APS-C and Super 35mm just went full frame - Metabones Speed Booster

[Andrew Reid]

http://vimeo.com/57292607

The Speed Booster will be available from Metabones later at a date TBC

Are you sitting down? Sensor size is history.

An optical reducer is something I have long thought was possible on a DSLR and wondered why nobody had made one. If your sensor is smaller than full frame, shrink the image that the lens throws to fit over it. That is the principal behind the Metabones Speed Booster which essentially gives you the full frame look and a brighter image all at once on your Sony E-mount camera.

Crop factors are a thing of the past. This is revolutionary...
 

[lafilm]

If this does not compromise the image quality in any way then yes, it is revolutionary. Thanks for the post.

[Andrew Reid]

It actually improves the image. MTF chart improve. Metabones claims:

 

"All other aberrations, including field curvature, coma, astigmatism, distortion, and chromatic aberration are also well-corrected.”

[JayVex]

This is indeed very exciting. Just think of how much extra mileage you could get out of the GH2 if they were to make a MFT version! 

[lafilm]

Andrew,

 

This sounds almost too good to be true..Amazing! This changes everything.

[Andrew Reid]

It certainly makes me approach the issue of sensor size differently.

 

I mean...

 

Imagine if Canon gave us the following camera for $4k....

 

- Full frame

- ProRes

- EOS mount

- Modular form factor

- 1080/60p

 

Well that is now what the FS100 is with the Speed Booster and Blackmagic HyperDeck Shuttle

[KahL]

According to Bloom's site, Metabones is already making an M43 version.

This EFFECTIVELY makes any excuse not to use the BMCC completely moot. As if that damn camera wasn't resolving enough lines as it is :)

[/p/]

>My face when

[nahua]

M43 mount and I'm sold!  And now I can get F2.8 lenses rather than more expensive F1.2 or F1.4 lenses.  Very nice!!!

[tomekk]

wow, time to buy gh3 ;)

[/p/]

>$599

 

It's not THAT revolutionary,

[Rungunshoot]

Please update us on the absolute latest with this technology. This a total game changer and is exactly the kind of development I've been waiting years to see.

[OzNimbus]

Does this mean I can use wider taking lenses for anamorphic? ... or the opposite?

[miseducation]

This changes the game in so many ways, most practically in the versatility it allows on set.

 

And think about how interesting certain lenses become: my 50 1.2 is a 80 1.2 AND a 50 0.90. That's goddamn incredible.

[Orangenz]

Depth of field becomes shallower – the same as it would be on full frame

 

Not sure how that would work. A reducer located after the lens would just reduce and reproduce at a smaller size whatever image the lens gave you, including any depth of field effect. Not that I know anything special about it.

[Bruno]

Compressing the light makes it brighter, it makes sense.

Some of the earlier small sensor digital cinema cameras (pre RED), not sure which now, used similar technology to achieve a DOF more similar to super35, it's great to see this technology finally at our disposal.

[Sean Cunningham]

>$599

 

It's not THAT revolutionary,

 

 

Seriously?  If it's as good as the initial press that's insanely cheap.  It couldn't come at a better moment either, since Canon went born again d-bag for the New Year.   

 

Thing is now us anamorphic guys have to start looking for old, giant Ultra Panavision 70 and Technirama lenses if we want to combine passions, lol.

[Xiong]

HOLY SHIT! What a great way to start the New Year! If its true, I am very excited! Like goosebumps, this mean I wont have to get an extremely expensive lens to get a closer shot If I need it, this is the perfect combo with "soon to me in my hands" GH3. Another stop of light, improved crop factor, this is a really big deal.

 

Yeah Andrew, it has become a an overused word, but this does qualify the use of it:

 

Game changer.

[c.psarros]

Isn't that pretty much a telecompressor-like adapter?It's been discussed like million times amongst both photography and cinematography enthusiasts in the past.

 

If I remember correctly, the main reason we never saw a commercial 'speed booster' type of device in the past (although many succeeded in the past with DIY approaches) was because Kodak had a patent for it and therefore nobody else could make and sell one.

 

Kodak now went bankrupt. Bulk of their patent portfolio has been recently acquired (last Friday actually) by a consortium led by Apple, Google and Microsoft. Maybe Kodak's demise and commercial availability of such devices are not coincidental? just a guess :)

 

Regardless, I really can't wait for a µ43 version :)

[Chris Mann]

Before we all get too excited, I think there are technical reasons why optical reducers aren't commonplace.

 

They are used on astronomical telescopes, but that's a different situation from using them on video or stills cameras.

 

If I recall correctly from the dim distant days when I was into amateur astronomy, optical reducers can suffer from vignetting and also limit the range of distances at which the setup can be focussed. With an astronomical telescope that's no problem as you are almost always focusing near infinity - but with a camera for terrestrial use not being able to focus closer than (say) 100 feet would be a big limitation!

 

So I think it remains to be seen what the practical issues are - it may be that these things will only be workable with certain camera/lens combinations.

 

If it was a panacea for getting the FF look on small sensor cameras I'm sure the big manufacturers would have been on to it by now...