nnowak
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Veteran Member
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Posts: 9,076
Re: Speedbooster : Question + an idea
1
PhotosByHall wrote:
Hi all,
I've done a bit of research, but please put me straight if I'm wrong.
1. I simply cannot decide whether to get a new mirrorless system. I have a Nikon 1, and while I love the reach and the size, i would like a better system for portraits.
As I shoot Canon SLRs, the M5 seems like a good buy, it's very cheap on MPB.com and I have about another £100 to trade in, so I can get the state of the art for about £400. I shot some great portraits on the original Eos M camera, but traded it in for better AF and more reach without mounting enormous and heavy L glass on the EF-M.
Now, I have read that you can get a speedbooster to mount Canon EF fit easily for Sony \ Fuji, but there is less info about the Canon version. I have a 50mm nifty fifty and some lensbaby optics I got cheap I would like to shoot on this body, as it will be my third "special effects" body when I shoot a wedding.
Does anyone have any experience, or anything they would suggest?
2. I had an idea - which might be optically impossible - but would be interested in an experts opinion.
A speedbooster is manual focus only, because you are mounting EF to EF-M. What if the connection was EF both sides? You would then put pass through contacts on it a la an auto focus extension tube. You'd then fit the speed booster into the EF->EF-M adapter and you'd have an autofocusing speedbooster that lets you mount full frame on the EF-M cameras!
Is this optically impossible? I don't believe it already exists...
Cheers!
A standard EF to EF-M adapter is just wired straight through. There is no logic in these adapters. The Sony E mount and Canon EF-M mount both share an 18mm flange distance. Metabones makes Canon EF to Sony E SpeedBoosters with full AF. I have personally taken an original SpeedBooster and newer SpeedBooster Ultra and converted them to EF-M mount using donor parts from generic EF to EF-M adapters. Yes, it is possible and AF and IS work properly.
I did these conversions a few years ago when mirrorless options were more limited. However, it is not worth the effort. You will have several hundreds of dollars just in the donor parts. Add in the const of an M5 and you will have spent enough to easily purchase a good full frame camera. Even with the best SpeedBooster, your lenses will still perform better on their native format. Also, the weight of a SpeedBooster is actually fairly significant.
If you are looking at the cheap $100 SpeedBooster clones that show up on eBay, don't bother. The optics are not good at all.