In this quick blog, I will share how I adapted a vintage lens to my Sony a7RV. As much as I love the Sony GM lenses, sometimes I want a hands-on approach and character, without leaving the system. This is where adapting an old vintage lens can come in useful.

The lens I’m adapting is an old Minolta 40mm f2 that my mate Faizal gifted me last year. This little lens has so much character and is a joy to use. To adapt it, I use an adaptor ring by Urth. They are high quality and since there are no electronics, very affordable too. I personally like Urth, but many other cheaper alternatives exist.

Once adapted, there are a few key changes I need to make in the settings of the camera. By far the most important is to enable shooting without a lens. Even though you have a lens adapted, since there are no electronics, the camera thinks there is no lens attached. Until you enable this, the camera won’t take any photos. Head over into the menu and enable - Release w/o Lens.

Next, you want to enable peaking display. This will help you tremendously with nailing your focus. I set mine to red and high; however, select what works best for you.

Lastly, you want to change one of the buttons you used for an AF feature to Focus Magnifier. This will digitally magnify the image so you can see your subject up close and make sure focus is bang on. This is a slower approach compared to focus peaking; however, for static scenes where you have time, this is the most accurate method to ensure you nail focus.

When it comes to shooting, I set the camera to aperture priority. Even though the camera has no idea what aperture I’m using, because there is no electronic connection, it will still meter the scene and automatically set the ISO and shutter speed.

That is about it really, nothing too complicated, and since vintage lenses can be found for very little money, this could be a fun addition to your kit for the odd day out. Here are some shots I took the other day in London.