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SpeedBooster Math


fuzzynormal
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I have the 35-70mm f/4 as well. It's the only FD I got so far. That thing is surprisingly light (as in: doesn't weigh much). Unfortunately my FD -> M43 lens turbo arrived in pretty rough shape. The lens elements became loose on transportation and were full of scratches (you couldn't see through anymore), so I needed to replace the optical core, which took a while to get resolved (really ran into Murphy's law with that one). In meanwhile everything is lovely jovely again, but have yet to put it to good use. Nice to see mercer's test!

What portrait and M43 concerned. I do love the SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 25mm T0.95 as well for its bokehlicious look. Not so sure however to put it to use as a portrait lens. 35mm already seems like a more sensible range shooting with the 4K crop. Although I think the best portrait lens for M43 is probably the Olympus 75mm f/1.8. No hate for the longer focal lengths here. Of course, if you have limited space to work in, longer focal lengths will prove to be challenging and you'll have to compromise.

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I have the 35-70mm f/4 as well. It's the only FD I got so far. That thing is surprisingly light (as in: doesn't weigh much). Unfortunately my FD -> M43 lens turbo arrived in pretty rough shape. The lens elements became loose on transportation and were full of scratches (you couldn't see through anymore), so I needed to replace the optical core, which took a while to get resolved (really ran into Murphy's law with that one). In meanwhile everything is lovely jovely again, but have yet to put it to good use. Nice to see mercer's test!

​Ouch. Man, my luck must be amazing. None of the third party ebay products I've ever bought has given me a problem. 

What portrait and M43 concerned. I do love the SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 25mm T0.95 as well for its bokehlicious look. Not so sure however to put it to use as a portrait lens. 35mm already seems like a more sensible range shooting with the 4K crop. Although I think the best portrait lens for M43 is probably the Olympus 75mm f/1.8. No hate for the longer focal lengths here. Of course, if you have limited space to work in, longer focal lengths will prove to be challenging and you'll have to compromise.

​It depends quite a bit on your shooting style, but I agree that there's nothing wrong with longer focal lengths for portraits and close-ups. In fact, it's my preferred method of achieving shallow focus, as that's the Hollywood method and the look most people are used to. I simply recommended the 25mm because it was the cheapest way to get cheaper and wider, which is what Fuzzynormal asked about. I'd prefer the 35mm or, better yet, the 50mm f/0.95. Pricey though. 

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​Wow, nice test! Parfocal (or close enough as makes no difference), very little breathing, and that great low-con FD look. 
I went with the 35-105, but now I'm considering replacing it with the 35-70. The 35-105's a nice lens and focuses relatively close but at the cost of being a fat as **** chunk of glass. Nice and fast on a speedbooster though, and that range can't be beat for run and gun. 

​If you're looking for a shorter focal length with shallower DoF on M4/3, you might consider the 25mm f/0.95 from SLR Magic. It can be had for less than $500 used, it's incredibly well-built, and it has the nicest bokeh I've ever seen. A little low contrast and "glowy" at f/0.95, but better than the Voigtlander. It sharpens up nicely at f/1.4--and that's for stills. I happily use it wide open for 1080p video. If you'd like me to shoot some portrait tests for you, I can probably find some time later today if I can find a willing subject who isn't too hungover from 4th of July. In the meantime, here's a stills comparison against some vintage stuff and the Voigtlander. http://3d-kraft.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137:adorable-25s-25mm-f095-speed-lens-comparison-on-lumix-gh3&catid=40:camerasandlenses&Itemid=2

If you want a longer focal length, SLR Magic offers a 35mm f/0.95 as well, and the 35mm f/1.4 has amazing bokeh too. Take a look at Flickr and see what you think. I'm a huge fan of these lenses for video, and recommend them to everyone shooting M4/3. Amazing bokeh, good sharpness, fast apertures, decent prices, and they have this inexplicable 3D look that's incredibly cinematic. It must have something to do with its sharpness characteristics combined with low global contrast, but it produces the closest rendering to actual PL cinema glass of anything in its market. 

Thanks Ren, my zooms were a little sloppy, but the lens looks good and that was the point of posting the test. I was looking for the 35-105 when I stumbled upon the 35-70. After reading some reviews, I went with the 35-70 because I read the 35-105 is big and heavy... Plus I picked up the 35-70 for 30 bucks. 

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I have looked at the SLR Magic stuff as well.  It is nice.  But, since a speed booster and old glass will be less than $200, I think I'll stay on that pathway (for now).

However, maybe a few SLR Magic lens rentals in the near future would be worth the time and $$.

​Fair enough! 

If you're invested in FD stuff already, an FD 50mm is your best bet. It's a beautiful lens and will match what you already have. However, it is not usable at f/1.4. At all. I tried it at a concert once, and the footage was lousy with purple halos. Completely unusable. The Rokkor 1.4/50 is much better wide open if that's how you're looking to shoot. 

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​Fair enough! 
If you're invested in FD stuff already, an FD 50mm is your best bet. It's a beautiful lens and will match what you already have. However, it is not usable at f/1.4. At all. I tried it at a concert once, and the footage was lousy with purple halos. Completely unusable. The Rokkor 1.4/50 is much better wide open if that's how you're looking to shoot. 

I like the FD 50mm 1.4, but I have to agree about the Rolkor. I have the 50mm f1.4 MC W PG Rokkor and there really isn't a better lens I have come across. The image is sharp wide open, and 3d. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

FWIW, I started experimenting with stuff.  First try: I hooked up a Fotasy ($115) EOS-m43, put my old Nikkor 50mm f1.4 on it, and shot a low-rent PR vid with it. 

I stopped down to f2.  Not bad.  As mentioned before, I'm not terribly discriminating about bokeh, just want shallow DOF to really knock away background.  That said, bokeh's a bit busy, but I'm encouraged.  

Screen_Shot_2015-07-15_at_4.57.02_PM.thu

My next step involves a cheap Chinese speed-booster and the FD mount with a 55mm f1.2.  We'll see how that goes.  More than anything, I think I appreciate the idea of buying two cheap primes, a speed-booster, a dummy adapter, and then getting 4 focal lengths out of the deal.

Whenever I can do more with less, I like that. 

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FWIW, I started experimenting with stuff.  First try: I hooked up a Fotasy ($115) EOS-m43, put my old Nikkor 50mm f1.4 on it, and shot a low-rent PR vid with it. 

I stopped down to f2.  Not bad.  As mentioned before, I'm not terribly discriminating about bokeh, just want shallow DOF to really knock away background.  That said, bokeh's a bit busy, but I'm encouraged.  

Screen_Shot_2015-07-15_at_4.57.02_PM.thu

My next step involves a cheap Chinese speed-booster and the FD mount with a 55mm f1.2.  We'll see how that goes.  More than anything, I think I appreciate the idea of buying two cheap primes, a speed-booster, a dummy adapter, and then getting 4 focal lengths out of the deal.

Whenever I can do more with less, I like that. 

The Fotasy dummy adapter was $115? Why so much?

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FWIW, I started experimenting with stuff.  First try: I hooked up a Fotasy ($115) EOS-m43, put my old Nikkor 50mm f1.4 on it, and shot a low-rent PR vid with it. 

I stopped down to f2.  Not bad.  As mentioned before, I'm not terribly discriminating about bokeh, just want shallow DOF to really knock away background.  That said, bokeh's a bit busy, but I'm encouraged.  

Screen_Shot_2015-07-15_at_4.57.02_PM.thu

My next step involves a cheap Chinese speed-booster and the FD mount with a 55mm f1.2.  We'll see how that goes.  More than anything, I think I appreciate the idea of buying two cheap primes, a speed-booster, a dummy adapter, and then getting 4 focal lengths out of the deal.

Whenever I can do more with less, I like that. 

​That's a very nice frame Fuzzy. I know that's not what this thread is about, but I had to comment. Very nice soft half light. Are you using an overhead diffuser? A bounce to her left?

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​That's a very nice frame Fuzzy. I know that's not what this thread is about, but I had to comment. Very nice soft half light. Are you using an overhead diffuser? A bounce to her left?

​It is indeed nice lighting, but it also looks like the highlight clipping level has been brought down a bit, which further emphasizes the soft highlight look.

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  • 1 month later...

FWIW, I shot a small project for a friend yesterday.  

No budget and a favor.  Since the stakes were pretty low and everything was casual, I shot it with the EM5II and an old manual 55mm Canon f1.2 FD lens ($200ebay).  The lens was mounted on the cheap Chinese speed booster ($100eBay).

Love the old glass so far.  Really like the renderings I get from it.  And it's radioactive!  So that's cool.

Anyway, 95% is the EM5II handheld and that FD lens, with a few random shots from a 5D.

Here it be @720 for your discriminating consideration.  I feel like I'm getting good value out of the speed booster old lens combo:

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