Adapting vintage lenses is one area that Micro Four-Thirds isn’t the best. It’s hard to find legacy glass wider than 28mm, so a speed booster/focal reducer can ease that pain. The Viltrox EF-M2 was built to adapt Canon EF lenses, but I’ve been using it for more!
The Viltrox EF-M2 ii is a .71x focal reducer lens adapter. It’s meant to adapt Canon EF lenses to Micro Four-Thirds cameras. It works by compressing the larger image circle of the larger format lens down and as a by-product, increases light transmission. As an example, a 50mm f/1.8 lens becomes roughly a 35mm f/1.3 lens. Of course, on Micro Four-Thirds, you would then apply the 2x crop factor for equivalency.
Viltrox EF-M2 for non-Canon lenses?
I don’t currently own any EF mount lenses. I bought the Viltrox EF-M2 to try a theory. The Canon EF lens mount was probably the most adaptable DSLR mount around. It’s easy to find adapters of all kinds for those cameras. I thought, why not use an adapter on the Viltrox focal reducer?
With that, I ordered a Fotodiox M42-EF adapter and a Pentax K-EF adapter. Why did I choose these adapters and the Viltrox speedbooster? Well, the Viltrox is probably the best focal reducer in terms of IQ per dollar. Metabones might be a little nicer, but it costs significantly more. The PK and M42 adapters are because I have and love several lenses in those mounts.
Problems to look out for
The first problem I encountered adapting vintage lenses was one of fitment. The Fotodiox M42-EF adapter was deep enough that it engaged with the electric contacts on the Viltrox EF-M2. This freaked my camera out. I ended up putting tape over the adapter. Crude, but effective. I’ve also had to adjust the adapter to get infinite focus with my M42 lenses. Not a big deal, but something to keep in mind.
The next problem isn’t so easily solved. Most of my K-mount lenses work perfectly fine with the PK-EF adapter mounted to the Viltrox. However, a few have a longer protective piece mounted by the aperture lever. On those lenses, this piece is too long and prevents the lens from seating.
Photos with the Viltrox EF-M2 and vintage lenses
I’ve been super happy with the Viltrox EF-M2ii for adapting my vintage Pentax lenses to my Lumix G9. So far I’ve mostly used my Takumar 55mm f/1.8 with this set-up. I’m surprised how much sharpness is still there. Micro Four-Thirds sensors are pretty demanding on lenses (the pixel density is up there with the 61 MP A7RIV), and adding a focal reducer does reduce your image quality some.
However, the photos I’m getting from this combo and well within the realm of usable. I don’t hesitate to use this combo when I want the vintage lens look. Wide-open and close up, it can look a little dreamy and soft. Stopped down it delivers sharpness that surprised me.
Bokeh Quality
Ah, bokeh. The quality of the out of focus areas in an image. A modern-day obsession. Of course, that’s part of the reason to use the Viltrox EF-M2 with a vintage full-frame lens, right? Of course, it is! While overall the bokeh with this combo is pretty awesome, there are a few things to discuss.
The Viltrox EF-M2 can introduce some added “character” to the bokeh. This is a lens I’ve shot on film, full-frame digital, and straight adapted to the G9. As a result, I know its usual character pretty well. The Viltrox can sometimes add a doubling effect to the bokeh, like in the flower shot below. It also seems to exaggerate color fringing on specular highlights at times.
That said, the overall performance is acceptable to me. Bokeh is a subjective thing, and most of these issues don’t creep up too often. When they do, it’s usually not enough to bother me. Part of the fun in shooting vintage lenses is all the character modern, clinical lenses don’t provide. Embracing the imperfection can lead to some cool and interesting photos!
Video Performance
I’ve also used the Takumar 55mm f/1.8 on the Viltrox speed booster for video a fair bit. That super smooth focusing action of vintage lenses is just lovely for video. The character from the old glass and the focal reducer is a ton of fun as well. Most recently, I shot a fun video of a bike ride that a friend and I went on with this combo. I also used an Elvid Field Monitor, which was awesome for hitting focus. Here’s the result:
Final thoughts on adapting vintage glass with the Viltrox EF-M2
Overall, there are some complications to overcome when adapting vintage lenses to the Viltrox EF-M2. None of them are insurmountable, however. Also, it makes using standard vintage lenses much more palatable on Micro Four-Thirds cameras. That 2x crop is brutal when the widest vintage lenses you have are 28mm. Reducing that to a more manageable 1.42 crop makes a world of difference.
The combo of the Viltrox EF-M2ii and vintage lenses makes for a fun time and great character. I’ve enjoyed using this combo for video and photo for a while now. It also makes me think that if I change my mind and do switch to Fuji, I REALLY want to try it on that platform. Overall, I highly recommend giving it a try. It’s not the least expensive way to adapt vintage lenses to Micro Four-Thirds, but it is one of the most fun ways.