AutoFocus on manual (pancake) lenses for full frames

[Dikkie14]

I don't know if it's technically possible, so I'm wondering if there are people who have tested this or have experience with this.

I came across some Techart and Fotodiox adapters that make manual lenses to work as AF, if I correctly understood.

I'm wondering if that also works on pancake lenses like these:
Minitar-1 ART lens
Brightin Star 1:2.8 f=28mm
MS-Optics 28mm 2.0 Apoqualia

Anyone tested a certain combo like that and has examples to show?

Perhaps I'm going to buy a second hand full frame camera with a mount that fits one of these above.
But my experience with zone-focus is that I'm always getting out of focus pretty fast. I want to have sharpness, certainly in the middle, but a bit vintage or vignetting in the corners is desired aswel.
A crop frame doesn't work to achieve good vignetting with the Minitar ... that's why I was planning for a full frame.
It will be a more experimental toy around camera, but I still want to have something decent. A cable release socket and bulb function is a plus

 

[cgw102]

Not quite sure how an old school manual lens with a focus ring can be made to autofocus...
Most have only mechanical aperture connections, usually specific to a particular mount. Adapters simply allow mount A lens to attach to mount B camera., the so-called "dumb adapter."
Are we missing something?

 

[petrochemist102]

Not quite sure how an old school manual lens with a focus ring can be made to autofocus...
Most have only mechanical aperture connections, usually specific to a particular mount. Adapters simply allow mount A lens to attach to mount B camera., the so-called "dumb adapter."
Are we missing something?

It works via block focus, changing the distance between the lens & the sensor, and works well for most shorter focal lengths. Longer focal lengths generally need to be part focused manually first so the adapter has enough movement to fine tune things. This works OK with my lightest 500mm, though my other long lenses are too heavy for the mechanism to deal with reliably.

 

[petrochemist102]

I don't know if it's technically possible, so I'm wondering if there are people who have tested this or have experience with this.

I came across some Techart and Fotodiox adapters that make manual lenses to work as AF, if I correctly understood.

I'm wondering if that also works on pancake lenses like these:
Minitar-1 ART lens
Brightin Star 1:2.8 f=28mm
MS-Optics 28mm 2.0 Apoqualia

Anyone tested a certain combo like that and has examples to show?

Perhaps I'm going to buy a second hand full frame camera with a mount that fits one of these above.
But my experience with zone-focus is that I'm always getting out of focus pretty fast. I want to have sharpness, certainly in the middle, but a bit vintage or vignetting in the corners is desired aswel.
A crop frame doesn't work to achieve good vignetting with the Minitar ... that's why I was planning for a full frame.
It will be a more experimental toy around camera, but I still want to have something decent. A cable release socket and bulb function is a plus

I've used the Techart, which should work well with those lenses provided they can be adapted to Leica M mount. I think the nearest example I can lay my hands on is using a CZJ Flektogon 35mm/4 in M42 mount
Rufus resting by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

There may minor issues with internal focusing lenses, but most legacy lenses are designed to block focus.

 

[cgw102]

It works via block focus, changing the distance between the lens & the sensor, and works well for most shorter focal lengths. Longer focal lengths generally need to be part focused manually first so the adapter has enough movement to fine tune things. This works OK with my lightest 500mm, though my other long lenses are too heavy for the mechanism to deal with reliably.

Way too much trouble and expense for yours truly. I shoot primes. For me and my style, focus peaking is just fine.

 

[Dikkie14]

It works via block focus, changing the distance between the lens & the sensor, and works well for most shorter focal lengths.

Will still think about it...

Was first thinking about making a digital Lomo LC-A, with AF and some manual settings that I miss on the Lomo... but maybe it all seems a bit too expensive to make lomo-images that are a bit sharper due to the phase detection.
Perhaps I'd better shoot another roll of film in the original camera instead.