Monster Adapter (their English name) / 魔环 (Mó huán, their Chinese name, which means Magic Circle in English) just announced that their LA-KE1 Pentax K to Sony E lens adapter with autofocus, aperture control, and EXIF transmission has entered the final testing stage and should be available by the end of the year. The adapter includes two motors, one for focusing screw-driven lenses, the other one to command the lens’s aperture lever. EXIF transmission is supported, as well as Eye AF and Animal Eye AF.
Additional information (Google translated):
On October 28, 2020, Monster Adapter (Magic Ring) was pleased to release LA-KE1 electronic adapter ring products.
The LA-KE1 mount has a built-in iris and dual focus motors. It is the world’s first K-mount autofocus electronic adapter. You can transfer Pentax brand KAF series mount lenses to Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras, and support most functions of KAF series mount lenses including EXIF transfer, autofocus and aperture control.Features of Monster Adapter LA-KE1:
1. The world’s first K-mount autofocus adapter ring. Let K-mount lenses realize auto focus and automatic exposure control on E-mount mirrorless cameras;
2. The full-frame design brings more than 10 modern full-frame digital bodies to the K-mount AF lens;
3. Unleash the true potential of the lens. Through the powerful focusing ability and focusing accuracy of the mirrorless camera, the true sharpness of the lens can be displayed. You will be amazed by the stunning performance of the lens in your hand;
4. The powerful continuous focus function, through AI recognition, allows the K lens to continuously track the target.
5. Close to full-screen focus point coverage.
6. Human eye focus/pet focus.
7. High-speed continuous shooting and focusing. From K-1’s 4.4 frames per second to at least 10 frames per second, you won’t miss the wonderful moments.Main features of LA-KE1:
1. The adapter is compatible with KAF, KAF2, KAF3, KAF4 type lenses*1;
2. It can identify the lens model and transmit EXIF information to the body;
3. The adapter has a built-in aperture motor, which can support exposure aperture control*2;
4. The adapter has a built-in focus motor, which can support the auto focus of the body-driven lens;
5. After the transfer, the lens can achieve hundreds of focus points and eye tracking focus on the Sony body that are not available or limited on K-mount cameras*3
6. Due to the noise and power consumption of the old lens, this adapter is specially designed for photography and photography and is not optimized for video recording.LA-KE1 has now entered the internal testing stage and plans to be available within this year. Please pay attention to the follow-up update of Mohuan’s official website Weibo for information on lens support, time to market and price.
*1: In the early days of the market, the adapter will mainly support early body-driven autofocus and traditional lever aperture lenses (F, FA, DA, DFA series). In the future, support for lenses with built-in motors (SDM, DC) and electromagnetic iris lenses will be gradually added through the adapter firmware update. The specific support time will be notified separately; A and M series lenses before KAF are not supported by this adapter;
*2: If the lens has an aperture ring, the aperture ring needs to be placed in the A position when using it. Otherwise the adapter will enter the MF mode and cannot auto focus;
*3: Depends on the body performance, please refer to the camera manual for details.
Source: Shoten Kobo, Weibo (thanks Mistral75)
