Z2 How-to Increase Optical Zoom

[rguym]

I am looking for a why to increase the optical zoom on my Dimage Z2.
I was taking wildlife/outdoor pictures this weekend. Despite using the full optical zoom, I was unable to capture a good image of a squirrel.
I wanted the squirrel to "fill" the picture. Instead, I got a great picture of an evergreen's limbs, with a little furry animal perched among them.
Are there any telephoto attachments, or converters, or adapters available that I could use to increase the optical zoom on this camera? Are spotting scopes an option?
Any ideas would be appreciated.
thank you for your help.

[2gdsm]

I just started looking into that myself for mine. I go to froogle which is a part of google and search for something along the line of Z2 telephoto. It seems that there are 2x and 3x telephoto attachments for a relatively decent price. I was going to buy the cheapest one I found (about $35) to check it out first. The ones I've found are all 52mm and include a barrel transition to fit our camera, which I belive is 49mm. I'm not sure how exactly they work so more input would be great. I did find that the minimum focus distance is extended by the square of the zoom, for example a 2x lens would multiply the current minimum by 4 times. Which is no big deal I would think since I would only use it for really far pictures anyways. I don't know how much these lenses take out of the image quality if they do at all.

My question is do they multiply the optical zoom by 2. So instead of 380 mm or 10x it would be 760mm or 20x ???

I'm glad you posted this, I thought I was the only one.

[rguym]

That's interesting on the focal distance increase. But, like you I don't expect that to be a problem.
I've been tempted to buy a similarly priced 2x lens. But, I am unsure of the quality. I've even seen a email on another forum, where in that persons opinion the Digital Pro 2x is only a 1.5x But, that's only 1 person, off the 'Net, so I am taking that with a grain of salt.
The only website that specifically associates a lens for the Z2, is Raynox.

http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/egindex.htm

I like there website and lenses. But, after reading about the DCR-1850PRO (1.85X), I am wondering why it says "...and it can not be used with 7x or higher zoom lens incorporated digital still cameras.." I thought that as long as the threads matched up it would not be a problem. Now I wonder.(
I had considered the discontinued DCR-1800. I've seen it on Ebay. But with the statement about the DCR-1850PRO not being suitable for the Z2, I really wonder if/how it would work.
I would really love to buy the DCR-2020PRO. This lens is designed for cameras 8x or higher zoom. But, I haven't seen any real life stories/reviews. And, I am waiting for other recommendations before spending the cash on it.
All this brings to why I posted to this forum. Like you I've used Froogle and Google to find 52mm threaded lenses. But, I have no idea if they will work with our camera.

thanks for your reply, I will keep this forum/you updated if I find out
anything.

[JCW3]

DO MORE RESEARCH!!!

Before you dump much money into lenses, you need to research a little more. Most 10x zoom cameras cant handle the power of those 2x and up converters. There more made for the smaller diameter 2-3x cameras.

In reality there is no way of trully makeing your optical range bigger, since you lens is attached to the body. But you can buy teleconverters that extend the range of your zoom, but at the same time you will lose some the wide angle due to darkern corners, but most find it worth it.

To give you a good start, I would recommend looking at lenses made for big zoom cameras, that are in the range of 1.5 - 1.7x in power, there are a few biggers ones that work, but VERY few.

olympus tcon-17 (or the B-300)
" Tcon-14
" tcon-14b
" c-210
Canon Tl-55
" TL-46
Fuji 1.5x
Sony Converters (good lens, but very $$$)

Some of these lenses are discontinued, but are still easy to find. Most of these lense are running around $80-100, with the TCON14 and the sony lense going for $150-250. Some of the discontinued olympus models can be found for 20-40 and are worth the money.

but do your research before dumping money into one. I currently own about 10 converters now, and all of them have there purpose, so find the one that fits YOUR needs.

[rguym]

JCW3,
Thank you for the post and list of converters.
I spent quite a bit of time viewing different websites
with great comparsion shots.
I visited the Olympus site,and went to the
shop@emporium (their online store), to look at their
SPECIAL OFFERS.
The C-120 is being sold for $39.95 For that price
and Olympus quality I bought it.
Will let everyone know how it works. It should arrive
in 8-10 days.
Again, thanks for your helpful post.

[2gdsm]

I got my barrel in and got a +4 nd filter and UV filter. While I was there I tried out a 3x zoom just for the heck of it, so I will add those images after I figure out how.

[2gdsm]

This shows a comparison of the zoom. The outside shot is 10X/380mm with the negative being the 3x shot resized and placed in the photo. It was just out the window of the shop, nothing crazy.

[2gdsm]

This is the actual shot. It's grainy because of the file size, but the blue discoloration around the edges is what the shot came out like. I guess I'll have to go back and take a shot down the street, but from what it looks like here this might be to much power for the camera.

[rguym]

Hello,
Finally, had time to take some photos with the C210 attached. Both photos are taken from the same spot. And
aperture priority mode was used. The photos are at...

http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/s...hp?ppuser=2769

The vignetting was not visible through the viewfinder when using full optical zoom. I do not use the LCD so can't comment on that. But, as soon as you reduce the zoom
the vignetting appears in the viewfinder. Vignetting increases
as you reduce the optical zoom. Will continue to experiment
and let you know if I find any distortion or purple fringing. Looks good so far, for my purposes.
2gdsm, any chance you could post the shots you took? I couldn't get a good look at them. Also, what brand was the
3x you tried?
thx

[JCW3]

2gdsm- The results you received are similar to other 3x converters I have seen. They tend to cause problems such as CA, Purple Fringing, and softness. But now you have a nice spoting lens which is better nothing. I find combos like this work well for spotting wildlife and such until you can move in closer.

It was worth a try, but looks like you stated "its a little to much"

RGUYM- the little C210 is a great little lens. The small rear element cause darking of the corners as you noticed, but its still a great lens..

Happy Zooming to both...