Prototype Metabones Speed Booster equipped NEX 7 *VS* full frame (5D Mark III)

[Andrew Reid]

It is definitely cheap for what it is. Caldwell's other optics are not this cheap to say the least.

 

Yes it is right to say the relevancy of full frame is compromised, in the video world at least. The AF is rather slow on the Metabones adpater but we don't use that in the filmmaking world. What I wanted was the look.

[hoodlum]

They won't make different magnification factors, read the white paper. Everything will be 0,71x. So on the BMCC you'll get a 1,6x crop.

 

+1.  Not sure why this keeps coming up as Metabones has been clear that space limitations only allow 0.71x for all adaptors.  That means a 1.4x crop for m43.  This will limit how useful lenses can be on a m43 mount.

[Andrew Reid]

Micro Four Thirds becoming Super 35mm is nothing to be sniffed at!

 

How many of us were calling for a Blackmagic Cinema Camera 2 with Super 35mm sized chip?

[richg101]

Micro Four Thirds becoming Super 35mm is nothing to be sniffed at!

 

How many of us were calling for a Blackmagic Cinema Camera 2 with Super 35mm sized chip?

if anything i think a hacked gh2 or BMCC with same field of view as s35 and 1 stop of extra iso headroom before noise becomes a problem is more exciting than the benefits of a s35 chip becoming full frame.

 

What with the EF version of the BMCC I think it would be quite easy to remove the optical element (at the point where infinity focus tweeks are done) of a dumb speed booster and fit it into a small cone of machined aluminium which jams into the ef recess on the ef bmcc:) 

[eleison]

I'm just blown away that this technology even exists. This is something that should just be built into all small sensor cameras right? I mean, wouldn't it be great if the Black magic cinema camera just had something like this built into the camera? Just before the lens mount? Why not?

 

 

I think for the mirrorless camera's the manufacturers wanted to keep things small.  They could have the metabones speed booster builtin, but then every lens would be big.  For example I have a gh2.  When I add my canon lenses on it, the combination gets big fast -- its not compact and "consumer friendly";  I think the manufactors miscalculated.  Take for example canon's current mirrorless cameras, a lot of people consider it as a "woman's camera" -- I think even canon thinks its a "woman's" camera; woman do not like to carry big cameras....  if this is so, why bother adding a "speed boster"?

 

Heck, if I am reading things correctly, you could create a "low light monster" camera by adapting medium format (or even large format) lenses to a small sensor.  But then the lenses would be a lot bigger and more expensive.  I bet you there is a market for this... but the manufacturers don't know about it yet.

[Sean Cunningham]

Metabones is not that expensive.  The Speed booster is $400 in adapters without electronics, and $600 with electronics (EF needs electronics to change aperture).

 

Exactly.  People regularly spend $1000 or more on a single lens that they might use half or a third of the time they shoot, if not less.  Forget what anamorphic enthusiasts shell out for their passions.  $400 or $600 or $700 for something like this, even if this is only a hobby?  Comparatively speaking they're giving us all a gift pricing specialized optics like this.  

 

Elsewhere people are defending a major corporation's justifiable douchebaggery in charging $6K for tweaks to a second model in a single product development.  Meh, the internet.

[Sean Cunningham]

if anything i think a hacked gh2 or BMCC with same field of view as s35 and 1 stop of extra iso headroom before noise becomes a problem is more exciting than the benefits of a s35 chip becoming full frame.

 

GH2 will be getting the same field of view as the 1DC shooting in 4K mode.  That's very exciting.

 

Where I'm excited for s35 stuff, like the bigger dog cameras, is it means we'll potentially be seeing a return of an aesthetic that doesn't exist in current motion pictures, in the theater.  Outside the occasional indie shot on a 5D, like Rubber perhaps, the cool, small-format, experimental stuff is going to be limited mostly to online and festival venues.  

 

Applying this technology to the likes of a Genesis or Alexa or RED means we could see a new era of epic aesthetics show up in the next mega-million tent pole picture (that odds are would have been made in pedantic S35 spherical otherwise, unless it was from one of the few filmmakers still out there with enough interest and enough pull to insist on anamorphic).  

 

There's only a few directors, like Nolan or PT Anderson maybe, willing to dust off one of those Smart Car sized large format film cameras to shoot in 65mm or 8-perf 35mm.  Something like this means digital for big budgets could finally aspire to something beyond just mimicking or replacing the most generic, least quality 35mm format that's been employed for major motion pictures since the introduction of color nearly, and without major new investment either.  Everybody wins.

[MANYHANDS]

Great news! But now I wonder...could you get the same effect by modding an EF Extender to go on the wrong way round?? (for my BMCC, whenever it arrives)

[terrykim]

Hi all, I pre-ordered the adapter and just got it in today. I am planning to do a thorough review of it soon, but for now I've just been messing around with it. As far as I can tell, there is no loss in sharpness or light blooming or any of the other weird effects that adapters with built optics often have. I'm not sure if it makes lens necessarily better, but I don't think it makes them any worse. It really is like having a full frame camera.

 

The speed boost really works too. It feels kind of subtle from F1.4 to F2 but it's really obvious at F4 and slower.

 

There is one caveat and it's potentially major and that it doesn't seem to focus quite to infinity. It's almost there but it's just a little soft.  I think focusing in general is thrown off a bit as compared to the focus marks on the lens. Like, it might focus a little closer than normal. However, I could be wrong and it might focus to infinity. I haven't done the proper tests to confirm this. 

 

All in all, this looks like the real deal. And it's really not that heavy to address that one dude who was saying something about it being 197 grams or whatever it weighs.

[Julian]

I'm jealous! :) Love to see footage! What camera and lenses are you working with?

[kainekainekaine]

terrykim

 

Here is a link to calibrating for infinity

 

http://www.metabones.com/smart-adapter-operation-manual/155-infinity-adjustment-speed-booster-only

 

Any chance you could try adapters on the front of the speed booster, like a nikon/pentax adapter etc? Any one know if using adapters on the front of the speed booster causes any problems? Could you describe how well the autofocus works? Cheers.

[richg101]

terrykim

 

Here is a link to calibrating for infinity

 

http://www.metabones.com/smart-adapter-operation-manual/155-infinity-adjustment-speed-booster-only

 

Any chance you could try adapters on the front of the speed booster, like a nikon/pentax adapter etc? Any one know if using adapters on the front of the speed booster causes any problems? Could you describe how well the autofocus works? Cheers.

 

 

 

since many people use flat 'disk' type adaptors with canon cameras for OM, c/y, m42, etc lenses there wont be any problem using them with this adaptor too.  just think of a nex7 + speed booster as a 5dmk2.  if it works with the 5dmk2 it'll work with nex+ speed booster

[kainekainekaine]

What about if there was an Alpa to FD adapter and Alpa to EOS version etc. Do you think they would work? It would save buying lots of speed boosters.

[tony wilson]

looks like this little adaptor has not only upset the mega corp apple cart.
it has lifted the cart off the ground and slammed it into a brick house marked shithouse.
as they down on the farm
fuck a duck...

metabones disorder
i bet canon are working on a metabones buyout plan.

[Sean Cunningham]

metabones disorder
i bet canon are working on a metabones buyout plan.

 

I was thinking about this as well, either a buyout then bury or someone burying them in a lawsuit either over patent or some other anti-competition nonsense.  It makes me want to get ahold of one of the first M4/3 models released, regardless of lens version, if Nikkor isn't one of the first, just in case the ninja lawyers get sent in since they won't be able to recall stock that's already shipped.

 

Anyone remember the Andromeda system?  4:4:4 uncompressed straight out a USB2.0 port on a DVX100 with pixel-shift upscale to HD? Yeah, that got disappeared many, many moons ago.

[tony wilson]

it would be quite easy for the big players to shut this down.

at the very least for months.
the big guys patent everything and store the designs even if it was for a different system.
not saying anything will happen my hunch is that the first model will have a few glitches but within short time it will be near perfect.
the majors will want to protect themselves.
nda the designer and buy the company i would say pay off everyone.
the cia haver been doing that for years and they are a trillion dollar industry.

jp morgan and the fbi made most of tesla's ideas vanish into the military industrial complex and we are still stuck with oil.

this is a small beer payoff issue the big players may treat it like or may get a little proactive.
but this has serious money implications for the big sensor boyz

[terrykim]

I'm jealous! :) Love to see footage! What camera and lenses are you working with?

 

Sony NEX 5N and mostly Nikon AIS lenses and some old Russian lenses. Should be a good test to see if they really improve image quality because old Ruskies get mad soap opera wide open. I'll post footy soon.

 

What about if there was an Alpa to FD adapter and Alpa to EOS version etc. Do you think they would work? It would save buying lots of speed boosters.

 

I looked it up and nobody makes Alpa to anything adapters that I could find. It's such a bizarre choice. I was thinking the same thing too because I really don't need a smart adapter.

 

terrykim

 

Here is a link to calibrating for infinity

 

http://www.metabones.com/smart-adapter-operation-manual/155-infinity-adjustment-speed-booster-only

 

Any chance you could try adapters on the front of the speed booster, like a nikon/pentax adapter etc? Any one know if using adapters on the front of the speed booster causes any problems? Could you describe how well the autofocus works? Cheers.

 

 

Thanks for the link. I knew there were instruction for it I just forgot where they were. Adapted Lens work well although I can't compare them against how they work with EF lenses because I don't have any EF lenses (if you are wondering why I bought the EF version then, It's because I used to have a T2i and all my lenses are compatible and adapted for EF mount.) A friend of mine has a couple EF lenses so I'll probably try and test them out on the adapter this weekend.

[terrykim]

it would be quite easy for the big players to shut this down.

at the very least for months.
the big guys patent everything and store the designs even if it was for a different system.
not saying anything will happen my hunch is that the first model will have a few glitches but within short time it will be near perfect.
the majors will want to protect themselves.
nda the designer and buy the company i would say pay off everyone.
the cia haver been doing that for years and they are a trillion dollar industry.

jp morgan and the fbi made most of tesla's ideas vanish into the military industrial complex and we are still stuck with oil.

this is a small beer payoff issue the big players may treat it like or may get a little proactive.
but this has serious money implications for the big sensor boyz

 

I don't think I'm quite as cynical as you, but just in case that's also why I bought my adapter as soon as  ;)

[tony wilson]

I don't think I'm quite as cynical as you, but just in case that's also why I bought my adapter as soon as ;)

not really cynical i reflect what is going on in this weird post modern world.
i reflect using bad bad english grammar : )


on the subject of your adapter i would give it 2 weeks before canon baliffs are at your door with a warrant and an nda contract.
you will sign stating that you have never owned or do not understand the term speed booster.
they may not even get you to sign they might just erase your memory on the doorstep.
and programme your brain to buy a nice big new canon camera.

mk ultra tavistock institute very easy to programme a mind.
all you wanted was a little adapter and you ended being a mind controlled assassin.
get rid of it asap i beg you : )

[jgharding]

For me the most exciting aspect is M4/3 becoming Super 35. The look and crop of smaller sensors doesn't much appeal to me, but some of the cameras are great, like the GH2 and 3. This solves that.

 

S35 becoming FF seems pretty niche to me, in comparison!