WARNING ABOUT CAUSING DAMAGE to S5 and TC-DC-58B Converter

WARNING ABOUT CAUSING DAMAGE to S5 and TC-DC-58B Converter

Thought I should post this response from Canon concerning the use of the TV-DC58B teleconverter lens and the S5
It seems that the failure to set the menu to the correct setting "may" cause damage to camera or lens.

MY INQUIRY TO CANON
I have the Canon S5 and the Canon TC-DC58B Tele Converter Lens
In the Camera User Guide it states that when you install the DC58B lens
You should set the menu converter setting from OFF to DC58B
Question: If I fail to set the menu converter what kind of problem would
I encounter?
I have tried both ways and I cannot see any difference in the quality of
my picture. Am I missing something here?
What does this menu setting do with respect to the cameras functions?

CANON'S FIRST REPLY
Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 7:38 PM
Dear Phil Kiernan:
The setting is in the camera to keep the lens from hitting the
converter, it actually keeps the lens from extending into the converter.
So, the actual zoom length is decreased. The optical quality is not
affected, the zoom length is.
We hope this information is helpful to you. Please let us know if we
can be of any further assistance with your PowerShot S5 IS.
Thank you for choosing Canon.
Sincerely,
Dean
Technical Support Representative

MY SECOND RESPONSE FOR CLARIFICATION
Thanks for your prompt response but I am a bit concerned if I understand
what you are saying. If I forget to set the menu converter setting from
OFF to DC58B does that mean I could "hit" the Tele Converter lens and damage the camera or lens. ?
Should I set the menu to always be to DC58B" to be safe even if the
DC58B is not attached?

CANON'S SECOND REPLY
Re: Response from Canon - Digital Camera (KMM8781008V76407L0KM)
Thursday, June 26, 2008 3:33 AM
From:
"Canon Support - PowerShot" <ps@cits.canon.com>

Dear Philip Kiernan:
Thank you for writing to us. We value you as a Canon customer and
appreciate the opportunity to assist you with your PowerShot S5 IS.
If the DC58 is not set to the on, when the teleconverter lens is in use,
you can cause damage to the camera/lens. When the lens is not
attached, place the DC58 in the off position.
We hope this information is helpful to you. Please let us know if we
can be of any further assistance with your PowerShot S5 IS.

Thank you for choosing Canon.

Sincerely,

James
Technical Support Representative

You would think that Canon would put a BOLD warning in the user manual in RED about this ?

From what I understand, the S5 and S3 are very similar. I've had an S3 IS since they came out and never had a problem with this. I usually forgot to change the settings and then after realizing that they didn't make any difference, I just left it set to 'off'. I used telephoto, wide angle, and macro lenses with no problems.

Thanks for the info though.

Sometimes I have had some contradictory answers from Canon tech support. I have seen this query on many forums and most of the time I see the answer you give as to no difference on or off. I was thinking that maybe it had to do with the focal length calculations not with the lens barrel extension length. I still would think if what Canon techs said is correct that a "big" bold warning would be in the user guild. I guess I will just try to remember to make the switch change but I did try it with it on and with it off myself and did not see any difference.

With all due respect, it sounds like you got a couple of ding-a-lings from Canon's "technical" support sending you emails.

Neither of their emails sounds correct.

I've clipped out a portion of the emails you received from Canon about your question:

philk1a wrote in post #5796450
CANON'S FIRST REPLY
Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 7:38 PM
Dear Phil Kiernan:
The setting is in the camera to keep the lens from hitting the
converter, it actually keeps the lens from extending into the converter.
So, the actual zoom length is decreased. The optical quality is not
affected, the zoom length is.

This sounds like baloney. I have the S3 and I have measured the distance of the lens barrel when at fully wide to fully extended - with and without the TC-DC58B setting selected - and it is exactly the same (i.e. 3cm at the fully wide position and 3.5cm fully extended).

There is no physical difference in terms of how far the lens barrel extends when this setting is selected or not.

Again...hogwash. Also, note how the guy refers to the "DC58" being switched on and off. For Pete's sake, the DC58 is the teleconvertor lens - how exactly do you switch that on or off?!?

The reason it's not there is that the information these folks gave you was just wrong.

However, you may still be asking what exactly do these settings for the wide angle and teleconvertor lenses do? My understanding - although I'm not 100% positive - is that these settings help the camera's IS system compensate for the different focal length calculations realted to the magnification differences created by the teleconvertor and wide angle lenses.

This was a post from another forum about this question:

As always, I stand to be corrected.

Kind regards,

I use an S3 with a raynox 2020 pro on an adapter---have had it for 3 months---converter on or off---have never touched the telephoto--have even gone recently to putting filters between the adapter and the telephoto---haven't hit it yet! Macro lense either!

The only lens I've ever heard of having a problem with the Canon S3 is the Sony 0758 (wide angle lens attachment). There is not enough space between the back end of the 0758 and the barrel of the S3 which will result in a *bump* of the barrel against the 0758. Again, this is a problem with the design of the 0758 in relation to the Canon S3 NOT whether you've selected the TC or WC option in the menu settings.

I've used the Raynox 6600, Canon WC-DC58A, Canon TC-DC58B and the Sony 1758 with my S3....never an issue with the barrel crashing into the back of any of these lenses - just the Sony 0758 wide angle lens - which can be addressed by insertig a spacer between the lens adapter and the 0758.

I have the S3 I also have the Raynox 2020 and a few Canon tele lenses and am always forgetting to change it in the menu I have had no issues and all lens are clean undamaged and in excellent condition all lenses are on a lensmate adapter for quick and easy changes and the lens on the camera is clean and undamaged also. Maybe now I will try a little harder to change it but I still feel it's no big deal if I still continue to forget.

Katbird wrote in post #5836697
I have the S3 I also have the Raynox 2020 and a few Canon tele lenses and am always forgetting to change it in the menu I have had no issues and all lens are clean undamaged and in excellent condition all lenses are on a lensmate adapter for quick and easy changes and the lens on the camera is clean and undamaged also. Maybe now I will try a little harder to change it but I still feel it's no big deal if I still continue to forget.

I have never noticed any difference in the quality of the shots with converter on or off....I tried it just as an experiment...if there was a difference it was so minute...you couldn't see it.

Don't the lenses on most P&S's retract if they sense an obstruction anyways?

<AkulA> wrote in post #5838264
Don't the lenses on most P&S's retract if they sense an obstruction anyways?

Well I believe that is true at least of the Canons I own/owned...however it's certainly not something you would to happen (i.e. lens crashing) on a regular basis

bluenoser23 wrote in post #5838464
Well I believe that is true at least of the Canons I own/owned...however it's certainly not something you would to happen (i.e. lens crashing) on a regular basis

Yea exactly! But if you just so happened to forget the setting once in a while, I don't think that tiny lens is going to catastrophically careen through your converter in an apocalyptic explosion. () In fact, on most of the P&S's, the glass is recessed in the plastic a bit, so the only thing I'd worry about is the plastic marking the glass on the converter or whatever else you're using.

<AkulA> wrote in post #5838492
Yea exactly! But if you just so happened to forget the setting once in a while, I don't think that tiny lens is going to catastrophically careen through your converter in an apocalyptic explosion. () In fact, on most of the P&S's, the glass is recessed in the plastic a bit, so the only thing I'd worry about is the plastic marking the glass on the converter or whatever else you're using.

Well, again, the converter setting doesn't do anything in terms of causing (or preventing) the lens to crash. The situation of the lens crashing would be caused by having a an accessory lens that sits too far back into the adapter, etc..

However, yeah, probably not much damage done by the lens crash in general but I'm more concerned about the lens mechanism getting damaged than anything else (that sound of grinding gears - similar sensation to hearing finger nails down a chalkboard!

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