Does anyone know which G2 telephoto lens has the highest possible
zoom in the market? I'm thinking of getting one.
The following good quality teleconverters are mainly used by G2
owners:
Tiffen Megaplus 2x : highest magnification of all other converters,
43mm diameter. As other people state, it seems to vignette at all
focal lengths, but seems to be very usable at full zoom (on many
pictures the effect of vignetting won't be disturbing). Another
disadvantage is, that you can only use this converter at full
zoom, because vignetting becomes serious if you zoom back.
Price: $80-100 at commercial stores
Canon TC-DC58 1.5x: Canon's own converter, high quality,
58mm diameter, allows you to zoom back a little for more
accurate framing. This converter was designed to be used
with the LA-DC58 adapter, but some people apparently use
it together with the Lensmate adapter and a step-up ring with
no problems. Price: $80-100 at commercial stores
Olympus B-300 1.8x: One of the best choices, according to
many people, but a hell expensive and it has become rare,
as it's not manufactured anymore (ebay is a good place to
get it). The diameter is 55mm. One advantage seems to be,
hat this converter does not loose light, which makes it
suitable for low light situations. Another disadvantage: it
seems to be pretty large in size. Price: $250-300 at ebay.
Olympus A-200 1.5x: Small brother of the B-300, but much
cheaper. Seems to be of good quality, and it comes with
49mm diameter, which is perfect if you have a 49mm adapter,
such as the Lensmate. This converter also isn't manufactured
anymore and isn't easy to find. Price: $60-90 at ebay,
$80-100 at some commercial stores.
BTW, I had the same problem of choosing a teleconverter, and
finally decided to go for a A-200, because of the following reasons:
A-200 vs. TC-DC58: equal magnification, main plus for the A-200:
49mm diameter. No need to hassle with step down/up rings (I use
the Lensmate adapter)
A-200 vs. Tiffen: main argument against Tiffen: vignetting problems,
which also means that you can't use the converter above filters,
because vignetting becomes even more serious. On the other hand
I can use the A-200 on top of 2 (maybe 3?) filters without getting
vignetting problems. Another disadvantage for me: need to use
step rings, so either you leave them on by exposing the one side
of the converter to dust and dirt, or you remove the ring and protect
the glass using the provided lens cap, but then you have to
mount/dismount the step ring every time you want to use the
teleconverter. Remember, as soon as you are
too close with the
converter, you can't zoom back so you have to remove the
converter and later perform some cropping to frame the picture
appropriately.
A-200 vs. B-300: main plus for the A-200: price.
Was told by one vendor that digital camera lenses are much cheaper
than the conventional camera lenses, therefore having a digital
camera for a hobby is cheaper.... is that true?
Not exactly, because most digital cams (except for digital SLR)
have fixed built-in lenses, so you can't exchange them. Those
'lenses' I was talking about above aren't really 'lenses' like the
lenses you know them from film cameras, but teleconverters. They
are used to extend the focal length of an already existing camera
lens.
Whether going for digital is cheaper... it depends. The digicam itself
is sure a lot more expensive when compared to an equal-quality
film camera. On the other hand you don't have to spend money for
the films yourselves, once you have a sufficiently-sized memory
card.
Greetings
Sam
~
