Steven Digges
January 20th, 2014, 02:48 PM
Great news for everyone that uses a Metabones adapter on a NEX video camera. I am starting a new thread to make it search friendly for all Metabones users because this is the best info I have ever posted. This is a little known technique that is not even on the Metabones site. This information applies to the Speed Booster and the Smart Adapter. They function on the same firmware. It is the glass element in the Speed Booster that makes them different devises, everything else is the same.
Everyone that has this adapter knows it has two modes: Green mode and Advanced mode. If you are using it on a NXCAM / NEX video camera green mode green mode is useless to you. It is basically a power saving mode for the NEX mirrorless still cams. If you are using the adapter on a NEX video camera Green Mode is a PIA. It is also the default mode for most firmware versions of the adapters. I don’t fault Metabones for Green Mode because these are adapters designed to work with a wide range of cameras and lenses. But, what a pain it is! All of us users know about holding down the wide open button every time you change a lens, shut off the camera, etc. For me, it would even default back to Green Mode every time I turned the camera off. And, when I would hold the W O button down while attaching a lens it would not go into Advanced Mode every time. So I was always looking at the view finder information to make sure it locked in. If you have zoom information and focus distance info you are in advanced mode.
The good news is there is a way to get Green Mode to go away and set Advanced Mode as the default. This fixed everything for me. The adapter now works every time, with simplicity. No more following protocols about what to attach first, no more dealing with the wide open button, no more checking to see if I am in advanced mode if I power down and up. I can change lenses without removing the adapter from the camera if I want to. It all works, every time. Green Mode is gone and so are the hassles it created.
To make advanced mode your default is simple:
1. Start up the camera
2. Attach the adapter to a lens first
3. Hold down the wide open button
4. Attach the adapter / lens to the camera but DO NOT let the wide open button get released
5. Check viewfinder to be sure you’re in Advanced Mode
6. Power off the camera without ever letting go of the wide open button
That is it. Your done, green mode is gone. I have tested all five of my Canon lenses (Four “L” lenses and a 2X extender). Even my old 35mm to 350mm zoom works now without Green Mode hassles. I bought that lens back around 1993.
My Metabones is the Smart Adapter II, Firmware V30 (the latest, recently upgraded).
Here is what I am wondering? You guys can help. Anyone that has followed every Metabones thread like I have knows that some guys have had problems with the adapter, including me. It is almost a mysterious bug because the adapter works, and then at some point looses aperture control, in rare cases. The Sony EA50, FS100, FS700 etc. family of cameras clearly do not like Green Mode. I am wondering if this could be a FIX for some of you, not just a default change. In my case I did the default change on a working adapter and working camera. The only thing that was not working is it would not lock into advanced mode every time I tried it. Sometimes I would have to attach the lens two or three times to get it to lock into advanced mode. Now I don’t have to worry about that anymore, so even for me this was a FIX, of sorts. If anyone else tries this would you please report your results back to this thread. These adapters are critical pieces of kit for some of us. I wonder if it help with the aperture problem? As far as I know almost everyone has working adapters, but there is someone on this site who does not.
One more piece of information. Metabones was very helpful in helping me diagnose the problems I had early on. They proved to me my brand new camera was faulty and I had no way of knowing that. I was blaming Metabones and the problem was my camera. It has been warranty repaired by Sony so I am a happy Metabones user. I am just trying to help everyone else out by spreading information.
I learned about this technique by following a link to another forum posted here by Phil Goetz. I am not sure even Phil knows how important and rare this information is. Thank you Phil!!! I am thrilled to have my adapter functioning so cleanly.
Chris Hurd or Mod, is there someplace else I should have posted this? There are Metabones threads all over the place?
Sorry I burned up so much server space. No one has ever accused me of being succinct!
Steve
Everyone that has this adapter knows it has two modes: Green mode and Advanced mode. If you are using it on a NXCAM / NEX video camera green mode green mode is useless to you. It is basically a power saving mode for the NEX mirrorless still cams. If you are using the adapter on a NEX video camera Green Mode is a PIA. It is also the default mode for most firmware versions of the adapters. I don’t fault Metabones for Green Mode because these are adapters designed to work with a wide range of cameras and lenses. But, what a pain it is! All of us users know about holding down the wide open button every time you change a lens, shut off the camera, etc. For me, it would even default back to Green Mode every time I turned the camera off. And, when I would hold the W O button down while attaching a lens it would not go into Advanced Mode every time. So I was always looking at the view finder information to make sure it locked in. If you have zoom information and focus distance info you are in advanced mode.
The good news is there is a way to get Green Mode to go away and set Advanced Mode as the default. This fixed everything for me. The adapter now works every time, with simplicity. No more following protocols about what to attach first, no more dealing with the wide open button, no more checking to see if I am in advanced mode if I power down and up. I can change lenses without removing the adapter from the camera if I want to. It all works, every time. Green Mode is gone and so are the hassles it created.
To make advanced mode your default is simple:
1. Start up the camera
2. Attach the adapter to a lens first
3. Hold down the wide open button
4. Attach the adapter / lens to the camera but DO NOT let the wide open button get released
5. Check viewfinder to be sure you’re in Advanced Mode
6. Power off the camera without ever letting go of the wide open button
That is it. Your done, green mode is gone. I have tested all five of my Canon lenses (Four “L” lenses and a 2X extender). Even my old 35mm to 350mm zoom works now without Green Mode hassles. I bought that lens back around 1993.
My Metabones is the Smart Adapter II, Firmware V30 (the latest, recently upgraded).
Here is what I am wondering? You guys can help. Anyone that has followed every Metabones thread like I have knows that some guys have had problems with the adapter, including me. It is almost a mysterious bug because the adapter works, and then at some point looses aperture control, in rare cases. The Sony EA50, FS100, FS700 etc. family of cameras clearly do not like Green Mode. I am wondering if this could be a FIX for some of you, not just a default change. In my case I did the default change on a working adapter and working camera. The only thing that was not working is it would not lock into advanced mode every time I tried it. Sometimes I would have to attach the lens two or three times to get it to lock into advanced mode. Now I don’t have to worry about that anymore, so even for me this was a FIX, of sorts. If anyone else tries this would you please report your results back to this thread. These adapters are critical pieces of kit for some of us. I wonder if it help with the aperture problem? As far as I know almost everyone has working adapters, but there is someone on this site who does not.
One more piece of information. Metabones was very helpful in helping me diagnose the problems I had early on. They proved to me my brand new camera was faulty and I had no way of knowing that. I was blaming Metabones and the problem was my camera. It has been warranty repaired by Sony so I am a happy Metabones user. I am just trying to help everyone else out by spreading information.
I learned about this technique by following a link to another forum posted here by Phil Goetz. I am not sure even Phil knows how important and rare this information is. Thank you Phil!!! I am thrilled to have my adapter functioning so cleanly.
Chris Hurd or Mod, is there someplace else I should have posted this? There are Metabones threads all over the place?
Sorry I burned up so much server space. No one has ever accused me of being succinct!
Steve