One of the biggest (and most overlooked) advantages of mirrorless cameras is that they can be adapted to work with almost any lens there is. The short distance between the throat of the lens-mount and the sensor means that there is a lot of space for an adapter. Rayqual, a Japanese manufacturer, has just announced a range of these adapters for the new Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras.
Lens adapters for 35mm SLRs don't really work well as the extra thickness pushes the lens forward and prevents it from focusing at infinity (you can still shoot close up, though. In fact, macro-extension tubes exploit this focus shift to do their job). But there is a good inch of room to play with on mirrorless cameras, so the adapters work well. I use one on a Panasonic GF1 to attach Nikon lenses. You lose auto-focus, but otherwise it works great.
Rayqual's new adapters let you mount Nikon, Canon FD, Pentax and Leica lenses onto the Sonys. If you are using modern lenses designed for crop-sensors, you will have minimal changes to the focal length, as the NEX cameras also have APS-C sized sensors.
Shipping next month, the adapters will run from ¥19,950 to ¥25,200, or $220 to $275.
NEX adapters [Rayqual via DP Review]
See Also:
