Just a year ago when the Aputure DEC lens adapter hit the shelves, many people requested the focal reduction feature of the Metabones Speedbooster combined with the DEC lens adapter itself. Fortunately, Aputure listened to customers and accepted the challenge as the company recently unveiled the Aputure DEC LensRegain. In a nutshell, it’s both a focal reducer, adapter, wireless follow focus, wireless aperture control and start/stop recording trigger all-in-one solution. The Aputure DEC LensRegain adapter provides a focal reduction of 0.75x and makes all full frame, and APS-C lenses work on Micro 4/3 cameras like the Panasonic GH4 and the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. Andyax from Andyax Productions will walk us through the Aputure DEC LensRegain features in the in-depth video review below.
The LensRegain adapter has seven layers anti-reflective coatings on each of its 4-element, 4-group optical elements. It reduces the view of an EF lens to 0.75x and also brings more information and light to each bit of your camera’s sensor by increasing the maximum aperture with one stop of light. For instance, the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 mounted on the GH4 turns into an incredibly fast lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.2 which is perfect for shooting in low light.
The battery life of the new receiver is also improved as now it provides ten hours of continuous operation. The Remote Handgrip, on the other hand, allows users to change focus and aperture of the mounted lens as well as trigger recording of the camera. Further, you can easily mount the Aperture remote controller to a tripod or a shoulder rig with the included claw clip.
On both the remote controller and the adapter there is a led panel that shows the exposure and focal length. As an extra feature of the built-in wireless follow focus system of the Aputure DEC LensRegain you also have the option to set digital focus marks. This way you’ll be able to pull focus and toggle between focus points quickly and effortlessly while nailing your focus all the time.
Another way to use the DEC Lens Regain is when shooting on a Steadicam, gimbal, or a jib. Since the DEC is wireless, it allows you to control your lens remotely up to 100 meters away. A tip when using the wireless follow focus feature is to use a wireless HDMI transmitter like the Aputure ArrayTrans to send the video signal to a monitor remotely.
Here’s a field of view comparison between the Aputure DEC LensRegain and the Metabones Speedbooster Ultra 0.71x.
Currently, the only drawback of the LensRegain is the inability to change the aperture of the lens mounted on the adapter directly from the camera itself. Hopefully, the issue will be addressed in a future firmware update. Regarding pricing, the Aputure DEC LensRegain is a tad cheaper than the Metabones Speedbooster, priced at $598.
[source: Aputure]
B&H Order Links:
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera
Panasonic GH4 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera (Body Only)
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Canon
Aputure Array Trans Wireless Video Transmitter/Receiver Set
Amazon US Order Links:
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera
Panasonic GH4 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera (Body Only)
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Canon
Aputure Array Trans Wireless Video Transmitter/Receiver Set
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Had Aputure issued a FW update to allow aperture control with the camera?
i think that would have to be a hardware update since there are zero contacts between the camera and the dec device, the dec only communicates with the lens
is it normal that there is a clicking noise when you adjust focus with the controller on the DEC LEns REgain?
no it is not normal, there must be an issue with the lens you are using