Metabones Speed Booster - Will you change your lens buying habit?

Metabones Speed Booster - Will you change your lens buying habit?

  • All full frame

    Votes: 1 4.2%

  • Mostly full frame

    Votes: 7 29.2%

  • A mix of full frame and m4/3

    Votes: 13 54.2%

  • Mostly m4/3

    Votes: 1 4.2%

  • All full frame

    Votes: 2 8.3%
  • Total voters
    24
keylight

keylight

Veteran
Assuming the m4/3 version of the Metabones Speed Booster is as good as all the hype, will it change your lens buying habits?

For example, rather than buy a Panny or Olympus prime made for m4/3, would you opt for a full frame Nikon or Canon lens if you can get:
  • the best glass (IMO especially with Nikkors)
  • a boost by about 1 f-stop (an f/1.4 becomes f/1, f/2.8 becomes f/2 and an f/.095 becomes what? An f/.67?!
  • greater flexibility for use with other cameras

I've always been an advocate of buying the best glass you can afford BEFORE buying the best camera. The glass can last a lifetime, the camera will last 2-3 years.

So, will devices like the Speed Booster change how and what you buy?
 
Although a wide variety of lenses can be adapted for use with Lumix cameras , most still photography lenses have subtle drawbacks that make them less suitable for video shooting, regardless of the quality of the images they can capture. In order to shoot consistent, production-quality footage, it's often desirable to mount the camera and lens on a rig that provides traditional movie camera features:

* Stabilization and control of camera movement
* Matte box shading of camera lens
* Direct, tactile control of lens aperture
* Follow focus control of lens focus

For use on a rig of this type, I've compiled a list of features that make a lens video-friendly:

* Manual aperture ring (rather than electronic)
* Direct-coupled focus ring (rather than electronic)
* Proper focus ring rotation (Lumix/Canon vs Nikon)
* Non-rotating outer barrel (internal focus)
* Non-extending outer barrel (internal zoom/focus)
* Constant field of view (minimal focus breathing)
* Constant f-stop aperture
* Rotational zoom ring

Here's a list of video-friendly manual-focus lenses that I've found well-suited for use with Lumix cameras:

Samyang/Rokinon 35mm f1.4 Aspherical

http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/657-samyang35f14eosff
http://www.lenstip.com/index.php?test=obiektywu&test_ob=297

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
* Proper focus ring rotation: Yes
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: No


Samyang/Rokinon 85mm f1.4 Aspherical

http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/483-samyang_85_14_5d
http://www.lenstip.com/index.html?test=obiektywu&test_ob=166

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
* Proper focus ring rotation: Yes
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: Yes


Tokina AT-X 235 Pro 20-35mm f2.8

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tokina/20-35mm-f28.htm
http://www.photographyreview.com/ca...5-af-pro-20-35mm-f-2-8/prd_84293_3128crx.aspx

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
* Proper focus ring rotation: Yes
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: Yes
* Constant f-stop aperture: Yes
* Rotational zoom ring: Yes


Tokina AT-X 270 Pro 28-70mm f2.8

http://nikonglass.blogspot.com/2009/11/tokina-at-x-pro-28-70mm-f26-28.html
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/276-tokina-af-28-70mm-f28-26-at-x-pro-ii-lab-test-report--review

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
* Proper focus ring rotation: Yes
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: No
* Constant f-stop aperture: Yes
* Rotational zoom ring: Yes


Tokina ATX-Pro 28-80mm f2.8

http://lensbuyersguide.com/en/lens/show/Tokina/AF28-80mm_f2.8_AT-X_PRO

Manual aperture ring: Yes
Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
Proper focus ring rotation: Yes
Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
Constant field of view: 80 Yes, (Closer to 28 breathing is noticeable)
Constant f-stop aperture: Yes
Rotational zoom ring: Yes


Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 HSM (non-DG)

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=102
http://www.photographyreview.com/ca...200mm-f-2-8-apo-ex-hsm/prd_83598_3128crx.aspx

* Manual aperture ring: Yes (non-DG only)
* Direct-coupled focus ring: No
* Proper focus ring rotation: Lumix direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: Mostly
* Constant f-stop aperture: Yes
* Rotational zoom ring: Yes


Sigma 100-300mm f4 HSM

http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests/369-sigma-af-100-300mm-f4-nikon
http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/336

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: No
* Proper focus ring rotation: Lumix direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: ??
* Constant f-stop aperture: Yes
* Rotational zoom ring: Yes


Sigma 20mm f1.8

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/297-sigma-af-20mm-f18-ex-test-report--review
http://erphotoreview.com/wordpress/?p=1045

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
* Proper focus ring rotation: Lumix direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: Yes


Sigma 24mm f1.8

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/206
http://erphotoreview.com/wordpress/?p=944

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
* Proper focus ring rotation: Lumix direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Extends by 5mm
* Constant field of view: No


Sigma 28mm f1.8

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/214
http://www.lenstip.com/index.php?test=obiektywu&test_ob=234

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
* Proper focus ring rotation: Lumix direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Extends by 5mm
* Constant field of view: No


Sigma 30mm f1.4 HSM

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/298-sigma-af-30mm-f14-ex-hsm-dc-test-report--review
http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/176

* Manual aperture ring: No - aperture set in camera on 4/3rds version only
* Direct-coupled focus ring: No
* Proper focus ring rotation: Lumix direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: Yes


Sigma 50mm f1.4 HSM

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/sigma_50_1p4_c16/
http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1202/cat/30

* Manual aperture ring: No - aperture set in camera on 4/3rds version only
* Direct-coupled focus ring: No
* Proper focus ring rotation: Lumix direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: ??


Nikkor AF-S 17-35mm f2.8 D

http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikk...s-17-35mm-f28-d-if-ed-review--lab-test-report

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: No
* Proper focus ring rotation: Nikon direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: Yes
* Constant f-stop aperture: Yes
* Rotational zoom ring: Yes

Nikkor AF-S 28-70mm f2.8 D

http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikk...-af-s-28-70mm-f28-d-if-ed-review--test-report

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: No
* Proper focus ring rotation: Nikon direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: No
* Constant field of view: ??
* Constant f-stop aperture: Yes
* Rotational zoom ring: Yes

Nikkor AF 80-200mm f/2.8 D

http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikk...ikkor-af-80-200mm-f28d-ed-review--test-report

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
* Proper focus ring rotation: Nikon direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: No
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: ??
* Constant f-stop aperture: Yes
* Rotational zoom ring: Yes

Here is a list of video-friendly Nikkor AF-D primes from 85mm up to 300mm. In addition to possessing excellent optics, these lenses all employ internal focus designs with outer lens barrels that neither extend nor rotate. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Nikon AF-D lenses wider than 85mm - their lens barrels all extend when focusing on close objects. The lenses below all share similar video properties:

Nikkor AF 85mm f/1.8 D
Nikkor AF 85mm f/1.4 D
Nikkor AF 105mm f/2 D Defocus Control
Nikkor AF 135mm f/2 D Defocus Control
Nikkor AF 180mm f/2.8 IF-ED
Micro-Nikkor AF 200mm f/4 D ED
Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4 D IF-ED

Lens reviews here:
http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests

* Manual aperture ring: Yes
* Direct-coupled focus ring: Yes
* Proper focus ring rotation: Nikon direction only
* Non-rotating outer barrel: Yes
* Non-extending outer barrel: Yes
* Constant field of view: yes
 
keylight said:
I've always been an advocate of buying the best glass you can afford BEFORE buying the best camera. The glass can last a lifetime, the camera will last 2-3 years.

So, will devices like the Speed Booster change how and what you buy?
Click to expand...

As has been said: Cameras are becoming "throw-away-sensors" (if one has the budget) - lenses stay. Investing in glass is the way to go and with the Metabones adaptor - if it does what they say - I still will be buying both native MFT glass and adding certain FF lenses. Old and maybe new. Seems to enhance the possibilities tremendously.

For me it depends if they will have enough adaptors for other mounts than Canon. Sad thing for me is that it seems technically impossible to have a Leica-M/MFT one. Am waiting for Nikon-F/MFT.

Hope that Barry's idea of having an adaptor-kit with the MFT mount plus optical section on one side and exchangeable connectors to different mounts would be technically achievable. Don't know if such a set-up would be secure and stable enough though.
 
Budget and performance willing, I may add a couple of DX lenses, specifically the Tok 11-16 and Tam 17-50 nvc. Can't get that inexpensive 8-12/2 and 12-35/2 out of mind.

Other than that, with Leica R primes and Nikon zooms, and a strategic smattering of Pana m43 auto glass, I'm set for a good while. 2013 may be a lensless year.
 
Lpowell said:
I've compiled a list of features that make a lens video-friendly:

* Manual aperture ring (rather than electronic)
* Direct-coupled focus ring (rather than electronic)
* Proper focus ring rotation (Lumix/Canon vs Nikon)
* Non-rotating outer barrel (internal focus)
* Non-extending outer barrel (internal zoom/focus)
* Constant field of view (minimal focus breathing)
* Constant f-stop aperture
* Rotational zoom ring
Click to expand...

Excellent list Lee.

Now if only we could get some affordable T2.8 (or better) zooms that have all that plus OIS with a native m4/3 mount.

Are you listening Panasonic. THIS is what's needed and wanted. THIS is the right way to make lenses for the GH series.
 
Last edited:
A mix. I have a lot of m4/3 lenses, and I love the fast Olympus primes in particular. But this opens up shooting with some really nice newer canon lenses, which I'm looking forward to.
 
Lpowell said:
For use on a rig of this type, I've compiled a list of features that make a lens video-friendly:

* Manual aperture ring (rather than electronic)
* Direct-coupled focus ring (rather than electronic)
* Proper focus ring rotation (Lumix/Canon vs Nikon)
* Non-rotating outer barrel (internal focus)
* Non-extending outer barrel (internal zoom/focus)
* Constant field of view (minimal focus breathing)
* Constant f-stop aperture
* Rotational zoom ring
Click to expand...

Good list, however I'd add long focus throw for precision focus pulling.
 
William_Robinette said:
No, when fitted with a follow focus Nikon lenses wil focus the "wrong" way compared to Canon and other lenses (including cinema lenses).
Click to expand...

I've always thought of Nikon's focus ring as being the right way! :beer:

A FF with reversible gear would solve the focus ring rotation direction for Nikon, but nothing will solve the focus by wire issue of Lumix lenses... :(
 
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