I am ready to buy a speed booster I have a nikon 80-200 lenses now at 2.8 which has iris controls on it I also will be getting a 28-75 witch Iris controls and a 17-50 W/O iris controls. Is this the right adatper?

Metabones Nikon G Lens to Sony NEX Camera Speed MB_SPNFG-E-BM1

Hey Randy

I would wait until Steve Digges can give you some advice .. he had issues with the Metabones and problems on the camera which he got sorted out so he can advise on which model to buy that will work 100% on your camera.

Chris

I can't advise on which particular model to get Randy, but I believe Steve's problem was an isolated one and He had good customer service from Metabones in getting it resolved - speaking for myself it's the best and most useful add-on to the EA50 I've ever bought :)

Metabones only really has one right? They have a converter and a speed booster I just need the one for Nikon right?

Hey Randy from what I have seen they have all sorts and call them Mark1, II and III so I would seek advice before spending your money.

Do you want just a dumb adapter that gives you the extra stop or must the adapter communicate with the camera??

Chris

Well I guess if I could get one that communicated with the camera that would be best, I thought the Mark 1,2,3s were just converters not speed boosters. I was just going to get a converter (the extra f-stop would be nice but its not a deal breaker) the reason I wanted the speed booster is because of the wide angle function. I could make my 80-200 a 70-150 and make my 17-50 really wide for tight rooms and effects.

the speedbooster won't work on your 17-50 I would imagine - it needs full frame lenses to do its thing

doesnt work at all? Or just wont give me the extra f-stop? If thats the case I think I will just get a smart adapter because I dont know if it will work with my 80-200 either.

I think that lenses designed for APS-C sensors might vignette at the wide end so full frame lenses are advised. It still should work though surely???

Randy? Do you really need a speed booster? The 17-50 Nikon is a constant F2.8 so that should keep you happy with just a simple dumb adapter.

It seems to appear that the Metabones was developed especially for Canon lenses rather than a adapter for all lenses as people using them seem to have more success with the Canon/NEX configuration.

Let us know what you finally decide what to do ? You could just buy a faster lens too?? Last week my still camera was stolen from my car so I replaced it with a used Nikon D90 ..that came with a Tamron 18-200 lens but the seller also threw in a 35mm F1.8 Nikon lens ..Wow! that sees in the dark I can use it for wedding guest interviews!

Also remember than the faster your lens is, the smaller the DOF so focussing becomes more critical!!

Chris

I dont NEED a speed booster, I came to relize that your right 2.8 is fine for weddings but I more interested in the wider image. Like making my 80-200 a 60 ish to 150ish OR making a 17-50 super wide for tight places or whole room in a shot shots. If its not going to work I may just but a 28 to 75 at 2.8 I found on ebay for $300. If id just like to know at this point.

The Speedbooster for EF lenses is $200 more than the smart adapter but that one stop can make all the difference. At the weekend I was filming really dark wedding speeches so instead of my 24-105 F4 I used my 24-70 F2.8 (which I think becomes F1.8 with the speedbooster) - made just enough difference!

Pete

Peter
Thanks for your input, Do you have the Nikon mount or canon? Also will it work with this lens?
New Sigma 17 50 mm F 2 8 EX DC OS HSM Lens for Nikon Free Shipping from Japan 0085126583552 | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Sigma-17-50-mm-F-2-8-EX-DC-OS-HSM-Lens-For-Nikon-Free-Shipping-from-Japan-/161119420124?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item2583773edc)

Randy,

I am a Canon guy so I cannot speak for Nikon use. Here is what I do know about Canon.

1. All Metabones adapters are high quality. You do not have to worry about cheap machine work and a poor fit like you do with cheap adapters.

2. The speed booster does not widen your glass out beyond it’s 35mm focal length. It brings it back to it. In other words, it removes the APS-C crop factor so a 70=200 becomes a 70-200 again.

3. I don’t know how wide you can go without vignette. Like will the 17mm be 17mm with a speedbooster? My Canon 16mm works great with the smart adapter.

4. Some Canon aftermarket Tamrons and Sigma’s have reported issues. The adapter works best with real Canon lenses. I don’t know about Nikon.

5. There is a list of compatible lens models on the Metabones website.

I have the Smart adapter. I love it. If I did it again I would pay the extra for the Speedbooster. The Speedbooster was just released the same month I bought my adapter so it was untested. I should have gone for it.

In my opinion, having an adapter communicate with the camera is worth the extra money.

When you look at the benefit I get from it my adapter is priceless. I already owned about $10,000.00 in Canon glass. Being able to use that on a video camera via the adapter is why I bought an EA50…..Priceless!

Steve

Randy,

Please forgive my unsolicited advice, you do ask for a lot of advice so I hope you will not see this as a knock on you, it is not.

I think you have started about 10 or 15 threads on lenses. Plus several of us tried to convince you not to count on the 2x zoom as a way of thinking it will always give you two lenses in one. If you have still not made a decision this is what I would do.

First, determine exactly what your needs are in speed and focal length. Then pick brand or mount type, put a plan together and stick with it.

For some of us that was easy because we were already invested in a brand of glass. You have options and it seems to be killing you. Just because someone gave you a Nikon lens may not mean you need to go all Nikon. Or, just because the EA50 offers so many options does not mean you have to use them all.

Lenses are obviously critical. They are also one of those places you get what you pay for. I DO understand that money matters! The thing I am reading into your posts is that you want more versatility than you can get. There is no “one or two do it all answer”. That is why we all put together a system.

The reason I bring this all up is the multitude of options means it can be easy to build Frankenstein. And Frankenstein was a monster! I am not a fan of kits with multiple brands and lots of adapters for anything. Right here in this forum you can see how different guys make things work for them but a common denominator is still a given brand. Craig likes Leica so he stays mostly there, Chris is Nikon, I am Canon, etc…. Since you are not already vested in a brand maybe you should pick one and put a plan together.. You could even pick Sony E-mount, no adapter at all. Or Sony E and A-mount for a ton of selection, compatibility, and reasonable price. I don’t think grave robbing is the way to build a kit of lenses. You may end up having to breathe life into it on a job someday!

This is just my not so humble opinion, YMMV!

Steve

Steve,
Thanks for the input, the reason I have so many threads on lenses is because I am a wedding guy and I need flexability and low light performance. the stock lens is good but not good enough in low light so I need to find options for different situations. Sometimes I need 150-200 mm and sometimes I need as wide as I can. I always need speed. I am also learning thats why I ask so many questions I dont have a local shop that his the speed booster so I cant play around and test it.For more than one reason I am going with a Nikon mount I think I am just going to buy the metabones adapter and speed booster and if it doesnt work for me I will send it back. There is no "fix all" lens solution if there were it would be the stock lens but 2.8 straight through. Not realistic.

I'm going to get a Sigma 18-35 F1.8 lens ..they are awesome for receptions. I was stalling over the price last week but then some dirtbag stole a camera bag with my Nikon body lenses and flash last Friday and the insurance have paid me out a wee bit more than what I listed as the replacement values so I'm up a bunch of dollars which will just about cover the Sigma so instead of replacing the Tamron 17-50 F2.8 at $499 I'm going to rather get the new Sigma 18-35 F1.8 which is really nice in low light ...and also a lot easier to use than my 35mm F1.8 prime lens which does make it tricky when a group wants to do video and I have to step right back which doesn't make the audio so good.

Better than a speed booster for me I think

Chris

That looks like a nice lens, let us know how it works out. It almost looks like they too a 17-50 and put in speed boosterish technology to widen it out and get the extra stop.

Hi Randy

I think maybe Marlon has one already and said it's awesome! Most brides and guests don't like an LED light in their eyes and a fast lens can solve that. I have a dual use as we also do photos so I can get nice shallow DOF on stills with a fast lens. At 18mm the DOF is still very manageable too! You still have nearly 3' of focus when you are 10' away at F1.8 with the lens wide so doing stuff like cutaways and table shots on video will be great at receptions without any extra light.

Chris

Do you have any camera control?

Fast lenses have nothing to do with speedbooster technology. Fast lenses require quality glass and lots of it. Quality plus quantity equals expensive. They are expensive to make. There is no substitute for good glass.

Steve

Hi Steve

Quite correct. The Tamron 17-50 F2.8 costs $300 here but my new Sigma (just picked it up this morning) is 3 times the price ..Didn't get much change out of $1000!!! So it's definitely not just a tweaked lens. The cost will be in the glass and putting a cheap lens on a speed booster isn't going to give you anywhere near the same result as a decent fast lens.

Randy? It's a Nikon mount lens not a E-Mount so no you have to focus and adjust iris manually. At wedding receptions where it's dark anyway I just open it up to F1.8 and let the camera set the shutter and then manually focus. I would be hesitant to trust AF anyway when you are working with tiny DOF! Even at 18mm the Sigma if your subject is only 10' away DOF is a mere 23" and get smaller if you zoom so focus peaking is an essential. If I use the stock lens in a reception on auto ..I notice it struggles on focus so manual is faster anyway!

Chris

I guess what I thought about that was I read this in the highlights
Designed for APS-C-Sized Sensors
35mm Equivalent Focal Length: 27-52.5mm

and that seemed to do what the Metabones adapter would do to a 28-50.

I wish someone would make one with a e-mount, id spend the money on that id I could get full camera control.

Hi Randy

There is really no hassle using the lens in manual! At receptions just set it wide open and leave the camera on full auto and everything except focus is done for you. It make a huge difference at home ..in my office this morning the stock lens was at F3.5 and needed 15db ... the Sigma also at 18mm had 3db gain only .... I'm off to a wedding in an hour so I'll use the Sigma tonight at the reception and report back on how useful it is. Nice thing is I can also use the lens on my Nikons and get super shallow DOF for bridal shoots when we do both photo and video!!

Chris

Hi, I have one of the relatively rare C/Y to NEX 'Speed Boosters'. It was made by Metabones from the Brian Caldwell design specifically to accept fast, full frame Carl Zeiss 'Contax' lenses from the 70s and 80s. These fully manual prime and zoom lenses were state of the art at the time (still are?) and have the same T* coating (and similar internal design) as the legendary Zeiss CP2s, much loved by film and video cinematographers the world over. In my opinion, using these traditional film lenses with their huge focus rotation on modern cameras with large CMOS sensors (in conjunction with a Metabones built 'Speed Booster') and judicious use of shutter speed, frame rates and filters, etc, can be a very cost effective way to achieve a traditional 'film style' of photography with modern digital cameras.

With any Full Frame lens (Canon or Nikon included), the 'Speed Booster' will 'correct' the lens FOV for the Sony APS-C 'crop' sensor so the lens' original field of view remains the same as it would on a camera with a FF sensor. In addition, light normally lost to the outside of the APS-C sensor's image circle is now 'concentrated' onto the sensor, thereby gaining +1 stop. There are a couple of other benefits too so all in, they are an essential camera accessory if you have or are considering acquiring a collection of traditional FF lenses to use with digital cameras.

Hey Craig

Randy seems to be looking for a speed booster that has full EA-50 functionality including autofocus and as far as I know even the Metabones Smart adapter cannot give full camera control and do a boost as well, but I might be wrong. I thought that the Smart Adapter allows full camera control but dicey AF and the Speed Booster only does what your one does and makes a FF lens work on an APSC sensor and increases by 1 stop BUT no camera control. Is that correct??

It would be nice to have everything but I don't think that happens

Chris

Hi Chris,

Yes, as I understand it, Metabones make 1) the Speed Booster and 2) the 'intelligent' Adapter (as opposed to a 'dumb' adapter) so Randy has a pretty tall ask.

In my experience, each SLR/DSLR lens manufacturer uses their own 'native software' for their specific auto iris/focus so for example, Canon lens' auto features seem to perform best on Canon camera bodies. Things improve for broadcast ENG lenses where say, a Sony camera can accept B4 lenses from Fujinon, Angenieux or Canon and the operator can expect each to perform similar auto/manual functions.

Eventually, with more and more camera's now sporting a WiFi capability, we may see some greater interface standards accepted by both camera and lens manufacturers but in the interim and for the EA-50, I would recommend using fully manual lenses or Sony lenses specifically designed for it.

PS: Irrespective of all the negative press, I still love the versatility of Sony's SELP16-50mm motor zoom on my APS-C E-Mount VG20. For only $175 new on ebay, it offers a FF equivalent of 24mm to 75mm with Auto Focus, Auto Iris, OSS, a 'proportional' motor zoom and at a slow old F3.5, I don't need to use ND filters!

Hi Craig

That's what I figured too. Really, it is so simple to manual focus as long as you have a rough idea of your DOF on fast lenses ... I can manage a fast bride and groom walk in on my camera at F1.8 ..OK you only have around 2' to play with but it's still quite easy.

I looked at the 16-50 but the 18-200 works just as well if I need to be in auto as I'm normally at 18mm and that's also F3.5 . My go to lens at wedding receptions is still my new Sigma 18-35 which is F1.8 constant and almost parfocal ... I can stay in focus and also zoom 3/4 way and still be in focus which is great and the F1.8 is sadly a requirement at most receptions as they never seem to like lights!!

Being a Nikon mount it's great for stills too!!

Randy's life would be much easier if he used a dumb adapter and did a focus by hand. The EA-50 can still run in auto mode and also adjusts shutter/iso for you and has focus peaking working even on a dumb lens so as long as you focus, all the rest is done for you!!

Chris

I ordered a speed booster I should get it later today. I know I wont get auto focus or auto iris. The question I originally needed to know was was the the link I posted the right booster? It looks like theres only one nikon to NEX now but in the past there looks like there were a number of versions to choose from. Also What do you get with a "Smart" adapter vs a "dumb" adapter? if you dont get auto iris and auto focus what else is there?

Guys,

The Speed Booster and the Smart Adapter function exactly the same for EVERY electronic capability. In fact, they run off of the same firmware. The only difference between the two is the Speed Boosters glass element.

The firmware operates the electronic controls and communication for both devices. The Smart Adapter has NO glass in it. The Speed Booster has a glass element that is called "focal reducer". The glass gives the Speed Booster it's increase in light transmission and change in focal length.

The gain in light is not really one full f-stop. It is a little less, closer to one t-stop.

The firmware passes electronic information through the adapter. In most cases every auto function works except AF. AF is hit and miss and slow at best.

Randy, I can't speak definitively for the specifics of Nikon. This is how I think it will work. If you are using a Speed Booster on a true Nikon lens (auto) you will get aperture control.

Steve

ok I got my speed booster I dont have my 80-200 with me but I borrowed my friends 17-50 and sure enough it had vinetting I like it and plan to keep it so I now will look for a lens on e-bay like a 17-50 ish that will work with it.

There was a post somewhere here about some 17-50 lenses just not working with the Adapter at all ...think it was Tamron but I'm not sure so I would look for a genuine Canon lens rather on eBay

Chris

I use Nikon mounts but I will try other lenses. Maybe a 28 to 75 I was looking at.

Well I think im sending it back, I tried it on my 80-200 it worked BUT it took away aperature control. It was wide open all the time. I think I will just put the money towardds a lens.

Well after further evaluation it does actually work. Apparently I need to be carefull how I put my 80-200 on it so it does let me control the aperature. So I will keep it and for now marry it to my 80-200 for big dark churches I can even use it on my 17-50 it makes it brighter and wider but does vinette BUT I can use the digital zoom to over come that if im desperate for light. Just zoom to 1.1/1.2 goes past the edges and doesnt add any artifacts that I can see.

Hi Randy

Sounds like a pain in the butt to use?? Why do you have to be "careful" ?? Surely you just lock the adapter on the camera and click the lens onto the adapter. What else do you have to do .... In the chaos of a wedding I don't think I would like to have to start being fussy if I want to change lenses..there just often isn't time!!

With lenses and vignetting, am I correct in saying that you cannot use lenses that are designed for APSC sensors ?? So they have to be full frame lenses ?? That sucks a bit if that's true cos the whole concept for me is to be able to use my APSC Nikon lenses on my Sony camera and it seems a bit pointless if you have to then go out and buy different FF lenses just so the adapter doesn't vignette?

Chris

Chris,

If you want to use the speed booster, yes you need FF lenses or they have the
potential to vignette especially at the wider focal ranges. If you want to use your APSC
lenses, you just buy the normal smart adapter and they work great. For Nikon lenses
I think the Novoflex is one of the best for using APSC lenses on the Sony NEX line.

Im not sure why it wasn't working at first I has kinda anxious and I think when I put it together the first time something didn't click in right so I didnt have aperture control. When I took my time and put the adapter on the camera then the lens to the adapter I heard a spring click that I didn't hear before and then it worked fine. Right not making my 80-200 wider and brighter is worth the price of admission for me so from here on in I will just try and find lenses that work with it.

Thanks Gabe

That's exactly what I'm using and it works well and no hassles. With a Sigma 18-35 F1.8 I'm pretty happy with a dumb adapter!! I can manage a DOF at 35mm and F1.8 and that's about my limit!! Anything tighter and I would struggle!! I did a wedding tonight with just the Sigma on the camera and apart from the dancing when all the lights go out, I didn't need a video light...Inside the venue I was shooting mostly at F1.8 @1/50th and the camera was hovering around the 3db gain mark only ..very respectful!!

and I can use it as a great lens on my Nikons too!!

Randy? I don't think the speed booster is worth me buying as I already have Nikon APSC lenses so I don't want to have to have a special set of FF lenses just so I can make them faster!

Chris

Chris, it is probably not for you because your already set up with your Noxoflex.

Randy, you need to reed the instructions for the adapter. Mounting it is NOT difficult but there is a protocol for it because it has two modes.

Steve

Thanks Steve

If I was going to go the FF route) then I would follow Chris Young's suggestion and look for some really good vintage Minolta glass but yes, for me it would be silly to go out and buy another set of lenses just so I can use a speed booster when I already have a bag full of APSC Nikon mount lenses so having them dual purpose is an asset for me.

I guess Randy needs to decide whether to work with dedicated FF Canon glass and his speed booster or look for Nikon mount lenses .. for the latter, it's probably better to just get faster Nikon mount lenses and use a dumb adapter.

Chris

Chris,
Im not sure what you mean by Canon glass. I dont have anything Canon I have a NEX camera and Nikon mount Lenes. I took the Tamoron 17-50 on a job today with the Speed Booster and it was great that extra stop really helped. I used the digital zoom to cover up the vinetting I only had to go to 1.2. My only issues were the same issues I would have with any converter. Manual Iris/focus and no servo zoom made for a awkward shoot if they ever released the 18-35 at 1.8 with a NEX mount I would be first in line.

Hey Randy

Sorry! I thought you had a bunch of Canon lenses! If I'm shooting on the 18-35 with a dumb adapter I just crank the lens wide open (You are in low light and if the stock lens at F3.5 isn't going to cut it, then it makes sense to go to F1.8) So I let the camera expose for me with a theoretical fixed F1.8 lens. At 18mm you have heaps of DOF so for things like people dancing, you seldom need to change focus and I simply focus on people in the middle of the floor. At 35mm it's a little tighter but still you seldom need to change focus so the extra effort is just an initial focus and you can run the cam almost as a point and shoot.

For me, I would rather not use digital zoom at all as it does degrade the image despite what Sony says!! and instead of buying a speed booster, I'd rather put that towards a lens I can use on both my still cameras and EA-50's .... even in manual, the Sigma is awesome ... I shot virtually the entire reception last night without using a video light at all. Nice to be in a venue and your camera sits around 3 -6db gain only!!!

Chris

I think the Metabones 'Speed Booster' is a very misunderstood device and often purchased for the wrong reasons. Perhaps it's name is a great marketing tool but as I see it, it's real benefit is to adapt all those superb vintage Full Frame 'film' SLR lenses to modern APS-C and MFT sensors and cure the ‘Filter Effect’ along the way!

To explain: the Metabones built device will improve contrast but it also corrects aberrations cause by the low-pass/infrared/sensor cover glass filter pack (used on CMOS sensors) when fitting ‘film’ lenses on digital cameras. The fact that it also doubles the amount of light hitting the sensor is a very nice spinoff!

Chris,
When you say you let the camera handle the exposer do you mean through shutter speed?

Hi Randy

Yes, that's correct but only partially!! In low light venues I just keep the iris wide open and then allow the camera to set the shutter (normally it will set it at 1/50 anyway) and the camera will also adjust iso/gain automatically.

When I'm sometimes using a dumb lens in bright light ..if I leave the iris wide open obviously the shutter will scream up to something like 1/6000 or even more so I simply close the iris until the shutter gets down to the range I want it. At weddings I'm not really phased about shutter speed as it has to be super high to affect video and as long as I can hover around the 1/100th to 1/300th that's great so really, I just turn the aperture control on the adapter until the shutter speed is in the low 100's and I'm done.

All this of course falls over if you are shooting progressive where shutter speed needs to be a multiple of frame rate ... I only shoot in 50i as it's easy simple and works for everything.

Chris

Craig, I agree that they are highly misunderstood. This thread has become a good example of misinformation about them. They are not just for full frame lenses. They are not hard or fussy about attachment, but there is a proper way to do it. They are not just for adapting old classic lenses. I use the smart adapter on my Canon EF lenses and it works great. Even at 16mm because it does not have the focal reducer element in it.

They are a very versatile tool. Even though they are a simple adapter you still need to understand how it works. I'm still not sure if Randy knows it has a green mode and an advanced mode? Those things are activated by how you attach it. You can also choose which one you want for a default. The green mode is useless for EA50 shooters, it is not there for us.

I don't like to see people who may benefit from a good piece of gear get steered away from it because of bad info on a forum but it happens all the time. I am not saying they don't have quirks. In fact, I think Gabe is one who has battled with them? Did you ever get everything working for you Gabe?

My bottom line is this: for $400.00 I am able to use about $10,000.00 worth of Canon glass on my EA50. I think that is a damn good deal. They are not for everyone, but if you already owned the glass or want glass that will work on a SLR body and your NEX body they can't be beat.

Steve

Steven wrote: "My bottom line is this: for $400.00 I am able to use about $10,000.00 worth of Canon glass on my EA50. I think that is a damn good deal. They are not for everyone, but if you already owned the glass or want glass that will work on a SLR body and your NEX body they can't be beat."

Precisely. In my case: "for $400.00 I am able to use about $10,000.00 worth of Carl Zeiss glass on my VG20. I think that is a damn good deal. They are not for everyone, but if you already owned the glass or want glass that will work on an SLR body, APS-C (or MFT body with the correct model), they can't be beat."

The reason I started this thread was to try and get through a lot of the mis information. After getting into it I realized that there are so many different types of users that I couldnt get a straight answer of how it effected me personally so I just went ahead and bought one. I am happy with my purchase and I hope to find a lens that is wide but doesn't vignette with it.

Just to update you guys if you are looking at a speed booster, My photographer friend let me at his collection of old lenses. I was like a kid in a candy store, He had a old Nikon 28-105 at 3.5-5 and it worked great it was brighter and the lens had a good feel. He gave it to me. Then I tried a 18-200 like the stock lens but now its brighter and a bit wider. He gave me that one to. The third one was a wide angle 13 mm @ 1.4 that would mount on the speed booster but was nice for special stuff. fortunately for me all these lenses were broken with problems that he couldnt use but I could:) focus motors, zoom motors or just wouldnt communicate with the camera anymore. If I try any more lenses I will add them to the list so you guys can get an idea of what works and what doesnt.