top of page
Writer's picturesilverlightphotoco

How I Adapt Old Lenses (to Micro Four Thirds)

Updated: Jul 1, 2024

OVERVIEW:

If you're wondering "Isn't adapting lenses as simple as buying an adapter, and putting it on the camera?" Well, it kind of is, but what I'll be talking about is the decision-making process that led me to coming up with the information you'll see in my notes below. It's about how I keep the image quality high, even when using smaller sensor (Micro Four Thirds) budget filmmaking cameras. Spoiler alert: my #1 tip for Micro Four Thirds is "Use a speed booster (i.e. BOOST) whenever possible (unless you need autofocus) and keep your ISO low." I'll also talk about some of my favorite tricks for adapting affordable, old lenses for Micro Four Thirds, plus talk about using "SHIFT" and macro "HELICOID" adapters.

 

 WARNING: I no longer recommend focal reducers/speed boosters FOR CAMERAS WITH I.B.I.S. (In-Body Image Stabilization). The reason is, I dropped my camera (with a Viltrox NF-M43x on it) and the sensor got scratched (I'm pretty sure it was because the optic of the speed booster sticks into the lens mount more than an OEM Panasonic lens).


ABOVE: There are a ton of options when it comes to adapting lenses to Micro Four Thirds, as you can adapt almost ANY lens mount (because of the small sensor size).


INDOOR vs. OUTDOOR


When adapting lenses to Micro Four Thirds, the first thing I think about is what environment I'll be shooting in. I start by separating INDOOR vs. OUTDOOR situations, then I categorize the choices into my "3 Simple Shots" which are based on my Top 3 (Budget) Lenses for Filmmaking (WIDE, TIGHT and TELE).


HOW I ADAPT TO M4/3 (INDOORS)
HOW I ADAPT TO M4/3 (OUTDOORS)

ABOVE: My most important tip regarding adapting lenses to Micro Four Thirds INDOORS is "Boost whenever you can". However, there are a few exceptions to this rule (see below).


INDOORS WIDE = BOOST

Indoors (or in low light situations) Micro Four Thirds sensors often need a +BOOST (i.e. a focal reducer). There are two reasons they need this: 1.) They need a wider max. aperture to expose the sensor to more light, and 2.) They may need a wider angle (a shorter focal length) to get everything in the shot. However, if there is enough light indoors, I would always prefer to use a SHIFT adapter  #ad (for correcting architectural distortion) but that can only work if your lens is both wide enough, and it has a decent maximum aperture. (This is why I love using the Tokina AT-X 11-16 2.8  #ad  ). The other reason I wouldn't use a +BOOST would be if I needed to "follow" using touchscreen AF (autofocus).


ABOVE: When using Micro Four Thirds INDOORS I like using a speed booster, but not because of low light (you can add light indoors) but to create a background blur in smaller spaces. Bad news is, now I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING SPEED BOOSTERS WITH IBIS, so I only do it with my GH4, G7.


INDOORS TIGHT = BOOST

The first reason I use a +BOOST indoors is simply to increase the amount of light being sent to the sensor. This allows me to use a lower ISO (which is really important for Micro Four Thirds cameras). Also, the indoor "TIGHT" shot is usually used for a "talking head" people shot, so the speed booster helps to create shallower depth of field (i.e. more background blur).


INDOORS TELE = BOOST

Since there really isn't any (affordable) telephoto lens that is as fast as F/1.4, I almost always add a speed booster for telephoto shots (INDOORS). There aren't many BUDGET options for low-light telephoto lenses either, so that makes this situation even worse. There are expensive F/2.8 options (and even a 50-100 1.8 from Sigma) but I often need something in the range of 70-300 for telephoto, especially after applying the 0.71x focal reduction of the speed booster. So, in many cases, the 200mm at the long end of a 70/80-200 2.8 isn't enough, even on Micro Four Thirds with a 2x crop factor. So, what do I do? Well, this is one of those rare times when I push my ISO up (to 800 max.) and add a +BOOST (speed booster). With a BOOST, even an F/4.5-5.6 70-300 zoom can (often) work in low light. I rarely push my ISO up to 800 when using Micro Four Thirds (and never higher) because the smaller sensor and the higher ISO will create a grainy image and/or overly noise-reduced image.


ABOVE: My When adapting lenses to Micro Four Thirds OUTDOORS, the first thing I do is add a "SHIFT" adapter to the WIDE shot, and then macro "HELICOID" adapters to the rest.


OUTDOORS "WIDE" = SHIFT

I love "SHIFT" adapters so much that I try to use them whenever possible (for "WIDE" shots). Also known as "perspective control" adapters (taken from "perspective control lenses") they can keep architectural lines of buildings straight, which ends up adding realism to the shot (in my opinion). There's more detail in my book on Amazon  #ad  (has a special section about using shift lenses for Micro Four Thirds) but I can quickly say that once you use a shift adapter or lens, you'll never want to go back. (You'll probably be able to see why I even try to use them in low-light situations where I would normally use a speed booster, etc.)

Now about why I say not to use the shift adapter if you're doing a "follow" is that I "Always Shoot With 2 Cameras" and when doing so, I find it's much easier to control 2 cameras when 1 of the 2 is using touchscreen autofocus (because you're manually focus-pulling on the other shot). This even works on my Panasonic M43 cameras, if using Single Shot AF.


ABOVE: I can't tell you how much I love using an inexpensive ($123 US) tilt/shift adapter  #ad  on Micro Four Thirds. What this means, is you can turn almost any (Nikon F/G mount) lens into a TILT/SHIFT lens, including variable focal length (zoom) lenses!


OUTDOORS "TIGHT" = HELICOID (MACRO)

If you haven't noticed from my lens test videos (on YouTube) I like to be able to shoot macro anytime I'm outdoors. There's a number of ways to do this, but the way I like to do it is to use a macro helicoid adapter  #ad . The reason I like this approach (instead of buying a macro lens) is that it allows me to test almost ANY lens at a macro distance, even though they weren't designed for this. It also means I can use more low-light capable lenses, such as a 50mm 1.4, and be ready for both INDOOR and OUTDOOR situations (compared to most macro lenses being an F/2.8, F/3.5 or even an F/4.0).


OUTDOORS "TELE" = HELICOID (MACRO)

The reason I add a "BOOST" to a telephoto lens OUTDOORS, is that sometimes these tele lenses can be heavy, and my focal reducer ("speed booster") has a tripod mount on the adapter which bears the weight of the lens, instead of the camera's mount. Lighter lenses such as the 70/75-300 4.5-5.6 variety (from the early AF era in the 90's) don't need this special mount, so I use a macro "HELICOID". (If someone would design a macro helicoid adapter WITH an integrated tripod mount, THAT would be great!)


ABOVE: When shooting OUTDOORS, there are so many moments you can miss if you don't have a MACRO lens! To be prepared for this, I like to always have a macro helicoid adapter  #ad on hand. These are golden as they pretty much turn ANY lens into a MACRO!


Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page