Conversion lenses

joefru · 05-12-2008, 06:47 AM

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Coming from the superzoom community, we compensated for our fixed-lens cameras by buying conversion lenses. I say "we" as a community, though, because I actually don't own any. I was thinking of maybe picking up a wide-angle converter for my camcorder. Would it work okay on my K10D as well? (There's no such thing as a wide-angle converter for a dSLR, right?)

That brings up another question... How's the quality of a standard teleconverter compare to a front-mount telephoto conversion lens? And howabout macro converter vs extension tube?

Just curious...

bymy141 · 05-12-2008, 07:01 AM

Wide angle converters for DSLR don't exist, because it comes in front of the lens.
With many different lenses around, this is somewhat of a problem to make, also it would probably be as expensive as a "normal" wide angle lens.

Teleconverters (TC's) and macro rings do exist. They sit between the camera and the lens and therefor work with all lenses.
You can buy 1.4, 1.5, 1.7 and 2.0 x TC's.

If you need a wider angle, buy a lens with a shorter focal distance.
This is the advantage of a DSLR, replacing your lenses that is.

Have fun.

- Bert

**Lowell Goudge** · 05-12-2008, 07:25 AM

There are conversion lenses that were for the P&S family of cameras and for camcorders, as you have indicated.

These have been marketed for many years and I even recall looking into something like this in the 1980's to put in front of my 24mm because it was not wide enough at the time.

What stopped me was the vignetting caused by these lenses, on a 35mm frame.

Since that time, however, more and more have been pushed at the P&S market because many of the good P&S cameras come with a 36-360+ mm equivelent lens, which still is not wide enough.

My Kodak P&S has a thread in attachment that can take 55 mm front end lens attachments (filters, close up lenses, and yes wide angle adaptors)

I bought a 0.45x adaptor for my P&S so that I had a relitively small kit that could go from about 17mm equivelent to 380mm.

The lens I bought was a 58mm thread, so I use a reducing ring.

I have since tried this with my 24mm, on a DSLR, and the results are interesting. I have an effective 11mm semi fisheye. There is vignetting on a 35mm full frame camera but not on the ASP-C sensor of my pentax DSLR

I would not recommend going for a tele-extender this way, but for ultra wide angle, it seems to work, but it is not "cheap" My lens is multicoated and was about $140. You would also need to consider the cost of a relitively wide prime, but you could probably pick up a 28mm manual focus for about $30.

It is fun to play with, especially if you either don't mind the distortion, or are willing to spend time post processing to fix it.

alohadave · 05-12-2008, 08:46 AM

Originally posted by bymy141

Wide angle converters for DSLR don't exist, because it comes in front of the lens.
With many different lenses around, this is somewhat of a problem to make, also it would probably be as expensive as a "normal" wide angle lens.

If you need a wider angle, buy a lens with a shorter focal distance.
This is the advantage of a DSLR, replacing your lenses that is.

Have fun.

- Bert

Wide angle adapters are certainly available for dSLR. They simply screw into the filter threads on the front of the lens.

Some people like to play around with different options and don't necessarily need to buy a new lens for an occasional wide angle shot.

There is also the option of shooting a two or three frame wide angle and stitching it together in post.

bymy141 · 05-12-2008, 09:18 AM

Originally posted by alohadave

Wide angle adapters are certainly available for dSLR. They simply screw into the filter threads on the front of the lens.

Some people like to play around with different options and don't necessarily need to buy a new lens for an occasional wide angle shot.

There is also the option of shooting a two or three frame wide angle and stitching it together in post.

Interesting.

Where can you buy them?
I've never seen such.
Can you perhaps share a link?

- Bert

joefru · 05-12-2008, 10:25 AM

Here's one: DCR-6600PRO High Definition Wideangle conversion lens 0.66X for Digital & High Vision camera

Big Dave · 05-12-2008, 12:43 PM

I find that the Olympus Wcon-08 and 07 are of excellent quality and perform well. Some of us can't afford the extreme wide angles and this allows a 18-55mm zoom to become a useful 14mm for that occasional need. They will do the job until you win the lottery.

Dave

**Lowell Goudge** · 05-12-2008, 12:57 PM

the only thing that I would recommend going this route is to look and see if you can get an adaptor that is one filter size up, from your lens and use a step up ring.

this might help a little in vignetting.

Also look out for barrel distortion (fisheye effect)

You may wish to go to a store and try one,

I know most of the camera and electronics stores in Manhatten have them in stock, and it really is worth trying one on your camera

joefru · 05-12-2008, 01:37 PM

Sounds good. Unfortunately, in South Louisiana, I don't think they know what a camera store is. Plenty of seafood restaurants, though.

As a result, I'm one of those that buys cameras sight unseen, relying heavily on reviews. I bought my K10 despite the bad press and am overjoyed with it.

Big Dave · 05-12-2008, 01:40 PM

Originally posted by Lowell Goudge

the only thing that I would recommend going this route is to look and see if you can get an adaptor that is one filter size up, from your lens and use a step up ring.

this might help a little in vignetting.

Also look out for barrel distortion (fisheye effect)

You may wish to go to a store and try one,

I know most of the camera and electronics stores in Manhatten have them in stock, and it really is worth trying one on your camera

I tested my 0.8x Olympus and found that I lost less then a stop with the lens. The barrel distortion is the same as the 18-55 at 18mm. I use a 52-55 stepup ring and I haven't had any vigneting issues since it is designed for a full frame 35mm lens on the Oly all in one slr's. The 0.8x is a very conservative adapter, which keeps the negatives effects low. I bought mine new from Olympus on the bay for $18.

Dave

bymy141 · 05-13-2008, 12:48 AM

Originally posted by joefru

Here's one: DCR-6600PRO High Definition Wideangle conversion lens 0.66X for Digital & High Vision camera

Thanks.

It looks it is meant as a P&S conversion lens.
And off course you can screw it on any 58mm filter sized SLR lens!

- Bert

Alan · 05-13-2008, 03:17 AM

Hi, I have a 20 mm f4 Super Takumar, equivalent to a 30 mm when used with the adapter to my K10D. For some record purpose shots I screw in a 0.5 times wide angle adapter lens into the filter thread and get very acceptable shots equivalent to 15 mm.

Big Dave · 05-13-2008, 09:33 AM

Originally posted by bymy141

Thanks.

It looks it is meant as a P&S conversion lens.
And off course you can screw it on any 58mm filter sized SLR lens!

- Bert

Bert,
Olympus and others have made these for years for their 35mm SLR's and prosumer cameras. They can be had for pennies on the dollar at the Bay. Here is a link and a photo of my 0.8x on a 18-55 zoom. It makes a decent 14.4mm wide angle with only slight vigneting. I think the that the vignrtting is there even without the conversion lens.

Dave

OLYMPUS Wide Angle Lens WCON-07 (0.7x) - eBay (item 270237075047 end time Jun-11-08 21:04:09 PDT)

bymy141 · 05-13-2008, 10:40 AM

Originally posted by Big Dave

Bert,
Olympus and others have made these for years for their 35mm SLR's and prosumer cameras. They can be had for pennies on the dollar at the Bay. Here is a link and a photo of my 0.8x on a 18-55 zoom. It makes a decent 14.4mm wide angle with only slight vigneting. I think the that the vignrtting is there even without the conversion lens.

Dave

OLYMPUS Wide Angle Lens WCON-07 (0.7x) - eBay (item 270237075047 end time Jun-11-08 21:04:09 PDT)

Thanks for the tip Dave!
I'll search around on e-bay, they are not easy found at stores here.
Perhaps some other Dutch in the forum know where to find them?

- Bert

**Lowell Goudge** · 05-13-2008, 12:07 PM

Originally posted by Big Dave

Bert,
Olympus and others have made these for years for their 35mm SLR's and prosumer cameras. They can be had for pennies on the dollar at the Bay. Here is a link and a photo of my 0.8x on a 18-55 zoom. It makes a decent 14.4mm wide angle with only slight vigneting. I think the that the vignrtting is there even without the conversion lens.

Dave

OLYMPUS Wide Angle Lens WCON-07 (0.7x) - eBay (item 270237075047 end time Jun-11-08 21:04:09 PDT)

dave

looks much the same as my 0.45X adaptor.

Note to all users who are consiering this, it blocks the internal flash

which is not wide enough in any case to cover the field of view,

05-12-2008, 06:47 AM	#1
joefru Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: South Louisiana Photos: Gallery Posts: 210	Conversion lenses Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. Coming from the superzoom community, we compensated for our fixed-lens cameras by buying conversion lenses. I say "we" as a community, though, because I actually don't own any. I was thinking of maybe picking up a wide-angle converter for my camcorder. Would it work okay on my K10D as well? (There's no such thing as a wide-angle converter for a dSLR, right?) That brings up another question... How's the quality of a standard teleconverter compare to a front-mount telephoto conversion lens? And howabout macro converter vs extension tube? Just curious...

05-13-2008, 09:33 AM	#13
Big Dave Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 547	Originally posted by bymy141 Thanks. It looks it is meant as a P&S conversion lens. And off course you can screw it on any 58mm filter sized SLR lens! - Bert Bert, Olympus and others have made these for years for their 35mm SLR's and prosumer cameras. They can be had for pennies on the dollar at the Bay. Here is a link and a photo of my 0.8x on a 18-55 zoom. It makes a decent 14.4mm wide angle with only slight vigneting. I think the that the vignrtting is there even without the conversion lens. Dave OLYMPUS Wide Angle Lens WCON-07 (0.7x) - eBay (item 270237075047 end time Jun-11-08 21:04:09 PDT) Last edited by Big Dave; 08-10-2008 at 03:44 PM.

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05-12-2008, 07:01 AM	#2
bymy141 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,563	Wide angle converters for DSLR don't exist, because it comes in front of the lens. With many different lenses around, this is somewhat of a problem to make, also it would probably be as expensive as a "normal" wide angle lens. Teleconverters (TC's) and macro rings do exist. They sit between the camera and the lens and therefor work with all lenses. You can buy 1.4, 1.5, 1.7 and 2.0 x TC's. If you need a wider angle, buy a lens with a shorter focal distance. This is the advantage of a DSLR, replacing your lenses that is. Have fun. - Bert

05-12-2008, 07:25 AM	#3
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,887	There are conversion lenses that were for the P&S family of cameras and for camcorders, as you have indicated. These have been marketed for many years and I even recall looking into something like this in the 1980's to put in front of my 24mm because it was not wide enough at the time. What stopped me was the vignetting caused by these lenses, on a 35mm frame. Since that time, however, more and more have been pushed at the P&S market because many of the good P&S cameras come with a 36-360+ mm equivelent lens, which still is not wide enough. My Kodak P&S has a thread in attachment that can take 55 mm front end lens attachments (filters, close up lenses, and yes wide angle adaptors) I bought a 0.45x adaptor for my P&S so that I had a relitively small kit that could go from about 17mm equivelent to 380mm. The lens I bought was a 58mm thread, so I use a reducing ring. I have since tried this with my 24mm, on a DSLR, and the results are interesting. I have an effective 11mm semi fisheye. There is vignetting on a 35mm full frame camera but not on the ASP-C sensor of my pentax DSLR I would not recommend going for a tele-extender this way, but for ultra wide angle, it seems to work, but it is not "cheap" My lens is multicoated and was about $140. You would also need to consider the cost of a relitively wide prime, but you could probably pick up a 28mm manual focus for about $30. It is fun to play with, especially if you either don't mind the distortion, or are willing to spend time post processing to fix it.

05-12-2008, 08:46 AM	#4
alohadave Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Quincy, MA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,024	Originally posted by bymy141 Wide angle converters for DSLR don't exist, because it comes in front of the lens. With many different lenses around, this is somewhat of a problem to make, also it would probably be as expensive as a "normal" wide angle lens. If you need a wider angle, buy a lens with a shorter focal distance. This is the advantage of a DSLR, replacing your lenses that is. Have fun. - Bert Wide angle adapters are certainly available for dSLR. They simply screw into the filter threads on the front of the lens. Some people like to play around with different options and don't necessarily need to buy a new lens for an occasional wide angle shot. There is also the option of shooting a two or three frame wide angle and stitching it together in post.

05-12-2008, 09:18 AM	#5
bymy141 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,563	Originally posted by alohadave Wide angle adapters are certainly available for dSLR. They simply screw into the filter threads on the front of the lens. Some people like to play around with different options and don't necessarily need to buy a new lens for an occasional wide angle shot. There is also the option of shooting a two or three frame wide angle and stitching it together in post. Interesting. Where can you buy them? I've never seen such. Can you perhaps share a link? - Bert

05-12-2008, 10:25 AM	#6
joefru Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: South Louisiana Photos: Gallery Posts: 210 Original Poster	Here's one: DCR-6600PRO High Definition Wideangle conversion lens 0.66X for Digital & High Vision camera

05-12-2008, 12:43 PM	#7
Big Dave Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 547	I find that the Olympus Wcon-08 and 07 are of excellent quality and perform well. Some of us can't afford the extreme wide angles and this allows a 18-55mm zoom to become a useful 14mm for that occasional need. They will do the job until you win the lottery. Dave

05-12-2008, 12:57 PM	#8
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,887	the only thing that I would recommend going this route is to look and see if you can get an adaptor that is one filter size up, from your lens and use a step up ring. this might help a little in vignetting. Also look out for barrel distortion (fisheye effect) You may wish to go to a store and try one, I know most of the camera and electronics stores in Manhatten have them in stock, and it really is worth trying one on your camera

05-12-2008, 01:37 PM	#9
joefru Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: South Louisiana Photos: Gallery Posts: 210 Original Poster	Sounds good. Unfortunately, in South Louisiana, I don't think they know what a camera store is. Plenty of seafood restaurants, though. As a result, I'm one of those that buys cameras sight unseen, relying heavily on reviews. I bought my K10 despite the bad press and am overjoyed with it.

05-12-2008, 01:40 PM	#10
Big Dave Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 547	Originally posted by Lowell Goudge the only thing that I would recommend going this route is to look and see if you can get an adaptor that is one filter size up, from your lens and use a step up ring. this might help a little in vignetting. Also look out for barrel distortion (fisheye effect) You may wish to go to a store and try one, I know most of the camera and electronics stores in Manhatten have them in stock, and it really is worth trying one on your camera I tested my 0.8x Olympus and found that I lost less then a stop with the lens. The barrel distortion is the same as the 18-55 at 18mm. I use a 52-55 stepup ring and I haven't had any vigneting issues since it is designed for a full frame 35mm lens on the Oly all in one slr's. The 0.8x is a very conservative adapter, which keeps the negatives effects low. I bought mine new from Olympus on the bay for $18. Dave

05-13-2008, 12:48 AM	#11
bymy141 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,563	Originally posted by joefru Here's one: DCR-6600PRO High Definition Wideangle conversion lens 0.66X for Digital & High Vision camera Thanks. It looks it is meant as a P&S conversion lens. And off course you can screw it on any 58mm filter sized SLR lens! - Bert

05-13-2008, 03:17 AM	#12
Alan New Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: England Posts: 20	Hi, I have a 20 mm f4 Super Takumar, equivalent to a 30 mm when used with the adapter to my K10D. For some record purpose shots I screw in a 0.5 times wide angle adapter lens into the filter thread and get very acceptable shots equivalent to 15 mm.

05-13-2008, 10:40 AM	#14
bymy141 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,563	Originally posted by Big Dave Bert, Olympus and others have made these for years for their 35mm SLR's and prosumer cameras. They can be had for pennies on the dollar at the Bay. Here is a link and a photo of my 0.8x on a 18-55 zoom. It makes a decent 14.4mm wide angle with only slight vigneting. I think the that the vignrtting is there even without the conversion lens. Dave OLYMPUS Wide Angle Lens WCON-07 (0.7x) - eBay (item 270237075047 end time Jun-11-08 21:04:09 PDT) Thanks for the tip Dave! I'll search around on e-bay, they are not easy found at stores here. Perhaps some other Dutch in the forum know where to find them? - Bert

05-13-2008, 12:07 PM	#15
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,887	Originally posted by Big Dave Bert, Olympus and others have made these for years for their 35mm SLR's and prosumer cameras. They can be had for pennies on the dollar at the Bay. Here is a link and a photo of my 0.8x on a 18-55 zoom. It makes a decent 14.4mm wide angle with only slight vigneting. I think the that the vignrtting is there even without the conversion lens. Dave OLYMPUS Wide Angle Lens WCON-07 (0.7x) - eBay (item 270237075047 end time Jun-11-08 21:04:09 PDT) dave looks much the same as my 0.45X adaptor. Note to all users who are consiering this, it blocks the internal flash which is not wide enough in any case to cover the field of view,