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Canon FDn 50 1.4

WARNING: This lens doesn't focus to infinity with this adapter! CONCLUSION: Due to the fact this specific lens doesn't focus to infinity when used on this speedbooster, I'm going to use this INDOORS at for the TIGHT interview shot. These custom settings also work OUTDOORS, but its usefulness is very limited because you can't focus to infinity (i.e. you can't focus on distant objects...hence, this is truly a tool for blurring the background, etc.) ATEM Mini NOTES: The ATEM Mini seems to increase the CONTRAST, so I may need to reduce this when using the ATEM Mini.

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​Pentax Super-Takumar 50 1.4 ii

CONCLUSION: Overall, I don't like this lens-sensor combination. WITHOUT this speedbooster, this lens both has a lot of character AND a lot of integrity, but WITH this (Pixco) speedbooster, it feels like one of the cheap vintage lenses that nobody likes. I do like this speedbooster on other lenses though, so it's just this lens-sensor combination that is uninspiring. ORIGINAL NOTES: So, after testing the original (non-BOOSTED) settings with the speedbooster ON, I can certainly say that they DO NOT WORK, so I'm starting this test from scratch. (Sometimes starting with the non-BOOST settings works, but in this case, it isn't working too well). NON-BOOST NOTES: This was a VERY difficult lens to come up with the set of recommended settings for. My goal is simply to make it easy to get the best original capture as possible (at all aperture settings) and that was difficult because of how inconsistent this lens is at different apertures (in terms of how it renders light, etc.)

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Vivitar 50 1.8 M42

OVERVIEW: My first impression of this lens-sensor combination wasn't too good, but after getting these custom settings worked out, there are some good things to say about it. Overall, it's got a lot of character, and the strange thing is that it renders the image MUCH differently at different F-stops (in more ways than depth of field and sharpness). It's hard to put in words, but it just kind of makes the image look like it's from different film stocks at different aperture values. This made it difficult to decide on one set of settings, but what I'm using is working pretty well (see the above settings). WIERD NOTES: There's a lot of "weird notes" for this lens-sensor combination, because it behaves so differently than most of the other lenses I've tested. One thing is that it gets MORE contrasty at f/2.8 and LESS at 5.6 or f/8 (most lenses become more contrasty as they stop down). As normal, the SHARPNESS increases as it gets closer to f/8, but I find it weird that the CONTRAST is greater at 2.8. In general, I like using this combination (this lens + PIXCO speedbooster) at f/2.8, as it has just the right amount of bokeh, as well as good sharpness, and contrast as mentioned. Also, focus pulling is really nice at f/2.8, with a short focus throw, and infinity focus being pretty much right on (in my experience). The sharpness isn't good enough below f/2.8 either, so needless to say, I use it at f/2.8 almost all of the time. SHARPENING SETTINGS: This is a very difficult lens to give SHARPENING settings for because the sharpness changes so much at different aperture values! However, I'll start working on figuring this out after I've gathered enough footage to run it through tests (in Davinci). FIRST IMPRESSION (OLD NOTES): The #1 thing I'm starting to notice with this focal reducer/speedbooster, is that it causes a big flare ball (not hair ball) in the middle of the frame, no matter what lens is used. I tried shielding the lens (I put my hand about 6 inches in FRONT of the lens, and slightly above) and it removed the flare, but it's pretty bad without this. The only solution would be to use a BIG French flag above the lens. The lens flare does the normal bad things to the lens really bad flare does (reduces the contrast and color saturation) and in this case, it almost totally destroys the image. So, for now I'm not going to recommend this lens-sensor +BOOST (speedbooster) combination (and I might look into some other speedbooster brands for M42).

BPM18

Panasonic 12-60 3.5-5.6

UPDATE: I changed the Highlight Shadow settings (from -3+3) to -2+2 and now it has the same HS settings as the UNFILTERED version. This is interesting as it means that, while the LUT will still need to be different for this version (which is using the Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8) because of tonal range, but what's interesting is the SHARPNESS settings are the only difference (2 points less when using this filter). I know, it would be nice if this pattern was the same for ALL lens-sensor combinations (and I could just apply that logic, and not have to TEST each one) but I know better than to do that by now, LOL! I came back to this test after some time, and I think the old settings looked okay SOOC (Straight Out of Camera) but I think the image would fall apart if any post sharpening was to be added, so I increased the NR (Noise Reduction) to tone down sharpness. This helps to get the image to a better starting point (before adding a bit of sharpening in post). I also increased the COLOR setting by 1 (because adding NR reduced the color saturation too). I need to test the post-production sharpening settings in Davinci Resolve (I will publish them below).

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Panasonic 12-60 3.5-5.6

Wow. These settings are working really well SOOC (Straight Out of Camera) but are not what I expected at all. I will still make a LUT, but the video from these settings alone looks great. On the first day of testing, I wasn't enjoying myself and didn't know if there was hope for this lens-sensor combo. So, I switched over to the tests using a diffusion filter (Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8) because things weren't working. Strange enough, the place where I left off was a GREAT place to start with the filter on (I used the same settings) and I got the test WITH the filter done first. Then, when I returned to finish these UNFILTERED tests, I finally got these to look good too, but the settings are way different than the ones for when you're using a Tiffen BPM18. The filtered and UNFILTERED versions will need different LUTs and SHARPENING settings for post-production for sure, but I'm pretty happy with how good of a "starting point" these two sets of settings are providing. Check my YouTube channel for some of the tests.

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Canon FDn 50 1.8

THE SHORT STORY: I'm super happy with the results coming from these settings (the lens-sensor combo, including the Pixco speed booster)! What was super surprising was that these settings not only look good on the final files, but they also look good on the Panasonic GH4 flip-out screen (while you're shooting) and that doesn't always happen (it's a really good thing!) THE LONG STORY: I just tested this lens-sensor combination on a Panasonic GX85, so I had some expectations for this test...but I must say that it turned out a lot better than I expected! Not only does this turn the very affordable Canon FDn 50 1.8 into a great low light tool (a 35mm 1.2) but it renders quite a filmic look on this GH4 (a super affordable camera nowadays)! I say it looks a lot like film because it's doing a really good job controlling the highlight rolloff, midtones and shadow detail, and it even renders a sort of film grain look by having a bit of digital noise (but it's not too much that it's distracting). The NOISE REDUCTION settings are what I'm using to control how the "film grain" look is rendering, and the final settings I'm using are a result of a lot of back-and-forth trial and error, so I'll have to say that it's important to use these specific settings (try it and I think you'll like it). In regard to the optical quality of this speed booster, it has flaws and imperfections, but I think what's really important is how the image it renders looks, etc. It has issues with lens flare which some people actually like, and has other issues that could normally be considered a negative (such as sharpness reduction, etc.) that are working well with this lens-sensor combination. In the end, I think using this Pixco speed booster with this Canon FDn 50 1.8 is a very cost-effective way to turn this 50 1.8 into a 35mm F/1.2 low light tool. The aperture control is stepless (i.e. de-clicked) though it does have a couple places it seems to catch slightly. GH4 NOTE: One problem with the GH4 is that the sensor seems to render too much BLUE. So, the workaround I use is to shoot in "Cloudy" white balance when it's sunny outside. My "REAL" ratings rate "COLOR" as being pretty accurate, but it's when using this workaround.

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Canon FDn 50 1.8

IMPORTANT: After having a camera's sensor get scratched (after dropping it with a speedbooster on) I don't recommend using speedboosters anymore on cameras with sensors that have IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization). The reason is that the optic sticks into the lens mount (more than an OEM lens) and if the camera is dropped, the extra force and motion of the IBIS sensor can cause the two to collide (thus scratching the sensor). This is not only a review of this vintage lens, but also a review of the Pixco focal reducer (specific to this camera) and so far, I like it! This speed booster is inexpensive, and though it DOES create lens flare, it doesn't look too bad, and can be controlled (with a lens shade) if needed. This lens-sensor combination (of the Lumix GX85, the Canon FDn 50 1.8 + Pixco speed booster) is a pretty good way to get an F/1.2 lens, for a low price. What's really weird about this lens-sensor combination is that, even with a LOT of NR (Noise Reduction) added, it is still producing a lot of NOISE. You might wonder how a specific lens could produce MORE noise than another lens (with the same SENSOR) but I think it comes down to what was done to the light before it reaches the sensor, and then the interaction of the sensor and the light affects how the sensor displays things. It sounds really simple, but each lens-sensor relationship is a little different. So, because the digital noise is not going away, what I'm attempting to do is to make it look like film grain (as much as I can).

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Panasonic 14-42 ii

UPDATE 2: I just finished the updated settings! I think it still could benefit from doing some tests with some kind of diffusion filter (like the Tiffen GG or BPM) but I have to note that this is my last test with this camera because the shutter speed dial completely stopped working (when I turn it, it only goes HIGHER). The problems with this camera started after using a Viltrox EFM2ii (Canon mount focal reducer/speedbooster) during which the screen glitched, then the camera froze. Since then, it has gotten worse, and now I can't use it at all. (I love the Nikon mount version of the Viltrox focal reducer, the non-electronic version, but now I'm going to warn people about using the Canon mount version (because it has electrical contacts, and tries to communicate, and pull power from, the camera). One thing that is really interesting about these settings, is that the SOOC JPEG (in still photo modes) looks really good (and, in fact a bit more accurate than the video footage, because the video footage is still a LITTLE bit over-sharpened). UPDATE: I recently talked with another photographer about this lens (as well as talking with others in the past) and most people don't like it much. I've been working to figure out CUSTOM SETTINGS that help each lens look its best (specific to each camera sensor) and haven't been able to get this combo to look realistic (it looks too "digital"). I've started testing some lenses using Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/8 filters and may try that here. What the filter does is smooth the transition of light from the highlights to the shadows, keeping the light projected onto the sensor within the dynamic range of the camera. This also causes SHARPNESS to decrease, but I have it turned all of the way down right now, so I can then turn it up on the custom settings, and it should make the image look less digital.

ND8

Leica 25-400 2.8-4.0

I’ve been working on getting my FZ1000 to look realistic, using SOOC (Straight Out of Camera) settings, and I’m pretty happy with what these settings now (and it’s REALLY EASY TO REMEMBER). These settings are mostly for 4K PHOTO mode use, so I'm also doing this so I can either use 4K PHOTO mode to grab stills, or to shoot video and be able to use it without doing color grading (though it may need a little sharpness adding in Davinci Resolve, my video editing software of choice…also super good for color grading). Note that the smaller sensor on this camera produces a little bit more NOISE than I would consider perfect, but it's not bad if you look at it as kind of an organic "film look". IMPORTANT NOTE: One setting that you have to be careful to not forget, is to set the "Luminance Level" to 0-255 (not the default setting of 16-255). The easy way to set it to 0-255, is simply to switch to 4K PHOTO mode (which will default to 0-255). You can set it without doing that, but it's a lot more difficult (I don't remember the exact sequence). I should also say, I've found ISO 200 to create the most real-looking image on this camera (maybe it's the "native ISO"?) So, if you can use ISO 200, I do recommend it even over 125 and 160, even though they're lower. The image degrades noticeably above ISO 400, and I sometimes go up to ISO 800 when needed, but be aware that it's going to look like it has more "film grain" (which isn't always bad, but it won't match your other footage, if the other footage was shot at a lower ISO). Another thing to note, is this camera doesn't work with a VND (variable ND) and so if you need to use a ND filter outdoors (to follow the 180-degree shutter rule, which I sometimes do not) the only option is using a straight ND filter (ND8 has been the best strength in my experience). This is both interesting and somewhat distressing, and the inclusion of internal ND filters in the FZ2500 seems like an admission of this issue. What happens is, at the longer telephoto focal lengths, using a VND filter makes the image look really bad; so bad, you would have to try it yourself to believe it! It's interesting that a similar thing happens with a lot of the 70-300 lenses I've tested (also at and near the long end of the zoom range). My theory is it has something to do with the enormous amount of space between the optics when the lens is in the extended telephoto position.

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Tamron 17-50 2.8 VC

Need to add COLOR with a LUT but have to keep it low during capture to reduce both noise artifacts and the chromatic aberrations (light green blue and red fringing). I'm noticing those aberrations at the WIDE end (17mm or so) but it's pretty clean around 50mm in this respect. It's also sharper (too sharp) at the wide end, and less sharp (but just about right with these settings) at the long (50mm) end.