Lens Mount Adapters in India: Metabones, Speed Boosters and Adapting Canon EF Lenses

A lens mount adapter lets you fit a lens made for one camera system onto a different body. If you own Canon EF lenses and shoot on Sony E-mount or Canon RF, an adapter keeps those lenses working, but you give up some convenience compared with a native lens. A plain adapter only bridges the gap. A Metabones Speed Booster also changes the field of view and widens the maximum aperture.

Why an adapter can work at all: flange distance

Flange distance is the gap between the lens mount and the sensor. Canon's own training material gives it as 44mm for EF (DSLR) and 20mm for RF (EOS R). Because an EOS R body has a shorter gap, an EF lens sits too far forward unless something fills the space. The adapter fills it, so the lens still focuses to infinity.

This is why adapting only works in one direction. A mirrorless body has the short gap, so it can take lenses from a DSLR system. A DSLR cannot take mirrorless lenses, because there is no room to move them further away from the sensor.

Metabones says its Sony E-mount adapter is designed to reach infinity focus while keeping the correct registration distance. That spacing is the main thing you are paying for. A badly machined adapter can cause focus errors, so build quality matters.

What you can lose, and what you can gain

Every adapter adds a layer between lens and body. Here is what the store listings and maker pages say about each one.

Autofocus

Autofocus is the biggest variable. For the Metabones Canon EF to Sony E-mount Smart Adapter (Mark V), the maker lists autofocus as working with many lenses, but says it may fail when the lens maximum aperture, plus any extender, is smaller than f/8. It also lists specific third-party lenses with no autofocus, and others with limited or inaccurate focus. Very close subjects near the minimum focus distance can be hard to lock.

The store page for the Canon-to-RF Speed Booster says it supports autofocus and Dual Pixel autofocus. The same page tells you to check the Metabones compatibility list for your exact body and lens before buying.

Stabilisation

The store listings for the Speed Booster and the Sony E-mount adapter both mention image stabilised lens support. On the Sony E-mount adapter, the maker says you can use the lens stabilisation, the in-body stabilisation, or both, and that you choose which one to rely on. It also notes that some early Tamron VC lenses may not switch freely between the two.

Light gain and field of view

This is the part only a Speed Booster does. The store describes the Canon EF to RF Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x as making a lens 0.71x wider and raising the maximum aperture by one stop, with a maximum output aperture of f/0.9. Its own example: a 50mm f/1.2 lens becomes a 35.5mm f/0.9 lens. The page positions this for cropped-sensor RF bodies such as the EOS R7 and R10, and the Canon C70, where it recovers most of the crop factor.

If you shoot on a full-frame RF body, read the Metabones compatibility list first. The store page frames the product around the APS-C use case.

The adapters we stock

Three Metabones adapters are in stock right now, each for a different job.

• Metabones Canon EF Lens to RF-Mount T Speed Booster ULTRA 0.71x (EOS R): for Canon RF shooters, mostly on cropped-sensor bodies, who want the wider view and faster aperture from EF glass.
• Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Mark V): for Sony E-mount users with a Canon EF lens kit. This is the adapter to look at if you searched for a Canon EF to Sony E adapter.
• Metabones MB_PL-E-BT1 PL to E-Mount Adapter: for putting cinema PL lenses on a Sony E-mount camera. The listing describes brass construction, a detachable Arca-type tripod foot and electronic aperture control.

You can browse the wider range on our camera adapters collection. Stock changes, so check availability on the page.

Comparison

Who should adapt, and who should buy native

Adapt if you already own good EF lenses and do not want to sell them. A fast Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 or 70-200mm f/2.8 is expensive to replace, and the store page says the Speed Booster suits exactly those zooms.

Adapt if you shoot video and value a lens you already know. Wedding shooters moving from DSLR to mirrorless often keep their lenses for a season or two while the budget catches up.

Buy native if you shoot fast sports or birds and need the best continuous autofocus. The maker's own notes show adapted autofocus has limits, and a native lens avoids that question.

Buy native if you rely on slower lenses or teleconverters. The f/8 autofocus limit in Metabones' notes catches telephoto and extender combinations first.

Buy native if you are starting from zero. There is little point buying an adapter and an old lens when a native lens does the job without the middle step.

One more honest point: an adapter makes a longer, heavier setup. If you travel by train or take domestic flights with a small bag, a native lens on a compact body packs smaller.

Practical tips for Indian conditions

An adapter adds one more joint where dust and moisture can get in. During the monsoon, avoid swapping lenses outdoors and keep the whole kit in a dry box at night. Inspect any second-hand EF lens for fungus before you build a kit around it.

Take your own lens and body to the store when you can. A short test on the exact combination tells you more than any listing, and it is the only way to judge autofocus behaviour for yourself.

Keep the adapter with the lens in your bag, not on the body. That way a lens change takes seconds and you do not forget which adapter belongs with which mount.

Before you buy

1. Write down your exact camera body and lens model.
2. Check both against the Metabones compatibility list.
3. Check the lens maximum aperture, especially with any extender.
4. Ask us if you want to know the India warranty position for the adapter before you order.

If you are also planning storage for the new setup, our camera memory card guide covers what to buy for photo and video. For monitoring on a cine rig, see the Atomos monitor and recorder guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a Canon EF lens on a Sony camera?
Yes, with an adapter such as the Metabones Smart Adapter (Mark V). Autofocus and stabilisation depend on your camera and lens, so check the maker's compatibility list first.

Does a Speed Booster make my lens faster?
The store listing says the 0.71x model raises the maximum aperture by one stop, to f/0.9 at its widest output, and makes the lens 0.71x wider.

Will autofocus work with every lens?
No. Metabones lists lenses with no autofocus and others with limited accuracy, and warns that autofocus may fail when the lens plus any extender is slower than f/8.

Can I put an RF lens on an older Canon DSLR?
No. The RF lens needs the shorter 20mm flange distance, and the DSLR's 44mm gap is too long for any adapter to correct.

Is the PL to E-mount adapter for stills shooters?
It is built for cinema PL lenses. Stills shooters with EF lenses are better served by the EF to E-mount adapter.