GH4, Canon EF lenses, Metabones "Smart" Adaptor. at DVinfo.net

Ronald Jackson · September 11th, 2015, 12:54 AM

Has anyone out there experience of this combination? I am interested in the "Smart" but wonder about the degree of automation it provides with EF lenses.

No autofocus, fair enough as I don't usually need this. Image stabilisation, but I invariably shoot off a tripod.

Auto exposure yes, with some caveats. I would very much like to be able on occasion to shoot in shutter priority mode but this might not be on.

Ron

Willard Hill · September 12th, 2015, 07:25 PM

I use this adapter extensively, but until you asked this question I always used it with the camera set to Manual Exposure in Creative Movie Mode so today I tried shooting in shutter priority mode. I do most of my wildlife filming with the Canon 100-400mm and that is the only lens I have tried so far in the shutter priority mode. I have not looked at any video taken that way--just observed how things looked on my 5" Ikan monitor. Considering this it looks like it does work, but the picture flickers when the aperture changes and you can hear a clicking sound when the aperture changes so it is not ideal. It has been awhile since I used the Canon 70D, but I know all of the EF lenses made the clicking sound when the aperture changed and I think they flickered also so this may be the way any lens that is not specifically made for video works when the aperture changes and not a shortcoming in the adapter. Also my camera does not display what aperture the camera is selecting. It just shows the shutter speed and the exposure compensation scale.

Gary Huff · September 12th, 2015, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willard Hill

Considering this it looks like it does work, but the picture flickers when the aperture changes and you can hear a clicking sound when the aperture changes so it is not ideal.

Sounds like you need to update the firmware on your adapter. There were updates specifically to address that issue. The latest firmware does enable autofocus, primarily for stills, as well. Not sure how well it works on the GH4.

Ronald Jackson · September 13th, 2015, 12:53 AM

Thanks for that. I didn't even know until now that there were firmware updates for the adapter.

Ron

Willard Hill · September 14th, 2015, 10:20 AM

I updated the firmware for both my Speed Booster and Smart adapter and have auto-focus, but it is very unreliable. It hunts a lot and seldom locks on good accurate focus. It works best in bright light with high contrast subjects. So far I have tried only the 100-400mm and a 50-250 STM lenses since the upgrade. In shutter priority mode the 100-400mm still makes a clicking noise when the aperture changes and the flicker is still there.

September 11th, 2015, 12:54 AM	#1
Ronald Jackson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Southport, United Kingdom Posts: 723	GH4, Canon EF lenses, Metabones "Smart" Adaptor. Has anyone out there experience of this combination? I am interested in the "Smart" but wonder about the degree of automation it provides with EF lenses. No autofocus, fair enough as I don't usually need this. Image stabilisation, but I invariably shoot off a tripod. Auto exposure yes, with some caveats. I would very much like to be able on occasion to shoot in shutter priority mode but this might not be on. Ron

September 12th, 2015, 07:25 PM	#2
Willard Hill Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 191	Re: GH4, Canon EF lenses, Metabones "Smart" Adaptor. I use this adapter extensively, but until you asked this question I always used it with the camera set to Manual Exposure in Creative Movie Mode so today I tried shooting in shutter priority mode. I do most of my wildlife filming with the Canon 100-400mm and that is the only lens I have tried so far in the shutter priority mode. I have not looked at any video taken that way--just observed how things looked on my 5" Ikan monitor. Considering this it looks like it does work, but the picture flickers when the aperture changes and you can hear a clicking sound when the aperture changes so it is not ideal. It has been awhile since I used the Canon 70D, but I know all of the EF lenses made the clicking sound when the aperture changed and I think they flickered also so this may be the way any lens that is not specifically made for video works when the aperture changes and not a shortcoming in the adapter. Also my camera does not display what aperture the camera is selecting. It just shows the shutter speed and the exposure compensation scale. __________________ Willard http://pawildlifephotographer.blogspot.com/

September 13th, 2015, 12:53 AM	#4
Ronald Jackson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Southport, United Kingdom Posts: 723	Re: GH4, Canon EF lenses, Metabones "Smart" Adaptor. Thanks for that. I didn't even know until now that there were firmware updates for the adapter. Ron

September 14th, 2015, 10:20 AM	#5
Willard Hill Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 191	Re: GH4, Canon EF lenses, Metabones "Smart" Adaptor. I updated the firmware for both my Speed Booster and Smart adapter and have auto-focus, but it is very unreliable. It hunts a lot and seldom locks on good accurate focus. It works best in bright light with high contrast subjects. So far I have tried only the 100-400mm and a 50-250 STM lenses since the upgrade. In shutter priority mode the 100-400mm still makes a clicking noise when the aperture changes and the flicker is still there. __________________ Willard http://pawildlifephotographer.blogspot.com/