Metabones Speed booster Canon to NEX adaptor…

I have been using A-mount lenses on the FS700 since I purchased the camera 3 months ago. The Sony alpha lenses work great with Lea-2 lens adaptor giving electronic support and quick autofocus with the E-mount camera. Owning a Sony a77 DSLR also allows me to use the same lenses on both cameras giving great freedom when using the DSLR as a second camera during interviews.

Sony A-mount to NEX E-mount adaptor

There is a problem though with using Alpha lenses and this adaptor system… Hardly anyone uses A-mount lenses! Well I haven’t met many at least. This ins’t a huge problem as I can go on shoots with my own gear and get the job done without the need for using anyone else’s lens’ but when it comes to getting a nice collection of glass together I am restricted in my selection of alpha mount lenses on sale.

So i have these options:

Stick with the Alpha lenses and using the Lea-2 adaptor on the FS700 

Pros – Already have some glass on this mount, works great with my B camera, ‘talks’ to the FS700 with lens info and autofocus

Cons – How much are Sony backing the A-mount? Lens’ last longer than cameras which means will I be able to use the A-mount glass on future cameras (possible purchase of Sony F5/C300 next year.) Not much third party support for A-mount, not many people using the A-mount – can’t share lens’ on collaboration projects etc

Embrace the native E-mount ont he FS700

Pros – Works straight out of the box with the FS700 and possibly future cameras in this line from Sony. camera ‘talk’s with the lens (lens info, and great autofocus)

Cons – Limited amount of lens’ on the market – At the moment, third party do seem to be making E-mount options now. Lens’ won’t work on my DSLR as a B-cam.

Go with Nikon and use a novoflex on the FS700

Pros – Great quality lenses and huge selection to chose from, manual aperture ring – very much missed coming from the broadcast camer world!!

Cons – Never used any nikon products so i’m only going on reviews etc, reverse focus ring – not a bit deal but still it will probably bend my brain for a few weeks initially, Lens’ won’t work on my DSLR as a B-cam.

Go with Canon and use a Metabones on the FS700

I was tempted last year to move my lens collection over to canon mount due to the amount of great lenses on the market from canon and other third party lens makers and with the release of the Metabones EOS to Nex smart adaptor which transmits lens info to the camera and enables auto focus it seemed like a great idea.

The reason I didn’t go to canon lens’ was because i had just bought the Lea-2 adaptor which allowed me to use my Alpha glass – thus saving me from buying more lenses when i really needed to spend my budget on a decent set of lights and audio gear.

I now have a bit of a ‘start of the new year’ budget and have decided to make a decision on what to do with my lens situation. I have been looking at the Rokinon prime lenses a lot and have decided to get a few of these as a starting point. Rokinon make these in a variety of mounts including the Sony A-mount which would work great in my current setup. Just as i was about to press the ‘add to cart’ button i came across a post talking about a new product from Metabones – the ‘Speedbooster’!

The Metabones Speed booster

This is a very exciting new product that poses a whole new array of options when i comes to interchangeable lens’ cameras. Basically in a nutshell it allows full frame loving users to get that beautiful full frame look on a mirror-less APS-C / Super 35mm sensor. Not only that, due to the optics inside, the adaptor will provide an additional stop of light as it squeezes all the light that comes into the full frame image down to the sensor size found on most mirror-less cameras such as the FS700/FS100/NEX7. I think there are also plans to make one of these adaptors to fit M4/3 cameras as well.

If this product delivers what it promises then this is great leap in this area of the film-making world. For me personally, Getting that 5D look on my FS700 will be amazing! I would benefit from getting the look and feel of a 5D but with all the benefits of using a dedicated video camera such as direct audio input with XLR, better EVF and Super slow motion, and reduced image artifacts such as aliasing and moire’.

Using the Rokinon 35mm T1.5 with the Metabones Speed Booster will produce and effective aperture of around F1.0 – step that down to around 1.4/1.8 and you’ve got a fast, sharp lens with a full frame look on a super 35mm camera…Nice!

This also means that a 35mm lens will actually deliver a (near enough) 35mm focal distance just like on full frame cameras.

I have a feeling this is going to make a bit of a wave and if it delivers on sharpness and minimal problems this is going to be a great tool to have in your kit.

So what is my decision on lens’?

I have decided for the time being to keep the Alpha lenses but start to move over to the canon mount, i have just put in my order for the Metabones Speed booster which i should receive by the end of the month.

I think over the next 3 months i will replace my Alpha mount lens’ with the canon and sell my a77 DSLR and possibly pick up a 5D mark ll and what is now a much reduced price or get a merk lll if i have more money. I have been wanting to move into more time-lapse and using a canon full frame to shoot this would prove much easier with the low light capabilities and the sheer amount of third party products on sale that are tailor made to working with the canon.

I am in no way saying that the Sony A77 and the Alpha lens’ are not good enough image wise, I bought the A77 to shoot a cycling documentary where i needed the lightest kit possible as i was on the bike like everyone else. We cycled from London to The Pyramids in Egypt and the camera took an absolute beating being outside virtually all the time through snow to sandy deserts for 5 months. The swivel screen, peaking and it’s DSLR weight made the camera a joy to use and i didn’t regret buying the a77 for this purpose.

I just don’t feel confident in building a lens collection which doesn’t have a large following and who knows what sony will decide to do with the line. In the product spec sheet of the newly announced F5 it states that the cameras has an FZ mount, enabling cameramen to use a range of different lenses including Nikon Canon® EF, Canon FD, Nikon® DX, Nikon G, Leica® M and even 2/3-inch broadcast B4 lenses. – there is no mention there by Sony stating Sony’s own A-mount can be used!

So i think my kit for this year will be:

Keeping the FS700 which i’m very happy with.
Buying the Metabones normal smart adaptor as well as the Speed booster.
Selling my Tokina 11-16mm A-mount as well as my other A-mount lenses.
Selling my A77.
Using that money along with my current budget of about $2 -2.5k to get either a 5D MK ll or lll & a nice set of canon primes as well as a Tokina 11-16 canon mount with a couple of zooms.
In a years time i will then be able to either upgrade to the c300 or the sony F5 and use the FS700 as a b-cam and be confident that i can take my canon lens collection with me.

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