. Anyone planning to leave Pentax is more likely to sell off their lenses and buy fully into the E-mount ecosystem. Others will say this offers a way to market exceptional and unique Pentax lenses to a Sony user base. Again the numbers will be probably small as the E mount ecosystem is vast and the majority of the users tend to stick to native lenses.

There are, however, some unique options that only Pentax offers. Looking over the supported lenses (more on this later) a few stand out as considerably different from Sony offerings. The legendary FA Limiteds (31, 43, 77) in particular have very little competition other than perhaps from Samyang (45/1.8 & 75/1.8)  and Sigma (45/2 and 65/2). Primes between 135mm and 400mm are unavailable in E mount - making the FA/DA* 200 and FA/DA* 300 interesting propositions for Sony shooters who want an autofocus prime in these focal lengths (to be fair autofocus Sony and Minolta "A mount" long primes do exist that offer full EXIF and autofocus via other adapters).

So who is this for? Both groups above can benefit from this and may in fact buy into it. Still, it is likely that the larger target market will be enthusiasts who love photography experimentation. Users who enjoy the thrill of fitting lenses never intended to be used on a given camera and seeing what happens. These are people who adapt lenses today and typically forgo EXIF, aperture automation, and autofocus. The Monster adapter offers a richer experience for K mount lenses on Sony E mount bodies to those interested in this type of mix and match. Another target audience will probably be the user base who use two systems, and want to use a few specific (and beloved) Pentax lenses on E-mount.