Lens kit for DC3400

jason said:

Lots of people have asked about Kodak's lense kit for the DC3400
and DC5000 lately. I believe they are the same. I thought I would
dig up this post I made a while ago, hopefully to save some people
from making a mistake. From what I can tell, the Tiffen lenses are
better.

Anyway, if anyone wants me to shoot some examples, just tell me
what kinds of subjects you want and I will post full size examples.
I didn't do this before because there didn't seem to be any
interest.

Click to expand...

Jason said:

I bought the lens kit from Kodak for the DC3400 the other day, and
I thought I would add a tiny review, because I hadn't seen too much
information on this while searching the forum.

Close up lenses (+7, +10)
I was very pleased with these lenses. I haven't noticed any
obvious distortions, even with both lenses on at the same time.
With both lenses on, I can focus on an area smaller than a stamp.
The depth of field is quite limited with normal household light as
would be expected however. Focusing was always perfect as long as
you kept the object within the range for each lense combination.

Telephoto lense (2x)
This lense produced lots of distortions on the sides and corners of
the image. CA was quite obvious. However, the center 800 pixels
horizontally, and 600 pixels vertically were fairly sharp. So,
this lense is useful if you have a target in the middle of the shot
that takes of very little space without the extra 2x zoom. In
that case it at least gives you a few more pixels for your distant
target. However, I would not recommend getting this lense to take
landscape type shots, because of this moderate blurring at the
edges.

Wide Angle lense (.5x)
This lense was way more distorted than the telephoto lense. There
were about 5 pixels between the red and blue colors of certain
objects. Like the telephoto lense, the center 1/2 megapixel or so
was clear and undistorted. However, the whole point of a wide
angle lense is using the whole frame... so I would have to say this
is unacceptable.

Overall, I would say just get the macro lenses if you have a DC3400
and you want some more capabilities. They are much less than the
whole set, and perform quite well in my opinion. I've been quite
happy with my camera so far, not finding any real faults except for
real low light focus. So, I was kind of expecting an equally
perfect set of lenses. I guess you get what you pay for.

Click to expand...

Jason said:

I bought the lens kit from Kodak for the DC3400 the other day, and
I thought I would add a tiny review, because I hadn't seen too much
information on this while searching the forum.

Close up lenses (+7, +10)
I was very pleased with these lenses. I haven't noticed any
obvious distortions, even with both lenses on at the same time.
With both lenses on, I can focus on an area smaller than a stamp.
The depth of field is quite limited with normal household light as
would be expected however. Focusing was always perfect as long as
you kept the object within the range for each lense combination.

Telephoto lense (2x)
This lense produced lots of distortions on the sides and corners of
the image. CA was quite obvious. However, the center 800 pixels
horizontally, and 600 pixels vertically were fairly sharp. So,
this lense is useful if you have a target in the middle of the shot
that takes of very little space without the extra 2x zoom. In
that case it at least gives you a few more pixels for your distant
target. However, I would not recommend getting this lense to take
landscape type shots, because of this moderate blurring at the
edges.

Wide Angle lense (.5x)
This lense was way more distorted than the telephoto lense. There
were about 5 pixels between the red and blue colors of certain
objects. Like the telephoto lense, the center 1/2 megapixel or so
was clear and undistorted. However, the whole point of a wide
angle lense is using the whole frame... so I would have to say this
is unacceptable.

Overall, I would say just get the macro lenses if you have a DC3400
and you want some more capabilities. They are much less than the
whole set, and perform quite well in my opinion. I've been quite
happy with my camera so far, not finding any real faults except for
real low light focus. So, I was kind of expecting an equally
perfect set of lenses. I guess you get what you pay for.

Click to expand...

acorntree said:

but thanks for taking the time to post a review.

Jason said:

I bought the lens kit from Kodak for the DC3400 the other day, and
I thought I would add a tiny review, because I hadn't seen too much
information on this while searching the forum.

Close up lenses (+7, +10)
I was very pleased with these lenses. I haven't noticed any
obvious distortions, even with both lenses on at the same time.
With both lenses on, I can focus on an area smaller than a stamp.
The depth of field is quite limited with normal household light as
would be expected however. Focusing was always perfect as long as
you kept the object within the range for each lense combination.

Telephoto lense (2x)
This lense produced lots of distortions on the sides and corners of
the image. CA was quite obvious. However, the center 800 pixels
horizontally, and 600 pixels vertically were fairly sharp. So,
this lense is useful if you have a target in the middle of the shot
that takes of very little space without the extra 2x zoom. In
that case it at least gives you a few more pixels for your distant
target. However, I would not recommend getting this lense to take
landscape type shots, because of this moderate blurring at the
edges.

Wide Angle lense (.5x)
This lense was way more distorted than the telephoto lense. There
were about 5 pixels between the red and blue colors of certain
objects. Like the telephoto lense, the center 1/2 megapixel or so
was clear and undistorted. However, the whole point of a wide
angle lense is using the whole frame... so I would have to say this
is unacceptable.

Overall, I would say just get the macro lenses if you have a DC3400
and you want some more capabilities. They are much less than the
whole set, and perform quite well in my opinion. I've been quite
happy with my camera so far, not finding any real faults except for
real low light focus. So, I was kind of expecting an equally
perfect set of lenses. I guess you get what you pay for.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Jason said:

I bought the lens kit from Kodak for the DC3400 the other day, and
I thought I would add a tiny review, because I hadn't seen too much
information on this while searching the forum.

Close up lenses (+7, +10)
I was very pleased with these lenses. I haven't noticed any
obvious distortions, even with both lenses on at the same time.
With both lenses on, I can focus on an area smaller than a stamp.
The depth of field is quite limited with normal household light as
would be expected however. Focusing was always perfect as long as
you kept the object within the range for each lense combination.

Telephoto lense (2x)
This lense produced lots of distortions on the sides and corners of
the image. CA was quite obvious. However, the center 800 pixels
horizontally, and 600 pixels vertically were fairly sharp. So,
this lense is useful if you have a target in the middle of the shot
that takes of very little space without the extra 2x zoom. In
that case it at least gives you a few more pixels for your distant
target. However, I would not recommend getting this lense to take
landscape type shots, because of this moderate blurring at the
edges.

Wide Angle lense (.5x)
This lense was way more distorted than the telephoto lense. There
were about 5 pixels between the red and blue colors of certain
objects. Like the telephoto lense, the center 1/2 megapixel or so
was clear and undistorted. However, the whole point of a wide
angle lense is using the whole frame... so I would have to say this
is unacceptable.

Overall, I would say just get the macro lenses if you have a DC3400
and you want some more capabilities. They are much less than the
whole set, and perform quite well in my opinion. I've been quite
happy with my camera so far, not finding any real faults except for
real low light focus. So, I was kind of expecting an equally
perfect set of lenses. I guess you get what you pay for.

Click to expand...

jason said:

As I mentioned in my "review" below, the center of the frame is
fairly sharp.
Quite a bit of CA and softening on the edges and corners. The REAL
CA... the kind seperates blue and yellow. I consider this lense OK
for VERY distant objects that wouldn't come out at all without it.

Here's an example of the wide angle lens:



As I mentioned in my "review" below, unacceptable performance.

Here's an example of the macro lens:



As I mentioned in my "review" below, I was quite happy with the
macro lenses. The softening in this example pic is from limited
depth of field rather than poor lens.

Overall, the add on lenses made me realize how good the DC3400s
stock lens is. Very little corner softening and CA.

If anyone wants any specific shots or comparisons, just tell me
what kinds of shots to take and I should be able to get them up
within a day.

P.S. I also have had some "real life" examples of the 2x telephoto at
http://www.projectrun.com/zoom
that show how the lens does after resampling or cropping.

Jason said:

I bought the lens kit from Kodak for the DC3400 the other day, and
I thought I would add a tiny review, because I hadn't seen too much
information on this while searching the forum.

Close up lenses (+7, +10)
I was very pleased with these lenses. I haven't noticed any
obvious distortions, even with both lenses on at the same time.
With both lenses on, I can focus on an area smaller than a stamp.
The depth of field is quite limited with normal household light as
would be expected however. Focusing was always perfect as long as
you kept the object within the range for each lense combination.

Telephoto lense (2x)
This lense produced lots of distortions on the sides and corners of
the image. CA was quite obvious. However, the center 800 pixels
horizontally, and 600 pixels vertically were fairly sharp. So,
this lense is useful if you have a target in the middle of the shot
that takes of very little space without the extra 2x zoom. In
that case it at least gives you a few more pixels for your distant
target. However, I would not recommend getting this lense to take
landscape type shots, because of this moderate blurring at the
edges.

Wide Angle lense (.5x)
This lense was way more distorted than the telephoto lense. There
were about 5 pixels between the red and blue colors of certain
objects. Like the telephoto lense, the center 1/2 megapixel or so
was clear and undistorted. However, the whole point of a wide
angle lense is using the whole frame... so I would have to say this
is unacceptable.

Overall, I would say just get the macro lenses if you have a DC3400
and you want some more capabilities. They are much less than the
whole set, and perform quite well in my opinion. I've been quite
happy with my camera so far, not finding any real faults except for
real low light focus. So, I was kind of expecting an equally
perfect set of lenses. I guess you get what you pay for.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

jason said:

Lots of people have asked about Kodak's lense kit for the DC3400
and DC5000 lately. I believe they are the same. I thought I would
dig up this post I made a while ago, hopefully to save some people
from making a mistake. From what I can tell, the Tiffen lenses are
better.

Anyway, if anyone wants me to shoot some examples, just tell me
what kinds of subjects you want and I will post full size examples.
I didn't do this before because there didn't seem to be any
interest.

Click to expand...

Steve Young said:

jason said:

Lots of people have asked about Kodak's lense kit for the DC3400
and DC5000 lately. I believe they are the same. I thought I would
dig up this post I made a while ago, hopefully to save some people
from making a mistake. From what I can tell, the Tiffen lenses are
better.

Anyway, if anyone wants me to shoot some examples, just tell me
what kinds of subjects you want and I will post full size examples.
I didn't do this before because there didn't seem to be any
interest.

Click to expand...

Where Do you get the Tiffen lenses? I am in Canada if it matters.

Thanks
Steve

Click to expand...

Jason said:

I bought the lens kit from Kodak for the DC3400 the other day, and
I thought I would add a tiny review, because I hadn't seen too much
information on this while searching the forum.

Close up lenses (+7, +10)
I was very pleased with these lenses. I haven't noticed any
obvious distortions, even with both lenses on at the same time.
With both lenses on, I can focus on an area smaller than a stamp.
The depth of field is quite limited with normal household light as
would be expected however. Focusing was always perfect as long as
you kept the object within the range for each lense combination.

Telephoto lense (2x)
This lense produced lots of distortions on the sides and corners of
the image. CA was quite obvious. However, the center 800 pixels
horizontally, and 600 pixels vertically were fairly sharp. So,
this lense is useful if you have a target in the middle of the shot
that takes of very little space without the extra 2x zoom. In
that case it at least gives you a few more pixels for your distant
target. However, I would not recommend getting this lense to take
landscape type shots, because of this moderate blurring at the
edges.

Wide Angle lense (.5x)
This lense was way more distorted than the telephoto lense. There
were about 5 pixels between the red and blue colors of certain
objects. Like the telephoto lense, the center 1/2 megapixel or so
was clear and undistorted. However, the whole point of a wide
angle lense is using the whole frame... so I would have to say this
is unacceptable.

Overall, I would say just get the macro lenses if you have a DC3400
and you want some more capabilities. They are much less than the
whole set, and perform quite well in my opinion. I've been quite
happy with my camera so far, not finding any real faults except for
real low light focus. So, I was kind of expecting an equally
perfect set of lenses. I guess you get what you pay for.

Click to expand...

LEP said:

Model number 1142413 made by Tiffen.

Jason said:

I bought the lens kit from Kodak for the DC3400 the other day, and
I thought I would add a tiny review, because I hadn't seen too much
information on this while searching the forum.

Close up lenses (+7, +10)
I was very pleased with these lenses. I haven't noticed any
obvious distortions, even with both lenses on at the same time.
With both lenses on, I can focus on an area smaller than a stamp.
The depth of field is quite limited with normal household light as
would be expected however. Focusing was always perfect as long as
you kept the object within the range for each lense combination.

Telephoto lense (2x)
This lense produced lots of distortions on the sides and corners of
the image. CA was quite obvious. However, the center 800 pixels
horizontally, and 600 pixels vertically were fairly sharp. So,
this lense is useful if you have a target in the middle of the shot
that takes of very little space without the extra 2x zoom. In
that case it at least gives you a few more pixels for your distant
target. However, I would not recommend getting this lense to take
landscape type shots, because of this moderate blurring at the
edges.

Wide Angle lense (.5x)
This lense was way more distorted than the telephoto lense. There
were about 5 pixels between the red and blue colors of certain
objects. Like the telephoto lense, the center 1/2 megapixel or so
was clear and undistorted. However, the whole point of a wide
angle lense is using the whole frame... so I would have to say this
is unacceptable.

Overall, I would say just get the macro lenses if you have a DC3400
and you want some more capabilities. They are much less than the
whole set, and perform quite well in my opinion. I've been quite
happy with my camera so far, not finding any real faults except for
real low light focus. So, I was kind of expecting an equally
perfect set of lenses. I guess you get what you pay for.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

jason said:

I will take a picture of mine, and try to get it's model number.
It looks like Kokak may have solved their problem of the crappy
wide angle.

Jason

LEP said:

Model number 1142413 made by Tiffen.

Jason said:

I bought the lens kit from Kodak for the DC3400 the other day, and
I thought I would add a tiny review, because I hadn't seen too much
information on this while searching the forum.

Close up lenses (+7, +10)
I was very pleased with these lenses. I haven't noticed any
obvious distortions, even with both lenses on at the same time.
With both lenses on, I can focus on an area smaller than a stamp.
The depth of field is quite limited with normal household light as
would be expected however. Focusing was always perfect as long as
you kept the object within the range for each lense combination.

Telephoto lense (2x)
This lense produced lots of distortions on the sides and corners of
the image. CA was quite obvious. However, the center 800 pixels
horizontally, and 600 pixels vertically were fairly sharp. So,
this lense is useful if you have a target in the middle of the shot
that takes of very little space without the extra 2x zoom. In
that case it at least gives you a few more pixels for your distant
target. However, I would not recommend getting this lense to take
landscape type shots, because of this moderate blurring at the
edges.

Wide Angle lense (.5x)
This lense was way more distorted than the telephoto lense. There
were about 5 pixels between the red and blue colors of certain
objects. Like the telephoto lense, the center 1/2 megapixel or so
was clear and undistorted. However, the whole point of a wide
angle lense is using the whole frame... so I would have to say this
is unacceptable.

Overall, I would say just get the macro lenses if you have a DC3400
and you want some more capabilities. They are much less than the
whole set, and perform quite well in my opinion. I've been quite
happy with my camera so far, not finding any real faults except for
real low light focus. So, I was kind of expecting an equally
perfect set of lenses. I guess you get what you pay for.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

JeffT said:

Thanks Jason for the info. I would not buy the Kodak version of the
telephoto lens now even if they were almost giving them away! The
image example on their site is just as bad as the one you took.
They are horrible. I took a look at the tiffen lens and it is more
expensive but I am almost tempted to try it. If I do i will post
the results.

Jeff

Click to expand...