How can I mount this Vivitar (Canon mount) lens to a Sony Alpha 58?

Question

This Vivitar Series 1 lens (no. 22148842) has a mount for an older Canon film camera. I need an adaptor to fit this lens to a Sony Alpha 58 camera.

Does such an adapter exist?

Answer 1

This lens has a Canon FD mount, which has a flange focal distance (FFD) of 42.0mm. Your Sony Alpha 58 has the Sony/Minolta A mount, which has a FFD of 44.5mm. That means that a simple flange mount adapter won't work completely — the lens will be placed too far from the camera's sensor. You will not be able to focus this lens to objects far away.

In order to restore full focus range, the adapter needs an optical element to compensate for the lens being mounted too far away from the sensor. Fotodiox makes such an adapter: Canon FD & FL 35mm SLR lens to Sony Alpha A-Mount SLR Camera Body. There are probably other manufacturers making similar adapters, but Fotodiox currently seems to have the most complete range of adapters for most lens/body mount combinations.

Even though you can mount lenses such as this on your Sony Alpha 58, you might find it's not as satisfying as you hope. See also:

• Which lenses can I use with adapters on my Sony A-mount body and what are the disadvantages of such adapters?

  Frankly, your best bet for cheap vintage glass on an Alpha body is to simply find old Minolta AF mount lenses, which are, in fact, the same mount as Sony A-mount. The dyxum website is your best knowledgebase for this, and for adapting lenses to the Sony A-mount.

• Thoroughly read and understand the answers to: Can I use lens brand X on interchangeable lens camera brand Y?