Speed Boosters for the Fuji 10 System

In this video, I compare four focal reducers or speed boosters: Kipon Baveyes 0.7X, the Metabones Speed Booster XL 0.64x, the ZHONGYI Mitakon Lens Turbo Adapter V2, and the Viltrox EF-FX2 Automobile Focus 0.71x.

In this post, I volition be comparing 4 dissimilar speed boosters for the Fuji X system.

I wanted to compare the leading focal-reducing lens adapters currently available for adapting your full frame lens to a Fuji X camera torso. These adapters are ordinarily known equally speed boosters . For those of you who are new to photography and who have recently subscribed to our YouTube channel, here'southward a quick caption of how speed boosters piece of work.

The sensors in Fuji X camera bodies are smaller than the sensors in professional, full frame photographic camera bodies from Canon, Nikon, or Sony. Every bit a effect, lenses of the same focal length will take a narrower field of view on a Fuji body than they would on a Canon EOS 5D Mark Iv, for example. When people switch from another camera arrangement to Fuji, they often want to keep using the same lenses they've been using without having to adapt to a different field of view.


And that'south where speed boosters come in. These speed boosters act as adapters; they allow y'all to adapt your full frame lens onto an APS-C body. They likewise have a built-in lens which adjusts the angle of low-cal so that your field of view will exist closer to what yous were used to in a total frame system . Here's an case:

If you lot were to attach a Canon EF 50mm ane.4 lens to a Fuji body with a not- optical adapter, you'd be left with a 75mm focal length. Just with a speed booster adapter, (with its built-in optics), that 75mm focal length would exist multiplied past 0.71. This would give you an equivalent focal length of about 52mm, much closer to what y'all shot with on your full frame camera.

I'll discuss the costs of this feature later on in the commodity simply for now, you're upward to speed.

I wanted to accept a shut expect at four different lens adapters: the Kipon Baveyes 0.7X, the Zhongyi Mitakon Lens Turbo Adapter V2, the Metabones Nikon G to Fuji Speed Booster XL 0.64x, and the Viltrox EF-FX2 Auto Focus Lens Adapter.

Field Testing

Field Testing

To do this, I spent some time with these adapters in the real world - shooting with them, experiencing life with them, and figuring out their quirks. Later that, I went back to the studio and performed some more scientific comparisons.

The following photos were shot in Nevada using four speed boosters, two Canon lenses, and two Nikon lenses.

* Disclaimer *

(If you lot're wondering why I didn't employ all Catechism speed boosters, the answer is that this test was generally for myself. I'm selfish, and I similar my Nikon, film-era glass. I wanted to know which speed booster would assist me nearly and the Viltrox adapter was a bit of an afterthought. If Viltrox does come out with a Nikon version adapter, I wanted to know if I should consider using it or not. Thus the lack of consistency.)

Now that you've had a run a risk to see these adapters in action, it'due south fourth dimension for my rundown. After both a field test and "lab" test, I feel pretty confident in my ability to compare and dissimilarity them for you. Here are some of the quirks I noticed while shooting with these adapters.


 Kipon

This adapter is a pain to get on and off. It'southward an extremely tight fit on both the lens and the body, but especially the lens. I had to employ plenty of torque to get it loose, which is especially risky since it's difficult to get a good grip on this adapter. You risk rubbing against the dorsum element every time y'all bandy information technology out.

For me, this event alone might exist a deal breaker. The epitome quality of this adapter would have to be exceptionally better than the other adapters to make me put up with this difficulty.


Metabones

This adapter has a built in click-less aperture band which is probably swell if you're shooting video or with a mod Nikon lens. Just with the older AI-S lenses, information technology makes things confusing.

If you want to use the Metabones click-less aperture band, you've got to brand sure the Nikon's discontinuity is completely stopped downwards. If you want to utilize the Nikon'due south aperture adapter, you've got to call up to close downwardly the Metabones adapter band. If you forget to prepare things correctly, y'all can end upwards shooting at the incorrect aperture by fault . Several of my shots were messed up by shooting at the wrong aperture without realizing it.

Viltrox

When you're focusing with this adapter or changing settings, strange things happen. As it tried to interact with Fuji's firmware, the picture tended to flicker to white and black. People wanting to apply it's AF functionality may notice this quirk irrelevant. For me, who doesn't really care near AF with adjusted lenses, I found information technology annoying.

While I'm non intending to review the AF functionality of the Viltrox adapter in this post, it did seem unreliable and sluggish. I would prefer to stick with transmission focusing in nigh situations.



 Zhongyi

This adapter may exist the merely one of the four that didn't cause me grief. That is, until I looked at its image quality.

Prototype Quality

In this all-of import area of photography, I think sharpness is a real concern when using adapters. Plain, when shooting through these adapters, you're going to lose some sharpness. This is particularly true in the corners of your epitome or when shooting broad open up.

How much sharpness will you lot lose? And which of these four adapters is going to reduce that loss the nearly? Hither'southward what I found:


Kipon vs. Zhongyi

Kipon vs. Zhongyi - Wide Open up Aperture

When comparing the Kipon and Zhongyi adapters on a Nikon Nikkor 50mm 1.iv shot wide open up , neither image was very articulate at the center. The Kipon was less blurry just demonstrates some amazing fringing. As I moved out toward the edges of the image, the Zhongyi was able to maintain its level of sharpness, or lack of sharpness, while the Kipon looked noticeably worse. This wasn't but pixel peeping. It's pretty easy to see the difference even without zooming in at all. I also saw more than baloney from images shot with Kipon.

When compared at an discontinuity of F8 , the tables turned. In the center of the epitome, where it counts the most, the Kipon was much sharper than the Zhongyi. But strangely, things were reversed at the edges. The Kipon epitome wasn't horrible, just the Zhongyi image was actually sharper than that Kipon at the center. This is less than platonic. The distortion was however nowadays at this aperture with both images being similar in this area.

When it came to a winner between these ii adapters, I chose the Kipon. It produced some tolerable epitome quality at about F4 discontinuity, (or about F2.viii equivalent).

Kipon vs. Metabones - Wide Open Aperture

Kipon vs. Metabones


Comparing wide open shots from the Kipon and Metabones adapters was a different story. Neither were sharp at the center, but the Metabones adapter produced slightly better sharpness and less fringing. Out towards the corners of each image, the Metabones adapter showed its superiority. It also seemed to produce less baloney.

At an aperture of F4 , where I originally chosen the Kipon adapter passable, the images from the Metabones adapter made me want to change my mind. There wasn't much of a contest. Even without pixel peeping, I could tell a departure; the Metabones adapter came out equally the clear winner.

Metabones vs. Viltrox - Wide Open Aperture

Viltrox vs. Metabones
Considering I couldn't apply the same lens with the Viltrox and the Metabones adapters, (meet my disclaimer in a higher place), I needed to compare lenses as well. Images from the vintage Nikon Nikkor 50mm one.4 and the modern Catechism EF 50mm 1.4, were both very sharp in the center. Not surprisingly, the Canon EF 50mm one.four was noticeably sharper in the corners. This difference in lenses affected my comparing of the Metabones and Viltrox adapters.

Images shot wide open with the Viltrox adapter and the Catechism lens were a flake sharper at the eye those shot with the Metabones adapter and the Nikon lens. At the edges, both images were mediocre.

When I moved out to an aperture of F4 , the centers of each image were extremely similar; I gave the win to Viltrox only past the tiniest of margins. When I observed the corners of each prototype, I saw a lot more sharpness out of the Viltrox.

I couldn't choose a conclusive winner in this comparison since the modern, Canon lens was sharper. Until I can compare these 2 adapters with the same lens, I'll take to call it a describe.

Bokeh

While nearly of you know my feelings when information technology comes to shallow depth of field and obsession over bokeh, I think many people purchase speed boosters so that they can maximize their bokeh gathering ability. This comparison wouldn't be complete if I didn't take a quick top at bokeh.

When it comes to the three adapters I coupled with the Nikon Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lens, I couldn't make a strong judgment call. All three performed poorly. When information technology comes to bokeh, I prefer less distractions in my backgrounds most of the time. Speed boosters by and large tin't evangelize this.

All four of these adapters volition cause some doubling to occur behind the subject at certain distances. This volition create some really nervous backgrounds. For some people, this is exactly the await they're going for.

The Viltrox adapter was definitely smoother, but again, this could largely be thanks to the mod Canon EF 50mm 1.iv lens. None of these adapters is a articulate winner. All four will requite you a similar nervous-looking bokeh outcome.

Conclusion

After considering all these factors, which of these four adapters would I choose to shoot with?

Clearly, I would skip the Zhongyi adapter due to its poor image quality. The Kipon adapter is too out, due to its "just slightly better" image quality, and the difficulty in mounting information technology to my lens. (Afterward this review. I program to never put this adapter on a lens over again.)

The Viltrox and Metabones adapters are probably the all-time adapter choices on the market. If you're a Canon lens user , go with Viltrox . Even though the AF is defective, this adapter might be a dainty piece of gear to accept in your kit. (Viltrox won't exist an option if yous shoot with vintage Canon glass.)

If you're a vintage Nikon drinking glass shooter like me, the Metabones adapter is definitely your all-time pick. If Viltrox decides to make a Nikon mount adapter, I'll gladly do a follow-up review.

Why Speed Boosters?

All of this talk about speed boosters brings upward a bigger question. I've spent a lot of time debating which adapter you should apply and haven't paused to consider if you should be using one in the first place. Are lens adapters fifty-fifty a good thought? I'thousand still a bit skeptical.

If you lot're doing stylized video or portraiture piece of work, or some sort of creative macro or abstract photography, I could see the possible benefits of using a lens adapter. Information technology might help your piece of work stand out from the crowd. You wouldn't accept to cede whatever depth of field due to cropping and it could inject some creativity into your shooting.

On the other hand, you lot're going to lose image quality when using a speed booster , particularly in those corners and when shooting at lower aperture numbers. I've watched many videos by Fuji shooters who use lens adapters and none of them seem to mention this point. Maybe it's not an issue for them.

But there are times where nearly photographers are going to need edge-to-edge image sharpness. (a family photo, for example.) If you're plotting to merely shoot with vintage lenses and a speed booster, you lot might end up learning your lesson the hard way: they don't always piece of work. Also, if you desire your discipline to be whatever other place than the center of your frame, speed boosters are a poor choice.

Don't forget that shooting with a speed booster means inconsistent cropping . During my shooting experience in Nevada, there were some shots that I really would have loved to crop. Unfortunately, I had a hard time cropping because information technology made both the vignetting and the circle of blurriness around the edges of the paradigm inconsistent.

In that location were plenty of times I didn't mind the mistiness or the vignette, but I tin can't stand seeing them in one corner of the image and not the other iii. I can't handle that level of incongruence. If I'm even considering a creative crop of a shot, it makes me want to avert fifty-fifty putting a lens adapter on my camera. (Cropping in the very center would piece of work, but if that's your goal, why even use a speed booster?)

There is one situation for which I will definitely be keeping the Metabones speed booster: low-low-cal shooting . Since you're focusing more than light than usual onto the sensor with a speed booster, yous tin can shoot in surprisingly low light without having to raise your ISO level every bit much. When I'm shooting in low calorie-free, I'm willing to sacrifice sharpness to keep the noise down. I was pleased at how well this speed booster performed in depression-low-cal situations. For low-light shots, the Nikon Nikkor 50mm 1.4 and the Metabones speed booster were ideal.

In brusk, a speed booster can be a useful tool in your arsenal. It's a tool I plan to experiment with and utilize in the hereafter. Simply I would never permanently mount it to my Fuji Ten device to use with all my Nikon lenses.

What are your opinions on speed boosters? Practise you have additional information that I left out? I'd beloved to hear nearly it in the comments section below.

Until next time, recollect: kindness before cameras. We'll talk to you once more real soon.