Telephoto for G3

[Shaun]

I was wondering what would be a good add on lense in terms of a telephoto for the canon G3? Im want to take pictures of people surfing, I cant afford anything over 200 dollars right now. Any help would be awesome.

[Deckyon]

I use and really like the Canon Telephoto Adapter for the G3. It is under 200 and worth every penny...

[Shaun]

Awesome thats the one I will get then :)

[phili1]

Shaun I also have the Cnon Tele you can get it for $108.00 at B&H and you have to buy the adpter which is about $30.

Crystal view has a 8x tele attachment that sell for $189.00 and from the photos I have seen does a good job. Its like shooting with an 1100 mm lens. Andorama has it .

[darrylr]

I have the Canon TC-DC58N as well and really like it.

-Darryl

[Shaun]

Shaun I also have the Cnon Tele you can get it for $108.00 at B&H and you have to buy the adpter which is about $30.

Crystal view has a 8x tele attachment that sell for $189.00 and from the photos I have seen does a good job. Its like shooting with an 1100 mm lens. Andorama has it .


Does it work with the canon adapter? The Crystal view 8x?

[darrylr]

The adapter you need is actually only $20 at B&H.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=details_accessories&A=details&Q=&sku=262142 &is=REG

-Darryl

[phili1]

I am not sure of that, I will check.

[4walls]

Anyone ever bought accessories from http://www.cameragear.com/

This site seems to have good prices, just wondering if it is a reputable
retailer or not.

[mahanee]

i use fujiyama 2x teleconvereter .. it should be 8x when combined with 4x G3`s optical zoom, but looks like it`s only came for 7.1 X..

[KRDV]

I just received last night (but haven't yet used) the Oly TCON-17. It's bigger and heavier (I guess a downside) than the Canon but (reportedly) gives a superior image (at least to some degree). It was $99 at B&H so it's actually about $10 less than the Canon. I will report back after I have a chance to use it. Than Canon and the TCON seem to be the best choices in the $100 range.

[John_T]

Take a look here. He is pretty thorough.

http://kazutoku.cside.com/G3CON_eng.htm

[KRDV]

By the way, I am sure that people have referenced the site before but there is a good comparison of teleconverters that work with the G3/G5 athttp://kazutoku.cside.com/G3CON_eng.htm (I hope the link works) including sample shots. That site was a primary factor in my decision. There also are a few samples at lensmateonline.com

Ooops, looks like John beat me to the link.

[JadeCat]

I considered the Oly TCon17, but it was VERY heavy.

I went with the Canon tele converter, and just love it :D

[John_T]

He-he KRDV, beatcha by seconds. :wink:

[riverdance]

Hi All
I'm dithering on what telephoto to buy - being retired cash is always a consideration and having already gone down the 52mm path with Lensmate I'm looking for a 52mm telephoto. It seems that Kenko, Tiffen and Raynox are all there but are they to be recommended?
On UK Ebay there is a wide and telephphoto combo set available - the brand name is 'Digital Optics' and sells at £89 ($c150) - does anyone know how does this combo rates? Thanks in advance for a great site - which has improved my photography considerably.
Regards
Riverdance :?:

[msvadi]

Go with Olympus TCON-17. Yes, it's big and heavy, but it's a good quality glass. It's bright and I have not noticed any distortions. I don't believe that you can find anything better for about $100.

[joecil]

Actually against every thing I've read here I purchased a set of Vision Optics from ebay. I paid about $70 (so if bad it was worth the gamble to me) for both the 2x telephoto and the .48 wide angle. I might add here that the wide angle is a 2 piece deal and has a macro lens that I would guess is about a -10 close up lens. This can be used by itself as a macro lens. Now that I've played with them a while, though not the best I've seen, the photo results are acceptable.


Joe

[riverdance]

Thanks msvadi and joecil for your information.

If I went with the TCON-17 would I require an adaptor ring? As stated I have the G3 with the 52mm Lensmate.
Thanks again
:?:

[John_T]

I believe the TCON is 52mm so I guess you're ready!

[KRDV]

No, the TCON is 55mm so you need a step ring either way (52mm or 58mm). I would suggest not getting a plastic step ring (I think mine is aluminum, some have suggested going with a brass one like BW) b/c of the weight of the TCON but maybe I am just paranoid.

[John_T]

Then I would get a 55mm adapter or a 58mm adapter with step down ring to avoid any vignetting from a 52mm adapter. I prefer the Canon plastic adapters because they are more than strong enough and don't corrode, which I have found aluminum or brass do, especially around salt water/air. My experience is that cross threading/wear of any of the three is the same.

[Shaun]

Okay so which one should I choose the canon Teleconvertor or the TCON...

[KRDV]

Shaun,

I don't think anyone can really answer that without knowing your uses and preferences. I did some looking and here's what I found out. Most say that the TCON produces equal to better images than the Canon. On the other hand, the Canon is not as big and heavy and may (not sure) allow more use of the zoom range than the TCON. Price isn't really an issue between the two so it's a tradeoff. I went with the TCON but it was a close decision.

[msvadi]

I don't have a problem with TCON-17 being heavy. Just hold it with one hand and the camera with the other. I think it makes the camera very stable in your hands. Just make sure you have a large enough bag to carry all the stuff with you ;)

I have Tamrac System 3. It's big enough to carry camera, flash (420EX), converter (TCON-17), external charger with a car kit, and still I have a plenty of space left. I can also put in a camera with attached flash or converter. There is also space for small things like filters. At the same time, System 3 is quite compact and easy to carry around.

see this thread:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=16405&highlight=

[Shaun]

Right now I have the canon adapter (LA_DC58B) if I go with the TCON will I need to buy a new adapter also?

[John_T]

...just an adapter ring, very thin, that steps down from 58mm to 55mm for the TCON. Doesn't cost much and most decent camera stores have a variety of them.

The Canon converters, TC and WC are 58mm so no step down needed.

...err, ah (creak, creak, opens a fresh can of worms), vignetting. The G3/5 lens set is designed for 58mm converters. With the Canon TC-DC58N you get vignetting 'til about half zoom out. With the TCON at 55mm, I forget exactly, you will get vignetting closer to full zoom, so you will have to take a few steps more back if you are shooting protraits or something nearer. If you are shooting birds, grizzly bears or in somebody's windows it won't matter much.

[Shaun]

ok

[chicaboo]

Hi all,

Since I got no response on my question about zoom lenses http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=23167 I'll hop onto the end of this reasonably healthy looking discussion.
I am looking to buy G series camera and have noticed the 52mm Lensemate is the more desirable aftermarket lense adaptor for the G3/5.
Me being an existing A70 owner, already own a TC-DC52 teleconvertor with a 2.4X as compared to the TC-DC58's 1.75 (which I don't have).
Now my questoin is, will the TC-DC52 work without vignetting at max zoom on the G3/5 using a 52mm lensemate. Assuming the rear lense is not too small this would potentially provide a max 9.6X optical zoom for the G3/5. Worth considering? I think so.
I was hoping there would be a few A60/70+G3/5 owners that may have come across this scenario before and could provide some definitive answers on this front.

Any Ideas guys?
Gav.

[Brian Tilley]

I have had no complaints about my 52mm Lensmate adapter and Kenko telephoto lens.

[John_T]

Hope it doesn't upset anybody, but the G3/5 camera end of the adapter is a Canon 52mm bayonet, not threaded. Take the TC-DC52 to a store and check it out, take your own CF and make some shots, look at them at home before buying. Also, not all converters that fit are fully compatible with the G3/5 lens set.

[riverdance]

John T's suggestion of 'trying before buying' is of course sensible. However one of the most valuable functions of this Group is to provide information to those of us who do not have the facility of walking into a camera store and doing this. All of my kit has been bought 'online' and I'm fortunate that it has lived up to my expectations - thanks to the varied and valued advice given on this group and other web sources.
This afternoon I'm taking deliver of my TCON-17 and hopefully my good fortune will continue.
Thanks for all inputs.

[chicaboo]

Hi John_T,

Are you saying that I can try out a G series with a Canon 58mm adapter held backwards (to get the right offset?) to the camera body and hold the TC-DC52 snugly to the reversed end of the adapter to gauge *roughly* how much vignetting I am likely to encounter with the TC-DC52?
Otherwise if the same shop had a 58>52mm stepdown ring (assuming such a thing exists) I guess that would be a more controlled simulation to achieve the same result, even though a little awkward.

Gav.

[John_T]

Hi Gavin,

The Canon normal G3/5 adapter is a 52mm bayonet on the camera end and a 58mm threaded female mount on the converter/filter end.

I don't know what adapter you have for the TC-DC52, assuming it is the same system. If your adapter won't fit in the G3/5, and you just hold it there, there will be some extra length that may mess up the focal length and increase the vignetting a bit.

If, in the store, you borrow a LA-DC58B G3/5 conversion lens adapter and screw in a 58mm male to 52mm female adapter ring on the converter end, (yes, they exist all over the place in advanced photography stores), then screw your TC-DC52 on the adapter ring, you will see what you have.

Whether you use a 58mm or 52mm tube is irrevelant. Vignetting will be due to the 52mm bottle neck at the step down ring/TC-DC52 end. If you still have vignetting at full zoom, and/or the lens sets don't match (therefore take the shots), forget it.

[chicaboo]

Thx John_T,

I'll see if I can arrange some saught of demonstration at the giant local camera store. Getting access to the 58mm adapter will be the tricky part, they're not always a stocked item.
I have actually sourced the last G3 in my part of Australia and have it on hold until Tuesday. My conundrum is if I can use my TC-DC52 it will make the purchase relatively cheap because I will already have memory cards and will just need to purchase a 52mm Lensmate and a spare battery sometime.
My other option is to wait until the Panansonic Lumix DMC-FZ10 is released here next month, in which case it will need a spare proprietary battery and expensive 256 or 512mb SD memory card which I don't have.
The big advantage of this camera being that it has all the zoom (12X stablised) I will ever need and a manual focus ring, and that big 2" screen.
However I am concerened about the 72dpi images and chromatic abberations that appear on objects out of focus, and the image quality is generally shy of the G3 in any case.

Sorry for digressing, just sharing thoughts.
Gav.

[chicaboo]

Hi all,

I've just got back from the camera shop after testing the G5 and LA-DC58 with the TC-DC52 (using Hoya 58-52mm stepdown) and TC-DC58 teleconvertors.
The TC-DC52 was absolutely inappropriate for the larger G series lens, it displayed substantial vignetting and general blurring to the point where cropping was redundant and also restricted the amount of light coming into the lens. This is however not a surprise to anyone I am sure.
The TC-DC58 showed tidy images (for a G5) to the extent of the frame with the most minimal softening at the edges. However I do not think the 1.75X is worth the $195 AUD they are asking, or in a more general sense worth having at all. The 2.4X I get with my TC-DC52 is a substantial difference on my A70 and quite good despite some noticeable softening/blurring at the edge of the images.
I loved the feel of the G5, the manual focus and particulary that swivel/rotating LCD. I found the 4X optical zoom rather flexable in the confined spaces of the camera store, but in the real world I'd consider it inadequate for my tastes, even with the 1.75X convertor!
I used the camera on Auto, Large, Superfine and let it work out what was best for me, as this how I compare cameras against each other. But this did not yield very exciting results, and I'm not refering to ISO noise in particular, however that may have contributed. But I found the images to be rather lifeless, drab and on some occasions worse than those from my A70 in similar test shots that I've taken in the camera shop. Perhaps this comes down to AWB or how the camera reads colours?
I noticed a fair amount of Chromatic abberations in areas of varying contrast. This was dissappointing and worse than I am accostomed to.
The onboard flash seemed pretty strong and is good enough for lighting up a small room. And I did notice a shadow from the lens at wide angle a couple of times.
The G5 is a very robust feeling camera and has a good quality to it. But picture performance is below what I expected and would need to be used in Program mode or almost manually to produce sharp and rich images that I want from a camera of this price. I'm sure by doing this I can work around chromatic abberations and image noise to produce pleasing results, as I do already on my A70 to get the most out of it.

I guess this has turned more into a G5 review, but I just wanted to share my 1st hand impressions of the camera and accessories I was considering. I really love how the camera fits into my hands and operates but I am let down by the image quality which looks no better than my A70 but at 5mp. I took almost 800 high quality photos in Norway on full Auto everything and default settings when I got my A70 and I expected similar results from the G5, but in comparison it didn't seem to be on the level I expected. Given this I am considering letting it go and waiting for the guimicky FZ10 to be released, or even wait for the next G series from Canon. I know the FZ10 has it probs, but atleast it has a giant zoom and manual focus ring, and then I'd still have my A70 when quality calls.

Regards,
Gav.

[oldewolfe]

I also like to take pictures of surfers, steamer lane Santa Cruz California. I have the Canon adapter and teleconverter. The problem is that the adapter and teleconverter block about 85% of the viewfinders view forcing you to use the LCD viewer. On a bright day with big waves and a fast moving surfer it is almost impossible to get good shots.
Cheers
Larry:shock:

[Rich_F]

I haven't tried this myself, but you should look into getting one of the (non-Canon) viewfinder additions that you can mount on the hot shoe. I've seen Leica ones available on ebay for not much money.

Rich

[Shaun]

Thanks, I have a really good eye for surfing being a ok surfer myself. I can pretty much aproxmite what they are going to do and where. I deced to go with the TCON as well as a step down ring by B+W. Thanks for all your help.

[carbotex]

I have few samples of G3 combined with CrystalVue 8x

http://gallery.afendy.com/thumbnails.php?album=16

It's bulky and manual focus only. It will work with your canon adapter. Good for taking nature pictures, definitely not for action pictures.

[Shaun]

Cool Im begining to think Ill need more then 2x to take some surfing shots... Can anyone reccomend anything else?

[John_T]

...want to blow your mind?

pic by Frances from Hawaii (not mine)
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/hotpixel/public_html/photos/IMG_5513.jpg

[oldewolfe]

One thing to be aware of is that the teleconverter and adapter will block about 85% of the optical viewer forcing you to use the LCD panel.
I shoot surfers quite often, on a bright day it is awful hard to see what you are trying to shoot in the LCD panel when you have the teleconverter installed.

Cheers
Larry

[oldewolfe]

One thing to be aware of is that the teleconverter and adapter will block about 85% of the optical viewer forcing you to use the LCD panel.
I shoot surfers quite often, on a bright day it is awful hard to see what you are trying to shoot in the LCD panel when you have the teleconverter installed.

Cheers
Larry

[Shaun]

One thing to be aware of is that the teleconverter and adapter will block about 85% of the optical viewer forcing you to use the LCD panel.
I shoot surfers quite often, on a bright day it is awful hard to see what you are trying to shoot in the LCD panel when you have the teleconverter installed.

Cheers
Larry

Do you have any shots that I could see?

[John_T]

You can eliminate problems seeing the LCD in bright light by getting or making a LCD hood. There is a simple one from Hoodman and another one with loupe.

http://www.hoodmanusa.com/Hoods.asp

[Shaun]

How big is the LCD screen on the Canon G3? I messaured it but it falls abit short of 2 inches... But the model the site shoes somthing similar with the 2inch hood.

[joecil]

You will need the H200 Hoodman. I have it and it works fine.

Joe

[Shaun]

Thanks

[John_T]

I have the simple H200 plus a Silvestri Digibellows with loupe. The silvestri comes with a velcro square to stick on the LCD frame. I use the Digibellows all the time. The loupe on the Digibellows can also be removed and used as a magnifying glass, while the bellows remains on the camera as a hood. You can collapse the bellows when stowing the camera, or rip it off. Good gadget!

[Andy_T]

Hi John_T,

Are you saying that I can try out a G series with a Canon 58mm adapter held backwards (to get the right offset?) to the camera body and hold the TC-DC52 snugly to the reversed end of the adapter to gauge *roughly* how much vignetting I am likely to encounter with the TC-DC52?
Otherwise if the same shop had a 58>52mm stepdown ring (assuming such a thing exists) I guess that would be a more controlled simulation to achieve the same result, even though a little awkward.

Gavin Stapleton.

Hi Gavin,

I use a Kenko 52 mm adapter on the G2.

On the G2, there is no vignetting. I user the Oly WCON-08 (0.8 wide converter) that is also 55 mm with a 52-55 step-up ring without vignetting.

Regards,
Andy

[John_T]

There will be vignetting with a tele converter, but no vignetting with a wide converter.

[Shaun]

Well guys I got the canon tele-covertor, and I cant say im not impressed. Allthough it took me awhile to figure out how to attach. I found it very cool that it can attach the the uvfilter which I put on the Canon Adapter. This was well worth the money and I would highly reccomend it to anyone looking for one. My only grief is how stupid I was that it took me so long to attach the lense ;)