FZ7 Wide angle conversion lenses

Hi guys,

My brother just bought a FZ7. I know it is an old model , but it was on a really generous sale ($150). He wants to take picture of buildings so he would like to put a wide angle conversion lens.

I have searched the forum and read a similar thread. I just want to know if I got it right:

1)FZ7 needs a converter in order to accept the wide angle lens. The converter (DMW-LA2E sold by Panasonic) converts 52.8mm -> 55mm thread (I read it on the screenshot of the product on amazon).

2)After that, I can use any wide angle conversion lens that has a 55m rear thread (Olympus WCON-07 or WCON-08 for example).

3) If I want to use a conversion lens with a different rear thread diameter, I will have to buy another converter (from 52.8mm -> whatever the rear thread of the wide angle lens is)

Have I understood correctly? If yes, than I think I will have to stick with the Panasonic converter and use 55mm(rear thread) wide angel lenses (I don't know if it easy to find other converters).

So.... which 55m rear thread wide angle conversion lens do you suggest? The olympus seem quite popular on ebay (especially the WCON-07). Although I read here:

http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/User-Guide/FZ-30/Converters/Lenses/WideAngle.html

that is has more barrel distortion than the x0.8 one...

Thanks!

augi

oops.. just saw that the Olympus WCON-08 has a 62mm rear thread...
which leaves me with only one choice...? (WCON-07)

augi said:

oops.. just saw that the Olympus WCON-08 has a 62mm rear thread...
which leaves me with only one choice...? (WCON-07)

Click to expand...

That's the 08b... there's a 55mm threaded 08 (no letter) as well as the older but identical Oly B28 but the 07 is wider & should work but I've never had a small Fz so wait till Fmoore or someone else well versed in small Fz compatible lenses replies...
--

The Amateur Formerly Known as 'UZ'pShoot'ERS' 'Happy Shootin' Comments, Critique, Ridicule, Limericks, Jokes, Hi-jackings, EnthUZIastically, Encouraged... I Insist!



* [email protected] * http://www.pbase.com/rrawzz *

Thanks a lot for the quick reply!

I also saw that I can use a converter from another company (Pemaraal) which is made from aluminium...

augi said:

Thanks a lot for the quick reply!
I also saw that I can use a converter from another company (Pemaraal)
which is made from aluminium...

Click to expand...

Yeah, see i have the 30 & 50 & those adapters are all greek to me but to answer one of your other questions, the 07 does suffer a bit more distortion than the 08 but it'll get you wider...

With any luck Fred or another Fz? shooter will solve your mystery & offer up the better alternatives...
give em some more time to get ahold of this post, someone's bound to know...
--

The Amateur Formerly Known as 'UZ'pShoot'ERS' 'Happy Shootin' Comments, Critique, Ridicule, Limericks, Jokes, Hi-jackings, EnthUZIastically, Encouraged... I Insist!



* [email protected] * http://www.pbase.com/rrawzz *

The FZ-18 starts with a 55.8 mm adapter, not 52.8 and I thought the earlier models were the same.

Either way, the big thing for a WA adapter is that it needs to get as close to the lens as possible, so the adapter tube needs to be as short as it can be without the lens running into the adapter. Pemeraal makes a 55.8-55mm step ring and I just added a glassless filter ring to that to get the total length right.

Good luck. I just found a Kodak 0.7 WA adapter on Ebay for about $65 and can't wait to really try it out.

Yes, maybe I got the size wrong. But I saw that Pemaraal make 2 adapters , one that gives 55mm thread and another that gives 52mm thread.

The olympus WCON-08 ot 07 are rather hard to find (they only sell 07F, 08B in ebay). I have found though a Raynox HD-6600Pro 52mm . At 55mm thread there is also a wide lens from Fuji.

I will probably go for the Raynox plus a 52mm thread adapter, it will be the cheapest solution..

http://stores.ebay.com/Used-Digital-Camera-For-Sale

I beg your pardon if you're not in the states but aside from that The IS/L B28 is identical to the Wcon 08 so there's 3 to choose from on that page...
--

The Amateur Formerly Known as 'UZ'pShoot'ERS' 'Happy Shootin' Comments, Critique, Ridicule, Limericks, Jokes, Hi-jackings, EnthUZIastically, Encouraged... I Insist!



* [email protected] * http://www.pbase.com/rrawzz *

Thanks for the page!
I am not in the states (I'm in UK), but I think they will post worldwide...

So I' can go for the WCON-08 after all.. (just curious, but why do they have two different prices for the WCON-08 in that ebay store..?)

augi said:

Thanks for the page!
I am not in the states (I'm in UK), but I think they will post
worldwide...
So I' can go for the WCON-08 after all.. (just curious, but why do
they have two different prices for the WCON-08 in that ebay store..?)

Click to expand...

That's a good question I couldn't even hazard an answer for...

The B28 should be the cheapest since it is originally made for earlier Olympus film 'IS' cams...Oly themselves were Ebaying them for peanuts last year when I got mine from them for $35 but even Olys Ebay page is starting out with highball prices these days although they finally ran out of B28s & most of their other film teles & WAs..

Not everyone knows the B28 is identical to the new "For Digital" Wcon 08 & there can't be all that many people still shooting 15yr old fixed zoom lens film cams... So you'd think they'd be looking to unload the less popular film stuff cheap... Although $50-$60 is still cheap for these once $100+ lenses that some other, more popular sellers, are still charging...

Regardless, even though they aren't the widest choices, they're sharp with just a little distortion.. The 07 is just as sharp too but has a bit more distortion... I have all three, 07, B28 & 08b.. The latter probably being the best but probably too big to comfortably use on the smaller FZs... Fr!gg!n thing is like a saucer...

This is my 1st 08B/Fz50 try from a few days ago: (none PP'd just down-sized)



& this with the 50 zoomed to about 60mm:



The 55mm threaded B28/Wcon08 & 07 don't allow for any tightening up on the zoom.. They immediately start softening around the edges.. The more you zoom the further towards the center of the frame softens.. this id the 08b zoomed to full zoom:



If that were either of the others there'd be a tiny center spot that would be sharp with even more blur than that last one

--

The Amateur Formerly Known as 'UZ'pShoot'ERS' 'Happy Shootin' Comments, Critique, Ridicule, Limericks, Jokes, Hi-jackings, EnthUZIastically, Encouraged... I Insist!



* [email protected] * http://www.pbase.com/rrawzz *

I'd look for either the 52mm or 55mm .66x hd6600 (same lens different threads) and get the appropriate tube adapter. IMO, the wcon08 (b28) at .8x is not wide enough at 28mm. The raynox 6600 will get you to 24mm and does a very nice job with the fz5/7.

See http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=21631681

--
Fred

I bought the WCON 08 today for $55 plus a 55mm adapter($25) from pemaraal.

Now that I saw your reply, I am thinking to also buy a 52mm adapter and a Raynox 6600. I am a little bit confused though, because I read in this post:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=21642610

It says that the Raynox 6600 is a native 52mm and doesn't need an adapter.

Is that so? FZ7 has a 52mm lens thread? If yes, then why does pemaraal sell a 52mm adapter for FZ7?

OK, I think I got it. There is a plastic 52mm adapter that comes with FZ7.

So, I can actually use the Raynox 52mm with that adapter... or buy a 52mm aluminium adapter from Pemaraal... (is it worth it?).

Anyway, if I manage to find a Raynox 6600 52mm at a cheap price, I will go for it..

You made a good choice (WCON-08 and Pemaaral 55mm adapter).

WCON-08 is sometimes also called WCON-8E in North America (though lens is stamped simply WCON-08 and is 55mm threads, like the earlier B-28).

As I recall, the FZ7 ships from Panasonic with a plastic 52mm filter adapter which is a little longer than optimal (some have sanded down the length to locate the converters closer to the front element of the lens for better performance).

But the Pemaraal adapters are aluminum and thus much stronger and more secure. And they offer multiple thread sizes.

Many of us leave the adapter permanently attached with a UV (or clear protector) filter in place to protect the camera lens from bumps and dust and moisture (when not using another filter or converter).

55mm is a good choice. WCON-08 is a very good cost-effective wide angle converter. Olympus TCON-17 is a good cost-effective teleconverter (also in 55mm threads). Olympus B-macro or MCON-40 are good cost-effective macro converters (achromatic doublet close-up lens allowing working distance of 10-16 inches) for macro work, also 55mm threads; used Minolta Close-Up No. 0 or 1 or 2 are also 55mm threads.

If you choose a teleconverter with different thread size (for example 52mm), you can still leave the 55mm adapter in place and just use a stepdown ring permanently attached to the converter to go from 55mm to 52mm (or step up ring if converter threads are greater than 55mm). For teleconverters, it's less important how close the converter is to the front lens element (with wide converters, you'll get vignetting if the converter is too far from the front of the lens). Typically not true with the teleconverters until you zoom all the way back to 6x or shorter.

See this page for some info on teleconverters and wide angle converters. Some info here is a bit dated, especially concerning ebay availability and pricing. Look at the FZ10 and FZ30 pages. These adapters will also work on FZ4/5/7/8 with appropriate adapter. http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam/index.html

There is also good information on the pemaraal.com site.

software to correct lens distortion if that concerns you.

I think it's still only $15 with free lifetime upgrades, and it has lots of cameras and adapter lenses in its database for easy corrections. A few other tools are packaged in now too, perspective distortion correction and chromatic aberration correction if I recall correctly.

Just search for PTLens.

Thanks a lot for the reply and the info.

I will stick with the 55mm adapter from Pemaraal. I saw that the Raynox 6600 is quite lighweight (178gr) so it could fit without problems on the plastic 52mm adapter that comes with the FZ7 (If I find a cheap 6600 that is).

Thanks again!

I'd suggest you try the WCON-08 first before buying another. It's quite sharp and has low distortion. Nonetheless, these adapters are a bother when you're out shooting. Great when you need them, but I rarely take mine out of the camera bag.

I agree with Bill. Since you already have the wcon08, try it out and see if you're satisified with the degree of wide angle. If you want something wider and see a good price on a 52mm dcr6600, pick it up. The stock fz7 plastic adapter will work with that. Or a 55mm hd6600 (same lens) will work with the 55mm pemaraal.
--
Fred

OK, I will probably do that.
Now I am also looking for a tele lens..
Do you have any recommendations ?
I am looking at Olympus TCON 14B and Sony VCL-HGD1758 at ebay.
If they stay below $50, I will buy one of them..

Those are both very large and heavy, and don't match the 55mm thread. I think you'd be better off with Oly's TCON-17or B-300(55mm) or Ricoh TC-200m(52mm; requires a 55/52 stepdown ring) or perhaps Olympus A-200. The latter two are out of production and inexpensive though somewhat difficult to find. There are many here on the Panasonic forum with the TCON-17 (you'll see lots of pictures posted here using that). Be sure to look at CK's info and tests on these on his page (mentioned in my other post).