Speedbooster, firmware, fs700 problems

K

kevin gallagher

Active member
I just got the Speedbooster EF to Nex and can't seem to get it to work with my FS700 camera. I am on firmware v1.0 in my camera which I believe is the problem but I cannot get the upgrade to work because I'm on a mac and I keep getting a 64bit error even though I restarted in 32bit kernel mode. Any tips or wisdom to get this thing to work would be appreciated. I am using the 24 - 015 f/4 L lens primarily.

thanks
Kevin
 
Hey Kevin,

You might have a bad Speed Booster. I got my FS700 a few weeks after it was release last July 2012 and so I would imagine it would be firmware 1.0 and my Speed Booster works fine. I even did the paid firmware / hardware upgrade and it still works fine. The only lens that seems to give it trouble from time to time is the Canon 100mm L Macro f2.8. Sometime it freezes the camera, but besides that it works well.

Edit: After reading what FreshTea has to say, maybe I didn't have Firmware 1.0, which would be odd since it was from the first batch of FS700s. Sorry to cause any confusion.
 
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Im pretty sure its the camera, v 1.0 is prob the culprit. I tride speedbooster on v1.0 and it didnt work, the store upgraded my camera and then i had no issues. Never tride to upgrade the camera myself so I cant help you there buddy..
 
i have used 24/105 and the 100 2.8 macro with my speed booster and works great .have not upgraded the camera software yet. still waiting for my rebate metabones regular ef/nex adapter from sony .
 
What lens are you using? It might be that some of the original canon lenses might work, but in general I would still do the update, mine went smoother and more reliable after the update (think it was 2. Something) plus it works with other brands beside canons own lenses.
 
i have used the 50 1.4 / 85 1.8 100 2.8 24 105 is 200 2.8 /with and without 2x . also just got my sony g 70 400 lens with the sony nex to a mount adapter . it does auto focus so slow that can,t really use it. have been shooting humming birds and butterflys . have to manual focus / tough to do.
 
So...I got the firmware updated in the camera to version 2.0, I had to track down a crappy PC laptop to make it work. (Thanks Sony)
The firmware version for the Metabones Speedbooster does not register in camera when I go the version display.
The metabones website mentions a green mode and I have tried to do that. Does some green light display? I am getting no such light.
There seems to be no communication between adapter and camera. I am so F-ing frustrated I'm ready to return this P.O.S!
The lenses I am using are the 24-105 f4 L and the 85 1.8 EF.
 
Metabones are really helpful if you email them. Might take a few days since it's weekend to get an answer but it's worth it getting it working. :)
 
Hmm Then im lost..

Im on version 3.00 on the camera (4k upgrade)
and then it says:
LENS/MOUNT ADAPTER:
Ver. 17

But your not getting any picture at all with the speedbooster then?
 
Fresh, I am getting a picture but have no control of any lens I mount on it.
I bought, just for this adapter, a 24-105 f4 L as I think it will be the perfect "do everything" zoom lens and at a T-stop of 2.8 on the SB it's hard to beat.
I can only guess that I got an defective Speedbooster. I am exchanging it. We'll see what happens.
 
kevin gallagher said:
So...I got the firmware updated in the camera to version 2.0, I had to track down a crappy PC laptop to make it work. (Thanks Sony)
The firmware version for the Metabones Speedbooster does not register in camera when I go the version display.
The metabones website mentions a green mode and I have tried to do that. Does some green light display? I am getting no such light.
There seems to be no communication between adapter and camera. I am so F-ing frustrated I'm ready to return this P.O.S!
The lenses I am using are the 24-105 f4 L and the 85 1.8 EF.
Click to expand...

This is the exactly the behavior of a metabones adapter when it cannot communicate with the lens. It does NOT display the firmware
version for the adapter. Other telltale signs are the -- after the Fstop display. It means the adapter is not communicating with the
lens, and it is frustrating. Nothing you can do about it either. I've had two normal Metabones adapters (not the speedbooster) start
doing this to me, after 5 or 6 months of working perfectly.
 
kevin gallagher said:
Alaska,
You nailed it! That is precisely what is happening. I wonder, is this a rampant problem?
Click to expand...

I've tried posting on my blog and posting on forums to get this info out there as I feel it is important. The Metabones adapters, great as they
are when they work, have this strange hinky behavior where they will suddenly and inexplicably just quit working. Lenses that they previously could
control will no longer work.....the adapter permanently looses communication with the lenses. In my limited experience (with two adapters) it
is totally random, but when it strikes, you may as well sell those lenses unless you have a still camera to use them on, cause the Metabones
will not recognize them......and the lenses still work fine on a still camera (and I would bet on a C100 or C300 too). Not sure what is going on,
but there are obvious 'translation' difficulties. Because it is so random when it strikes, some people may not have experienced it yet....and
some adapters probably last longer than others. But in my opinion, it's a tough call to make when you are a working professional....to have
a piece of gear that can do this too you, and when you send it away, you pay $50 for shipping to China, they update the firmware, and it
comes back with the same problem (I've done this twice). I love the Metabones when it works, but this behavior is just something
I cannot put up with.
 
Hi there mate, I'm having exactly the same problem as you. I just bought a new FS700 and Speed Booster to go with it. No electronic communication, no IS, no Iris control. Using the 24-105 IS f/4 and also the 16-35 USM f/2.8.

When I check the version display I get '--', or sometimes '24', depending on what mood it's in. Either way, I never get any actual electronic communication or control.

The really strange thing in my case however, is that while playing with the camera, I accidentally left it switched on whilst I went to run an errand. 45 minutes later I returned to find that the Speed Booster had suddenly started working; I had IS, iris control and everything. I turned the camera off and then on again, and it was gone. Not before or since have I got it back, no matter what I try.

I contacted Metabones, and got a reply from HK in broken English telling me that the firmware was out of date and needed to be upgraded to Ver. 27, and I should transfer $25 to their FedEx account and send it over to HK. This was less than helpful. I contacted the supplier here in England that I got it from, and they were not impressed; this was a brand new shipment of Speed Boosters that they'd just got in. One would have thought they'd have the correct firmware! Anyway, it's been left with them, they have sent off questions to Metabones and I am awaiting their response.

All in all, not very impressed that I paid £500 for an adapter that currently is not doing any of the things I paid the extra coinage for!
 
Here's an update. I sent the offending SB back to Adorama and exchanged it for a new one. They were very cool about taking the badf one back. The new one works like a champ! I will have to check what version firmware is on the SB. One thing I noticed is that the f-stop on the camera is reading down to a 2.8 when in fact it is a f/4 lens. Hmmm. I know it "boosts" the T-stop by one stop but I didn't think that the camera would register that. This device seems pretty glitchy to me and I'm beginning to question it's purchase. I have a 4 day shoot next week that I plan on using this combo on exclusively. If it gives me any crap it's going back. I can't look like a knucklehead with my gear in front of clients.

cheers
Kevin
 
kevin gallagher said:
Here's an update. I sent the offending SB back to Adorama and exchanged it for a new one. They were very cool about taking the badf one back. The new one works like a champ! I will have to check what version firmware is on the SB. One thing I noticed is that the f-stop on the camera is reading down to a 2.8 when in fact it is a f/4 lens. Hmmm. I know it "boosts" the T-stop by one stop but I didn't think that the camera would register that. This device seems pretty glitchy to me and I'm beginning to question it's purchase. I have a 4 day shoot next week that I plan on using this combo on exclusively. If it gives me any crap it's going back. I can't look like a knucklehead with my gear in front of clients.

cheers
Kevin
Click to expand...

I had the Metabones (non-speedbooster) for my FS700 when I first got the camera because I already had a smattering of Canon lenses. After a several weeks of using the adapter, I now use Nikon lenses/adapters. Granted, some of the lenses I used were Sigma Canon-mount lenses (30mm, 17-50mm). But the aperture would random close up even though the screen still read the same fstop. Then sometimes the fstop would read "--" and so on... it's just easier with Nikon lenses now.
 
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