Metabones Speed Booster TEST THREAD

[rawhead]

Let's make a thread for sharing info on the Speed Booster, in terms of adapter/ lens compatibility, performance, etc.

I just got the adapter today (more like yesterday now), and haven't had the time to do any real tests (I received like 5 items in 2 days and am going bonkers now).

Very quick observations: it could be an issue with the cheap Chinese OM-EF adapter, but I couldn't get infinity on any of my three Zuiko OM lenses (28/2, 50/1.2). The 21/2 will NOT fit, as there is a protruding metal element that interferes (though shouldn't scratch the Speed Booster optics. relatively simple mod will be needed to mount it.

Zuiko OM 50/1.2 and 28/2 mounted fine, and performance seems to be as expected (i.e., good).

I'll try other mount adapters (including another OM-EF adapter that I have) and lens combinations, as well as comparison with 5Dmk2 in the coming days.
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EOS 5D Mk II, Sony NEX-6, Pentax 67II, Kiev-60, Hasselblad 203FE, 903SWC, Graflex Norita 66, Mamiya M645 1000s, Burke & James 8x10, Graflex Pacemaker Speed Graphic (4x5 and 3x4), Century Graphic (2x3), R.B. Graflex Seried D, Rolleiflex SL66E, Rolleiflex 2.8C Xenotar, Mamiya C330f, a few M42, six P6, three OM, four Hasselblad, two Pentax 67, two Mamiya 645, one Noritar, and a sprinkle of EF. Oh, and an Aero Ektar.

[Phenix jc]

Thank you for this precious thread ; I'm a possible buyer if the S B is available in Europe (price => customs tax) AND if infinity is possible with stacked adapters (sound bad...)
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"Plonger les choses dans la lumière, c'est les plonger dans l'infini" Léonard De Vinci
f/1.2 club Zuiko : 50/1.2, 55/1.2 s.n. Rokkor : MD 50/1.2, MC 58/1.2 Nikkor : 50/1.2, 55/1.2 Third Party : Porst(Fujinon-X) 50/1.2, Porst 55/1.2 Canon : S 50/1.2, nFD 50/1.2, FL 55/1.2, R 58/1.2, nFD 85/1.2 Hexanon : 57/1.2 Nokton : 50/1.1

[ManualFocus-G]

Congrats! Do you still have some M42s to test? You already know my concern...hopefully it's just your OM adapter and you can get this fixed. Do the lenses feel like full framers again?
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Graham - Moderator

Shooting things: Canon EOS 6D and 5D, Samsung NX11 with Carl Zeiss T*

See my Flickr photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/manualfocus-g

[kuuan]

Congratulations Rawhead, thank you heaps for this thread, VERY much looking forward to your samples, reports and opinions
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for sale: preset Takumars: f2/58mm ( rare Sonnar ), f3.5/135mm, f3.5/200mm - Auto Takumars: f3.5/35mm, f2/55mm - Super Takumar: f3.5/135mm - S-M-C Takumar f3.5/28mm - Tamron Adaptall: f2.5/28mm - Jupiter-9 f2/85mm, Auto Yashinon f2/5cm, Kiron f2.8/28mm ( most lenses only can be sent October 2013 from Austria, some earlier from around Asia )
photos of and by manual lenses on Ricoh GXR M, Sony NEX5N, Pentax K-x and*istDs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuuan/collections/72157604973031858/

[Phenix jc]

[shyl]

Waiting for results

[rawhead]

OK, let's start posting some real info, shall we?

Thanks for the infinity adjust link Phenix; I indeed went and adjusted the infinity on the adapter. It got the OM lenses to get *much* closer to infinity but not quite, and after turning the elements about 15˚, I couldn't see a change any more, so there seems to be a limit to how much you can "adjust".

Next, I tried my two C/Y lenses, 35/1.4 Distagon and 85/1.4 Planar. SAME deal, not quite reaching infinity. I have two C/Y-EF adapters, too, so we're talking four different adapters.

I began to worry that it might be an issue with the Speed Booster, that I'd need to get a better calibrated copy. I mean FOUR adapters?

I only have two Canon EF lenses, the 17-40 F4L and TS-E 17/4L. They both, by default, go beyond infinity (one to deal with focus shift, the other because it's T/S), so they're not optimal to test the accuracy of the infinity calibration of the Speed Booster.

Well, I believe all FOUR of them came from the same Ebay vendor---and I don't want to name names; they work fine on my 5Dmk2 which is what they were designed for, but just as unbiased facts––BIG_IS. They make decent & cheap adapters.


I then tried: Cosina/Voigtländer Macro Apo-Lanthar 125/2.5 (EF mount) and I got infinity fine. I then tried Hartblei/Zeiss Super Rotator 80/2.8 (Nikon F mount with cheap Ebay F-EF adapter) and got infinity fine.. went over it, in fact, just a bit. I then tested that adapter with Nikkor 50/1.4; infinity fine. Then I tried Helios 40-2 w/ M42-EF adapter. Infinity probably spot on, but maaaayyyybe just a little shy. I then tried that adapter on Volna-9 50/2.8 macro--infinity fine. Same adapter on Carl Zeiss Ultron 50/1.8. Infinity fine.

Then I tried Hartblei Super Rotator 35/2.8 with EF mount; infinity fine. Sigma 8mm Fisheye; infinity fine (but AF doesn't seem to work?).

Finally, I tried Mamiya 80mm f1.9 (for Mamiya 645) with Mirex Tilt Shift adapter (Pentax K mount with cheap PK-EF adapter), and again infinity fine.

So, the gist is, the Speed Booster is fine, and I think all the lenses are OK, too (unlike what Metabones say about adapting older lenses); rather, it's the cheap OM-EF and C/Y-EF adapters.

Now I'm just wondering if I should just invest in the highest quality adapters (e.g., Rayqual) for OM-EF and C/Y-EF.

Here are some other observations besides infinity:

(1) Zuiko 21/2 will not fit due to rear protrusion in the lens itself; would require mod to lens, perhaps irreversible. 28/2 was fine; would LOVE to know about 24/2.
(2) My Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 75mm f1.5 in Exakta mount with Exakta-EF adapter I got here, was a bit problematic... there was a bi of resistance as i tried to mount it and I didn't want to force it. It might have been the electronic contacts interfering with the after-market chip for relaying electronic information. Again, the chip works fine on my 5Dmk2, allowing e.g., for focus confirmation, etc. I'm guessing the Speed Booster is being built with a lot less tolerance than the 5D.
(3) Because the reducing factor of the Speed Booster isn't quite 1.5x (i.e., 0.67x), my Sigma 8mm fisheye is no longer a full circular fisheye: the top and bottom are chopped off a bit.


Besides the above three points, the Speed Booster pretty much acts like it's supposed to and I'm really satisfied. With some of the advanced features on the NEX6, I can foresee me needing less and less to use my 5D with my manual lenses
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EOS 5D Mk II, Sony NEX-6, Pentax 67II, Kiev-60, Hasselblad 203FE, 903SWC, Graflex Norita 66, Mamiya M645 1000s, Burke & James 8x10, Graflex Pacemaker Speed Graphic (4x5 and 3x4), Century Graphic (2x3), R.B. Graflex Seried D, Rolleiflex SL66E, Rolleiflex 2.8C Xenotar, Mamiya C330f, a few M42, six P6, three OM, four Hasselblad, two Pentax 67, two Mamiya 645, one Noritar, and a sprinkle of EF. Oh, and an Aero Ektar.

[rawhead]

Some lenses I tested




Some images:



C/Y Planar 85/1.4 + CY-EF adapter



C/Y Distagon 35/1.4 + CY-EF adapter


CV Macro Apo-Lanthar 125/2.5 (wide open, @ infinity): I'm pretty sure the vignetting isn't from the lens but maybe from a window sill?


Sigma 8mm F3.5 "Circular" Fisheye


Hartblei Carl Zeiss Super Rotator 80mm f2.8 + F-EF adapter


Zuiko OM 50/1.2 + OM-EF adapter



Mamiya Sekor 80mm F1.9N + Mirex TS adapter + PK-EF adapter
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EOS 5D Mk II, Sony NEX-6, Pentax 67II, Kiev-60, Hasselblad 203FE, 903SWC, Graflex Norita 66, Mamiya M645 1000s, Burke & James 8x10, Graflex Pacemaker Speed Graphic (4x5 and 3x4), Century Graphic (2x3), R.B. Graflex Seried D, Rolleiflex SL66E, Rolleiflex 2.8C Xenotar, Mamiya C330f, a few M42, six P6, three OM, four Hasselblad, two Pentax 67, two Mamiya 645, one Noritar, and a sprinkle of EF. Oh, and an Aero Ektar.

[iangreenhalgh1]

You should try shooting some test charts to see just what the speedbooster is doing. It looks like there is some light falloff on all the samples, mostly only very slight, but is this due to the lens being wide open or the speedbooster?
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'The question I would really consider (especially if an amateur and on a budget) is whether or not anyone (including yourself, of course) can tell the difference in any situation for which you will use the lens...and if they can, why are they burying their noses in your prints hard enough to tell the difference instead of responding to the prints emotionally and thinking about what they might mean?' - 2F/2F on apug.org

Digital: Sony NEX-3, Samsung NX100, Canon EOS 450d
35mm SLR: Konica FT-1, Konica FC-1, Konica Autoreflex T, Carena SRH760, Exakta RTL1000, Canon EOS 10qd
35mm VF: Olympus Stylus, Konica C35, Konica A4, Konica MG, Konica MT-9, Ricoh FF-9, Ricoh AF-80
35mm RF: Zorki 6, Kiev II, Kiev IV, Contax IIIa, CZJ Werra III,
Medium format: Franka Rolfix, Mess Ikonta 524/16, Voigtlander Bessa with Skopar 3.5/105, Voigtlander Bessa with Voigtar 3.5/105, Kiev 6C, Century Graphic 23, Ensign Selfix 820, Kershaw 450
MF lenses: Schneider Angulon 6.5/68, Componon-S 5.6/100, C-Claron 4.5/135, Xenar 3.5/105, Mamiya C 2.8/45, Mamiya 2.8/80, CZJ Flektogon 4/50, Biometar 2.8/80, Zodiac 3.5/30, Tominon 4.5/135, Pullin Pulnar 2.8/100
Large Format: Ernemann HEAG Series VII version II 9x12 with Kodak Anastigmat 6.3/170
Konica Hexanons 4/21, 2.8/24, 3.5/28, 2.8/35, 1.8/40, 1.4/50, 1.7/50, 1.8/50, 3.2/135, 3.5/135, 3.5/200, 4.5/300, 3.5-4.5/35-70, 4-4.6/28-135, 3.5/35-70, UC 3.5/45-100, 4/70-150, 4/65-135, UC 4/80-200. Hexars 3.5/28, 3.5/135, Konishiroku 2.8/35
Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 2.8/35, Skoparex 3.4/35, Tessar 2.8/50, Sonnar 1.5/50, Biotar 2/58, Pancolar 1.8/50, Cardinar 4/100, Zeiss-Opton Biogon 2.8/35
Meyer/Pentacons 2.8/28, Primagon 4.5/35, Trioplan 2.9/50, 1.8/50, 2.4/50, Primotar 3.5/50, Primotar 3.5/135
Topcon RE Auto Topcors 1.8/58, 3.5/135, 5.6/200
Russians: OKC1-18-1 2.8/18, OKC1-28-1 2.8/28, Jupiter-12 2.8/35, Jupiter-8 2/50, Industar-50 3.5/50, Industar-26M 2.8/50, Industar-22 3.5/50, Zenitar M2S 2/50, Helios-44-2, Jupiter-9 2/85, Jupiter-11 4/135, Tair-3C 4.5/300
Tokina 3.5/17, Nikon Auto Nikkor-N 2.8/24, Nikon Micro-Nikkor-P 3.5/55, Ross Xpress 3.5/4in, Ross Xpress 4/5in, Ross Xpress 4.5/8.5in, Wollensak APO-Raptar 10/541

[rawhead]

All the shots are wide open.

I'll print out a test chart and see what I can do. I also want to sit down and do comparison shots with 5Dmk2 mounting the same lenses.
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EOS 5D Mk II, Sony NEX-6, Pentax 67II, Kiev-60, Hasselblad 203FE, 903SWC, Graflex Norita 66, Mamiya M645 1000s, Burke & James 8x10, Graflex Pacemaker Speed Graphic (4x5 and 3x4), Century Graphic (2x3), R.B. Graflex Seried D, Rolleiflex SL66E, Rolleiflex 2.8C Xenotar, Mamiya C330f, a few M42, six P6, three OM, four Hasselblad, two Pentax 67, two Mamiya 645, one Noritar, and a sprinkle of EF. Oh, and an Aero Ektar.

[JohnBar]

Congrats on your new toy:P


Can you detect an increase in focus-breathing with it fitted?

I am interested also from shooting video where this can be important
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[rawhead]

[JohnBar]

I mean, when compared with shooting with the same lens without the adapter
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[rawhead]

OK, will test for that too, though I gotta warn you, I don't have a straight up OM-NEX adapter (or even an EF-NEX adapter) so I'll have to use my EF-NEX Tilt adapter and try to make sure there's minimum tilt when I do the test.
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EOS 5D Mk II, Sony NEX-6, Pentax 67II, Kiev-60, Hasselblad 203FE, 903SWC, Graflex Norita 66, Mamiya M645 1000s, Burke & James 8x10, Graflex Pacemaker Speed Graphic (4x5 and 3x4), Century Graphic (2x3), R.B. Graflex Seried D, Rolleiflex SL66E, Rolleiflex 2.8C Xenotar, Mamiya C330f, a few M42, six P6, three OM, four Hasselblad, two Pentax 67, two Mamiya 645, one Noritar, and a sprinkle of EF. Oh, and an Aero Ektar.

[Phenix jc]

Thank you for being our pioneer here.
Waiting for your next tests.
(yes, some corner vignetting)
_________________
"Plonger les choses dans la lumière, c'est les plonger dans l'infini" Léonard De Vinci
f/1.2 club Zuiko : 50/1.2, 55/1.2 s.n. Rokkor : MD 50/1.2, MC 58/1.2 Nikkor : 50/1.2, 55/1.2 Third Party : Porst(Fujinon-X) 50/1.2, Porst 55/1.2 Canon : S 50/1.2, nFD 50/1.2, FL 55/1.2, R 58/1.2, nFD 85/1.2 Hexanon : 57/1.2 Nokton : 50/1.1