Metabones, the fine manufacturer of lens adapters, announces a speed booster and smart adapter to use Canon EF lenses on Panasonic's GH4.  Do these adapters make the GH4 a more popular camera?

TWO OPTIONS

Metabones now has two adapter options for GH4 shooters.  1. The Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds Speed Booster.  2. The Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds Smart Adapter.  Priced at $599.00 and $399.00 respectively.  

EF – MFT SPEED BOOSTER KEY FEATURES 

• Increase maximum aperture by 1 stop.
• Increase MTF.
• Makes lens 0.71x wider.
• Build-in electronics to control lens aperture.
• The lens aperture is set by the controls on the camera body.
• Powered by camera body. no external power source required. (also accept 3rd party external power supply via MicroUSB socket)
• High performance 32-bit processor and efficient switched-mode power supply.
• The tripod foot is detachable and compatible with Arca Swiss, Markins and Photo Clam ball heads.

EF – MFT SMART ADAPTER KEY FEATURES

• Electronic aperture, EXIF, image stabilization
• Build-in electronics to control lens aperture.
• The lens aperture is set by the controls on the MFT camera/camcorder body e.g. GH4.
• Powered by camera body. no external power source required. (also accept 3rd party external power supply via MicroUSB socket)
• High performance 32-bit processor and efficient switched-mode power supply.
• The tripod foot is detachable and compatible with Arca Swiss, Markins and Photo Clam ball heads.

THE SPEED BOOSTER

Those who have MFT Blackmagic Cinema Cameras or Pocket Camera might already know the power of these little adapters. This filter is able to make you image sharper, brighter, and lenses wider.  While priced at $599.00 the expense feels relatively easy justification if one has a few Canon EF lenses sitting around.  For me, I'd rather buy lenses that work on a few different systems than have several sets of lenses for cameras that only work together. It's just too much to carry around. So this would be the one for me.  

THE SMART ADAPTER

The less expensive alternative with the $399.00 price which is a smart purchase if you do not mind losing the sharper, brighter, and wider lenses a speedbooster brings to the table.  This price though, might be a more sensible purchase for many. Also you might need an adapter that does not make your lenses wider.  Whether it be dramatic, industrial, or nature photography/video long lenses can look really pretty. 

METABONES ON WHY TO BUY METABONE ADAPTERS? 

Since its inception, Metabones has been designing and manufacturing lens adapters recognized among professionals and enthusiasts as leaders in design and workmanship.

Contrary to the popular trend of other factories using an aluminum ring painted black on the camera-body-side, we instead take no short-cut but use precision-machined brass with chromium plating on both the camera-body and the lens sides of our adapters, in order to ensure smooth mounting, great appearance, and durability. The lens side of the adapter features a strong leaf-spring structure, strengthening the adapter-lens connection and ensuring tightness of the lens in order to reduce wear and prevent focus errors and optical alignment issues from appearing.
Metabones uses matte-black treatment to keep internal reflection to a minimum in order to maintain the maximum optical quality possible with the lens.
All Metabones Adapters follow this tradition of uncompromising precision, robust build quality and outstanding finish. Our new Smart AdapterTM series of products add industry-leading electronic interfacing technology from Canada, with true electronic control of the lens' aperture directly from the camera body.

Features

• Both camera-side and lens-side of the adapter are made of brass, precision-machined and plated with chromium.
• Satin surface finish – just like your OEM lens and camera mounts.
• Precise fit and solid connection – lens has no play, gap or wiggling when mounted on adapter and no adjustments are required to fit your lens.
• Designed to reach infinity focus while maintaining the correct registration distance required to maintain optical quality of CRC lenses or lenses with floating elements.
• Our Smart AdapterTM  series adapters have the following additional features
• True electronic integration of aperture diaphragm – let camera automatically choose aperture in P or S exposure modes, or dial in yourself on the camera body in A or M modes.
• EXIF data such as lens identification, focal length and aperture.

LINKS

http://metabones.com/

https://twitter.com/hallettbrian

https://www.provideocoalition.com/bhallett