Frequently asked questions
Can I use Canon lenses on a Sony camera body?
Canon EF lenses can be used on Sony E-mount cameras with an adapter. Sigma's MC-11 and Metabones's EF-E adapters are the most popular, providing autofocus with select Canon and Sigma EF lenses. Phase-detect AF performance is generally reliable with native EF lenses; third-party EF lenses have variable AF performance depending on the specific adapter and lens firmware version. Canon RF lenses cannot be adapted to Sony E-mount.
What is a lens mount adapter, and when do I need one?
A lens mount adapter is a mechanical ring that bridges the physical and electronic connections between a lens designed for one mount standard and a camera body with a different mount. Adapters are primarily used when migrating to a new camera system while reusing existing lenses. Full electronic adapters pass focus, aperture, and image stabilisation signals; dumb adapters are manual-only. Flange distance (the gap between mount and sensor) must be accommodating — most mirrorless cameras have short flange distances, making them ideal adapter hosts.
Do third-party lenses work as well as OEM lenses on my camera?
Modern third-party lenses from Sigma (Art, Contemporary, Sports series), Tamron, and Tokina are optically competitive with OEM lenses and often cheaper. Electronic communication — autofocus speed, image stabilisation coordination, and EXIF metadata — depends on whether the third-party manufacturer has correctly reverse-engineered the proprietary lens protocol. Sigma and Tamron offer native E-mount and Z-mount versions that behave identically to first-party lenses; older EF-mount third-party lenses via adapter may have slower AF.
What happens to autofocus when I use a lens adapter?
Autofocus performance through an adapter depends on the adapter's quality and the lens's own AF motor type. Lenses with ultrasonic / stepping motors (Canon USM, Sigma HSM, Sony SSM) generally achieve fast phase-detect AF through quality adapters on Sony bodies. Older screw-drive lenses (Nikon AF, Canon EF without USM) rely on the adapter body to drive the AF helicoid and are typically slower and noisier. In-body phase-detect AF systems (Sony, Nikon Z, Canon R) perform better than contrast-detect-only adapted AF.