Optical adapter with reduction optics for lenses; shrinks crop factor and gains approximately one stop of light.
Speed Boosters reduce the focal length by 29% (0.71x factor) and increase the aperture by exactly one stop. A 50mm f/1.4 Canon EF lens becomes a 35mm f/1.0 equivalent on a Speed Booster. The internal optics consist of 4-5 aspherical elements with special coatings. Metabones produces variants for Canon EF to Sony E-mount, Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds, and other combinations. The XL type offers a 0.64x reduction for even more extreme wide-angle effects. Typical dimensions: 75mm diameter, 25-30mm height, weight between 200-350g depending on the model.
Metabones introduced the first Speed Booster in 2013, developed by Caldwell Photographic. The goal was to use full-frame lenses on smaller sensors without suffering the typical crop disadvantages. In 2014, the Speed Booster ULTRA followed with improved optics and reduced vignetting. Viltrox, Zhongyi Optics, and other manufacturers brought more affordable alternatives to market between 2016-2018. Since 2019, electronic variants with autofocus support for specific camera-lens combinations have been available.
Speed Boosters allow the use of expensive full-frame lenses on Super35 or MFT cameras, achieving a more authentic full-frame look. They compensate for the crop factor of cameras like the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera or Panasonic GH series. In low-light shooting, the additional stop of aperture offers crucial advantages. Documentary filmmakers use them for compact kits with professional optics. The depth of field is minimally altered by the focal length reduction, and the bokeh characteristics are largely preserved.
Unlike standard lens adapters, which only provide mechanical adaptation, Speed Boosters actively alter optical properties. Simple adapters crop the image more severely and reduce the effective light intensity. Full-frame cameras like the Sony FX6 or Canon C70 eliminate the need for Speed Boosters but are larger and more expensive. For pure wide-angle applications, native ultra-wide-angle lenses often offer better image quality than Speed Booster combinations with standard focal lengths.
Ich nutze Speed Booster hauptsächlich an meiner Blackmagic 6K Pro, um meine Canon L-Objektive vollständig auszunutzen - das 24-70mm f/2.8 wird zu einem praktischen 17-50mm f/2.0. Die zusätzliche Lichtstärke rettet mich bei Available Light-Situationen, wo jede Blendenstufe zählt. Einziger Nachteil: Bei extremen Weitwinkeln unter 16mm zeigt sich leichtes Vignetting in den Ecken.
Speed Booster geben mir die visuelle Flexibilität, mit kompakten MFT-Kameras trotzdem den cineastischen Look zu erzielen, den ich von Vollformat gewohnt bin. Für Handheld-Sequenzen ist die Kombination aus kleiner Kamera und professioneller Optik ideal - ich bekomme die Bildsprache ohne das Gewicht. Die Schärfentiefe bleibt authentisch, ohne den typischen "Video-Look" kleiner Sensoren.
Ein 400€ Speed Booster spart mir den Kauf teurer nativer Objektive und macht vorhandenes EF-Glas universell einsetzbar. Für Produktionen mit gemischtem Kamera-Setup standardisiere ich so die Optik über verschiedene Kameratypen hinweg. Der ROI ist nach drei Produktionen erreicht, besonders bei Multi-Cam-Setups mit unterschiedlichen Sensorgrößen.
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