Metabones announced a new 0,64x Speed Booster designed for the GH4. With that new Speed Booster the crop factor becomes almost APS-H (1.28x). And in Cinema 4K video mode the crop factor is almost identical to Super35 (1.5x).
The lens also makes any lens 1.3 stops faster with a maximum possible aperture of f/0.8!!!
There is yet no price or preorder info released by Metabones.
74 Responses
So not only for gh4, also for om-d’s and any other m43 camera. Not bad. This time make one for m42 thread please.
I don’t think so no. That would leave you with vignetting and the image wouldn’t cover the sensor. GH4 in 4k video mode has a larger crop.
all mirrorless had software correction,although image circle from this L lens
has sharp to border but image file still bad.
i want camera manufacture has this feature.
[Software Correction Removable] -> {On,Off} to lcd menu.
They don’t mention vignetting, but:
“Although the Speed Booster XL 0.64x has extra clearance compared to
the 0.64x BMCC Speed Booster, there are still a number of Micro Four
Thirds cameras that are not supported due to mechanical clearance
issues. This is summarized in the table below, which is color-coded so
that Green means the camera is supported and Red means the camera is not
supported.
Note that many of the Red-coded cameras actually do function, but
there is a minor interference with the protective shutter cover.
Although slight contact with the shutter cover appears to have no effect
on the functioning or cosmetics of either the camera or the Speed
Booster we cannot support these combinations due to possible risk of
damage.”
Ah you’re right, just read that too.
That makes me wonder if it’s worth buying a e-pl7, because I’m not exactly ready to interfere with the protective shutter cover.
Em5ii has major crop in video mode too, so just a clearance issue
What crop?
Not sure if you are kidding, but switching from stills to video results in a significant FOV crop on most cameras, including EM5 Mark II.
You mean 4:3 to 16:9 crop or does it crop to 16:9 and zooms in?
It does a 16:9 and additional zoom in. Not sure why there aren’t many cameras that don’t do an additional zoom-in (crop) during video.
If its a slight crop, they are probably programed to use pixel width and hight that is easier to transcode to full hd or 720p. Something with a simple multiplier like 2x…
To save on procesing power and maybe get a sharper picture. I dont know.
Metabones,you missed something is AF like Kipon that make lose interest to my eyes.
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This is clearly aimed at video shooters, so the omission of AF support is nothing surprising and inconsequential for those users.
Eh, I’ve slowly become disillusioned with my speedbooster. The wide FOV is amazing and why I won’t take mine off the camera, but wide open it definitely ruins the bokeh. Things become hazy and fuzzy. Really not pleasant to look at, so I find myself stopping down to sharpen things up (negating any exposure benefits of the speed-booster). I imagine this XL version hazes things up even more.
In other news….WHERE IS V-LOG?!?!
Interesting observation about a thing that at first sight seems so desirable.
I haven’t made that experience at all, and I’m frequently using a couple of Minolta SR/MC/MD lenses with the 0.71x Speed Booster on my E-M1 for photography, and I often use them wide open, too. I haven’t yet had one of them “ruin the bokeh”. And while those lenses are indeed not bad, I wouldn’t necessarily classify them “as the sharpest of lenses”.
I mean mostly for video purposes. The haziness is especially evident during focus pulls. Something about the transitioning focal plane throws the speedbooster (yes Metabones brand) for a loop. Instead of nice transitions in and out of focus, they’re much rougher and hazy. This is definitely reduced on my Sigma 50mm Art, but much harsher on most other f/1.4 primes. It is however less noticeable on slower lenses. In a stills situation, I can see how it would be harder to notice the difference in rendering. Unfortunately, during video you’re constantly focusing.
I’ve used a Metabones SB for years and never seen the phenomena you describe. Maybe you have a bad unit? Metabones SB + Tokina 11-16 results in a wonderful ultra wide angle lens for u43..
Perhaps, see my edit above though.
Maybe you are referring to a chinese clone booster?
Of course if you where to shoot video using the centre extract method, with a modified Voigtlander 10.5mm f0.95 then you’d have f0.608
It would be the world’s most useless lens as the dynamic range at night is so shallow! LOL
FYI you can’t mount a mft lens on a speedbooster.
YOU can’t, but I’ve done it. It requires skills in metalwork and lenses. Go back to what the guy at the shop tells you to buy little man.
Whats the point? GH4 is already close to what is Cinema standard, You want full frame just buy a full frame camera, ts not like they are much more expensive now. Bizzare.
Variety – for some job you want (relative) light and small camera for run n gun / use it on steady cam , and other situation that FF look could be useful for artistic reason , and you can do all that with one cam.
Most peoples problems are technique not frame size, But my point is the m4/3 sensor is actually pretty similar to 35mm film has been for decades, I don’t think they were held back artistically. Photography is a different matter…
i think this adapter is cheaper than a full frame camera…
It remains to be seen….
Adapter + GH4 is not cheaper than full-frame. Most full-frame bodies can be had for $2k or less
but adapter is cheaper than a full fram camera.
Yes, I know what you’re saying. But if you don’t already own a GH4, and are deciding between buying a full-frame camera and the GH4+Speedbooster, the price would be about the same in total.
Because the video that comes out of the GH4 is mind blowing. Better than most so-called full frame bodies.
Standard SB already makes the M4/3 to S35!!!
The key is using FF lenses at closer to their rated FL. Many people already have a large collection of Nikon or Canon lenses. This makes them more useful on the GH-4 etc. FF is not all that except if you need to obsess about super thin DOF. With the SB you do get the speed and DOF advantages of the lenses thus minimizing the expense of new kit.
Just wish these adapters didn’t cost so much
I wonder how this works for recording 4k with APS-C lenses like the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8? For 4k the crop factor is 2.3x, so I math the effective crop at 1.47x, which is real close to the 1.5x traditional APS-C crop.
I’m sure with your deep cashed up pockets you buy 5 each for you and Chelski?…….
Envious?
You his homie……
Attaching APS-C Lenses to a Metabone Speed Booster is like attaching an APS-C lens on FF body. Am I right?
No.
They specifically state it as a 1.5x crop in 4K. The Sigma is known to cover a bit more than APS-C and some users have had decent results on APS-H cameras like the 1D series, however it may suffer field curvature issues like most crop lenses that cover ‘nearly FF’ and certainly some pretty bung corners. In 4K it should have no major issues however.
normal sb is 1.6 crop. 0.1 crop difference is not much.
It’s just like the GH4 actually had a APS-C sensor, everything you do, you simply think like you are actually using an APS-C camera. But there is a bonus, you get an extra 1.3 stop of aperture on any lens you attach to it.
So it should work like a normal Super35 in 4K, a 18-35mm (24-50mm FF equivalent FOV) and it would gather f/1.1 of light with f/1.7 FF equivalent aperture DOP.
I don’t think they would launch a new adapter to get Super35-like crop if it wouldn’t work properly or if it would work differently.
I want this speed booster for E-M5II, because that camera has [great] IBIS. or for GX8 (if it will have IBIS)
Seems the only supported camera which has IBIS is the E-PL7.
Can speed booster enable OIS on lens?
i saw in specs ,it can switch on OIS.
but i am not sure!!
Too bad it works only with a few selected Micro Four Thirds cameras (Panasonic GH4, GH3, G3, G5, G6, G10, GF3, GF5, GF6, GX1, Olympus E-PL7, Blackmagic; from the Metabones site).
Likely G7 too.
It may still work but in the description it says: “Note that many of the Red-coded cameras actually do function, but there is a minor interference with the protective shutter cover. Although slight contact with the shutter cover appears to have no effect on the functioning or cosmetics of either the camera or the Speed Booster we cannot support these combinations due to possible risk of damage.”
OK, simpleton’s question, but….
How useful are these for stills shooting?
They are fantastic for stills too. In simple terms it turns your m4/3 camera into an APS-C camera.
Actually more like an APS-H camera.
plus an extra 1/3 stop of light
This is BS…..the SB already turns the GH4 into S35 (HD mode) and you can get f/0.95 on a f/1.2 lens ffs………
Maybe you are confused cause there is a crop in 4K.
I understand that but the current SB still works very well with UHD.
So… why is it BS?
There is the price….
Nikon G to Micro Four Thirds Speed Booster XL 0.64x: USD 479
Canon EF Lens to Micro Four Thirds T Speed Booster XL 0.64x USD 649
One of the reasons to go with Nikon glass… damn Canon EF(-S) lenses with their electronic aperture control.
Yes but the electronic Canon version gives you IS as well (where available).
I have a question, I’ve been planning a GH4 purchase, and perhaps a new cine lens or two, and until recently I’ve been looking at the Rokinon line. It seemed to me that a native MFT lens would offer terrific image quality– perhaps more so than an adapted lens on a Speedbooster.
Granted, the SB gets you that extra f-stop. And there’s the crop-factor issue; I assume it means that the Speedbooster throws an image onto a larger area of the GH4’s sensor than a Rokinon or Veydra would.
So my choice is whether to go with native MFT lenses (cheap, probably decent), or invest in a Speedbooster and start hunting Nikon or Canon glass (expensive adapter, but everyone raves about the results).
However… well, I’ve been looking for examples of the Roki lenses. But nearly every video I’ve found uses a Roki Canon-mount lens with a Speedbooster. They all look great, but are there any examples of, say, a Roki 50mm native MFT lens used on a GH4? Just so I can see what the native MFT system can do?
there are no Roki 50mm native mft, only 7.5 mm, and 12 mm (which is aps-c)
Actually, there is a Roki 50mm native MFT, unless I[‘m reading the description incorrectly: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N1B47B8/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
The core question is whether a native MFT lens offers the same crop factor as a full-frame lens with a Speedbooster.
it’s just a DSLR lens with permanently attached adapter, it makes little sense to buy it in m43 (rather than, say, nikon mount) because you lose option to use it with SB and it’s a lot harder to sell it
Agreed. I get everything in Nikon mount. From Canon I only have FD lenses. Dummy adapters help to mount it to the M43 system and keep aperture control with Nikon lenses… speedboosters/lens turbos/focal reducers help to cut back on the crop factor and get back some depth of field and gain light sensitivity (the M43 cameras aren’t known for brilliant lowlight capability, so keeping ISO as low as possible is a definit win).
Hi Brian, if you’re going to get the Metabones SB, I would recommend the Sigma Art lesnses, especially the 18-35mm f/1.8. I have the GH4, SB and a number of the Rokinon primes and am not very happy with the performance wide open (see my comment further down this thread). Using the Rokinon’s at f/1.4 I’ve noticed a rough, haziness to the bokeh and out of focus regions. It’s harder to notice in photography situations, but becomes really evident in video when you’re focusing and the focal plane is moving. I find it very distracting, and usually have to stop down my Rokinon lenses to get an image I’m happy with. This negates the exposure benefits of the SB, but just to have the wider FOV i would still say the SB is worth it. I have the Roki 24, 35, and 85. The 24 is definitely unusable wide open on the SB and worst performer, the 85mm struggles, and the 35mm does okay. However, I am okay using my Sigma Art 50mm wide open, and same with the Sigma 18-35mm.
I would not buy native MFT glass, personally. The wider FOV you get with the SB is seriously worth it, and you need EF mount to use with that. You don’t want to deal with the sizable crop on the native MFT Rokinon glass. Additionally, it’ll be nice to use your Canon/Nikon mount rokinons with other bodies if you happen to use a non MFT camera. Perhaps you’re relatively confident you won’t, but it’s always a possibility. However, if you can afford ~3 of the Veydra Cine primes, I would go with those over the SB + Canon glass. They’re about the only exception to buying native MFT glass for video, in my opinion.
I don’t think the Sigma 18-35mm f/1:1.8 will be able to cover the hole sensor with this new adapter. I can already see it cutting corners with the excisting speed booster when taking stills. This lens is made for APS-C, but with the new SB you need a lens that can cover at least APS-H.
i believe youre right. regular MFT with speedbooster results in 1,4 crop, and only through the additional crop of the gh4 in 4k it will give you 1,6. with the new speedbooster youll get 1,28 crop in photo + 1080p and 1,47 in 4k.
if youre not super picky with vignetting it should be fine for 4k mode, but photos and 1080p is definitely out of question.
Thanks for the info re Roki and Veydra lenses.
Most of the commentary on the crop factor issue has been to explain that you get the full field of view of the Canon or Nikon lens on an MFT sensor. That’s great, but I couldn’t see how this’d translate to a better image than a native MFT lens of the same size– other than the intrinsic quality of the lens. Nice to know that the Rokis are basically standard lenses with adapters attached.
So now I’m weighing a Speed Booster plus some cheap Nikon lenses, which seems to work out to be much cheaper than buying the Veydra line– and the lenses’d be faster, to boot. So my next question is whether Canon and Nikon lenses can be purchased with clickless apertures, and how easily they can be adapted with cine gears.
If this thing covers APS-C then I have a non-medium format lens that could cover larger than FF for it.