At IBC 2025 in Amsterdam, CineD visited Jianbo Zhang at the Viltrox booth and saw one of the most surprising prototypes on the floor. Viltrox revealed the Viltrox NexusFocus PL-E adapter, a device that gives traditionally manual PL cinema lenses full autofocus capability on Sony E-mount cameras. The concept was bold enough to earn a CineD Best of Show award. Our Best-of-Show Awards are reserved for products that genuinely push the craft forward. While IBC is always packed with eye-catching technology, only a handful of tools rise above the noise. This year, Viltrox’s autofocus adapter was one of them. (Our Best-of-Show article featuring all the winners will follow shortly!) And just two weeks ago, Viltrox also announced they were joining the L-Mount Alliance, which you can read more about here. Viltrox NexusFocus PL-E adapter on Sony Camera Body. Image credit: CineD Viltrox NexusFocus PL-E adapter gives autofocus to manual lenses The Viltrox NexusFocus PL-E adapter to Sony E-mount bodies such as the FX3 and FX6 and allows PL-mount lenses – anamorphic, vintage, or modern cinema primes – to act like native autofocus glass. Eye AF, face recognition, subject tracking, and even tap-to-focus on the screen all work. And it is not limited to focus alone. The prototype also controls iris and, potentially, zoom once additional motors are finalized. According to Viltrox, a single small battery can keep the system running for days. For anyone used to rigging LiDAR units or wireless follow-focus systems, the idea of simply tapping into the...
Published By: CineD - Wednesday, 17 September