I've been wanting a telephoto lens of some sort. Spending another US$1000 or more wasn't happening. I have too many questions about what will suit me. On Four-Thirds and micro Four-Thirds, I had a good selection of telephoto zoom lenses, including one that was exceptional for any format I've ever used. The Olympus ZD SHG 35-100mm f/2.0 is an amazing lens. Comparing every 70-200mm f/2.8 lens to it makes me think that I'm just not going to get what I want.
Switching to 135 Format, I don't have any telephoto lenses, not even from my old film days. I took a chance on a Tamron SP 180mm f/3.5 macro lens. The lens was introduced in 2003 and I'm not sure how old this one is. Considering how clean it is, without weather-sealing, it's probably quite new. To use it properly, I bought a Viltrox EF-mount to L-mount Pro adapter, the one that has the electronic connections for AF, IS, and aperture control. The lens doesn't have any image stabilization, but it does have auto focus, with a clutch on the lens that you pull toward the body to enable manual focus. Manual focus sounds a little grindy. I seem to remember reviews complaining about all focusing making some noise.
It didn't arrive with the lens, so I bought a K&F Concept manual adapter in the meantime. The lens and the camera fit together, and I can focus and shoot, but because there is no aperture ring, it's stuck at the default aperture, and there isn't much else. It worked but defaulted to ISO 6400, which probably wasn't that bad. The adapter seems sturdy enough and I was interested in their quality for an inexpensive circular polarizing filter, as well.
The Viltrox adapter arrived today, after Adorama sent a second one since the first one was lost at the UPS facility. Getting it about a week late is no joke. 2nd Day Air usually works better. I appreciate that Adorama went out of its way for me. I'm just glad I wasn't counting on the mount adapter for a job, like in the old days.
The adapter has electronic connections, a switch on the side to indicate to the camera to notice the combination of lens and adapter as a native lens or to let the adapter be seen by itself. Unfortunately, the switch is hidden by the handgrip and it's safer to remove the lens, set the switch, and reattach the adapter.
The Viltrox adapter also has a USB type-C port for software updates. I took a look at the website and it mentioned lens updates and strangely, didn't even mention this adapter. It was surprising that they had an electronic adapter. They've been selling lenses lately, but not for L-mount. They had some adapters for micro Four-Thirds and probably wanted to show Panasonic that they were still out there.
What's pretty amazing about this mount adapter is that it has an extra collar to tighten the lens to the mount. It's a little tricky to get everything right, but you don't want an expensive lens jiggling and losing contact just when that perfect photo is about to be captured.
It's raining outside (neither are weather-sealed) but the little bit of testing I did with the Viltrox adapter shows it to be good. The AF of the lens was never incredibly fast, so I think it's as good as it would be on a Canon dSLR body. Maybe, it's even better because there probably isn't a calibration problem, as we used to have where the lens was just a bit too close or too far for focus to be exact.
Now, if Viltrox will put out their new 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens for L-Mount, I'll be set. I'm fairly certain that Samyang's 35-150mm f/2.0-2.8 would be a better choice, though.
Update 2024.12.15: It's a bit less rainy today and I noticed that the local park has an added duck pond. After shopping, I went there to take a few photos. I need to adjust for the weight, as the IBIS isn't good for long distances.
The photo of the tree seems to be more in focus. The water and ducks seem just out of focus, but on the edge. I probably should have chosen more carefully but it was below 50 degrees F and I don't handle cooler temperatures all that well after having frostbite years ago. I just exported a JPEG version of the raw files to add here. Color is good. At one point, the auto focus went the whole range to figure out where it needed to be. Macro lenses have the oddest AF.
For a fixed focal length of 180, it feels heavy enough to be a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. Maybe, I'm just out of practice.
Update 2025.01.03: The moon and one planet were out and it was so clear last night as I was walking to the store. I hesitated but kept going. Tonight, it's a bit hazy, unforunately, but I tried. I had to give up on AF because it just wouldn't lock onto anything. Manual focus makes a lot of noise, as if there is something wrong, but I seem to remember these lenses doing that even when they were new.
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