Metabones Speed Booster - Faster, Sharper, Wider lenses on APS-C and below...

morgan_moore said:
I did a little blog where I worked out some numbers..

http://www.sammorganmoore.com/backlot/superbright-and-the-golden-three
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You state on your blog
"Let us not forget that smaller chips cameras (S35/APSc) have deeper focus (for equivalent fstop viewing distance and angle of view) So, to get that ‘fullframe’ look you will need to shoot a stop wider."

Not sure I understand this. I think some strong points are: better IQ, faster lens, same FOV as FF, plus even better IQ and ability to us less than FF on MFT--and here MFT includes GH2/GH3. Or maybe I'm missing something.
 
I hope someone has an idea of adding an attachable speed booster onto the bmcc ef moubt. Its mount has eniugh space for it and is cone shaped for easy placement. Hope someine can syudy this!

Or maybe not possible since the speed booster requires smaller fflange. Doh!
 
Interesting.

Generally you need a wider fstop to match dof with a smaller chip,

my point being that say shooting at 2.8 on S35 looks like shooting F4 on Fullframe, so taking your f4lens and using it converted on a smaller chip camera only gets you back to where you were if you had used that lens on a FF camera - it doesnt get you somewhere 'new' it just makes the lens appropriate to the chip size .. which is great


S
 
Regarding DoF:

vs NEX (1.5x crop factor):
50mm f/2.8 on full frame turns, with the metabones adapter, into 35mm f/2.0 on NEX. This gives you the FoV and DoF of a 54mm f/3.0 on full frame. So, basically the same.

vs m43 (2x crop factor):
50mm f/2.8 on full frame turns, with the metabones adapter, into 35mm f/2.0 on M43. This gives you the FoV and DoF of a 70mm f/4.0 on full frame. With a dumb adapter instead of the metabones one, you'd have the equivalent of a 100mm f/5.6.
To match that 50mm f/2.8 on full frame with your m43 camera and metabones adapter, you'd need a 35mm f/2.0. Without the metabones adapter, you'd need a 25mm f/1.4.

So, the metabones adapter takes 1 stop (1.4x crop) ouf of the small sensor disadvantage. You end up with shallower DoF than a smaller sensor would have, but, if crop factor is more than 1.4x, still not as good as using a big sensor in the first place. It turns the fullframe vs m43 advantage from 2 stops to just 1 stop. And it turns NEX (1.5x) into something that's basically equivalent to full frame (but with better low light capabilities: if you can choose between 50mm f/2.8 on full frame and 35mm f/2.0 on NEX, you'll have the same FoV and DoF on both systems, but you have one stop more light on the NEX, so you can use a 1-stop-lower ISO).

Still unknown: effect on sharpness, bokeh, color, contrast...
I have a NEX camera and a very nice set of vintage Leica-R primes, anyone care to send me a metabones adapter for a test? :D
Edit: they even have a Leica-R to NEX dumb adapter (http://www.metabones.com/product/sony-nex/leica-r-lens-to-sony-nex-adapter-detail ); this is suddenly in my want list, even if I'm still somewhat skeptic about its IQ performance.
For those complaining about price, consider that, as long as it is somewhat decent, it's probably going to be the cheapest way for me to get a 24mm f/2.0 (out of my 35mm f/2.8). Also: what's cheaper, a D800, a 5D3, or a NEX-5N plus Metabones adapter?
 
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for BMCC users I am almost certain someone could develop a little lens insert which drops into the protruding EF mount. If I had a bmcc with that stupid ef mount I would certainly be looking at buying one of these speed boosters with the intention of refitting the speed booster lens arrangement into a smaller body which you insert into the ef mount
 
dcloud said:
I hope someone has an idea of adding an attachable speed booster onto the bmcc ef moubt. Its mount has eniugh space for it and is cone shaped for easy placement. Hope someine can syudy this!
Click to expand...

No, the speed booster is taking EF lenses, how could it fit between this and an EF mount, short of making it a macro-only lens? It's leveraging the much shorter flange distance of E and MFT mounts, it couldn't be possibly adapted on a DSLR mount...
 
...if blackmagic is on top of the game, they're already working on pairing this with active m/3 mount....which will effectively obsolete their ef mount camera . I'd also love to see a dumb fd to m4/3 version...but that might just be a personal fantasy. Has metabones commented on how long before we see the m4/3 version ? As I stated before, because we're still waiting on their ef to m4/3 v2 , I'm withholding becoming ecstatic ...or deciding on my nex next purchase...one or the other.
 
Now all we need are cell phones with interchangeable lens mounts, so they can make a 8x optical reducer and turn our cell phone cameras into full frame 35mm cameras that take full frame lenses :)

Unfortunately there may be an optical limitation to the amount you can reduce most lens's focal lengths...
 
richg101 said:
for BMCC users I am almost certain someone could develop a little lens insert which drops into the protruding EF mount. If I had a bmcc with that stupid ef mount I would certainly be looking at buying one of these speed boosters with the intention of refitting the speed booster lens arrangement into a smaller body which you insert into the ef mount
Click to expand...

...Or just wait for their S35 sensor camera, which is sure to be announced before the end of the year.

One thing's for sure - it just made all of my other Canon to NEX adapters feel a whole lot less loved.
 
morgan_moore said:
Interesting.

Generally you need a wider fstop to match dof with a smaller chip,

my point being that say shooting at 2.8 on S35 looks like shooting F4 on Fullframe, so taking your f4lens and using it converted on a smaller chip camera only gets you back to where you were if you had used that lens on a FF camera - it doesnt get you somewhere 'new' it just makes the lens appropriate to the chip size .. which is great


S
Click to expand...
You can compare images here: 1600 ISO vs 3200 ISO
http://www.eoshd.com/content/9474/p...ster-equipped-nex-7-vs-full-frame-5d-mark-iii

I'm not big on the math, but these photos are truly impressive.
 
nyvz said:
Now all we need are cell phones with interchangeable lens mounts, so they can make a 8x optical reducer and turn our cell phone cameras into full frame 35mm cameras that take full frame lenses :)

Unfortunately there may be an optical limitation to the amount you can reduce most lens's focal lengths...
Click to expand...

I hope not as I was just thinking about what we could do with medium format glass on m43.
 
nyvz said:
Now all we need are cell phones with interchangeable lens mounts, so they can make a 8x optical reducer and turn our cell phone cameras into full frame 35mm cameras that take full frame lenses :)

Unfortunately there may be an optical limitation to the amount you can reduce most lens's focal lengths...
Click to expand...
Doesn't seem to preserve the spatial perspective of 35mm format, just the field of view of the lens design.
 
Samuel H said:
VERY IMPRESSIVE TESTS HERE:
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/01/metabones-magic
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This is the best and most objective review.

Absolutely confirms some thoughts for me, and will be the one I point people to who are really interested in the details.

It looks like, unless you like the look of coma all in your frame, right now you have the ability to turn all of your soft wide open 1.4's into sharp "wide open" 2.0's (or somewhere in that neighborhood).

Not too shabby.

Really looking forward to seeing the MFT results.
 
Kholi said:
This is the best and most objective review.

Absolutely confirms some thoughts for me, and will be the one I point people to who are really interested in the details.

It looks like, unless you like the look of coma all in your frame, right now you have the ability to turn all of your soft wide open 1.4's into sharp "wide open" 2.0's (or somewhere in that neighborhood).

Not too shabby.

Really looking forward to seeing the MFT results.
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I was pretty skeptical before I read that. I still find the Alpa mount version pretty amusing.
 
Yup--a 22 percent jump in mtf in the center, which goes up even more when you stop the lens down a bit. Looks tasty. Anyone who own one of these things, please start keeping track of the best combos, so we can see if there is a pattern, obviously the very expensive Canon 50/F1.2 is super, and maybe the Sammy 24mm.
Also if you have a medium format lens, try it out with an adapter just for kicks.
 
I'm nearly decided: I'll get the Leica-R to NEX one. It's a relatively cheap way to get myself a very nice 25mm f/2.0 (out of my Elmarit-R 35mm f/2.8) and an even nicer 35mm f/1.0 (out of my Summilux-R 50mm f/1.4).

Now instead of changing lenses, I'll usually change adapters: 50mm+speedbooster for normal shots, 50mm+regularadapter for portraits.
 
Here's a question... This is designed for FF35 lenses, but can it in theory, without mechanical complications, accept an EF-S lens? I'm wondering if it will be possible to mount a EF-S lens, like the canon 17-55 f2.8, to the MFT when it comes out, or if there's an issue with the neck of the EF-S lens that hits something or the optics simply don't work with them.
 
Ryan-Guy said:
Here's a question... This is designed for FF35 lenses, but can it in theory, without mechanical complications, accept an EF-S lens? I'm wondering if it will be possible to mount a EF-S lens, like the canon 17-55 f2.8, to the MFT when it comes out, or if there's an issue with the neck of the EF-S lens that hits something or the optics simply don't work with them.
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I hadn't realized that: you're probably right!

The image circle of an EF-S crop lens will go from 1.6x to 2.25x, which is exactly what you need for the BMC m43. I don't see any reason for this not to work, except electronics: the m43 mount in the BMC is a dumb one, so Metabones will have to come out with an adaper that has the SpeedBooster optics and the electronics of the SmartAdapter (the adapter would need to have a power plug, and some buttons to control aperture).

With that, you could think of the BMC as an APS-C camera with a Canon mount: Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS (or Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non-VC), Samyang 85mm f/1.4, and you've got all your bases covered with great quality glass for a relatively modest price.
 
Samuel H said:
I hadn't realized that: you're probably right!

The image circle of an EF-S crop lens will go from 1.6x to 2.25x, which is exactly what you need for the BMC m43. I don't see any reason for this not to work, except electronics: the m43 mount in the BMC is a dumb one, so Metabones will have to come out with an adaper that has the SpeedBooster optics and the electronics of the SmartAdapter (the adapter would need to have a power plug, and some buttons to control aperture).

With that, you could think of the BMC as an APS-C camera with a Canon mount: Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, Canon 17-55 f/2.8 IS (or Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 non-VC), Samyang 85mm f/1.4, and you've got all your bases covered with great quality glass for a relatively modest price.
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A ISO 1600 native APS-C (S35) BMC camera ;)

If you used a Nikon adaptor like the novaflex, if I'm not mistaken, you could use G-type DX lenses, allowing apature control, including the nikon mount Tokina 11-16 :O
 
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