MetaBones SpeedBooster Review – an Optical Reducer For Getting More Out of Your Smaller Sensor

EOS HD gives a hands on review of the MetaBones Speedbooster which effectively turns smaller sensors into full frame cameras by reducing the image as it enters the camera.

The Metabones Speed Booster adapter brings the full frame look to Sony mirrorless APS-C and Super 35mm E-mount. (Indeed it will bring the Super 35mm look to Micro Four Thirds but not until March).

It also gives you an extra stop of light. F2.8 becomes F2.0 and F2.0 becomes F1.4. F1.2 becomes a lightning fast F0.90.

It would appear the full frame sensor is now rather pointless. Is there a catch, a trade off in image quality?

The fabled full frame look. Some would buy a 1D C without hesitation. For the rest of us without $12,000 down the back of our sofa the full frame choices are rather limited.

The Nikon D800 is a veritable festival of moire and aliasing, the 5D Mark III fixes this but lacks any other meaningful improvement over the very dated 5D Mark II it superseded. Neither match the feature set or overall video performance of the most affordable digital cinema cameras like the Sony FS100 (now under $4000 used) and Blackmagic Cinema Camera ($3000 new). Pricing and accessibility for artists remains top priority especially on EOSHD – very important. I sent $4000 Sony’s way for the FS100 and got much better 1080p for not much more than the 5D Mark III. Now for just $600 I get full frame. It certainly beats spending $3500 on a underwhelming 5D Mark III or stupidly lusting after the crazily priced 1D C.

The Metabones Speed Booster adapter addresses the biggest complaint people seem to have have of the Blackmagic (sensor size) – giving it a near-Super 35mm sensor – and turns the FS100, FS700 and Sony’s 4K monsters the F5 and F55 into full frame video cameras.

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