Samsung NX Speed Booster

[ttbek]

Inazuma, in regards to that, at the time Metabones added that to their FAQ many of us thought it looked like bullshit because they didn't think there was enough of a market in part.  And the other part is that they had some qualifiers, something about not getting quite the quality they wanted, I suppose in a 1x crop situation for the adapter (disingenuous because they offer non 1x adapters for some other cameras).  I think Luca also could not do that as he has gone with what I think is a 1.1x crop that is using pretty much all available depth. 

[Marco Tecno]

1 hour ago, Inazuma said:

@lucabutera how are you able to do what Metabones was unable to?? I am not saying you're a liar but could you please upload a phone video or something of the camera itself with your adapter and lens attached and showing it all working?

Matabones were those lying, not Luca. They were part of those trying to destroy nx, imo. They worked at close contact with sony, and nx1 could actually be the only sony killer, for that market segment.

[lucabutera]

Hallo Inazuma, no problem, I'm not offended.
I do not think Metabones has not been able to create the adapter, I think simply that their engineers have not even tried to manufacture it.
The reason is simple, they use a lens focal reducer support standards that can not be used on Samsung NX.
This standard support is used for all lenses by changing only the ring and the mounting flanges.
To create the NXL I had to shape the lenses and design a new type of support.
Soon the first supporters will receive their NXL adapters and they will post pictures and what is necessary to satisfy your curiosity.

[Brian Caldwell]

16 hours ago, Marco Tecno said:

Matabones were those lying, not Luca. They were part of those trying to destroy nx, imo. They worked at close contact with sony, and nx1 could actually be the only sony killer, for that market segment.

You're having a paranoid fantasy, Marco.  I design the Speed Booster optics, and my colleague Wilfried designs the mechanical mount.  Together we own the optical design patents and the "Speed Booster" trademark.  That's it - just two people.  We work with subcontractors to manufacture and QC the optical cells, and sell the those cells to Metabones, which itself is just a tiny company.  Any public statement from Metabones about Speed Boosters probably comes from me, so when you say that Metabones is lying you are essentially saying that I am lying.  There is no lying going on here.  I doubt that Samsung - which is a truly enormous company - was even aware of Speed Boosters, much less that its presence or absence played any role at all in their decision to leave the camera business.  No one from Samsung or Sony has *ever* contacted me about Speed Boosters, or anything else for that matter.

Wilfried and I looked at the Samsung NX mount on several occasions, and concluded it was just too much trouble to deal with due to the metal parts surrounding the sensor.  Based on our analysis, it would require several rectangular elements (similar to one of the Lens Turbo designs), which are much more difficult to make and mount accurately.  It would also require a substantial re-design of the Speed Booster optics, which have a unique performance advantage at extremely large apertures (read the patents if you want to understand this).  I personally had big hopes that the NX-mini mount would take off, since that was much more amenable to high quality focal reducer designs with larger reduction ratios - much like the BMCC and BMPCC from BlackMagic.  But unfortunately both NX and NX-mini have both become extinct except for whatever product remains in the marketplace.

[Marco Tecno]

Ok, thx for this reply. Good to hear directly from you.

So...what about developing an intelligent nx to canon adapter, with no lens in it? Why not doing this?

5 hours ago, Brian Caldwell said:

You're having a paranoid fantasy, Marco.  I design the Speed Booster optics, and my colleague Wilfried designs the mechanical mount.  Together we own the optical design patents and the "Speed Booster" trademark.  That's it - just two people.  We work with subcontractors to manufacture and QC the optical cells, and sell the those cells to Metabones, which itself is just a tiny company.  Any public statement from Metabones about Speed Boosters probably comes from me, so when you say that Metabones is lying you are essentially saying that I am lying.  There is no lying going on here.  I doubt that Samsung - which is a truly enormous company - was even aware of Speed Boosters, much less that its presence or absence played any role at all in their decision to leave the camera business.  No one from Samsung or Sony has *ever* contacted me about Speed Boosters, or anything else for that matter.

Wilfried and I looked at the Samsung NX mount on several occasions, and concluded it was just too much trouble to deal with due to the metal parts surrounding the sensor.  Based on our analysis, it would require several rectangular elements (similar to one of the Lens Turbo designs), which are much more difficult to make and mount accurately.  It would also require a substantial re-design of the Speed Booster optics, which have a unique performance advantage at extremely large apertures (read the patents if you want to understand this).  I personally had big hopes that the NX-mini mount would take off, since that was much more amenable to high quality focal reducer designs with larger reduction ratios - much like the BMCC and BMPCC from BlackMagic.  But unfortunately both NX and NX-mini have both become extinct except for whatever product remains in the marketplace.

Ok, thx for this reply. Good to hear directly from you.

So...what about developing an intelligent nx to canon adapter, with no lens in it? Why not doing this?

[Brian Caldwell]

At this point, NX accessories are probably best done by NX enthusiasts like Luca.  Otherwise something called "opportunity cost" rears its ugly head.  What it means is that labor and financial resources are limited - especially in small companies - so you have to be very careful about choosing which products to develop.

[Marco Tecno]

That's what I'd have liked to hear since the beginning. Thx for being sincere.

 

Btw the user base of nx is quite large and most are enthusiasts willing to spend for a product like an intelligent adapter. I hope that someone eventually does the thing for the best apsc camera ever ;-)

[ttbek]

Hey Brian, how much opportunity cost are we talking here?  I'm not going to back down from my 10k offer though I suspect that wouldn't exactly cover things, just a feeling, lol.  On the other hand it would be a bit irritating to pay it out and then find out it wasn't so hard after all (possibly, I'll have fun taking a shot either way).  I'm referring to the electronics of course though rather than the lenses.  Also, a question about that for you, is something like an Arduino Nano micro controller really fast enough to handle the spi at native speeds?  I'm going to prototype with one in either case, but if it's not then I may move to FPGA later if the Nano is functional and just sluggish. 

Luca, I would prefer to be one of those supporters, but I guess I'll have to wait for those first shots from others if you're not feeling up to posting two raws, same lens, same framing (tripod), same focus, same aperture.  I know you have video samples, but since I'm not much of one for video that's just not my evaluative area.

[lucabutera]

Hallo ttbek, ok, after the dinner I post two raws for you, same lens, same framing, shot on tripod. (I post jpeg only for cut the time of upload).

[lucabutera]

2 hours ago, Brian Caldwell said:

At this point, NX accessories are probably best done by NX enthusiasts like Luca.  Otherwise something called "opportunity cost" rears its ugly head.  What it means is that labor and financial resources are limited - especially in small companies - so you have to be very careful about choosing which products to develop.

Hello Brian, Thank you. I'm honored to meet you.

[Marco Tecno]

50 minutes ago, ttbek said:

Hey Brian, how much opportunity cost are we talking here?  I'm not going to back down from my 10k offer though I suspect that wouldn't exactly cover things, just a feeling, lol.  On the other hand it would be a bit irritating to pay it out and then find out it wasn't so hard after all (possibly, I'll have fun taking a shot either way).  I'm referring to the electronics of course though rather than the lenses.  Also, a question about that for you, is something like an Arduino Nano micro controller really fast enough to handle the spi at native speeds?  I'm going to prototype with one in either case, but if it's not then I may move to FPGA later if the Nano is functional and just sluggish. 

Luca, I would prefer to be one of those supporters, but I guess I'll have to wait for those first shots from others if you're not feeling up to posting two raws, same lens, same framing (tripod), same focus, same aperture.  I know you have video samples, but since I'm not much of one for video that's just not my evaluative area.

“Powerful you have become, the dark side I sense in you.”

 

P.s. I use to like dark sides.... :-D

[lucabutera]

Raw files. 

SAM_0039.SRW

 

SAM_0040.SRW

[carlic]

Luca I am starting to consider buying one. Since I also shoot with a canon 6D, I would like it to be compatible with canon lenses like the cheap 50/1.8. In order to do so, it would need it to be a smart booster for aperture and idealy AF control.
How much longer do you think it would take to develope the smart version, and how much will it add to the price?

I am planing a longer trip in december, will it be ready till then?

Thanks
 

[Marco Tecno]

20 hours ago, ttbek said:

Hey Brian, how much opportunity cost are we talking here?  I'm not going to back down from my 10k offer though I suspect that wouldn't exactly cover things, just a feeling, lol.  On the other hand it would be a bit irritating to pay it out and then find out it wasn't so hard after all (possibly, I'll have fun taking a shot either way).  I'm referring to the electronics of course though rather than the lenses.  Also, a question about that for you, is something like an Arduino Nano micro controller really fast enough to handle the spi at native speeds?  I'm going to prototype with one in either case, but if it's not then I may move to FPGA later if the Nano is functional and just sluggish. 

Luca, I would prefer to be one of those supporters, but I guess I'll have to wait for those first shots from others if you're not feeling up to posting two raws, same lens, same framing (tripod), same focus, same aperture.  I know you have video samples, but since I'm not much of one for video that's just not my evaluative area.

Have a look at this (seems more powerful yet smaller than arduino):

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/omega2-5-linux-computer-with-wi-fi-made-for-iot#/

[ttbek]

Thanks Marco, but it has only one SPI?  I think this project needs two off the top of my head.  Also my friend already has owns a Nano, which is why we went for it for now.  Finally, the Bluering code is written on the Nano and gives us a slight head start. 

[lucabutera]

18 hours ago, carlic said:

 

no in this moment

36 minutes ago, ttbek said:

Thanks Marco, but it has only one SPI?  I think this project needs two off the top of my head.  Also my friend already has owns a Nano, which is why we went for it for now.  Finally, the Bluering code is written on the Nano and gives us a slight head start. 

Hello ttbek, I post for you the raw files. Do you had a look?

[Dean]

This won't work with Nikon lenses will it? Just Canon?

[carlic]

On 20. 9. 2016 at 4:11 AM, lucabutera said:

no in this moment

 

No to what exactly?

Thanks

[Sten]

On 18.9.2016 at 6:03 AM, Brian Caldwell said:

  I design the Speed Booster optics, and my colleague Wilfried designs the mechanical mount.  Together we own the optical design patents and the "Speed Booster" trademark. 

have you experimented with any fresnel lenses as a focal reducer?

[lucabutera]

First 10 NXL adapter, before the matt black anodizing