Select Page

Metabones Speed Booster Review:

Strength and Weaknesses of Canon EF Adapter for Sony E-mount

Metabones Speed Booster Review: is it good enough for $600?

This was not planned as a test, I’ve bought Metabones Speed Booster for my wife’s Sony Nex 7 to make it work with variety of Canon lenses we have. We already have a manual-only cheap Canon EF adapter for Sony E-mount (review is here: Sony NEX Lens Adapter Review and Image Samples), but since it has no auto focus, woman can’t really use it:-)

So, this was the main reason we bought this nice Metabones Speed Booster, to get an auto focus on Canon lenses we can use on Sony Nex 7 body.  The rest benefits such  an extra plus F-Stop of lens’s brightness and no reduced crop factor was an awesome bonus for us.

Here is what I’ve discovered, watch the top video:

In addition to this video demonstration I did a test in studio using Canon macro F2.8 L lens mounted on Canon 5D mark II and Sony Nex 7 with Metabones Speed Booster lens adapter. Used a strobe lighting, manual shooting mode, shutter speed 1/200 on both cameras and shot still life with wide open (f2.8 on Canon and f2.0 on Sony), F4 and F16 on each camera.

White balance was set to “flash” on both cameras, I’ve used a camera autofocus on a particular area (same for both cameras), and after I’ve got a focus confirmation, focus was set to manual.

No adjustments to the images were made, all default setting in ACR and then simple resizing or crop and saving for web. See what I’ve got:

Metabones Speed Booster v.s Native Canon Macro lens

– – 100% Crop, F16: before is Sony with metabones speed booster , after is Canon – –

– – 100% Crop, F4: before is Sony with metabones speed booster, after is Canon – –

– – 100% Crop, F2.8-2.0 – before is Sony with metabones speed booster @ F2.0) , after is Canon – –

Full images, check the different in lens’s vignetting. Also, there is a noticeable different in a size (you’ve seen it on 100% crops, Sony images are larger): there is a crop factor on Sony, but much less than X1. w/o metabones adapter6

Sony Nex 7 with Metabones speed booster:

 

Sony Nex 7 with Canon macro F2.8 Lens at F16

Metabones Speed Booster Review
 

Sony Nex 7 with Canon macro F2.8 Lens at F4.0

Metabones Speed Booster Review
 

Sony Nex 7 with Canon macro F2.8 Lens at F2.0

Metabones Speed Booster Review

Canon 5D MKII with canon macro F2.8 L lens

 

Canon 5D MKII with Canon macro F2.8 Lens at F16

Metabones Speed Booster Review
 

Canon 5D MKII with Canon macro F2.8 Lens at F4.0

Metabones Speed Booster Review
 

Canon 5D MKII with Canon macro F2.8 Lens at F2.8

Metabones Speed Booster Review

Conclusion

Good:

Partially Removes a crop factor from the camera body when used with canon lenses made for full frame DSLR. Adds one F-Stop to the lens brightness

Bad:

Jerky and slow autofocus (might not be a Metabones Speed Booster issue but Sony’s). Noticeable reduction of image’s sharpness on good canon glass. (you may not notice this on average glass).

Would I buy it for $600? Nope, I’d rather get a good manual focus Sony E-mount to Canon EF adapter

 

Below are few close-up of the Metabones Speed Booster adapter shot I’ve snapped in a studio

Metabones Speed Booster Review
Metabones Speed Booster Review

P.S Do you want to see BTS of this shot iof this metabones adapter? I’ve got it, will be posted soon.

BACK TO SCHOOL SALE:

Use Code “BACK2SCHOOL”

and get 50% OFF

Sale Ends In:

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Register FREE for this online workshop with Alex Koloskov and Artem Pissarevskiy