Speed booster for NEX

[mbroomfield]

I added several more photos/lenses from yesterday; Leica 28 and 60, Super Angulon PC 28, c/y 21, c/y 28/2, ZF 25/2.8

[Vivek]

I have not yet received my adapters (to use various lenses on EOS mount).

Here is a quick snap from NEX-6 via the Speed Booster + Nikon AF 50/1.8 (the lens was held in front via a K ring), HVL-20 providing a bounce flash light.


NEX-6, Speed Booster, Nikon AF 50/1.8, HVL-F20AM, f/1.8, 1/160s, ISO100

And, yes, the image describes my verdict on the SB. I am simply delighted with it though I have not had a chance to use all the lenses I have been for the past year or so.

[Vivek]

There is only one lens I have that is compatible to mount, EF 28-80 f/3.5-5.6 IV. AF does not work with this lens.
This was found on the only EOS camera I have, an EOS IX! Glad that I was forced to use this lens (especially since I do not even have a hood for it). The details I see at the wide end (at f/2.5) is quite amazing.

I did manage to take a few snaps earlier today.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr
NEX-6, Speed Booster, EF 28-80 f/3.5-5.6 IV [EXIF shows 19mm and f/2.5] (19mm and f/2.5) ISO800, 1/400s.

[Vivek]

Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr
NEX-6, Speed Booster, EF 28-80 IV, again 19/2.5.

[Vivek]

Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

All same as above.

[mazor]

impressive images vivek. pretty close to being convinced this is the best accessory/addon out there for the Nex series cameras!

I gather you own the EF to NEX speed booster from the pics you are posting. It definitely is the most expensive speed booster as it it supports "AF"

It seems metabones is bringing out new models of there smart adapter at an alarming rate. I think I will definitely be purchasing the speed booster when they integrate faster AF for EF lens using both phase based and contrast based AF.

[Vivek]

Mazor, The AF will only work with some lenses according to Metabones. This zoom does not AF. It is just astounding to see the contrast boost! I am on the look out for any compact (and constant aperture) EF zoom. I do not think I will buy the 40/2.8. Not that small.

[Taylor Sherman]

Originally Posted by mbroomfield

I added several more photos/lenses from yesterday; Leica 28 and 60, Super Angulon PC 28, c/y 21, c/y 28/2, ZF 25/2.8

Thanks for these! Interesting. The R28 looks kinda so-so. The PC 28 a bit better?

I'm assuming the WB differences are just due to the cameras themselves, eg the speedbooster isn't somehow drastically warming things up? At least I haven't noticed that using it with my LR60.

[mbroomfield]

Taylor, yes I didn't try to WB anything, everything Auto. I was surprised at the difference. I had originally planned to used a grey card for all shots but it was bitter cold this weekend and my mind as well as body parts went numb. The R28 didn't get to infinity with the SB. Metabones have a HowTo on adjusting infinity, or I could have tried a different adapter but too short on time for the latter and I'm most likely going to send it back due to the incompatibilities I had so I didn't want to mess with it. It could be better with a correct adapter.

[Vivek]

The SB does not come with a manual. There is, however, a manual on the Metabones website:

Metabones - Smart Adapter User Manual

particularly this part:

http://www.metabones.com/smart-adapt...manual?start=6

[mbroomfield]

Thanks Vivek. Yes I'd seen that and I think it's excellent that they have built this into the design. I'd decided not to do it as I want to send mine back and didn't want to "mis"adjust it. I'm returning it primarily because it won't take my wide OM lenses as well as others I have with wide adapters (thick adapters)

[Vivek]

Since I still do not have my adapters to use various lenses on the SB (EOS mount), I picked up an EF 50/1.8 and shot with it for a short while (all at f/1.3)

Here is the first shot near its close focus distance:


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr
NEX-6, Speed Booster, EF 50/1.6 II, f/1.3, ISO100

[Vivek]

The salesman was curious if the lens+SB combo is any good, so we have to check it out immediately.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr
NEX-6, Speed Booster, EF 50/1.8 [35mm, f/1.3]

[Vivek]

My first "real" shot. All are done at f/1.3 and manually focused. This lens also can not AF! I will find out if any EOS lenses can AF with the SB, soon.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

[Vivek]

Weather was quite inclement.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

[Vivek]

There were very short breaks from the cold downpour.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

[Vivek]

I will throw in these two from a special French bakery in the town.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

[Vivek]

Yes, it is all about bokeh and speed and it works for those reasons perfectly.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

[Vivek]

Manual focusing and EF 50/1.8 II will take some time for me to get used to.

The first shot is what I wanted (slight misfocus) but the second one has the correct intended focus.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

[Vivek]

More bokeh shots.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

[Vivek]

Given the first wide open shot at the shop, it was clear how sharp images can be with careful focus and proper holding. That never happens with me on the streets. Nevertheless, all these are just fine for me.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

Not only the center but corners are also more than OK even at f/1.3 and under miserable lighting conditions.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

[mazor]

vivek, do you have some ultra wides to test on the adapter, would love to see some shots wide open aperture, so see how much affects the corner softness, Do u have the standard smart adapter to compare?

[Vivek]

I will be checking a few EOS lenses of a friend of mine soon. None involve an ultrawide.

At some point, I can always try the C-V 12/5.6 once I fit it properly. This is the same lens that was also made in a Nikon F mount (but needed the mirror lock up to use).

Frankly, i am not that interested in checking how each lens does without the SB optics. Most of the lenses I have, I already know. From what I see, the SB optics, not only increase the aperture but also the sharpness and the contrast. The ones I show from the EF 50/1.8, in the post, I had to tone down the contrast. This is seldom experienced with an f/1.3 lens, wide open or even with an f/1.8 wide open, even more so in diffuse/poor light.

[mazor]

np vivek. I have the canon 17-40 f4 L, that is why I am interested in ultra wides.

Be careful with the CV 12/5.6. if it protruded right into the camera for nikon F, there is prob no doubt it may hit the speed booster optic!

I think SB would work best with slower Canon Lens on NEx, as you would get that extra light stop advantage, plus close to true focal lengths as the lens was designed. More importantly, the slower Canon lens, are quite compact and small, compared to the 1.2L series canon glass.

[Vivek]

Does AF work with any of your EF lenses and the Metabones adapter, mazor?

I will have a chance to check out some fast EF lenses soon, btw.

The one i am really looking forawrd to using is the 50/1.2 OM lens. It is about the same size as the EF 50/1.8. the adapters have to show up!

[mazor]

no vivek, unfortunately I have the mark one adapter which does not have any option for AF, very sad ;(

Look forward to seeing some of you OM lens on EF to nex speed booster. Will be a remarkable combo having f0.9 at your disposal

[Vivek]

Today, I located my EOS to T adapter and could check out the Vivitar Series 1 800mm f/11 lens. A few samples. I have uploaded large sized samples (twice the pixels) and if anyone wants they can go to the flickr link and check "all sizes". My sample of the Vivitar lens is far from perfect (there is a bit of uneven have on the mirror and the tripod mount is broken and is unusable). These are whole frames with no vignette corrections in the post. Again, as I mentioned earlier, contrast had to be toned down a bit (unheard of with a Catadioptric lens!!!)
Shots taken through a double pane window that isn't squeaky clean and there were twigs and branches in the way. Focusing is not a trivial matter.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr
NEX-6, Speed Booster, Vivitar Series 1 800mm f/11, ISO1600, Speeds 1/1600s to 1/2500s, Handheld

[brianc1959]

Originally Posted by mazor

np vivek. I have the canon 17-40 f4 L, that is why I am interested in ultra wides.

Be careful with the CV 12/5.6. if it protruded right into the camera for nikon F, there is prob no doubt it may hit the speed booster optic!

I think SB would work best with slower Canon Lens on NEx, as you would get that extra light stop advantage, plus close to true focal lengths as the lens was designed. More importantly, the slower Canon lens, are quite compact and small, compared to the 1.2L series canon glass.

FYI, this mini-review of the SB with a 17mm TS-E was posted yesterday:
Photototo: Metabones Speed Booster Review (NEX 7) Part II - Canon TS-E 17 f4 L

Also, James Miller's early test film (published in his review on Philip Bloom's site) was done with the 17-40/4L set to 24mm (17mm f/2.8 actual focal length and speed): 194 grams on Vimeo

[brianc1959]

Originally Posted by Vivek

Today, I located my EOS to T adapter and could check out the Vivitar Series 1 800mm f/11 lens. A few samples. I have uploaded large sized samples (twice the pixels) and if anyone wants they can go to the flickr link and check "all sizes". My sample of the Vivitar lens is far from perfect (there is a bit of uneven have on the mirror and the tripod mount is broken and is unusable). These are whole frames with no vignette corrections in the post. Again, as I mentioned earlier, contrast had to be toned down a bit (unheard of with a Catadioptric lens!!!)
Shots taken through a double pane window that isn't squeaky clean and there were twigs and branches in the way. Focusing is not a trivial matter.

Thanks for posting these, Vivek. I've been curious about how various mirror lenses would work with the SB.

[k-hawinkler]

Vivek,

Thanks and congratulations.
Great shots skillfully taken.
I think the Speed Booster is a winner!

Best, K-H.

[Vivek]

Originally Posted by brianc1959

Thanks for posting these, Vivek. I've been curious about how various mirror lenses would work with the SB.

Thank you, Brian! The experience is pleasing. The lnes choices are limited at the moment due to lack of adapter availabilities.

I add here a couple of shots from earlier today with the Canon EF 50/1.8 II which in combination with the SB is absolutely awesome!


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr
NEX-6, Speed Booster, Canon EF 50/1.8 II, effective 35/1.3! ISO100.

Same setup.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

I must add here that these are manually focussed street shots and not made under ideal conditions.

[Vivek]

Originally Posted by k-hawinkler

Vivek,

Thanks and congratulations.
Great shots skillfully taken.
I think the Speed Booster is a winner!

Best, K-H.

Hi K-H, I appreciate your kind words.

FWIW: I have setup a folder for shots taken using the SB

Speed Booster - a set on Flickr

[clark666]

First Impressions: Metabones Speed Booster: Digital Photography Review

Digital Photography Review preview

[Slingers]

I've been reading this thread for a while when I was waiting for my speed booster to arrive and wanted to say thanks to everyone that has posted in here. I put up some quick jpegs I did for my wife to put on Facebook on Flickr from my NEX-7 and speed booster that I thought people would want to see. I have the EF 17-40 f4 and can confirm that the autofocus works but takes about 5 seconds to focus as an estimate.

The corners aren't perfect on my copy of the 17-40 and it shows here in this pic @17mm:


Dinosaur at the zoo by SlingerC, on Flickr

[Vivek]

Slingers, Welcome!

That looks pretty good to me. Did you have trouble with color casts and or any uncorrectable CA?

[Vivek]

FWIW, 3 adapters I was waiting for arrived- EOS -> Nikon, EOS -> Olympus OM and EOS -> Leica R. I am still missing the EOS-> M42 adapter due to the seller's mistake.

Right away, a caution: Leica R lenses (I have only 2 primes)-

1. Elmarit-R 28/2.8 - the shroud needs a trim. Can focus safely to ~2m. Beyond that metal would start grinding against the optics of the SB!

2. Summicron-R 50/2- Focus is possible ~1m. The shroud needs a trim (possibly just ~1mm) to achieve infinity focus.

The same applies for Olympus OM Macro 50/3.5, Nikkon Micronikkor 55/3.5 and a few others. I would strongly suggest everyone to stay away from the GN-Nikkor 45/2.8. NOT worth the bother!

What can say about that Olympus OM 50/1.2! Not only there appears to be no need for a mod but the results are much more pleasing than expected!

[monza]

It appears Metabones needs to be provide more detail to Leica R owners as to how the lenses can fit.

And perhaps provide some sort of a template so people don't blindly try to attach a lens and mess up the optics when there is a physical conflict!

[cunim]

Originally Posted by monza

It appears Metabones needs to be provide more detail to Leica R owners as to how the lenses can fit.

And perhaps provide some sort of a template so people don't blindly try to attach a lens and mess up the optics when there is a physical conflict!

Absolutely!!! I received my LR/NEX sb and proceeded to blindly attach a 50 Summicron and mess up the optics. I have asked Metabones about replacing my L/R adapter with an L/M adapter, as my M lenses do not appear to have shrouds that would conflict. Let's see how they reply, but I have not found communication to be a strong point of theirs.

Vivek, what is this shroud trimming you speak of? The shrouds on the 50 and 35 lenses are pretty substantial. Do they have a function? I should think vibration and dust from grinding away at them would not be beneficial to lens integrity. Is it really that easy to do? If so, I suppose I could take a Dremel to the lens.

[k-hawinkler]

I think I read somewhere that Brian Caldwell, the designer of the optics of the Speed Booster, ruled out a Speed Booster adapter for Leica M lenses. Not enough space to fit in the optics.

[Vivek]

Here are two samples from Tamron 200/3.5 +SB on NEX-6. I bought this lens for a specific project, a few years ago. On a Nikon D300, it was so-so.

With the SB, the behavior changes totally. Suddenly, it is a very contrasty and sharp lens.

This one at ~4 meters. Both were taken handheld and whole frames with no vignette change in the post. Contrast was reduced in the post (the lens + SB becomes "too contrasty").



Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr
NEX-6, Speed Booster, Tamron 200/3.5, ISO1600, 1/500s, Effective f/2.5.

This one ~2.5 meters, just to show the extreme corner at this distance.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr
NEX-6, Speed Booster, Tamron 200/3.5, ISO1600, 1/500s, Effective f/3.5

[cunim]

Originally Posted by k-hawinkler

I think I read somewhere that Brian Caldwell, the designer of the optics of the Speed Booster, ruled out a Speed Booster adapter for Leica M lenses. Not enough space to fit in the optics.

Aaargh. You are correct. See attached proof. Will use my lensless Novoflex.

[Vivek]

Originally Posted by cunim

Vivek, what is this shroud trimming you speak of? The shrouds on the 50 and 35 lenses are pretty substantial. Do they have a function? I should think vibration and dust from grinding away at them would not be beneficial to lens integrity. Is it really that easy to do? If so, I suppose I could take a Dremel to the lens.

I will check soon and let you know. Yes, the shrouds are substantial.

[mbroomfield]

The 28 R Elmarit shroud can be simply removed by 2 screws. Better to do that than grind it I think. It needs this mod to be used on a 1Ds3.

My 28 wouldn't reach infinity on the SB and Nex7. I attributed it to a slightly thick R-EOS adapter but I can't check with another.

[Vivek]

A sample shot using the R 50/2. At a distance of ~1.2m. The contrast was reduced by 20% in the post (LR4.3). Mixed lighting.


NEX-6, Speed Booster, Summicron R 50/2, ISO100, 1/20s, Effective f/2, Handheld

[Slingers]

Vivek, you have some taken some amazing pics with the speed booster. I saw some earlier cropped bokeh examples, I think they were of rubber bands, and were a little disappointed with them but yours have changed my mind.

I only spent about a minute on all my pics on Flickr with the speed booster as I didn't have time. There was only a tiny amount of CA and all went away in a couple of clicks.

I'm waiting on a Nikon F -> EOS adapter but I'm already happy with some crude tests I have done holding them up to speed booster.

[k-hawinkler]

Hi Vivek,

Have you noticed this Re: to jpr2: Sony NEX Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review, quote:

"BTW it is interesting that in Khaw samples, there is no heavy vignetting in the extreme corners. My EF/NEX version shows vignetting at all lenses above 35mm and it is getting worse as the lens is stopped down."

Of course, khaw that's me.

Best, K-H.

[Vivek]

Originally Posted by Slingers

Vivek, you have some taken some amazing pics with the speed booster. I saw some earlier cropped bokeh examples, I think they were of rubber bands, and were a little disappointed with them but yours have changed my mind.

I only spent about a minute on all my pics on Flickr with the speed booster as I didn't have time. There was only a tiny amount of CA and all went away in a couple of clicks.

I'm waiting on a Nikon F -> EOS adapter but I'm already happy with some crude tests I have done holding them up to speed booster.

Thanks for the details and your kind words, Slingers. There are some fabulous Nikon lenses which do fantastically well with the Speed Booster on NEX.

[Vivek]

Originally Posted by k-hawinkler

Hi Vivek,

Have you noticed this Re: to jpr2: Sony NEX Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review, quote:

"BTW it is interesting that in Khaw samples, there is no heavy vignetting in the extreme corners. My EF/NEX version shows vignetting at all lenses above 35mm and it is getting worse as the lens is stopped down."

Of course, khaw that's me.

Best, K-H.

Hi K-H, I have no clue what that post means as it is contrary to my experience.

[Vivek]

Here is how I prepared my Summicron R 50/2 work fully with the Speed Booster.

Disclaimer: I do not recommend that anyone do this and if they do, I bear no responsibility!

First, the rear was generously taped off with masking tape (used for painting). I found the hood very useful in holding the lens securely.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr

Then using a key file, the rear protruding shroud was filed off, gently and without touching any of the masking tape.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr
NEX-6, Speed Booster, Canon EF 50/1.8 II, Effective f/1.3

After removing the masking tape, the rear of the lens was held close to a vacuum cleaner hose to make sure there are no metal shavings left (about 10mins) and the rear element cleaned to remove any tape residues. Infinity works fine with my sample using the a cheap EOS to Leica R adapter.

[Vivek]

Some lenses that have no interference with the Speed Booster.


Untitled by Vivek Iyer, on Flickr
NEX-6, Speed Booster, PC Micro Nikkor 85/2.8, Effective f/11, full tilt and 4mm shift.


From the front to rear:

1. Olympus OM 28/2.8 (the rear studs-plastic were filed off with a nail file)
2. Olympus OM Macro 50/3.5 (the rear shroud was yanked off with a pliers)
3. Olympus OM 50/1.2 (no interference as is)
4. Leica R Summicron 50/2 (the rear shroud was filed off). Here it is attached to an EOS to R adapter.

The PC Micro Nikkor 85/2.8 is a pleasure to use as always. I have not fully explored its potential with the Speed Booster, yet. I must say having the tripod mount on the Speed Booster is a bonus as it came in handy for this shot with the PC Nikkor.