General Tamron 17-50 with Aperture control (Nikon-Canon)

S

SightfulProd

Meet a girl who gets you
So I want to purchase the Tamron 17-50 as it looks to be a good investment from the reviews in terms of sharpness and versatility. On a cropped sensor camera it would cover a decent amount of focal length (27-80 AoV on APS-C). The only issue I am having is finding an adapter to control it's aperture manually. I'd rather have my hands on the lens making increment changes to counteract weather changes than to dig through menus.

Any good recommendations for a good Nikon-Canon adapter, not too expensive?

Cheers
-Taha
 
adapters with electronics are usually either very expensive, or a gateway to hell, pain and suffering
 
If you are shooting on a Canon, you should buy the EF mount version of the lens. You don't have to "dig through menus" to change the aperture, and aperture-controlling adapters are very awkward to use. IMHO using lens mount adapters only makes sense when the desired lens is not available in a native mount. "Future proofing" is overrated on the internet - if you switch systems, sell the lens and buy another.
 
nothing said:
If you are shooting on a Canon, you should buy the EF mount version of the lens. You don't have to "dig through menus" to change the aperture, and aperture-controlling adapters are very awkward to use. IMHO using lens mount adapters only makes sense when the desired lens is not available in a native mount. "Future proofing" is overrated on the internet - if you switch systems, sell the lens and buy another.
Click to expand...

Many things about this I disagree with-
For starters, sometimes changing aperture on the camera is more awkward than using "aperture-controlling adapters". For example, the T2i/T3i does not have a dedicated aperture wheel for this.
Secondly, best case scenario, on a native EOS lens and mount you are adjusting the aperture in hard "clicks". When using an adapter, you are actually given full manual operation of the iris, allowing a smooth "declicked" operation, which is preferable for video.
Norman, since the Nikon G lenses have a lever to open/close the iris, there are not electronics needed AFAIK. It is still mechanical, unlike EF mount lenses which send electronic signals to open the iris with a motor inside the lens (Nikon bodies apparently have that motor inside the body).

Third, its not just about "futureproofing". No one wants to sell and buy a new set of lenses for each camera body, especially if you consider how many of folks are not married to any one camera brand at a time. I currently use both Canon and Panasonic bodies, and have been toying with some NEX options as well. The ability to adapt all of my current lenses to each of these bodies is incredibly useful. Some, like my native EF lenses, are a pain to use on other bodies because of the electronic aperture control. The Nikon lenses, however, can be mounted to anything and still retain all critical controls (save for AF and stabilization).

That being said, I still own the EFS version of the Tamron 17-50. Why? Because when I bought it, I only owned Canons and wasn't thinking about what other bodies I might use in the future. Right now, when I use it on the GH2 I have to set the aperture on the Canon body first, then remove the lens while holding the DOF-Preview button. I would sell it and get the Nikon version to make this easier, however having autofocus is really useful when using it for stills on the Canon (which I do sometimes).

If you are comfortable giving up AF, and are not married to Canon bodies and/or want a de-clicked iris function, I say by all means try the Nikon. Otherwise, I'm not clear from the OP if they are aware that this lens comes in other mounts as well.
As far as which adapter to get- that's tough. I don't know, as my adapters are the cheap ones without aperture control since my Nikon lenses currently are all manual. I've heard the cheaper ones with aperture control can sometimes have problems where the control shifts slightly on its own, due to gravity, movement, etc. A lot of people don't recommend the adapters like that for this reason. Maybe worth experimenting with?
 
Last edited:
M. Gilden said:
When using an adapter, you are actually given full manual operation of the iris, allowing a smooth "declicked" operation, which is preferable for video.
Click to expand...

I did not know that part! wow that's a bonus. I'm actually building a kit of lenses to go on m4/3 bodies but it seems many people and friends have Canon bodies that need the adapter. Yes I am aware that there is a EOS mount version of this lens but like you explained I prefer the adaptability of the Nikon mount and it's manual aspects. Gawwwd the sillyness of not having manual iris on a lens this good :S
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top