A70 Teleconverter TC-DC52 alternatives?

[GoldenOlive]

Has anyone using the LA-DC52C conversion lens adapter on an A60 or 70 found/using a 52mm thread Tele-converter that is more powerful than Canon's 2.4X TC-DC52?
Thanks

[Almost_an_A70]

Ive actualy been researching this myself but produced nothing. Some guy on here told me about a 5x, product started with a K.

I think finding one to fit the A70 might be the hardest part. Have you found any?

I've been looking at price differences, the 2.4x is about $200 Aus where the 5x might be $400+.

Is there anything wrong with the canon one other than the fact thats its only 2.4?

[GoldenOlive]

Have read nothing -ve re the Cannon, its just I wld like a bit more grunt in the optical magnification dept.
There was a thread a while back on another Canon camera where someone put a monocular telphoto on their digital.
Will try & find it.
'Kenko' brand?
Cheers

[juno]

you can try the SONY- VCL ES20A. it comes with multiple conversion rings including the 52mm ring which is required by the canon A10/20/40/60/70. my friend is using this one and works pretty well with the canon. it also comes with a quick release clip which makes shifting magnifications very easy and convenient.

yes, the one mentioned with the "k" brand is the kenko KUT-500 5x lens

here's the link to the kenko lens :

http://www.thkphoto.com/products/kenko/kenko-04.html

[warrenpass]

Try this URL:

http://kazutoku.cside21.com/G1andG2/telewide_eng.htm

It's a Japenese site but there the author seems to have done a lot of research into 58mm lenses for the G1&2. It maybe still relevant.


I am likely to get the Canon or Kenko lenses

[GoldenOlive]

The discussion that covered monocular telephotos is the 2 pager titled 'New Canon S30 & S40 Digital camera lens/filter adapter', started by Woodchuck.
There is some interesting material in there.

[GoldenOlive]

Juno
I looked at the Kenko Kut-500 5X website & noted the lens appears to have a 37mm thread.
Have you identified an adapter that would let you put it on to an A70?
The 5X certainly appeals.
Cheers

[MeWantsACanon]

I went and looked at the "Kenko 500" and i like what i see, although i can see two problems.

* How do i get it to fit my A70?
* How much is it going to cost to get this and the adaptor. (i dont have the biggest wallet in the world)

I have a feeling that the standard Canon "Conversion Lens Adapter LA-DC52C" might not work for the kenko-500.

Has anyone got this on to an A70 yet?

QUOTE FROM THAT SITE:
> Using optional Kenko stepping rings will connect to the following DV camcorders and Digital cameras:

> Canon (with 30.5mm-37mm): ZR50MC / ZR45MC / ZR10 / ZR20 / ZR25MC / ZR30 MC / OPTURA Pi
> Canon (with 27mm-37mm): ELURA20MC / ELURA10 / ELURA 2

Any ideas anyone, im looking to get this in a few days so any advice on how i can get the keno to work would be apreciated. I'm looking on the internet after i send this but i dont know where i'll get. Any one find a price for these things in $Aus?

[warrenpass]

I've just bought the TC-DC52 & LA-DC52C from LCE in Bristol (UK) for 75GBP.

I have taken a couple of test shots and the telephoto seems to work well.

The flash problem whereby the bottom right corner is dark is evident when the subject is within a couple of metres.

I don’t have a site to publish the results, can anyone help?

[juno]

goldenolive wrote:
Juno
I looked at the Kenko Kut-500 5X website & noted the lens appears to have a 37mm thread.
Have you identified an adapter that would let you put it on to an A70?
The 5X certainly appeals.
Cheers

first you must buy the CANON Lens Adapter (LA-DC52C). the kenko 5x comes with i believe 2 ring adapters which includes the 52mm. i have read in some other forums that the kenko works well with the A40/60/70 models but only on the higher zoom levels of the camera (i.e. at 3x zoom) otherwise, some extent of vignetting will occur. i am actually looking one for myself in our country but it seems it is not locally available :(

check the specs page of the KUT-500 5x : http://www.thkphoto.com/products/kenko/cdc-18b.html


the only major issue when using this type of lens in our canon cameras is the weight it will give on the adapter itself. one should really take a good grip on both the camera and the lens when used.

[MeWantsACanon]

I looked around and no on is Autralia can supply the Kenko 500. So its out of the picture for me. Apparently the more zoom (2/5x) the worse the picture turns out to be. Theres more layers for the light to do stuff with and isn't recomended. Im gonna have to go back to the standard canon one.


warrenpass: Go to www.brinkster.com and sign up for a free thing, will alow u to upload images for free, and make a webpage if you want to show them all off.

[warrenpass]

Cheers MeWantsACanon.

I have found with the Canon lens that you need to zoom about halfway to remove any vignetting (spelling?) athoutherwise it looks like you are takening a picture down a tunnel.

[MeWantsACanon]

Whats this thing with the 'tunnel effect'. Ive never actualt used a digital camera before let alone a tele lens.

How and why does this happen?

Warren(or anyone), are you able to post pics of this 'tunnel effect'? and the same picture with a bit more zoom without the effect?

[juno]

MeWantsACanon wrote:
Whats this thing with the 'tunnel effect'. Ive never actualt used a digital camera before let alone a tele lens.

How and why does this happen?

Warren(or anyone), are you able to post pics of this 'tunnel effect'? and the same picture with a bit more zoom without the effect?

here's a sample page where vignetting is shown : http://kazutoku.cside21.com/G1andG2/Kenko2.0x/index_eng.htm

[GoldenOlive]

Juno/Warrenpass
Could we clarify the vignetting a bit further?
In particular, is it a case of the Kenko will be 'no vignette' (NV), only if it is used at 15X ?
ie, A70 at 3X optical & Kenko at full 5X optical?
Can the Kenko be set to less than 5X magnific?
eg, a total of say 9X, being 3X off the A70 and 3X off the Kenko?
Trying to ascertain how much of the magnification range [3x through to 15x], of the A70 + Kenko is subject to vignetting
Thanks

[MeWantsACanon]

So 'vignetting' is that big black thing around the pictures. That realy sucks.

Aint gonna stop me though :)

[juno]

goldenolive wrote:
Juno/Warrenpass
Could we clarify the vignetting a bit further?
In particular, is it a case of the Kenko will be 'no vignette' (NV), only if it is used at 15X ?
ie, A70 at 3X optical & Kenko at full 5X optical?
Can the Kenko be set to less than 5X magnific?
eg, a total of say 9X, being 3X off the A70 and 3X off the Kenko?
Trying to ascertain how much of the magnification range [3x through to 15x], of the A70 + Kenko is subject to vignetting
Thanks

unfortunately, most add on lens for digital cameras are FIXED lens. meaning, if you get a 5x, you have 5x the moment you put it on. if you have 2x, then you get 2x instantly. this is not like the manual focus add on lens where you need to adjust the focus from one range to another. there's none that i know of the manual focus lens that is available for digicams for the moment.

since, you would want some versatility on the magnifications (i.e. getting past the 3x magnification), i suggest you get add on lenses that has threads on both ends. some people are successfully able to add up lenses (3x native lens of the canon, + 2x add on lens + 2x another lens)

as previously mentioned, vignetting are very hard to avoid when using add on lenses. most add on lenses would work best at the tele end of the camera.

[GoldenOlive]

Warrenpass
I am sure a day or so back you had a post here with a link to some shots from your Canon Teleconverter.
Cant find where that message has gone!.
Did you withdraw it?
I tried to go to the site but could not find where to put in a password
Cheers

[warrenpass]

Sorry GoldenOlive, I did post a link I don't know whta has happened to it?

Here it is again.

Goto

http://paff.instantlogic.com

Click on either 'MY A70 photos' under Albums or click on the graphic with 'Photo Album' across it.

You will be prompted for a password.

pwd = canona70

[MeWantsACanon]

warren: i clicked ur link the other day when it was there, and i swear the site was different. I never logged in and the photos are different to the ones that are there now.
Do you run a wide lense ontop of the tele lens?


Anyone know if you can put a macro ontop of the tele lens to make ants photographable?

Whats the wide angle lens do? My thoughs are that its like zooming out to fit more in the same photo. Most probaly wrong.

And the marco, how close can u realy get with it, i'm talken photos on ants here.

(i dont have an obsesion with ants, just the smallest thing i would take photos of, any smaller and i would need a microscope)

[warrenpass]

Here is a description of the four test pictures:

Wide only - Canon A70 only @ minimum zoom

wide + TC-DC52 - Canon A70 only @ minimum zoom + tele converter

Tele only - Canon A70 only @ maximum zoom

Tele + TC-DC52 - Canon A70 only @ maximum zoom + tele converter

I don't have the wide angle lens, but my friend does, I will post some test shots.

[warrenpass]

Here is a description of the four test pictures:

Wide only - Canon A70 only @ minimum zoom

wide + TC-DC52 - Canon A70 only @ minimum zoom + tele converter

Tele only - Canon A70 only @ maximum zoom

Tele + TC-DC52 - Canon A70 only @ maximum zoom + tele converter

I don't have the wide angle lens, but my friend does, I will post some test shots.

[MeWantsACanon]

Thanks for that warren, thats somthing i was gonna do when i eventauly got my camera as a matter of interest. I'm gonna try it with a bit of digital aswell.

Then i'll print them all to see there true quality.

[pblevitt]

WP

Does your mate have 'goldfish bowl' problems with his wide-angle..?

I use the Tiffen 0.56 with my S50, and have to zoom a little to get rid of the vignetting, but seems to give a movement type blur at the edges.

Thanks

[warrenpass]

MeWantsACanon,


Keep away from digital zoom, it's the same as croping your image in PSP or Photoshop.


pblevitt,

My friend is bringing his Canon Wide angle lens in to work tomorrow, so I should be able to post the result tomorrow PM.

[pblevitt]

WP

Cheers

Paul

[GoldenOlive]

Warrenpass
Thanks for sample pics - very useful.
Couple of queries.
A70 optical zoom (OZ) power = 3X.
Teleconverter TC is 2.4X

- When TC is fitted via adapter, can you still move OZ in and out between 0X & 3X?
If so, & say you stop at approx 2X, to give total zoom of 4.8X at that point, do you get vignetting?.
To avoid vignetting, should TC only be used at OX on 3X?
If you have OZ at 3X, TC is fixed at 2.4X?[correct?, its fixed?], = 7.2X total optical zoom :,
- can you then use digital zoom to take it out to say, 15X?
Does that work or is pic quality not good, not recomended?
Thinking in terms of cropping & using middle of a digitally zoomed pic, ignoring rough outside
Thanks

[MeWantsACanon]

Warren, i know digital is bad, but i wanted to run tests for myself to see how bad it realy is.

On the largest size and best quality it wouldn't loose that much u'd think, guess it does.

Does photoshop do a beter job of it than a camera?

[warrenpass]

I've posted two test photo's with the Canon Wide angle converter. see my post above for details of how to access.

[juno]

here's a pic of the A60 with the Sony VCL-ES20A Teleconverter attached.

http://www.pbase.com/image/17798465

[MeGotsACanon]

Putting one of them on a camera reminded me of putting fat wheels on a car.

How much magnification do u get with that thing?

[juno]

MeGotsACanon wrote:
Putting one of them on a camera reminded me of putting fat wheels on a car.

How much magnification do u get with that thing?

LOL !! its a camera on steroids. the Sony TC gives a 2X magnification. that doubles the optical zoom of the A60

[GoldenOlive]

Warrenpass
To get some idea of the impact of digital zoom on quality - Would you be able to shoot & post 4 pics of same size/resolution as follows:
A distant subject shot:
(a) - Ordinary wide angle
(b) - 3X optical zoom
(c) - 7.4X optical {3X A70 * Teleconverter 2.4X}
(d) - As above (c) with full digital zoom thrown in?

Thanks
Goldenolive

[Andy_T]

Those of you interested in *lots of steroides* for your cameras might want to look to the G2 forum.

There's a thread about the CrystalVue LX8 lens (8* magnification) with 37 mm threading that seems to be interesting.

I use the Kenko LDT20 (great lens, no vignetting in 3* zoom) and a Danubia 3.5x video teleconverter (used from ebay), both with 52 mm threading on my G2.

The Danubia has a lot of vignetting, but the pics are ok (though I suspect that some of the lenses in that thing are plastic). Can't use it much, though, as people'll suspect you to be a Peeping Tom if you carry it on the street ;).

Regards,
Andy

[MeGotsACanon]

Ive had alot of trouble trying to find these lenses in australia.

I rang everywhere and no one was able to get any into australia at all.

Would this 8 magnification fit on to the A70 and would it loose alto of quality because of its magnification.?

[juno]

MeGotsACanon wrote:
Would this 8 magnification fit on to the A70 and would it loose alto of quality because of its magnification.?


so long as you have the right ring adapters (either a step up or step down) you can use the lens. about the quality of the pictures, you start losing details the moment you start using the digital zoom.

[GoldenOlive]

Juno
Considering the CrystalVue LX8 with 37mm thread.

Are there potentially vignetting or other issues from putting it on an A70 by using a 52mm to 37mm step down adapter?
Goldenolive

[MeGotsACanon]

Whats one of these setp up or step downthingies?

Ive only seen the standard addaptor for the TC-DC52

[warrenpass]

A stepup ring converts the thread, 52mm on the converter to another size say 58mm. If you reverse it you get a step down ring I suppose?

[juno]

goldenolive wrote:
Juno
Considering the CrystalVue LX8 with 37mm thread.

Are there potentially vignetting or other issues from putting it on an A70 by using a 52mm to 37mm step down adapter?
Goldenolive

Yes, there could probably some vignetting issues although i dont have the LX8 myself.

the fact that a step down adapter which will be used (or a step up adapter in other cases), the distance between the camera lens and the teleconverter will be increased by a few mm thus, affecting vignetting to some extent.

in most cases, vignetting occurs in almost all add-on lenses and usually these add-on lenses are best used at the tele end of the camera. This actually makes sense to me since why would someone use a teleconverter lens when he wants to use the wide angle of the camera to shoot photos. imho, the very basic reason why would i want to use a telephoto lens is to extend the 3x magnification limit of my camera.

hope that helps.

[MeGotsACanon]

Seems like a good lens, but i think the $ value is whats gonna make me go with the TcDC52. Cant afford to have it all. The TCDC is about $158 and the 8mag is $190us is about 280Aus.

Good luck to anyone who can afford it. And i dont know if my local stores in Aus can get them in, they couldn't get the Kenko 500 in Aus.

[A70WRX]

I am currently going to test out these Maksutov mirror based monculars to see how they work. Just get the Adaptaview U adapter and you can attach any moncular or telescope to the A70/A60.

Link for the Maksutov monculars, very inexpensive. I mean you get both 10x30 and 14x40 for under 100 USD. I think the Kenko and the Crystralvue are both way over 100 USD.

http://opticsplanet.net/spottingscopes.html

Links for the Adaptavire U T Ring adapter and 52mm to T ring adapter.

http://www.scopetronics.com/otherdigcam.htm

Use the 52mm to T-Ring Adapter to attach the Adaptaview to the Canon LA-DC52C Lens Adapter. You might need to get a 52mm macro coupler ( some people call it a reverse ring ).

I am still waiting for my LA-DC52C to show up, back ordered for 4 weeks. It is hard to get one now, seems like A60/A70 owners are buying them up faster then Canon can make them.

This page show the person using the Lomo Captain 14x40 lens on his digital camera. I decided to use the T-ring to make it more flexable.

http://www.jayandwanda.com/coolpix/captain/captain.html

Have fun.

[juno]

here are the sample pics taken using Canon A60 paired with Sony VCL ES20A

http://www.pbase.com/sonyvcl/canona60vcl



first pic = wide
second pic = 3X zoom (Canon A60)
third pic - 3X zoom + 2X zoom (Sony VCL ES20A)


you judge for yourselves about the quality.