GH4 and Canon EF Speed Booster question - which lens?

[captou]

Hi,

Please bear with me - I'm trying to make sense of all of this.

I'd like to get a GH4 for interviews (main competitor is the 5D M3).

Now the way I see it, the main PRO of the 5D is that it's full frame (makes it easier to get shallow depth of field, which is nice for interviews).

The 0.71x and 0.64x Speed Booster's are recommended according to the Metabones website: http://www.metabones.com/products/?c=micro-43-system-2

I'm looking at EF lenses because the adapter is active.

I would like an all purpose lens for filming interviews, something in the range of the Canon 24-105 f4 on the 5D.

• Which Speed Boster is better, x0.64 or x0.71 in terms of reliability and results?
• I mainly want to use the GH4 in FHD, not 4K (don't need it all the time) - will that be an issue? It seems to me that the focal lengths will vary quite a lot depending on the mode (FHD or 4K).
• What lenses should I be looking at?

Thanks!

Edit: Otherwise I'm thinking of getting the Panasonic 12-35mm but getting that lens and an EF lens + adapter will be too pricey, so I need to choose.

 

[Brian Caldwell]

As long as you use a fullframe (24x36mm format) master lens, then both the 0.71x ULTRA and 0.64x XL will work fine.  The ULTRA is a little better corrected in the outer part of the image, but this is mainly important if you want critically sharp results at f/1.0 with a Sigma ART or Zeiss Otus, and would not be noticeable with a slow lens like the Canon 24-105.  If you plan to use an APS-C lens such as the Canon 17-55/2.8, then you should be aware that you may encounter slight vignetting when shooting HD (not 4k) with the 0.64x XL.  The reason for this is that even though the XL itself covers the entire m43 image just fine, the image circle of the lens is too small to cover after it is multiplied by 0.64.

[captou]

21 hours ago, Brian Caldwell said:

As long as you use a fullframe (24x36mm format) master lens, then both the 0.71x ULTRA and 0.64x XL will work fine.  The ULTRA is a little better corrected in the outer part of the image, but this is mainly important if you want critically sharp results at f/1.0 with a Sigma ART or Zeiss Otus, and would not be noticeable with a slow lens like the Canon 24-105.  If you plan to use an APS-C lens such as the Canon 17-55/2.8, then you should be aware that you may encounter slight vignetting when shooting HD (not 4k) with the 0.64x XL.  The reason for this is that even though the XL itself covers the entire m43 image just fine, the image circle of the lens is too small to cover after it is multiplied by 0.64.

Thanks, that's all making sense now.

 

I'd actually like something like the Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4 as it would cover quite a good range for interviews with the 0.64x Speed Booster in HD mode (around 21-89 as crop is around 1.28) - except that there might be vignetting as you say, which isn't so good.

 

The Canon 24-105 might be a bit tight if I was trying to do a two-person interview in 4k (as it would be around 36 on the short end).

 

So I'm just researching alternative zoom lenses in the 17-70 range. Any tips would be appreciated!

 

What I'm trying to decide is whether I should just go for the Panasonic 12-35 or if a Speed Booster combo makes more sense if I want a good focal length range and shallow depth of field. I can't have it all of course but finding a good middle ground would be great...

[funkyou86]

On 4/5/2016 at 1:28 PM, captou said:

Hi,

Please bear with me - I'm trying to make sense of all of this.

I'd like to get a GH4 for interviews (main competitor is the 5D M3).

Now the way I see it, the main PRO of the 5D is that it's full frame (makes it easier to get shallow depth of field, which is nice for interviews).

The 0.71x and 0.64x Speed Booster's are recommended according to the Metabones website: http://www.metabones.com/products/?c=micro-43-system-2

I'm looking at EF lenses because the adapter is active.

I would like an all purpose lens for filming interviews, something in the range of the Canon 24-105 f4 on the 5D.

• Which Speed Boster is better, x0.64 or x0.71 in terms of reliability and results?
• I mainly want to use the GH4 in FHD, not 4K (don't need it all the time) - will that be an issue? It seems to me that the focal lengths will vary quite a lot depending on the mode (FHD or 4K).
• What lenses should I be looking at?

Thanks!

Edit: Otherwise I'm thinking of getting the Panasonic 12-35mm but getting that lens and an EF lens + adapter will be too pricey, so I need to choose.

 

Hey! I think this one will give you some answers  http://suggestionofmotion.com/blog/metabones-speed-booster-comparison-mft/