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Terrible Metabones Experience


Simon Shasha
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Hey guys,

I purchased a Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster last year, but this original purchase of the Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster did not mount to my BMPCC. 

I then sent my faulty Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster back to Metabones in September 2014 for it to be replaced with an all-new Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster. 

Metabones sent me back an all-new Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster which mounted correctly.

However, today I noticed a very serious problem. My Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster is leaking an oily green/black liquid/grease (please see photos at bottom of post). 

Not only has this oily liquid/grease dripped and smeared around my Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster, it has dripped and smeared onto the rear of two prized lenses of mine that I use in conjunction with the Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster - my Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 and Nikon 28mm F2.8 AIS.

I find this is really unacceptable from a product that is marketed as a professional tool, and is as expensive as the Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster ($600 Australian Dollars). It really is unacceptable. Especially when it is effecting and damaging even more expensive lenses in the process. Further more, as a testament to build quality in general, I have lenses that are over 40-years-old whose aperture-rings have never excreted or discharged oily liquid/grease...

It took me two e-mails to even get the attention of Metabones, with the second e-mail requiring me to plead with anyone at Metabones to simply acknowledge my problem and contact me.

Thus far, I have found their response to be very trivial; they simply wrote back "It just need to clean up only, have not any effect on use."

I'm sorry, but first of all; how many "clean ups" will this require? Am I meant to send it back to Metabones every single time it leaks? And yes, it does have an "effect of use" - it is leaking oily crap all over the back of my lenses.

Even if they performed a "clean up", there is no way in hell that I'm going to let this thing touch any of my lenses again.

I posted this here because Metabones seems to think this isn't a big deal. And perhaps for a company, or for those whom money is plentiful, it isn't a big deal. For me, however, it is. Hence, I posted this in the hope of gaining a bit of support, and also for warning anyone that is thinking of purchasing a Metabones product (that uses a manual aperture-ring) of the potential hazards and build-quality associated with certain Metabones products.

Here are some photos of my Speed Booster and the oily liquid/grease it is discharging (P.S. The attached photos of the tissues is what I wiped off the Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster - I eventually gave up because no matter how much I wiped, the oily liquid/grease just kept leaking. What I wiped off the rear-elements of my Sigma and Nikon lenses was just as bad, if not worse (most likely due to the long periods of time they were mounted to the Metabones Nikon-G to BMPCC Speed Booster, slowly collecting and building up this oily-liquid on their rear-elements over time):

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I have to say I've contacted Metabones on two occasions and have still yet to receive a response for them. Not very encouraging, really.

Conversely I've contacted both Mitakon (Zhongyi) and RJ Camera that make cheaper alternatives and both replied promptly and courteously...

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It's just excess grease coming out of the aperture ring.  The internal mechanism of this ring is over-engineered on some adapters/focal-reducers (not just Metabones), and it requires grease to function smoothly.

 

Hold the adapter with the "grease" side facing down and turn the aperture ring fully back and forth about five times. Then, wipe off the excess grease with a clean towel.  Repeat until satisfied.

 

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It's just excess grease coming out of the aperture ring.  The internal mechanism of this ring is over-engineered on some adapters/focal-reducers (not just Metabones), and it requires grease to function smoothly.

 

Hold the adapter with the "grease" side facing down and turn the aperture ring fully back and forth about five times. Then, wipe off the excess grease with a clean towel.  Repeat until satisfied.

 

​I also concluded that it is grease coming from the aperture-ring.

I have been trying your method, but to no avail. I smoothly turn the ring left and right, on both adapters, wipe the grease away, but it just keeps on coming...

I'm worried that all the lubricating grease will eventually drip out, and I will be left with a stiff and grinding aperture-ring that will not turn at all - or will, but very poorly...

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I've been closely observing and scrutinising my Metabones products.

My regular Metabones Nikon-G to MFT adapter does not have this problem. It is about a year older than the Metabones Speed Booster and Metabones Nikon-G to Sony-E adapter. Its aperture-ring also turns much "quicker", where as the aperture-ring on the Speed Booster and Nikon-G to Sony-E adapter and very slow to turn.

Also, the new Metabones Speed Booster they sent me, and the Metabones Nikon-G to Sony-E adapter, were ordered and sent together. I wonder if there is a chance that, assuming they were manufactured at the same time, that perhaps the oil/grease used in that batch of Metabones products was somehow faulty, or something...?

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I thought it was weird that It would be all liquidy in this cold weather, but then you mentioned Australia and it clicked.  I bet it's really fecking hot over their isn't it?  Maybe the Australian summer is more than the product (or the type of grease) can handle.

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It's mutagen! Cool :))

But seriously, sorry to hear about this. I just returned my metabones adapter for Canon EF to Sony E mount.

While shooting photography my Sony would randomly freeze and restart. We're talking 5-10 times per a shoot at least, totally unacceptable.

But it's ok, now I will getting native sony lenses!

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​I have been trying your method, but to no avail. I smoothly turn the ring left and right, on both adapters, wipe the grease away, but it just keeps on coming...

I'm worried that all the lubricating grease will eventually drip out, and I will be left with a stiff and grinding aperture-ring that will not turn at all - or will, but very poorly...

​The grease should eventually diminish, and there shouldn't be any grinding or stiffness at that point.

 

On the other hand, it sounds like this grease is unusually runny.

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