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opinions on teleconverter for g7 g9 ?

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Erik Derrote

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I'd like some advice/opinions re choosing a teleconverter for a G7 or G9. I'm not so sure that the lens Canon makes for these cameras, the TC-DC58C 2x teleconverter, is a good choice for me to make because of its large size, weight, and absence of threads for filters, shade, and cap. Or for that matter, IQ in comparison with other teleconverters that are compatible (even if zoom capability of other lenses might be limited, as it is with the Nikon wide converter that I am using).

I saw a comparison of various manufacturers' teleconverters at two sites,

http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/G7tele.html

and

http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/FZ-30/Converters/Tele-Test/Scene-1/Tele-Test-Infinity.html

The comparisons are very interesting. What are you other G7/G9 owners thinking?
 
Thanks for the heads up about other threads on this topic. I still haven't figured out the search terms that will take me to a discussion on teleconverters for g7s and g9s specifically. Would you be so kind as to suggest some I might try?
 
Unfortunately I can't keep the URLs of dpreview threads in my memory. But I'm sure that if you either do a Search when Search is up again, or even page back through threads in the Canon Talk forum, you won't have trouble finding what you want.

You can also try doing a Google search. That's sometimes amazingly helpful.
 
Thanks for your suggestions, Bill, and your expression of confidence in my search skills. I am grateful for any suggestions, and encouragement, offered. :-)

Maybe I have had unrealistic expectations of the amount of time involved sifting through the various threads and topics to find what I'm looking for. One might think that given the number of people who presumably are interested in buying teleconverters for their g#s, that this would be a popular topic, even if it didn't generate the kind of passion that some of the other topics do.
 
Erik Derrote said:
Wouldn't using a polarizer or uv filter increase options when
shooting long distance?
BTW how may I find the thread with your g7 samples?
Click to expand...
A search in the Canon Talk forum on the term "TC-DC58C" produces the following results:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/search.asp?query=TC-DC58C+&forum=1010

40 results...not too many too wade through, but should provide a wealth of info. For what it's worth, I have the converter, but rarely use it (had it on the G7 maybe 3 or 4 times) and will probably sell it on craigslist or something. I also wasn't impressed with the IQ acheived with this TC.

My .02:

It may be natural to feel the need to get those 'telephoto' shots, but one may find that after the novelty wears off, it doesn't see much action. It might be worth checking out what focal lengths you mostly use before making the purchase.

I recently bought a 400D along with a 17-40mm lens and a 50mm lens. I was also considering picking up the 70-200f/4 or f/2.8 IS, but knew I shot more wide angle than long.

To verify this in your case, if you are running Vista, you can sort your image directories by focal length (you have to add the Focal Length column fisrt). Doing so in my case revealed that 60-70% of my shots are shot wide. Therefore, I decided to wait on the longer lens.

If you aren't running Vista, there are some programs that will sort or filter by Focal Length, one of which is Lightroom. There must be others as well.

Good luck,
abana
 
I have tried the Olympus TCON 17, the Sony DH 758, and the Raynox 1540 Pro. I also took some shots with digital zoom at the same time to compare to the tele-converters. The Raynox is the sharpest, the lightest, the smallest, blocks the optical finder the least, and has 67 mm threads. It also has the least magnification.

Used on the Canon or LensMate adapters, the lens will hit the back of the Sony DH 1758. I made a 58 to 58 mm spacer out of an old filter, by taking the glass out. The filter I used was quite thin, which helps the match of the lens to the camera, and the results looked better to me than Lensmate reported on their site with their sample photos. With this spacer, the DH-1758 outperformed the Olympus TCON 17 by a little bit. However, the Raynox is still better in the corners.

Digital Zoom on the G7 works pretty well at 1.4x or 1.8x if the light is good and the ISO is kept below 400. A comparison taken in full sun with the G7 with the DH 1758 and the G7 with 1.8x DZ showed very similar results with a very slight edge to the DZ. However, if the light is low, the DZ looks bad and the tele converter gives better results.

Just a final couple of notes: The TCON 17 and DH 1758 block the optical viewfinder almost totally, so you have to use the rear LCD. The Raynox gives a little more view through the optical finder. The TCON 17 needs a 58 to 55 mm step down ring, the DH-1758 needs a 58 to 58 mm spacer, and the Raynox 1540 Pro needs a rim 58 to 52 step down ring.

I went with the Raynox, but seldom use it on the G7, it mostly gets used on my S3IS. It also works very well on my Pro 1, but needs a very thin rimmed 58 to 52 mm adapter to minimize vignetting.
--
Jerry
 
Thanks everyone for responding to this thread. It has helped me question whether I really will use one, and if so, how and for what, as well as how to use the forum.

In searching through various threads and links I have the impression that the great majority of photographs on display are not taken at long focal length. But when I look at my own favorite shots, a few of them were taken with a long lens, and I like them very much.

So I don't know. There was some interesting material along the search for teleconverters that led to why getting set up RAW might be the next order of business instead of an accessory lens.
 
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