04Jun Metabones EF to M43 S Speedbooster adapter – First impressions
I picked up the Metabones EF to M43 S adapter for the Panasonic GH4 right before I made the big move to the Pacific Northwest, but i’m just now getting a chance to start playing around with it. This is my first speedbooster type of device for the GH4 and my first metabones product in general so I’m a little new to this whole focal length reducer business.
For those of you not familiar with it, the Metabones Speedbooster basically acts as a focal reducer or in layman’s terms, a magnifying glass. If you’ve ever used a magnifying to start a fire, you’ve probably seen light focused into a smaller point. Since Canon’s lenses are designed for larger APS-C and full frame sensors, you can reduce the light coming from the lens to a smaller point like a m43 sensor using the same principle. As a result, you get more light at the sensor and a reduced crop factor for your Panasonic GH4.
I’ve only had a chance to play with the Metabones EF to M43 S adapter on a few shoots so far. On the plus side, it works as advertized and you end up with better low light performance while reducing the focal length multiplier when using a Canon lens.
On the down side, the Panasonic GH4 is a little glitchy when using the Metabones adapter. Sometimes aputure readings and other settings can disappear or refuse to change. Autofocus doesn’t work period, so if you want AF for photography this wont help you out. Also in photo mode F-stop changes don’t update on screen, so an image will look overexposed right up until you take a shot at which point it’s a crapshoot as to what you’ll end up with.
I’m still trying to decide if the Metabones EF to M43 S adapter is really worth the $599 price tag for my setup. Lack of AF and the crippling problems when taking stills are a bit of a hassle for the way I work. On the other hand I haven’t had a chance to update the firmware on my adapter so maybe things will get better. I shell continue testing.
