It’s unlikely you’ll have the desire to go back to full frame after shooting medium format. But in the event that you do, Kipon’s brand new reducing adapter will now let you use Hasselblad medium format lenses with your full-frame Sony E-mount camera bodies.
The adapter works by reducing the size of the image circle, so that it is more focused on the smaller, full-frame sensor. It has a magnification factor of 0.7x, which will reduce the focal length of the attached lens, as well as its aperture.
Now, here’s where it gets a little confusing. Take for example a Hasselblad 80mm lens. Although the lens’ focal length is technically 80mm, it has roughly the same field of view as a 50mm lens would on a full-frame camera, due to the larger sensor size of the medium format camera (remember, all focal length equivalents are based off a 35mm sensor).
This means that when that when that same 80mm Hasselblad is fitted to the reducing adapter and attached to a full-frame camera, the 0.7x magnification ratio of the adapter effectively cancels out the difference between sensor sizes, meaning that even on a full-frame camera, the lens would still have the same 35mm field of view it would’ve on the medium format camera.
If it sounds convoluted, it is. But, its target market is very likely familiar with the numbers behind the lenses used, so it fills its niche.
As for quality…well…we’ll have to see. Medium format lenses are expensive for a reason; they’re designed for incredible resolving power. The optics in the Kipon adapter would have to be at least on-par with those in the medium format lenses for there to be a benefit in purchasing the adapter.
Kino says it’s currently working on other versions of the adapter for other mounts, but this particular model is said to be out in February 2016 for an MSRP of $415.
[via DPR]
