By associate editor Elliot Smith:
It seems hardly a week goes by without an announcement of a new adapter from Metabones. The last product we tested at Newsshooter was their 0.64x adapter which brings a S35 field of view to specific Micro Four Thirds cameras (most notably the Panasonic G7, GH4 and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera).
The latest addition to the Metabones range sticks with the original 0.71x magnification factor, which reduces the M43 crop factor for stills to 1.4x from 2x – although it’s worth bearing in mind that it won’t be anywhere near that wide when shooting 4K on the GH4: if that’s how you want to shoot, you’re probably better off with the 0.64x version. This new adapter is also compatible with more camera models and should work with any Micro Four Thirds sensor camera.
Panasonic owners will also be able to use AF on Canon EF lenses – this works in video and stills modes, although for now continuous AF isn’t supported. It’s an impressive achievement though, and perhaps an indication of what might be possible down the line. Camera manufacturers seem to be improving video AF implementation at a rapid pace and it’s good to see accessories like the Speedbooster continuing that progress. Metabones claim that AF performance is faster than a Four Thirds lens mounted on a Micro Four Thirds camera.
Our test sample hasn’t arrived yet but when it does we’ll be sure to put it through its paces in a real-world shooting situation to see how it compares to the alternatives.
The Metabones Speedbooster Ultra 0.71x will be available ‘from July’ in Canon EF mount and Nikon F/G mount, priced from $449 US to $649 US.
