Front fitting teleconvertors/extenders?

[Nathaniel]

I wonder whether any member has tried one of those front fitting teleconvertors- the ones that screw on to the front of the lens and gives you 2X extention? I note that these are advertised on Ebay from £15 to over £100? I do not know whether this is enable auto focus to function despite the light loss of 2?

Thanks.

Nat

[paul linton]

Re: Front fitting teleconvertors/extenders?

Think it a case of throwing your money away once again Nathaniel even at £15 don't bother.
If you need to get closer to wildlife you need a much big lens OR use a hide and get them to come closer to you.

Paul

[Stan]

Re: Front fitting teleconvertors/extenders?

Agree with Paul

Nat, there is no cheap way to get extra reach AND quality

stan

[Nathaniel]

Re: Front fitting teleconvertors/extenders?

Bah! foiled again!!!!! Thanks Paul and Stan. Advice taken.

[TonyT]

Re: Front fitting teleconvertors/extenders?

Oddly enough many moons ago I had a Sony F717 that I gave away to an old chap, but i still have the two expensive lenses that screwed to the front of the camera lens to convert it, these

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VCLHGD1758-Telephoto-Conversion-DSCF717/dp/B00007JO3Z/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1430394141&sr=1-2&keywords=Conversion+Lens+for+DSCF717

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VCLHGD0758-0-7x-Conversion-DSCF717/dp/B00007AKB9

I did try them on my canon lens and it did work BUT a comment here on one of those links says it all

found one of these at a local Goodwill with one lens cap and only a single tiny hairline scratch, and at $40 I figured it was worth it. I was right. I used it on a Canon 10D and it was a fun introduction to wide-angle lenses. The one thing I didn't like, which is likely due to my lack of knowledge surrounding lens converters and adapters, was that it was so heavy that it kind of messed up the AF motor in my 18-55 lens. I was sure to brace the weight, because at 2.2 pounds it was a significant amount of pressure, but even with the care I took, the lens ended up loosening a bit but still works fine.

Probably best if used with Sony cameras, but works well-enough for DSLRs, and if you had a lens with a static focal length it would probably be amazing for it.

[El Sid]

Re: Front fitting teleconvertors/extenders?

I wonder whether any member has tried one of those front fitting teleconvertors- the ones that screw on to the front of the lens and gives you 2X extention? I note that these are advertised on Ebay from £15 to over £100? I do not know whether this is enable auto focus to function despite the light loss of 2?

Thanks.

Nat

Generally these front fitting converters are intended for use with video cameras rather than SLR's. Traditionally video has been able to get away with lower resolution requirements, though I suspect 4K is going to change all that, and so optical quality isn't all that hot. I do use a fisheye converter with my Canons but only to give a circular image - anything like frame filling shows how awful the IQ actually is...

In a way it's a shame as front end converters don't have the light loss issues that bedevil rear end types, unfortunately any front converter that would have the resolving power required by a DSLR would also be a bit expensive and, as has been said, rather heavier than might be advisable for the lens mechanisms...