I have also just bought one of these lenses to use with my S100fs and hopefully soon an X-S1 based largely on these excellent examples that you have posted. I got a reasonably good price for it (by europe standards) and hope for it to be an upgrade to my Raynox 2.2x which was ok but not particularly sharp. I'm still waiting for the ring adapter to arrive to try out the Canon but maybe when I get it I will do some comparisons with the Raynox and post them. The first thing I noticed about it was the weight as it weighs considerably more than the plastic bodied Raynox (522g compared to 282g). I do like well-made metal gear but am a little worried about it dangling off the end of my camera lens - more so if/when I get the X-S1. Guess I'll just have to be careful to support it.
I find that even with the reach of the Raynox which gives about 1000mm on the S100, I am still having to crop the crap out of my shots of small birds to get them to fill the image and I am not that far away. I wonder if you could talk a bit about how far away you are from the birds in these pictures, how you arrange things to get close, and if you crop much/at all. Thanks in advance and please keep posting these great pictures.
Hi Simon and thanks for your comments.
The DC58a is heavy that's sure true, but our S100fs seems to handle the weight without any problem. Even fully extended there is no play in the lens barrel and it feels very solid. I don't know if the same woud be true with the XS1, but supporting the extended lens assembly as you shoot is natural and advisable anyway if you're shooting hand-held.
And yes, anyone who shoots songbirds will often need to crop no matter how much reach their gear has. We usually find it necessary to crop for composition anyway, even when we are close, because most opportunities are fleeting at best and there's seldom time for accurately composing a shot in-camera.
But getting close is always key to capturing the detail that all birders strive for... and long focal lengths and/or cropping usually just aren't enough. There are two very effective ways to get our lenses closer to the birds... and both of them require a lot of patience:
Use a hide, set up where you expect the birds will come, and wait for them. Be prepared to come away empty at least on some outings.
Or, if you have the time and resources at hand...
Develope your own habitat, and make yourself a regular and prominent part of it. We have cultivated our backyard bird garden over many years... providing our native songbirds with every incentive to live and raise their families here. And we are out in the yard amongst them for hours every day of the year... shooting. We don't need to hide ourselves from them or sneak up on them. They come and go about their daily routines fully expecting us to be in their midst, and many of our regulars routinely land very near to us with little or no fear... (the shots in this set were taken from @8-16 ft).
We've been at this for a long time, but we've got lots of beautiful birds here everyday now... and we've captured 70 species with our cameras (so far) right in the comfort of our own backyard.
Hope this is helpful,
Kenn
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Kenn & Temple - Backyard Birders in St.Louis, MO USA
http://kenn3d.smugmug.com 
