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Using focal reducers with GH1/2 and old lenses?
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  • Hey guys, you could also use the coma as a style, like in eat pray love:

  • I've been very interested in this as well, from what I have read, the only reason that there aren't plenty of manufacturers making micro four thirds adapters with .5x focal reducer built in, is because Kodak holds the patent on them. I did have an idea I wanted to share for those experimenting with this, there seems to be difficulty in the different optical formulas of various lenses and how and where to place the reducer lens in the optical path for the desired result. Consider this, the one constant in the optical path of a lens design is the distance from the lens mount to the sensor. If you construct a tube/adapter that places the reducer optics at the specific distance from the mount where the sensor would be, you should be able to "capture" the light path with a known size and focal plane, specifically the size and focal plane that the lens was designed for and the sensor expects to see. I understand that the angle of the optical path coming from the last element of the lens may vary, but I just wanted to throw the idea out there and see if it helps. Granted placing the reducer optics at that point will make the overall construction of the adapter quite long and cumbersome.

  • Well, it's been well over 2 weeks now, I was wondering if there are any updates inregards to this? :D

  • Metabones Speed Booster

    Philip Bloom: The Metabones ‘Speed Booster’ is a 0.71 x focal reducer, that will effectively turn your full frame 50mm f/1.8 lens into a 35mm f/1.2 lens

    This version is of the ‘Speed Booster’ is optimised for the NEX so it’s not just a case of putting it in a different housing. But the good news is that Metabones plans shortly after initial release, other camera mounts will follow, the Micro 4/3 and the Fuji X-mount and others in the future. That has some exciting possibilities! for the Micro 4/3 Black Magic Cinema Camera and the Panasonic GH3 ...

    http://philipbloom.net/2013/01/13/speedbooster/

  • Is there any information from that guy @Brian202020 ?, i really want to build something similar, with a 0.5x focal reducer, making any FF lens adapted to m43 while keeping the focal length, i am planning in buying the same focal reducer and build something similar, i am not a serious photographer, but i like to play with lenses so quality is not an issue, also i have a Olympus OM 55mm F1.2 i would like use, it is very soft already so maybe mantaining the focal length will keep the softness away, i don´t know...

  • I abandoned the work when there was a rumor of the Speed Booster. It's harder than you think. I say let the professional make them now that they exist.

  • @Brian202020 well the price of those adapters is really out of my budget... Let´s expect for the lens turbo to be very cheap.

  • I'd still be interested to hear your progress. The speedboosters aren't very high magnifications, only 0.7x 0.5 seems like a more powerful reduction.

  • Tried out one of the cheap $100 speed booster knockoffs with a GH2 http://www.stronzvanderploeg.net/100-speed-boosterlens-turbo-test/