Metabones Speed Booster for NEX E Mount

Robert Moran · December 23rd, 2013, 12:10 AM

I've had mine for about 2 weeks. Use it with my ancient Nikkors. Amazing tech without question. Worth evry penny IMHO.

Robert Moran · December 23rd, 2013, 12:16 AM

In low light, the tech is unreal. Day for night, in most instances, will go away.

Erik Wittbusch · December 24th, 2013, 05:59 AM

I'm using mine for a few weeks now.
It's a nice addition when you use fullframe photo lenses.
You gain approx. 2/3 of a stop, but don't forget that chromatic
aberrations and resolution falloff at the edges of your picture will increase too.

There's no magic with the speedbooster. This kind of technique is used
for many years in some focal reducers in EB-lenses and some photo lenses
too.

You really need to find out, if the benefit is worth 600 bucks for you.

As I need a reasonable fast run'n gun lens and the Sony 18-105 doesn't work
for me and my FS100, the speedbooster with a Canon 24-105/4,0 makes
some nice stabilized f2,8 lens throughout the range.

Theo Dilworth · January 15th, 2014, 01:26 PM

Hey you guys --
if you're shooting fully manual, you might be into this:
FD FD lens mount focal reducer speed booster adapter to Sony NEX 5 6 7 FS700 FS100 VG20 EA50
its a $140 non-electronic speed booster for using old fd manual focus canon glass on your EA50….
i've been buying tons of great super cheap lenses, & with this adapter get full frame goodness as well as an extra f-stop! i've hoarded @ 7 lenses, & paid on average @ $50 apiece.

Chris Quevedo · January 19th, 2014, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

Made my decision and ordered the standard adapter today. Even if the MAGICAL speed booster tuns out to be the real deal I can always order it later. For now I need to get my Canon lenses back in the line of duty.

Call me a cynic, but making my good glass sharper and one stop brighter seems like, "to good to be true to me" and that means it probably isn't true. I will be glad to eat my words if I'm wrong. Time will tell.

Steve

what do you mean by "standard" adapter. if you mean the "smart adapter" thats not a speed booster. thats something else

Chris Quevedo · January 19th, 2014, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

Made my decision and ordered the standard adapter today. Even if the MAGICAL speed booster tuns out to be the real deal I can always order it later. For now I need to get my Canon lenses back in the line of duty.

Call me a cynic, but making my good glass sharper and one stop brighter seems like, "to good to be true to me" and that means it probably isn't true. I will be glad to eat my words if I'm wrong. Time will tell.

Steve

its obvious you are skeptical, so i'm assuming you haven't seen one of these videos. this was posted here like a year ago.

Chris Harding · January 19th, 2014, 09:54 PM

To me the "standard" one is the one that still gives you a speed increase so it has a lens element inside it BUT doesn't communicate with the camera so you have no auto focus and no auto iris either!

Over here the full blown adapter is crazy prices like $600.00 ++ but you can get a speed booster as per the post 2 up from this for as little as $140.00 ...Chris Young sent me a link to much the same for a Minolta to NEX that also has the same features and is manual as most Rokkor lenses are also vintage and manual anyway.

I figure I don't need the fully auto version anyway ... as long as you are able to change aperture manually (Nikon lenses don't have an iris ring!) then shooting in manual is fine.

Steven? Is your metabones once without the glass element or not??

Chris

Steven Digges · January 20th, 2014, 12:15 AM

Chris Q,

You dug up a very old post of mine, not in terms of years or months, but in progression. This site has Metabones stories all over it. The problem with that is, it is an adapter made to work with many different camera models and lenses. So there is no, singular good place for the posts.

Chris H.

For clarification: Metabones still offers both types of adapters. The Speed Booster has the glass element that functions as the focal reducer and speed booster. The Smart Adapter has no glass element. In fact, they both operate from the same firmware. The Smart Adapter is named that way because it does communicate with the lens and camera to provide aperture control and other functions.

My old stories are not worth digging up. Here is multiple posts and the story summarized.

I bought the Metabones Smart Adapter II almost at the same time the Speed Booster was released. That is the post you just dug up. I was skeptical about the Speed Booster at the time. It was later proven to all be true, the Speed Booster works and has many happy users.

Early on, I did have problems with my smart adapter. Initially, I was very unhappy with the response I got from Metabones and documented the long story on this web site. When Metabones finally got involved in my case they did it in a big way. Their response was over and above the service I would have received from just about any other manufacturer I have dealt with. In fact, they proved to me that MY NEW CAMERA was faulty and needed to be returned to Sony for repair. It was returned to Sony and repaired. Metabones updated my firmware, and everything has worked since. I am more than happy with my adapter. That adapter means I have five expensive Canon lenses in service on my EA50. That was the plan when I chose the EA50. I had to work out the kinks in the faulty camera (factory repair) and update the adapter firmware before I got everything working as it should.

Steve

Edit : Chris Q. The video above was not out when I made my purchase, but I have seen it. I have also eaten my skeptical words many times. I am thrilled I have an adapter that lets me use my old Canon glass on a modern video camera. Metabones rocks!

Craig Marshall · January 20th, 2014, 04:28 AM

You may wish to see the video I shot in Japan and Taiwan last last year with Zeiss primes on the Metabones Speed Booster. AVCHD 50P @ 1/50th, 0-12dB Gain and F1.2 - F2.0 at the sensor. All post production completed in 10 bit ProRes 444 and exported as a 10bit .DPX Image Sequence.

Scenes from my video have been used to demonstrate certain features of ClipToolz new 'COLOR' tool: ClipToolz Examples

Chris Quevedo · January 26th, 2014, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

Chris Q,
You dug up a very old post of mine, not in terms of years or months, but in progression. This site has Metabones stories all over it. The problem with that is, it is an adapter made to work with many different camera models and lenses. So there is no, singular good place for the posts.

Edit : Chris Q. The video above was not out when I made my purchase, but I have seen it. I have also eaten my skeptical words many times. I am thrilled I have an adapter that lets me use my old Canon glass on a modern video camera. Metabones rocks!

oops, so sorry. must have read date wrong. it said january, so i must have thought it was january 2014

December 23rd, 2013, 12:10 AM	#16
Robert Moran Regular Crew Join Date: May 2011 Location: Redding, CT Posts: 71	Re: Metabones Speed Booster for NEX E Mount I've had mine for about 2 weeks. Use it with my ancient Nikkors. Amazing tech without question. Worth evry penny IMHO.

December 23rd, 2013, 12:16 AM	#17
Robert Moran Regular Crew Join Date: May 2011 Location: Redding, CT Posts: 71	Re: Metabones Speed Booster for NEX E Mount In low light, the tech is unreal. Day for night, in most instances, will go away. Last edited by Robert Moran; December 23rd, 2013 at 12:18 AM. Reason: Repeat post

December 24th, 2013, 05:59 AM	#18
Erik Wittbusch Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Duisburg Posts: 93	Re: Metabones Speed Booster for NEX E Mount I'm using mine for a few weeks now. It's a nice addition when you use fullframe photo lenses. You gain approx. 2/3 of a stop, but don't forget that chromatic aberrations and resolution falloff at the edges of your picture will increase too. There's no magic with the speedbooster. This kind of technique is used for many years in some focal reducers in EB-lenses and some photo lenses too. You really need to find out, if the benefit is worth 600 bucks for you. As I need a reasonable fast run'n gun lens and the Sony 18-105 doesn't work for me and my FS100, the speedbooster with a Canon 24-105/4,0 makes some nice stabilized f2,8 lens throughout the range.

January 15th, 2014, 01:26 PM	#19
Theo Dilworth New Boot Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: pinole, ca Posts: 8	Re: Metabones Speed Booster for NEX E Mount Hey you guys -- if you're shooting fully manual, you might be into this: FD FD lens mount focal reducer speed booster adapter to Sony NEX 5 6 7 FS700 FS100 VG20 EA50 its a $140 non-electronic speed booster for using old fd manual focus canon glass on your EA50…. i've been buying tons of great super cheap lenses, & with this adapter get full frame goodness as well as an extra f-stop! i've hoarded @ 7 lenses, & paid on average @ $50 apiece.

January 19th, 2014, 09:54 PM	#22
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Metabones Speed Booster for NEX E Mount To me the "standard" one is the one that still gives you a speed increase so it has a lens element inside it BUT doesn't communicate with the camera so you have no auto focus and no auto iris either! Over here the full blown adapter is crazy prices like $600.00 ++ but you can get a speed booster as per the post 2 up from this for as little as $140.00 ...Chris Young sent me a link to much the same for a Minolta to NEX that also has the same features and is manual as most Rokkor lenses are also vintage and manual anyway. I figure I don't need the fully auto version anyway ... as long as you are able to change aperture manually (Nikon lenses don't have an iris ring!) then shooting in manual is fine. Steven? Is your metabones once without the glass element or not?? Chris

January 20th, 2014, 12:15 AM	#23
Steven Digges Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,828	Re: Metabones Speed Booster for NEX E Mount Chris Q, You dug up a very old post of mine, not in terms of years or months, but in progression. This site has Metabones stories all over it. The problem with that is, it is an adapter made to work with many different camera models and lenses. So there is no, singular good place for the posts. Chris H. For clarification: Metabones still offers both types of adapters. The Speed Booster has the glass element that functions as the focal reducer and speed booster. The Smart Adapter has no glass element. In fact, they both operate from the same firmware. The Smart Adapter is named that way because it does communicate with the lens and camera to provide aperture control and other functions. My old stories are not worth digging up. Here is multiple posts and the story summarized. I bought the Metabones Smart Adapter II almost at the same time the Speed Booster was released. That is the post you just dug up. I was skeptical about the Speed Booster at the time. It was later proven to all be true, the Speed Booster works and has many happy users. Early on, I did have problems with my smart adapter. Initially, I was very unhappy with the response I got from Metabones and documented the long story on this web site. When Metabones finally got involved in my case they did it in a big way. Their response was over and above the service I would have received from just about any other manufacturer I have dealt with. In fact, they proved to me that MY NEW CAMERA was faulty and needed to be returned to Sony for repair. It was returned to Sony and repaired. Metabones updated my firmware, and everything has worked since. I am more than happy with my adapter. That adapter means I have five expensive Canon lenses in service on my EA50. That was the plan when I chose the EA50. I had to work out the kinks in the faulty camera (factory repair) and update the adapter firmware before I got everything working as it should. Steve Edit : Chris Q. The video above was not out when I made my purchase, but I have seen it. I have also eaten my skeptical words many times. I am thrilled I have an adapter that lets me use my old Canon glass on a modern video camera. Metabones rocks! __________________ www.CorporateShow.com Been at this so long I'm rounding my years of experience down...not up! Last edited by Steven Digges; January 20th, 2014 at 12:43 PM.

January 20th, 2014, 04:28 AM	#24
Craig Marshall Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Blue Mountains, Australia Posts: 170	Re: Metabones Speed Booster for NEX E Mount You may wish to see the video I shot in Japan and Taiwan last last year with Zeiss primes on the Metabones Speed Booster. AVCHD 50P @ 1/50th, 0-12dB Gain and F1.2 - F2.0 at the sensor. All post production completed in 10 bit ProRes 444 and exported as a 10bit .DPX Image Sequence. 'Good To See You' - seven minutes of cinema! on Vimeo Scenes from my video have been used to demonstrate certain features of ClipToolz new 'COLOR' tool: ClipToolz Examples Last edited by Craig Marshall; January 20th, 2014 at 02:09 PM.