Metabones Speedbooster for Nikon to x mount initial impression

[GaryLH]

Forgot to mention..

So w/ focus peaking active.. I am using the ovf to compose, hit the mag button to focus, half press shutter to double check composition before I complete the shutter release. With peaking added to mag view, I can focus very fast.

I forgot to who ever posted about this technique..

Thanks.
Gary

 

[GaryLH]

Some shots from the Nikon 85f1.8 with the speed booster is now a 85f1.2

I really rarely shoot wide open and forgot to bring a ND filter.. At f1.2, the 1/4000th shutter speed is not fast enough on a bright sunny day by at least 2 stops even when shooting at base ISO. Anyway while walking around the neighborhood, I finally found a shot that I could take wide open..

This one at around f4 from the 85f1.8

From a walk around the local reservoir using the Nikon 24-85f2.8-4.. It is kind of nice having a zoom which is now a f2-2.8 due to the effects of the speed booster.

Pano crop shot at 24f5.6

@24 wide open f2

@85 macro mode 50% crop (don't remember the f stop)

@85f5.6 50% crop

@around 35f4 pano crop

So far I am pretty happy w/ the speed booster. The XP1 is a good platform for the Nikon SLR lenses. The XE1 does not feel as well balanced in comparison. While it was nice to use the 24-85 zoom on the XP1, as I was using it today, I was reminded that the XP1 feels so much better with a fixed lenses that I plan to use in terms of weight and balance..

The older AIS lenses work fine with the speedbooster, but it is a pain at times since I cannot seem to train my hand from accidentally using the aperture ring instead of the pseudo one on the speedbooster. The speedbooster is designed to be used for Nikon G lenses and expects the aperture ring on the lens to be set at the max for the lens (f16 or better). I had mentioned before that one could tape it, but I was thinking last night a better solution maybe to use a fat rubber band. Even if it does not complete prevent the ring from moving, the difference in texture would help to indicate you have moved the wrong ring.

It is really nice to have a full stop faster speed on my lenses... but for the type of shooting I would normally do, I tend to shoot at f4 to f5.6 most of the time... But having a f1.0 lens around is quite nice even with a camera with such good high ISO. An f1.4 becomes a f1.0, a f1.8 is now a 1.2. etc...

I think the lenses I will end up using on this setup the most will most likely be the 35f2 and 50f1.4. While I was playing around. I even brought out my big honking 17-35f2.8.. what a monster on my little XP1.. I think it will stay on the DSLR side for now. 😛

Cheers
Gary

 

[Jamie Pillers]

The older AIS lenses work fine with the speedbooster, but it is a pain at times since I cannot seem to train my hand from accidentally using the aperture ring instead of the pseudo one on the speedbooster.

Gary, isn't it possible to leave the speed booster aperture wide open and then use the lens' aperture ring instead?

 

[GaryLH]

Gary, isn't it possible to leave the speed booster aperture wide open and then use the lens' aperture ring instead?

U can do the opposite.. Set the speedbooster max fstop instead of wide open and adjust the normal aperture ring, but since it also as no way of locking that setting, I would suspect that I would accidentally do the same on the pseudo aperture ring as well. If u did not notice and set one of them to let's say f5.6 and changed the other to f8, u would never get f8.. This is why it is better to use afs d or g type lenses instead of the old manual focus lenses. Unless u are willing to go w/ one of the temp solutions u will need to double check occasionally.

Gary

 

[johannielscom]

Somebody please explain to me why a Nikon to Leica M speedbooster is out of the question? I had it explained to me before but cannot locate that thread anymore...

I would love to turn my 1.4/58mm Nikkor-S into an 1.0 lens, with true Noctilux character...!

 

[GaryLH]

Figure out a solution for the two aperture ring problem

Figure out a solution for the two aperture ring problem

So I figured out a fix using the inner tube from a mountain bike. I remember a trick used in the old days to help with zoom creep by using a rubber band. I cut a slim strip off of the inner tube, since I could not find a rubber band the right size around the house. I set the index value to 8 (max value) and then put the inner tube on over it as u can c from the shot below..

So far working pretty good 😀. Here is a picture of my 35f1.4 AIS along w/ the sacrificed inner tube.

Cheers
Gary

 

[splitimageview]

Somebody please explain to me why a Nikon to Leica M speedbooster is out of the question? I had it explained to me before but cannot locate that thread anymore...

I would love to turn my 1.4/58mm Nikkor-S into an 1.0 lens, with true Noctilux character...!

A Speed Booster for a full frame camera, would require adapting lenses that cover a larger format in their native configuration.

Speed Booster for APS-C cameras require full-frame lenses, so an SB for an M would require perhaps a 645 or 6x6 lens.

You can turn your 58/1.4 into an f/1 but not with an M. 🙂

 

[GaryLH]

Somebody please explain to me why a Nikon to Leica M speedbooster is out of the question? I had it explained to me before but cannot locate that thread anymore...

I would love to turn my 1.4/58mm Nikkor-S into an 1.0 lens, with true Noctilux character...!

Since no one has answered u yet... I would venture to guess..

The speedbooster is an inch thick for a Nikon to Fuji mount adapter. It needs to have room for internal optics (the reducer and correction optics) plus the pseudo aperture ring (since designed for Nikon g type afs lens). The Leica to Fuji mount adapter maybe around 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. I am guessing a Nikon slr to Leica m mount adapter would not have enough thickness to the optics and the pseudo aperture ring unless they want to play trick w/ putting the optics closer to the sensor, but that would most likely increase complexity of the optics.

If u are talking about something like a rf lens, such as the 50f1.4 for the Nikon S, the difference in flange to film plane vs flange to sensor (i am assuming for the Ricoh gxr u have) is not enough.

Any just my guess.
Gary

 

[GaryLH]

A Speed Booster for a full frame camera, would require adapting lenses that cover a larger format in their native configuration.

Speed Booster for APS-C cameras require full-frame lenses, so an SB for an M would require perhaps a 645 or 6x6 lens.

You can turn your 58/1.4 into an f/1 but not with an M. 🙂

I guess we started the reply at the same time. I was assuming he was asking for his gxr.

Gary

 

[splitimageview]

The GXR has a direct M mount, correct? So the flange focal distance is quite a bit longer than it is on NEX or Fuji or m43. Not sure there is enough room to squeeze an adapter and optics in between.

 

[johannielscom]

Indeed hoping to use the speedbooster on the GXR Mount...

The difference between a Nikon and a Leica flange-to-plane is 18.5mm. IIRC...

 

[GaryLH]

Well Jamie, still planning to get one?

Gary

 

[f16sunshine]

How's it going with these things?
Any results to share yet?

 

[GaryLH]

How's it going with these things?
Any results to share yet?

Sorry Andy, not since post 22 in this thread. Been playing w/ the 27 pancake lately. I will post some more maybe next week... I was hoping there would be others posting by now, but it looks like I might be the only one w/ the metabones. There are others that have posted on other threads about their experience w/ other adapters of similar design.

I am pretty impressed w/ how my Nikon lenses have worked out so far..

Gary

 

[GaryLH]

Indeed hoping to use the speedbooster on the GXR Mount...

The difference between a Nikon and a Leica flange-to-plane is 18.5mm. IIRC...

Bottom line maybe not enough interest given the additional engineering work if it is even possible, Johann. Someone on another forum said they (metabones) was pretty quick in answering their original inquiry about the Nikon to x mount adapter. Maybe try sending them an email about it.

Good luck
Gary

 

[f16sunshine]

Thanks for the reply. I'm curious for a variety of reasons.

Would love to try my OM Zuiko f2 wides. The 2/21 in particular. It has a special center sharp and perfect amount of vignetting look at wide open.
No Eos or OM adapter yet though 🙁

Looking forward to you results and comments when you have time.

 

[GaryLH]

Andy

I decided to start posting the pictures from the speedbooster on the legacy lens thread. Just posted some shots from the Nikon 85f1.8 along w/ the 24-85 shots from this thread.

Gary

 

[GaryLH]

So one thing is for sure... I wish Fuji releases the min shutter speed update to the xp1/xe1 sooooon... I hate that I have a 85mm lens on, and aperture preferred priority plus auto iso is causing the camera to select 1/30th of a second at iso 400 🙁. :bang: which means I end up using full manual.. Just call me lazy.

Since changing the lens length is not changing the shutter speed min., I have given up using changing the mf focus lens length info.. So exif info is going to be wrong...

Having focus peaking helps a lot..

The one bad thing about having the speedbooster is I have caught myself at least three times since I have had the adapter going to KEH and looking at the Nikon f1.2 lenses saying I should buy one so,I can have a f0.95 lens in my arsenal.. Then I kick myself and realize I so rarely use a such a fast lens ever in just about 40 years of taking pictures.

I was playing looking thru some of my old Nikon lenses and found a 36-72 e series f3.5 constant aperture zoom I inherited from my sister-in-law when her Nikon em gave up the ghost. I was thinking man this is light compared to my 35-70f2.8, got to give this a try one day on the speedbooster. 😉

Anyway, I love this adapter.. Now I wish they made one for my Konica lenses one day.

Gary

 

[GaryLH]

Johan

The perfect next gen gxr would not be a ff for me but an apsc w/ a built in speedbooster. I was looking at the a12 m module, I think it might just barely fit in there. I was thinking it would be soo cool that my cv40f1.4 is now a 40 again, but also it is a 40f1.0 😀

Gary

 

[sevo]

Somebody please explain to me why a Nikon to Leica M speedbooster is out of the question? I had it explained to me before but cannot locate that thread anymore...

I would love to turn my 1.4/58mm Nikkor-S into an 1.0 lens, with true Noctilux character...!

Coverage and focus. "Speedboosters" are re-scaling to a smaller image format, so what you get is not a "1.0 lens" in the (35mm equivalent) terms people commonly use - its depth of field (and angle of view) still is exactly the same as that of a 1.4/58mm, as speed and coverage rescale proportionally. Due to the downscaled sensor coverage it would only be possible/reasonable to do a Speedbooster like thing for the M8. But you'd still lose the rangefinder coupling, and given that there is not much point in a fast lens that can only be scale focused, producing such a converter for the niche M8 market is unlikely to be profitable.