Panasonic DMW LT55E teleconverter. (1 Viewer)

Thought i'd share my experiences with this camera accessory on the fz200.
1.It makes the camera bulky and nose heavy so you loose the portability of the camera in standard form.
2.You loose the fast 2.8 aperture which is the camera's main strength as it decreases to f4.0.This really makes a massive difference to the shutter speed you can obtain and thus makes camera shake far more of a problem.....you either increase the iso or carry a sturdy form of support with you to get an acceptable image.Increasing the iso is not the best of options on a camera of this type.

3.You will loose image quality by adding extra glass in the form of a teleconverter.A teleconverter is not the same as a lens,it is just extra glass at the end of a hollow tube.....this will always soften images to some degree and it is noticable with this lens although it is not too bad.

4.You loose a lot of focusing distance with this converter which to me is it's biggest downfall.I can get very close to a subject with the fz200 without the converter.......put it on and the minimum distance is around the 20 foot mark.This really defeats the point......the amount of extra magnification at a given distance is not worth the money you pay for this accessory.The best bird photos are taken at close range from cover such as a hide where the 600 mm f2.8 lens on my fz200 is already more than good enough.
You still end up cropping your photos when using this converter and this is a non starter as all the problems mentioned above are magnified.

Conclusion.
Save yourself a good deal of money by purchasing a camo net and getting closer to your subject.This accessory will decrease the performance of the fz200 in real terms and does nothing to enhance it.I have shot many photos of birds using the converter and so far i've been happyish with one......not one of panasonics greatest achievements i'm afraid.

An interesting review Neil. I'm sorry you've been disappointed. My experience of the DWM LT55E over the past 4 years is extremely positive on the FZ150. I rarely, if ever, need to increase ISO settings to increase shutter speed. There's no loss of sharpness on the images either - this is one area I've been extremely impressed with. I agree portability is reduced a little but with the right camera bag (Lowepro Toploader Zoom 55 AW), this hasn't been an issue. Neither has focus distance since my main reason for purchasing the teleconverter was to make distant subjects accessible, and for this purpose it is superb.

Shooting at the increased focal length does require a steady hand and a practised technique. But, I've found using the burst mode useful and, when looking through the viewfinder, you obviously need to form a good brace with your arms. A friend uses the system you have (FZ200 with teleconverter) and has a very high hit rate and consistently good results, especially in low light.

My conclusions are that the teleconverter is an invaluable addition to the FZ series and I've been extremely pleased with the results. You need a steady hand and the right camera bag but it really opens up the world of bird photography. I found I could finally get decent shots of birds like Water Pipit, Rock Pipit and Yellow Wagtail because the extra reach overcame the distance that these birds need to feel comfortable.

I guess it's a case of horses for courses and if the equipment doesn't meet your needs or expectations then fair enough but hopefully it's clear that the teleconverter is extremely handy for some users and well worth the investment, in my opinion.

All the best
Hobbes

Glad you are pleased with the results you are getting.......i would be interested to see some of the images you have captured while using this converter just out of curiosity.....it may give more worthwhile results with the 150.

Hiya Neil
I don't seem to have any of my FZ150 + teleconverter in my gallery but a browse through ChrisKten's gallery provided a few examples (he gets similar results to me)

http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=499289
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=499890
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=500071
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=500649
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=501099
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=498235
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=498283
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=498763

I hope those help give you some idea. :t:

Thanks for the samples......some lovely images.However,after more testing,the best quality images that can be obtained from the fz200 are definately those taken with the camera lens without the teleconverter attached.
The secret with these cameras is to get as close as you can to the subject using either a hide or camo suits/clothing.Yes,the converter will get you closer to far away objects,but for ultimate quality from the fz200 you need to use the strengths of the f2.8 leica lens.....this converter will degrade quality......i've tested it enough to prove it to myself.
If you are happy with a slight loss in image quality to get close to your subject without having to use a hide or camouflage then this converter is a good option,i'm not so it will be going.
Thanks for your views and opinions,

All the best,neil.