Head-to-head · Leica M → Sony E
Techart LM-EA9 vs Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus — motorised AF or manual helicoid
Both adapt Leica M-mount lenses onto Sony E bodies and both add some form of close-focus extension. The Techart adds autofocus via a motorised tube; the Voigtländer is a manual helicoid for closer minimum focus distance. Different tools for different shooters.
Side-by-side specifications
| Spec | Techart LM-EA9 Techart · 2022 | Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus Voigtländer · 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| Lens side | Leica M | Leica M |
| Body side | Sony E | Sony E |
| Release year | 2022 | 2015 |
| Body-side contacts | Body-side present, unused | Body-side present, unused |
| Firmware-updatable | No | No |
| Weather-sealed | No | No |
| Has glass (focal reducer) | No | No |
Differences that matter
Autofocus vs manual is the headline split. The Techart LM-EA9 has a 4.5 mm motorised tube that physically extends and retracts the rear flange under the body's AF system — turning every M-mount lens into an AF lens (Eye-AF works on a7 IV / a7R V / a1 / FX-line). The Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus has no electronics, no motor — it's a hand-operated helicoid ring.
Close-focus reach: both extend the flange ~4 mm. Voigtländer's helicoid is continuously variable; you turn the ring by hand to pick a flange offset. Techart's motorised tube travels under AF control, so close-focus is automatic but capped by the motor's ~750 g / 135 mm focal-length ceiling — heavier or longer lenses won't focus.
AF speed (Techart only): leisurely by design — the motor moves the entire lens bodily, which is inherently slower than a native AF lens's internal focus group. Fine for street, portrait, product, and landscape; not for sports or fast-moving subjects.
Lens weight ceiling (Techart only): the LM-EA9 specifies a 750 g / 135 mm focal-length ceiling. M lenses above this (Noctilux-M 50 f/0.95 ASPH at 700 g is right at the limit; longer Apo-Telyt 135 is over it) won't AF reliably. The Voigtländer has no weight ceiling because nothing is being motorised.
Build: both are metal, both fit the M-system aesthetic. Voigtländer (made by Cosina) is famously well-machined; Techart's motorised tube is solid but the AF mechanism adds a moving part that doesn't exist on the helicoid.
Price: Techart LM-EA9 lists at roughly 3× the Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus. The premium is the motor + AF integration.
When to pick which
Pick the
Techart LM-EA9 when
- You want autofocus on M-mount glass — Leica, Voigtländer, Zeiss ZM, 7Artisans, TT Artisan. The LM-EA9 makes every M lens an AF lens on Sony E.
- Your shooting includes head-and-shoulders portrait work where Sony's Eye-AF + a Summicron 50 f/2 or Summilux 35 f/1.4 ASPH combination is the point of the exercise.
- Your M lenses are all under the 750 g / 135 mm ceiling (most are — only Noctilux-M f/0.95 hits the weight cap).
Pick the
Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus when
- You're a committed M-system shooter who actually prefers manual focus — the helicoid is a manual-focus aid, not a workaround.
- Your lens use is wide-aperture wide-angle (Voigtländer Heliar 21 f/3.5, Nokton 35 f/1.4, Summicron 35 ASPH) where focus precision matters more than AF speed.
- You want closer focus past the lens's native minimum (a Summicron 50's native 0.7 m drops to ~0.3 m at full helicoid extension) and don't need AF.
- Budget — the Voigtländer is roughly one-third the Techart's price.
Common questions
- Can the Techart LM-EA9 autofocus a Noctilux-M 50 f/0.95?
- Right at the limit — the Noctilux-M ASPH is 700 g, against the LM-EA9's 750 g ceiling. It will mount and AF will engage, but the motor is working at its specified weight cap. AF is reliable but unhurried; for sustained continuous-AF use a lighter Summilux 50 f/1.4 ASPH (335 g) is in a happier zone.
- Will the Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus turn an M lens into a macro lens?
- Not quite — the helicoid's 4 mm extension typically gets a 50 mm Summicron from its 0.7 m native minimum down to roughly 0.3 m at full extension. That's close-up territory, not 1:1 macro. For true macro on a M lens you'd add an M-mount macro extension tube on top.
- Does the LM-EA9 work with non-Leica M-mount lenses?
- Yes — Voigtländer VM, Zeiss ZM, 7Artisans, TT Artisan, every M-mount lens that mechanically couples. The adapter doesn't need lens electronics or any special M-mount profile; it shifts the lens bodily to drive AF.
- Can I use both — Voigtländer helicoid plus Techart LM-EA9?
- Not stacked — both replace the flange, so you'd have two adapters trying to occupy the same spot. The Voigtländer is for manual-focus close-focus extension; the Techart is for AF. Pick one based on the use case.
Open the individual adapter pages
- Techart LM-EA9 — full spec, firmware history, per-lens compat notes
- Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus — full spec, firmware history, per-lens compat notes
- Leica M to Sony E adapter page — every adapter for this mount pair, verdict, format notes
Keep exploring
Back to every head-to-head comparison, or browse the full adapter SKU index. If you're shopping by body + lens, the adapter picker recommends adapters by camera body and lens mount.