Bells and Whistles for the Panasonic FZ30

I am not a rich guy with money to throw around or burn, but when I get into a new interest, I like to get into it all the way and hate to stretch out over a long period of time the acquisition of all of the bells and whistles that are needed to fully enjoy a new pursuit. In the past, I have done this for target shooting, fly-fishing, 35mm photography and now digital photography. A couple of weeks ago, I got my new FZ30. I already have 3 batteries, two types of chargers, 2-512MB chips and 1-1GB 133X SD chip. My remote shutter release is on the way and I will mount the camera on a pro-quality tripod when the need arises.

My current dilema is from what reading that I have been doing about auxiliary wide angle and telephoto lens attachments. I will probably end up buying both in the very near future. I have read many of your opinions regarding the various ones that are currently available and am still a little confused as to which ones are currently the best and from where to purchase them as some of the info being passed back and forth is a little cryptic and not easy for a newbie to understand. So, would anyone who cares to do so, please chime in and just give me your brief opinions and experiences regarding these items? I would appreciate it very much.

Here is CKs page on the FZ30 and in another thread he said he will have a review of the Raynox 6600 which I think is a great WA lens but you should wait for his review of the new version. (review available shortly)
http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/FZ-30/
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Gene
From Western PA.

Panasonic FZ-10 and FZ 20 and FZ30
B300
T Con 17 --two Tcon 14Bs -- Raynox 2020 pro -- DCR 6600

http://imageevent.com/grc6/toshareonnet



Just trying to learn and it's slow going!

Thank you very, very much. That information page was the best that I have ever seen and was written in easy to understand terms. The only things that I still need regarding teleconverters are the price ranges and who are the best people to buy these items from. So far, I have had good luck with BHPhoto and Battery Barn.

Nothing wrong with those 2 vendors.
Sometime I let RR suggest a vendor for an item

http://shop.resellerratings.com/xPC-Olympus_Olympus_TCON_1_7C_Telephoto_Conversion_Lens_with_CLA_7_Lens_Conversion_Adaptor~PD-22149923~FD-96461~kworg-tcon17~DMT-3~VK-3070197
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Gene
From Western PA.

Panasonic FZ-10 and FZ 20 and FZ30
B300
T Con 17 --two Tcon 14Bs -- Raynox 2020 pro -- DCR 6600

http://imageevent.com/grc6/toshareonnet



Just trying to learn and it's slow going!

I can tell you that the TCON 17 is a very good lens for the FZ30. I have used it on an Oly 750, Nikon 5700,FZ5 and now the FZ30. It is hard to bet. I buy mot of my stuff from http://www.bhphotovideo.com . They are very reliable. Falthap

I just purchased Panasonic's own DMW-LW55 Wideangle conversion lens for the FZ-30. It does not need any adapter -- it screws right on to the zoom lens. It changes the zoom's maximum wideangle from 35mm to 24mm, which is a much more effective focal length, I feel, than the 28mm wideangle conversion lens Panasonic sold for the FZ-20.

I got mine from B&H for $210. (Currently out of stock) Here is a link to the page:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=396530&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

As for a telephoto conversion lens, I did not see the need for one because the telephoto optics on the FZ-30 are more than adequate for my needs. The 24mm wideangle, however, is essential, because the 35mm end of the FZ-30's zoom does not offer the wideangle emphasis I require in my images.

Phil Douglis
Director, The Douglis Visual Workshops
Phoenix, Arizona
[email protected]
http://www.pbase.com/pnd1
http://www.worldisround.com/home/pnd1/index.html
http://www.funkytraveller.com/Pages/travelogues/travelphotophild.htm