2x converter 953 at DVinfo.net

Justin Boyle · February 25th, 2004, 03:19 AM

heh all i just got hold of a 2x converter that cost $15 aud. had to buy a converter ring which was 43-46 that cost 11 and now i have a 2x converter. i have some problems however and that is the fact that at full zoom it has somewhat tunnel vision and on shots with little movement the corners are very blury. anyway does anyone else have this problem. apart from that for a cheap converter steals very little light. (on same frame f11 as opposed to f9.6) not bad really. anyways talk to you all later.

Justin

Frank Granovski · February 25th, 2004, 03:31 AM

Where'd you get it? E-bay? What brand is it?

Justin Boyle · February 25th, 2004, 05:53 AM

heh frank
it is a Marucon or something like that
what eva that is. anyways got it from a pawn broker. i can thank my dad. well i got it for free. hes the one that bought it. it was on the shelf for 75 and he offered them 10 and they asked him if he would go at 15 and yeh. thats my dad. I would never offer that low cause i would feel rude. anyways heh.

I also have to keep my zoom from 2x-10x or you can see the outer edges of the lense.

Justin

Frank Granovski · February 25th, 2004, 06:37 AM

I guess with the iris closed down, you can pull in some good footage at the beach. :-))

I had a dad like that, bless his soul.

Yow Cheong Hoe · February 25th, 2004, 10:25 AM

Softening and bluring of the edges are signatures of poor lens. Good lens are always sharp throughout, but probably in the range of a few thousand dollars.

Use the tele lens only at the long end of the tele of the camera. That way, you lessen the edge effects. And use a small apperture for the much reduced depth-of-field when zoomed in and with the convertor, somehting like f8 to f16, which will help maintain sharper images. However, that'll mean shooting in broad daylight.

Guy Bruner · February 25th, 2004, 12:48 PM

Justin,
What does the picture quality look like beyond the effective zoom ranges on your MX? For example, if you zoom the MX from 5X to 10X (when multipled gives you 10x to 20x), are the pictures usable?

Simon Bennett · February 25th, 2004, 06:19 PM

I've tried three tele conversion lenses with my MX300:

Genuine Pana 1.4x 43mm thread VW-LT4314ME(http://www.panasonic.com.au/ecam/acc.html)
Has full zoom through (i.e. no vignetting) and has no discernable softening or chromatic abberations on the edge of the image. It's the best, but it's not 2x.

Raynox 2020(http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/vide.../dvr2020eg.htm).
It's 2x with a 37 mm thread so you have to step up to the 43 mm on the MX300. You need to use it or or near full zoom, but it does give quite acceptable results - with some softening on the edge, and also some chromatic abberation on the edge in high contrast situations. I use it a lot for wildlife shots.

Tiffen Megaplus 2x 43mm thread (http://www.photo.net/equipment/digit...eras/megaplus/)
I had high hopes for this as the thread size matches the MX300, but it has much worse softening and chromatic abberations on the edge of the image than the Raynox. Most ill suited to the MX300.

Justin Boyle · February 26th, 2004, 03:22 AM

hi all
the picture is quite good except for what i said. If shooting at an animal or an object it might be alright because it doesn't matter so much about the background and you probably wouldn't notice it. but shooting a landscape with detail around the edges that is all part of the shot might be a little dissapointing. i'm pretty sure i know what the problem is but its a little hard to explain and i don't believe it is a depth of field problem. with this cam the depth of field has never been an issue wherever the aperture is. The background usually always remains sharp at 16 or even 1.6. I am guessing that it is to do with the size of the ccds being so small. i don't think i have explained the problem too well and will probably get some grabs some time to show you all what i mean and the improvement on zoom it makes. maybe sometime over the next week so look out.

Justin

Dave Largent · February 26th, 2004, 03:49 AM

Simon,
What are the prices on those three lenses? And is that
Panny 1.4X available in the US?

Guy Bruner · February 26th, 2004, 05:57 AM

Kodak made a 43mm 2X telephoto for their digital still cameras that might be a good buy (<$50). I have the companion wide angle which is a pretty good lens. Here is a site with some examples of this lens with a Panasonic 601. Seems to have some chromatic aberration in the one still but that could be the camera.

February 25th, 2004, 03:19 AM	#1
Justin Boyle Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 207	2x converter 953 heh all i just got hold of a 2x converter that cost $15 aud. had to buy a converter ring which was 43-46 that cost 11 and now i have a 2x converter. i have some problems however and that is the fact that at full zoom it has somewhat tunnel vision and on shots with little movement the corners are very blury. anyway does anyone else have this problem. apart from that for a cheap converter steals very little light. (on same frame f11 as opposed to f9.6) not bad really. anyways talk to you all later. Justin __________________ jlboyle

February 25th, 2004, 05:53 AM	#3
Justin Boyle Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 207	heh frank it is a Marucon or something like that what eva that is. anyways got it from a pawn broker. i can thank my dad. well i got it for free. hes the one that bought it. it was on the shelf for 75 and he offered them 10 and they asked him if he would go at 15 and yeh. thats my dad. I would never offer that low cause i would feel rude. anyways heh. I also have to keep my zoom from 2x-10x or you can see the outer edges of the lense. Justin __________________ jlboyle

February 25th, 2004, 06:19 PM	#7
Simon Bennett New Boot Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Canberra Australia Posts: 5	I've tried three tele conversion lenses with my MX300: Genuine Pana 1.4x 43mm thread VW-LT4314ME(http://www.panasonic.com.au/ecam/acc.html) Has full zoom through (i.e. no vignetting) and has no discernable softening or chromatic abberations on the edge of the image. It's the best, but it's not 2x. Raynox 2020(http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/vide.../dvr2020eg.htm). It's 2x with a 37 mm thread so you have to step up to the 43 mm on the MX300. You need to use it or or near full zoom, but it does give quite acceptable results - with some softening on the edge, and also some chromatic abberation on the edge in high contrast situations. I use it a lot for wildlife shots. Tiffen Megaplus 2x 43mm thread (http://www.photo.net/equipment/digit...eras/megaplus/) I had high hopes for this as the thread size matches the MX300, but it has much worse softening and chromatic abberations on the edge of the image than the Raynox. Most ill suited to the MX300. __________________ Simon Bennett

February 26th, 2004, 03:22 AM	#8
Justin Boyle Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 207	hi all the picture is quite good except for what i said. If shooting at an animal or an object it might be alright because it doesn't matter so much about the background and you probably wouldn't notice it. but shooting a landscape with detail around the edges that is all part of the shot might be a little dissapointing. i'm pretty sure i know what the problem is but its a little hard to explain and i don't believe it is a depth of field problem. with this cam the depth of field has never been an issue wherever the aperture is. The background usually always remains sharp at 16 or even 1.6. I am guessing that it is to do with the size of the ccds being so small. i don't think i have explained the problem too well and will probably get some grabs some time to show you all what i mean and the improvement on zoom it makes. maybe sometime over the next week so look out. Justin __________________ jlboyle

February 25th, 2004, 03:31 AM	#2
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Where'd you get it? E-bay? What brand is it?

February 25th, 2004, 06:37 AM	#4
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	I guess with the iris closed down, you can pull in some good footage at the beach. :-)) I had a dad like that, bless his soul.

February 25th, 2004, 10:25 AM	#5
Yow Cheong Hoe Major Player Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Singapore, Passport: Malaysia Posts: 407	Softening and bluring of the edges are signatures of poor lens. Good lens are always sharp throughout, but probably in the range of a few thousand dollars. Use the tele lens only at the long end of the tele of the camera. That way, you lessen the edge effects. And use a small apperture for the much reduced depth-of-field when zoomed in and with the convertor, somehting like f8 to f16, which will help maintain sharper images. However, that'll mean shooting in broad daylight.

February 25th, 2004, 12:48 PM	#6
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	Justin, What does the picture quality look like beyond the effective zoom ranges on your MX? For example, if you zoom the MX from 5X to 10X (when multipled gives you 10x to 20x), are the pictures usable?

February 26th, 2004, 03:49 AM	#9
Dave Largent Trustee Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,483	Simon, What are the prices on those three lenses? And is that Panny 1.4X available in the US?

February 26th, 2004, 05:57 AM	#10
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	Kodak made a 43mm 2X telephoto for their digital still cameras that might be a good buy (<$50). I have the companion wide angle which is a pretty good lens. Here is a site with some examples of this lens with a Panasonic 601. Seems to have some chromatic aberration in the one still but that could be the camera.