After reading about a generic focal reducer (FR/speedbooster) over at Eric Cote's Mirrorless Journey blog I decided to make the "big investment" and purchase one of my own. The unit is made to mount a Canon EF lens to a micro four thirds body however due to the popularity of mounting legacy glass to Canon EOS bodies, there are a multitude of adapters available which can be used in conjunction with the speedbooster. I have a two old Zuiko lenses that I had used occasionally with an OM to M43 adapter and by purchasing an obscenely cheap Canon EF to OM adapter I was able to adapt my Zuiko glass. Since the FR is less than $100 I figured it was a low risk purchase and I was very interested to assess its performance firsthand.

According to the eBay listing, to calculate the focal length of your lens once the speedbooster is attached you multiple its focal length by 0.72. This also applied to the aperture and overall you gain about a stop of light. For example, an OM 50mm f/1.8 renders a field of view similar to a 100mm lens on a full frame camera (50 x 2 <-- crop factor) when mounted to my EM5 using the normal OM to M43 adapter. With the FR the lens becomes a 36mm f/1.3 (50 x 0.72 = 36, 1.8 x 0.72 = 1.296) which has an equivalent focal length of approximately 72 mm on a M43 camera. I used this legacy lens with the adapter for about 99% of my test shots and have really enjoyed this focal length. I like using short telephoto lenses, but the wider angle of view over Olympus' 45mm portrait lens makes this some sort of normal-short telephoto hybrid which is great (especially in tighter settings).

Performance

I saw no degradation in image quality when using the FR and I actually found it was better than using the 50mm f/1.8 alone with the OM to M43 adapter. Throughout heavy use I have found that the legacy 50mm is not the best performer wide open and it is often necessary stop down to at least f/2.8 (especially when faced with high contrast scenes) to get acceptable results. With the speedbooster attached I feel confident using the lens wide open which is great because of the extra stop of light you gain. This is crazy because I thought the speedbooster was going to make things worse. Below is the original RAW (converted to JPEG) and a 100% center crop of the image introducing this paragraph. In addition, I have provided another sharpness example and to my recollection these were both taken wide open. As you can see, the image has low overall contrast, but I think this is a characteristic of the old glass and not necessarily brought on by the FR.

JPEG from unedited RAW file

100% center crop (510 pixels)

JPEG from unedited RAW file

100% center crop (510 pixels) 

Sharpness at this level is definitely enough for my needs and I think that the image quality will be directly proportional to the lens that you mount to the focal reducer. One thing you may (or may not) have noticed is the chromatic aberration in the 100% crop above. Besides the fact that this is easily removed in Lightroom, I would bet money that it would have been worse using the 50mm without the FR. Below is an example of the most extreme CA I saw during my test shots (and another sharpness example for good measure).

100% crop from center top showing CA

100 % crop from center

Flaring (primarily a large blue dot in the center of your frame) with older generic speedboosters was a huge issue I had read about before purchasing this version but I did not encounter much (neither did Eric), and I tried pretty hard. Below are two examples of what I came across in terms of flare.

Extra Image Samples

• Around my home's local nature trail in Hunter's Creek, FL

OM Zuiko 28mm f/3.5

• Trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios:

OM Zuiko 28mm f/3.5

Conclusion

Overall I think this is FR a steal for less than $100, but I do not own the metabones version (which cost significantly more) to do a side by side comparison. Also, my photography workflow includes shooting RAW and then processing the images to taste in Lightroom so I do not see low overall contrast and a bit of chromatic aberration as a problem. Besides, these are likely artifacts of the lens I was using. I do not recommend this adapter if you want to actually mount your Canon EF glass to a micro four thirds camera. There are no electronic contacts and you will not have the ability to change your aperture. Its perfect for widening up your old legacy lenses though and I sure have had a blast with it!

Sam

If you live in, or are traveling to Florida and would like to schedule a photo-shoot, I am currently offering portrait services in and around Central Fl. Check out more of my work at www.samgoldphotography.com

This article will conclude my series on Walt Disney World and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate this blog's 50th post!!! I know this is not a huge milestone, but I wasn't sure how long I would keep this up after my initial "want" to share my photography and write about it. I am glad I have been able to keep up with it and hope that any regular readers out there have enjoyed its content. I have been writing about the opportunity for photography at Disney's Parks and feel like trying to describe my experience at Magic Kingdom is like trying to explain human anatomy and physiology using a Barbie... but I am going to try my best. Some of the attractions at Disney (like Cinderella's castle) have become classic national and international icons. Below is a collection of attractions that I feel are part of the spirit of Magic Kingdom. They are all processed in black and white in attempt to highlight their classic appeal and bring something special subject matter that has been photographed a million times over. As far as attractions go, if you are visiting Magic Kingdom in hopes of catching a thrill, the "big three" you will want to check out are Space Mountain (my personal favorite), Thunder Mountain (sit in the back, you will go faster!), and Splash Mountain (if you don't mind getting wet).

Thunder Mountain

Trip to Space

Cinderella's castle

Space Mountain

World famous Dumbo ride

Crystal Palace- in my opinion, the best view of Cinderella's Castle, where introductory photo was taken

Main St. USA

Sometimes it is hard to sow down and stop yourself from running to your next destination in the park, but it's worth the time to stop and capture some of the scenery around the park. Another great place to take photos is while waiting in line for rides and as I mentioned before in the Hollywood Studios post, it can help pass the time. The attention to detail and amount of work Disney has put forth ensuring authenticity is remarkable and for a lack of better terms, "begs" to be captured. Also, I have found that experimenting with abstract photography (usually long exposure) is a fun way to wait. Once I (sometimes F I N A L L Y) get on a ride I usually have my camera out to try and get some photos of the attraction itself. When photographing inside a ride I found my portrait lens (50mm-100mm on MFT) was too long and my fisheye (7.5mm- 15mm on MFT) was sometimes too wide (but created some awesome effects due to distortion). I think something in the middle like the 20mm Panasonic or brand new 25mm Olympus would be just right. Also, its really dark in most od the rides so the "faster" your lens is, the better and having autofocus life makes things much easier!

Space Mountain

Dumbo The Flying Elephant

Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

Haunted Mansion

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

I think in each of these posts about Disney, I have mentioned that people are everywhere and I love photographing them whether it be as a huge mass, a candid portrait or somewhere in between. Taking photos of children at Magic Kingdom is great because you can tell that they are having the best time of their lives and their emotions make for great subject matter. Also kids are what Disney runs on so I have made a small effort trying to document their presence at the parks. I try not to photograph kids when they are screaming at the top of their lungs (because they haven't slept in 14 hrs and are crashing from their 3rd sugar high) as their parents are already frustrated. The last thing I want is for one to vent it out on me. In addition to kids, it is also fun to try and capture the interactions between street performers and other Disney staff. Below are a few of my favorite in this genre.

Never a shortage of people

Work day

If you ask a street performer for a photo they will be more than happy to pose for you

... But candid shots are also great fun

Kids at heart

In relation to people photography, but a bit different, is the opportunity to photograph cast members who are part of Magic Kingdom's parades and shows. They have around three parades and multiple shows per day and with every one being unique there is tons of opportunity to capture some great moments! If you are "in front" during the parades then a short telephoto lens will work to capture some detail in the characters, but if you are far away then a longer lens is probably necessary. For best results, I recommend getting to the shows early to pick a good spot beforehand. I think photographing parades and shows is challenging because you have to wait for moments that bring life your subject and be able to act fast enough to capture them. Admittedly, I could use some practice here, but that's where the fun is right!?!?

This past month has been nothing but swimming in Disney photography and I hope to have captured some of the charm these parks have to offer. Walt Disney World is truly a magical place and especially so during Christmas. After all, there is a reason why it is considered one of the best theme parks in the world and you will definitely not suffer from boredom as a photographer visiting any of the parks! One of my photography goals is to take some really good photos of the fireworks around Cinderella's castle. Unfortunately all my attempts have failed, but one of these days I will bring a tripod and remote shutter release into the park and hopefully that will do the trick. The last thing I will touch on is that if you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World; if possible, dedicate two days to Magic Kingdom. The park is huge and saying there is a lot to get done in one day is a massive understatement... plus, after the first day, you are going to want to go back!!! If it is your first time here and you enjoyed some of this imagery, links for the rest of this series which feature the three other parks can be found below =)

Sam D.

Walt Disney World Series:

Part I: Introduction
Part II: Animal Kingdom
Part III: EPCOT
Part IV: Post Processing in China
Part V: Hollywood Studios
Part VI: Snapseed User Review (Magic Kingdom)
Part VII: Magic Kingdom