# Have a NEX body? Make your EF lenses sharper and faster! - apparantly



## paul13walnut5 (Jan 14, 2013)

If you have an Sony NEX camera and a bag of EF lenses this metabones adaptor makes some startling claims...
An EOS M killer?
Primarily for video use, why not stills too though?

Product page:

http://www.metabones.com/product/speed-booster

Discussion pages:

http://philipbloom.net/2013/01/13/speedbooster/


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## J.R. (Jan 14, 2013)

Thanks ... Very interesting. However, this here is a deal breaker for me (insofar as preordering is considered) - 

_"Autofocus accuracy depends heavily on the working condition of the lens. Lenses with hidden problems which may not be apparent on Canon DSLRs will lead to inaccurate and unreliable autofocus on Sony NEX. Typical problems of this kind that we have seen include an unsmooth/erratic autofocus mechanism (e.g. getting stuck intermittently at a certain focusing distance), a faulty/worn-out distance encoder or other faulty/worn-out internal sensors."_

This caveat will explain everything if the customer complains regarding AF. 

Neat idea though ... I will wait to see the reviews on this.


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## rs (Jan 14, 2013)

Nice idea - a reverse 1.4x TC to almost bring the native lens length to the 1.5x crop sensor of the NEX cameras. The claim of adding a stop sort of makes sense too - after all, it is almost the same as using an f2.8 FF lens natively on that small sensor, instead of an effective f4.2 aperture and crop with the small NEX sensor. Its a similar concept to the dated Nikon E series DSLR's.

I really can't imagine the end results being comparable to a FF canon SLR though. Or even able to rival a good EF-S lens on an EF-S body. And who wants to use huge FF SLR lenses on a small body? With its native lenses, the NEX range already looks like a coke can taped on to an iPhone...


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## BRNexus6 (Jan 14, 2013)

So basically a 50mm 1.8+Speed Boost on a Super 35mm sensor gives you roughly the same DOF/FOV as a 50mm 1.8 on a FF Body. That's is awesome. So, basically each lens you own will become two lenses with this adapter.


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## hpmuc (Jan 14, 2013)

Why not? Here is all I could find when looking for an example:

Metabones Speed Booster lens test on Vimeo


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## rs (Jan 14, 2013)

BRNexus6 said:


> So basically a 50mm 1.8+Speed Boost on a Super 35mm sensor gives you roughly the same DOF/FOV as a 50mm 1.8 on a FF Body. That's is awesome. So, basically each lens you own will become two lenses with this adapter.


Pretty much. The FF 50/1.8 becomes a crop 36/1.3 lens, with added distortion, CA, corner softness (and probably centre softness) etc. And then the 1.5x crop of the sensor makes that crop lens on a crop body the equivalent of a 54/1.9 FF lens. Complete with all the flaws the extra optics brings.


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## bchernicoff (Jan 14, 2013)

This makes me happy. I wondered in a post on this forum if such a thing were possible and now some one has gone and done it. I must be a smart guy! ;-)

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=4529.msg91834#msg91834


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## marinien (Jan 14, 2013)

bchernicoff said:


> This makes me happy. I wondered in a post on this forum if such a thing were possible and now some one has gone and done it. I must be a smart guy! ;-)
> 
> http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=4529.msg91834#msg91834



Sorry, but not the same thing for me: one reduces the image circle, the other enlarges it.


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## dr croubie (Jan 14, 2013)

So in short, take a 50mm f/1.8, convert it down to a 35mm f/1.2, stick it on a crop sensor and the crop factor brings it back to a 50mm f/1.8 FF-Equiv.
Not as nice as a 'real' FF Mirrorless, but hey, the physics works and as long as the glass they're using is decent quality and not just jam-jars like you find on FD->EF adapters, then why not?

Also note, there's absolutely nothing (except maybe legal/patents?) stopping them from making this for EF->EF-M, or from any other slr to any other mirrorless.

Actually, there's nothing stopping them from making this for MF->EF either.
Given how huge the MF image circle is compared to FF, you can get a 1/1.6x crop from a 645 lens. Say, take a Contax 645 Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.0, and convert it to an extremely sharp 50mm f/1.25. Or mamiya 80/1.9 goes to a 50mm f/1.19.
6x6 lenses like Hassy can go even further, like that very very nice 110mm f/2.0, with a 1/1.8x crop factor, with a speed boost to FF becomes a 61mm f/1.1. Even if you have to drop $500 on the adapter, and $500 on the lens, that's still half the price of an EF 85/1.2L or 50/1.2L.
(of course, you could always just shoot the same lens on film, or buy a a Mamiya 645AFD for $500, but then a Leaf/Phase One back is $2k for 20MP or so very used. Shooting that on a 5D3 with uber-iso capability would be great)

Me wanty.


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## bchernicoff (Jan 14, 2013)

marinien said:


> Sorry, but not the same thing for me: one reduces the image circle, the other enlarges it.



Which are you saying enlarges the image circle? This adapter and what I described take a full-frame image circle and concentrates onto a smaller area (the size of a crop sensor). This has two effects: the light circle is brighter, and the crop sensor now has a similar angle of view through that lens as if it were a full-frame sensor.

.71x focal length means the focal length is 71% what it was before.


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## marinien (Jan 14, 2013)

bchernicoff said:


> marinien said:
> 
> 
> > Sorry, but not the same thing for me: one reduces the image circle, the other enlarges it.
> ...



Oops! Sorry! I haven't (well) read till the end of your post in the other thread :-[ Should have bought less beer


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## K-amps (Jan 14, 2013)

bchernicoff said:


> marinien said:
> 
> 
> > Sorry, but not the same thing for me: one reduces the image circle, the other enlarges it.
> ...



+1

What I like about it is more light is focused onto the sensor. Basically works like a magnifying glass converging the image of the EF, and using all of it....


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## rs (Jan 14, 2013)

marinien said:


> bchernicoff said:
> 
> 
> > This makes me happy. I wondered in a post on this forum if such a thing were possible and now some one has gone and done it. I must be a smart guy! ;-)
> ...


bchernicoff - your thread looks the same as this NEX adapter to me.

However, telecompressors have existed for a bit, used in telescopes and the Nikon E series.

I guess that with the technology being used in production Nikon cameras back in 1995 to make 35mm film lenses behave normally with a tiny 2/3" sensor, it can't have been all that successful - otherwise Nikon and everyone else would have used it to make their later APS-C sensors see the whole frame and avoid the whole crop factor and APS-C lens line up. It seems like they thought the full frame lenses would perform better with the sensor only seeing the centre.

As novel as this Metabones Speed Booster is, I can't imagine it working all that well, and if anything, worse than a FF lens on an NEX with an EOS adapter with no optical telecompressor if the mainstream manufacturers product lineup is anything to go by.


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## Policar (Jan 14, 2013)

If they could shove one of these in a C100 or C300 (no mirror) somehow I would be so ecstatic. Doesn't seem likely.


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## BRNexus6 (Jan 16, 2013)

Not only are you getting basically the same DOF/FOV as a FF Sensor, but you are also getting about 1 stop of exposure increase, so you can drop your ISO and get cleaner low-light images on your APS-C mirrorless bodies.


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## Axilrod (Jan 23, 2013)

rs said:


> As novel as this Metabones Speed Booster is, I can't imagine it working all that well, and if anything, worse than a FF lens on an NEX with an EOS adapter with no optical telecompressor if the mainstream manufacturers product lineup is anything to go by.



In all the comparisons I've seen it's done very well and most of the reviewers were incredibly skeptical at first. I think it's huge for FS100/FS700 users and will be huge for the MFT mount Blackmagic Design cinema camera. 

Also, people with lower end NEX cameras can make their cameras full frame in a jiffy.

Here is a full review, the positives outweigh the negatives by a longshot: http://www.eoshd.com/content/9485/metabones-speed-booster-adapter-full-review


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## Axilrod (Jan 23, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> If you have an Sony NEX camera and a bag of EF lenses this metabones adaptor makes some startling claims...
> An EOS M killer?
> Primarily for video use, why not stills too though?
> 
> ...



Paulie now I'm glad the BMD camera didn't show up, I want the MFT version with one of these things!


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## paul13walnut5 (Jan 23, 2013)

Are they launching an MFT version? Interesting idea, I guess it's essentially a MFT image circle for that sensor anyway, my reservations would be the lack of decent MFT video lenses (no fast zooms for example) it'll be funny seeing a BMD camera with all the various silliness that MFT users adapt to their cameras...


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## Grummbeerbauer (Jan 24, 2013)

At first, I was skeptical about the possible quality of such a solution. But so was Roger, the Lensrentals guy. 
Read his take on the Metabones adapter:

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/01/metabones-magic

Looks pretty damned good to me.


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## 1255 (Jan 24, 2013)

i have a friend that's been using a prototype for a few weeks now. he tells me it's not necessarily perfect but that it's really very interesting. this one is, apparently, worth watching.


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## pharp (Feb 21, 2013)

An MFT version is in the works, but so is a Canon M version. Now, if Canon steps up their game with the M series (especially AF) - they may really have something. Get FF FOV and one extra stop using an EF lens on the M - great! Come on Canon - give us an NEX IQ mirrorless. Adapter should be less than NEX version as well (maybe ~$400) - no chip. 

http://www.metabones.com/sony/questions


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## wickidwombat (Feb 22, 2013)

is it just me or does anybody else wish there was something like this for full frame
imagine a 70-200 f2.8L IS II
becomes a 50-143 f2 IS


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## TrumpetPower! (Feb 22, 2013)

wickidwombat said:


> is it just me or does anybody else wish there was something like this for full frame
> imagine a 70-200 f2.8L IS II
> becomes a 50-143 f2 IS



Anything that was like that would have to start its life as a medium format lens -- or, at least, have an image circle large enough to be de-magnified.

I don't know what lenses are like in the medium format world, but I can guarantee you that anything comparable to a 70-200 f/2.8 IS would cost more than a Great White. Hasselblad, for example, sells their 50-110 f/3.5-4.5 for $5,595....

Cheers,

b&


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## wickidwombat (Feb 22, 2013)

TrumpetPower! said:


> wickidwombat said:
> 
> 
> > is it just me or does anybody else wish there was something like this for full frame
> ...



I know 
thats why i used the word wish :'(


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## TrumpetPower! (Feb 22, 2013)

wickidwombat said:


> thats why i used the word wish :'(



Well, in that case, why hold back?

I wish for a camera the size of an iPhone, with a sensor the same dimensions as the case, with a built-in 8-2000 f/0.8 lens (that, of course, doesn't add to the volume of the camera when not in use). Oh -- and the lens should have full movements and at least ten stops of IS, and the camera itself should have a gigapixel sensor and a dynamic range of 20 stops and a maximum ISO of like a million or so with noise at that ISO comparable to a 5DIII at ISO 100.

And, yes. Of course! This camera should be delivered by a flying unicorn pony. I mean, like duh! Do you really have to ask?

Cheers,

b&

P.S. Yes, I'll be needing to keep the pony, too.... b&


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## tcmatthews (Feb 22, 2013)

For some reason I am just not interested. I think I would rather buy a metabones adapter capable of maintaining a full frame image circle and is self update-able. So that if Sony releases a full frame NEX I could use my EF lenses on it as well as my NEX6 

I have a manual adapter and all of my EF lenses are just huge on a NEX6. Almost as ridiculous as putting my EX430 II flash. The flash does work as a manual flash at least. They also defeat the purpose of having a small camera. But I do like using my dads 135F2.5 FD, I would be interested if they made a manual Canon FD adapter to breath new life in those old lenses. But a EF adapter I think I will pass for the price they are asking.


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