News

Metabones Makes the Speed Booster Even Faster

By James DeRuvo (doddleNEWS)

Shooters looking to get an edge and boost the speed of their lenses have relied on Metabones’ Speedbooster for that extra stop of light, and it also gives the benefits of adapting photo lenses and providing additional field of view top .71x for micro four-thirds shooters like those using the Panasonic GH4 or the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. It’s a great tool, that’s now gotten even better with their new ULTRA design.

 

The new ULTRA design makes very effective use of exotic materials at the furthest limit of glassmaking technology, and as a result is well corrected for use with virtually all fullframe SLR lenses regardless of exit pupil distance. – Metabones Press Release

So what Metabones has done with their new ULTRA line of Speed Boosters is upgrade the glass elements used in the design to improve image quality and sharpness. But it also has the added benefit of now being able to work with any full frame DSLR lenses and maintain the .71x field of view.

“The new [Metabones] Speed Boosters use an advanced 5-element/4-group optical design,” the press release continues, “incorporating ultra-high index tantalum-based optical glass to achieve extraordinary optical performance with improved?corner sharpness, distortion and reduced vignetting.”

This translates to allowing the Speed Booster to use higher end fixed aperture lenses like the Canon 24-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8, ?as well as comparable Nikon zooms.?But not only that, but the so-called “nifty-fifty’s” like an F1.2 now turns into a 35.5 f.9 lens with better contrast and resolution from center out to the very edge of the image, reducing vignetting issues.

Key Features

• Increase maximum aperture by 1 stop.
• Increase MTF.
• Makes lens 0.71x wider.
• Advanced 5-element/4-group optical design incorporating ultra-high index tanatalum-based optical glass by Caldwell Photographic in the USA (patent pending).
• Electronic integration of aperture diaphragm, controlled by or from the camera body.
• Partial autofocus support for late-model (post-2006) Canon-brand lenses.
• Powered by camera body. No external power source required.
• High performance 32-bit processor and efficient switched-mode power supply.
• The tripod foot is detachable and compatible with Arca Swiss, Markins, Photo Clam ball heads.

Additionally, the Speed Booster Ultra allows for full function when adapter to Sony E-mount and Fuji X-Mount DX format camera bodies. But the Ultra also still supports all active Canon EF mounts, Nikon F/G Mounts, and Nikon G mount lenses.?Suggested Retail Prices:

• US $449 for Olympus OM, Rollei QBM, Minota MD, Leica R, Canon FD, Contax Yashica mounts
• US $479 for Nikon G, Sony A mounts
• US $499 for ALPA, Contartex mounts
• US $649 for Canon EF mount

Available later this month.

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Petersburg, VA, USA, Sep 1, 2014: Metabones and Caldwell Photographic Inc. are pleased to jointly announce the Speed Booster ULTRA series of focal reducing adapters designed for mirrorless cameras with DX-sized sensors, such as Sony E-mount and Fuji X-mount. The new Speed Boosters use an advanced 5-element/4-group optical design incorporating ultra-high index tantalum-based optical glass to achieve extraordinary optical performance with improved corner sharpness, distortion and reduced vignetting.
Like the revolutionary original Metabones Speed Booster? announced in January 2013, the Speed Booster ULTRA has a magnification of 0.71x, and so it effectively reduces the crop factor of mirrorless E-mount and X-mount cameras from 1.5x to 1.07x. However, the new ULTRA?design makes very effective use of exotic materials at the furthest limit of glassmaking technology, and as a result is well corrected for use with virtually all fullframe SLR lenses regardless of exit pupil distance. Thus, the Speed Booster ULTRA performs extremely well with professional-grade f/2.8 zoom lenses such as the 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 zooms by Canon and Nikon to produce 17-50mm f/2.0 and 50-142mm f/2.0 high-speed zooms, respectively. Similarly, high-speed fixed focal length lenses such as a 50mm f/1.2 will be transformed into a 35.5mm f/0.9 lens with excellent contrast and resolution from the center all the way to the edges of the image.

Like all Metabones Speed Boosters, the Speed Booster ULTRA is optimized to fully account for the camera’s filter stack located near the sensor surface. This is especially critical at the extremely large apertures made possible by Speed Booster technology. As a result of this careful optimization, an enormous range of full-frame optics ranging from vintage film lenses to the latest digital designs will function flawlessly when adapter to Sony E-mount and Fuji X-mount DX format camera bodies. All lens mounts currently supported by the original Speed Booster will be supported by the Speed Booster ULTRA, including the active Canon-EF to Sony E-mount version and the Nikon F/G version with the most advanced Nikon G aperture adjustment mechanism in the industry.

The new Speed Boosters will be available starting in September 2014 from the Metabones website and its worldwide dealer network for US $649 for Canon EF mount and from US $449 for all other mounts, plus shipping and applicable taxes and duties.

Suggested Retail Price:
US $449 for Olympus OM, Rollei QBM, Minota MD, Leica R, Canon FD, Contax Yashica mounts
US $479 for Nikon G, Sony A mounts
US $499 for ALPA, Contartex mounts
US $649 for Canon EF mount

Metabones Speed Booster ULTRA for DX Specifications:

• Model Code: Speed Booster ULTRA
• Color: Black Satin exterior; Black Matte interior
• Magnification: 0.71x
• Crop Factor with DX format camera: 1.07x
• Maximum Output Aperture: f/0.90 (with f/1.2 lens attached)
• Rectilinear Distortion: < 1%
• Lens Elements/Groups: 5/4
• Length Reduction: 4.2 mm
• Camera Mount: Sony E-mount1
• ; Fuji X-mount
• Image Format: DX, APS-C
• Lens Mounts: Canon EF2 (coming soon: Nikon F/G, Canon FD, Minolta MD, Olympus OM, Alpa,
• Rollei QBM, Contarex, Contax Yashica, Leica R, Sony ALPHA)
• Lens Compatibility: Any full-frame lens with the appropriate mount can be used. DX lenses can
• be mounted but will result in severe vignetting in most cases. Canon EF-S
• lenses are not supported.Special Features: Long-throw clickless aperture ring on Nikon F/G version; AF/IS support and
• in-camera aperture selection with Canon EF to Sony E version.
• Dimensions: 27 x 76 x 72mm for Canon EF version
• Weight: 193 grams
• Tripod Mount: Robust removable type with Arca Swiss compatibility

1) Sony A7 series cameras must be used in crop mode or else vignetting will occur.
2) Canon EF version supports AF, IS, and in-camera aperture adjustment. Only the Sony E-mount is currently
supported on the camera side.

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