My A580 is starting to let me down

My A580 is starting to give me troubles.
At times it will not take an image, trouble focusing, etc.
If I buy a Sony a7 III Mirrorless Camera , how do the A mount lenses work with the adaptor?
I have a ton of $$ invested in "A" mount lenes and would hate to have to replace them.
Not in a hurry to replace, my trusty A350 is performing as if it was new.
Thanks for responses in advance.

Although I use A mount and E mount cameras ( amongst others !) If your mostly interested in sticking with your A mount lenses , then I'd stick with A mount .

I also have the a580 , though I were never really impressed by it's AF , though it was an improvement from my a100 .

The main gear I use now is the a99ii and a77ii in A mount , with most of the Minolta lenses from the 16mm fisheye to the 400mm f/4.5 G and 500mm reflex in primes and the Sigma 12-24 to Sony 70-400mm G in zooms plus a few APS-C lenses .
So I'm pretty much sorted .

Before getting the a99ii , the a900 was my main full frame camera . I had been considering an a7iii as an upgrade for live view as the a99ii weren't coming up for sale .
I'd finally decided to get one just as the LA-EA5 was announced and wouldn't AF my screw driven lenses on it , so cancelled .
The LA-EA4 that I had wasn't impressive compared to what I had in A mount bodies .

That's when I picked up a used a7Riv and LA-EA5 , plus a couple of native , full frame E mount lenses .
Which was a good set-up .
The used a7Riv was much more than a new a7iii , so a better option to me .

It was not long after a used a99ii came up followed by the a6600 .
Chuck into the mix a full spectrum NEX 6 , and I'm fixed up with anything I could need for a good few years .

Well , there's always another lens though !

So if your happy with your A mount gear , consider sticking with it , just upgrade the a580 .

There are tons of a-mount cameras out there, in great shape, with all the features you want, for very little money. Just choose the one with the features you need. Don't get stuck in the e-mount adapter trap. This FORUM has a list of all the a-mount cameras and their features.

Edited by XKAES - 28 December 2023 at 15:25

Any camera will fail at some point... (I wonder why you think an A77m2 will fail quicker then your NEX6).

I would take the Sony A6100 over the A6500. Yes, the IBIS is nice, but the AF of the A6100 is so much better. If you can stretch it, the A6600 is better value for most of us then the A6500 (more money, but much better AF and bigger battery).

I always felt the A7 II was the camera to avoid. Lesser sensor, so-so AF. The A7R II has a much better sensor and decent AF. Foto Hans Keuzekamp in Zwolle has a used one for €999,- and a year warranty.

Addendum: the A6600 supports the LA-EA5 - all the modern mirrorless focus functionality with A-mount lenses

Edited by addy landzaat - 06 January 2024 at 16:01

Add to your plan, that "things" -- AKA, your options, since you don't want to be "stuck" with the a-mount -- will probably look very different in just a couple of years.

Maybe sooner!

QuietOC wrote: Then Sony removed the contrast-detect ability. Now Sony has removed AF support for the LA-EA2 and LA-EA4 adapters--the A7RIV(A) was the last camera that supported AF with them. .

Thanks for this, I was not aware of that. I have to say the newer models are out of reach for me at the moment. But good to know.

I found out something annoying with the LA-EA4. I have this new Peak Design camera clip, for use on the strap of my camera bag. With the LA-EA4 adapter this clip cannot be used as it should. The camera can only slide in the holder backwards and then the Nex-6 is out of balance.

Raabje wrote: Well, if I buy a A77mk2 for approx 400 at a camera shop and it breaks down after warranty, I loose that amount. I own the Nex-6 already, if that one breaks down, I don't loose newly spend money (I paid 175 in 2020). I think I feel more secure with newer equipment. Also I don't want to be stuck with A mount gear for ever. I did Google "A77mk2 problems", and then there comes a lot. I do know that the problems get enlarged on the internet, but it is a warning sign for me. Thanks for the advice on A6500 and A7II. I will make a new plan.

I have E mount bodies (A6000, A7Riv) and a large collection of A-mount lenses. I was tempted by a cheap price (£250) on an A77ii recently - with a two year warranty. It's not going to get a huge amount of use, but I've been enjoying using it in the past few days. I'm not convinced that the model is less reliable because it's an old model - the problems come from wear and tear - get a body with a low shutter count and it should last well enough. Mine has a bit under 17,000 shutter activations - I reckon it will see me out.

It is also worth remembering that the cheaper E-mount models are older than the A77ii (2016) - an A7Rii (2015) or A7ii (2014) may well be more attractive looking forward, but the one you buy may well be older than they A77ii you could buy and they will not have the AF capabilities with A-mount lenses that the A77ii has - the LA-EA4 adapter (2013) is also older.

The younger you are the more the move to E-mount makes sense, using LA-EA4 technology to allow use of your A-mount glass while you save up for some E-mount raplacements is not a bad idea at all, but, if you have a lot of lenses to upgrade, it will cost a bundle.