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adapter for fz18 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter toz
- Start date
Sandpiper
Mike Powell
Hi toz,
A warm welcome to BF. You will find lots of useful help and advice in the various threads. Unfortunately I don't think the FZ18 will be suitable for digiscoping due to it's 18x zoom lens. Most people prefer a camera with a 3x zoom for digiscoping. Perhaps someone who owns a FZ18 will comment.
A warm welcome to BF. You will find lots of useful help and advice in the various threads. Unfortunately I don't think the FZ18 will be suitable for digiscoping due to it's 18x zoom lens. Most people prefer a camera with a 3x zoom for digiscoping. Perhaps someone who owns a FZ18 will comment.
kittykat23uk
Well-known member
I haven't tried the fz18 with my scope, but I don't think it would work. However, if its any consolation the extended zoom option gets me almost as close as I can get with my fuji and 20x scope. Some pics all taken with the fz18:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8773601@N03/sets/72157603341038890/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8773601@N03/sets/72157603341038890/
Hi Kittikat. Fantastic photographs!
I have an FZ50 and wonder whether you have used one to compare with the FZ18. Is the FZ18 a significant improvement for bird photography?
Can you use the T con 17 convertor with the FZ18. I was going to suggest that toz would be better off investing in one of these to bump the zoom up to x27+ rather than trying to digi scope with a super zoom.
I have an FZ50 and wonder whether you have used one to compare with the FZ18. Is the FZ18 a significant improvement for bird photography?
Can you use the T con 17 convertor with the FZ18. I was going to suggest that toz would be better off investing in one of these to bump the zoom up to x27+ rather than trying to digi scope with a super zoom.
kittykat23uk
Well-known member
Hi MikeJenx, Thanks for the kind words, there are many more pictures from my trip to follow, as I have taken about 500 shots (not including the ones I have deleted as I went along). I have not tried the FZ50 but I can say that I found the extended zoom range on this camera invaluable in getting closer to the birds. I can't imagine having been able to get a lot of these shots with anything other than the FZ18. As I said, the guy we travelled with had a TZ1 (10x optical) and was struggling to get close enough. If you use the extended zoom options you can get up to 28.7x at 3 megapixels which I think is about equivalent to the FZ50 with a TC. Yes indeed you can add on the TCON-17 but unfortunately you need an adaptor which I'm not sure has been released yet. Hopefully soon though as I would like to be able to use the higher res settings at extended magnification. The other thing to note about the FZ18 is that Panasonic has improved on the wide end as well as the tele end of the lens so it is a 28 mm wide angle. I also enjoyed trying out the different aspect ratios. This camera was a joy to use, so light and fast, usually accurate focusing. I have, however, found I have needed to auto level quite a few of my pictures though and they have ofen benefitted by some noise reduction in photoshop.
Hope this helps. Theres also a lot of info over on the DPreview forums.
Hope this helps. Theres also a lot of info over on the DPreview forums.
kittykat23uk
Well-known member
Thank you Toz, as for the batteries, I'm not sure how many shots I took, but I was using on average one battery per day on the game drives from dawn to dusk but I was taking shots in burst mode most of the time, reviewing shots and deleting as I went along. I did find that the Panasonic and Hahnel batteries lasted longer than the cheapie Powermart brand. I took four batteries with me for the two week trip to ensure that I always had at least one spare.
Cristian Mihai
Cristian Mihai
Maybe you don't know but there are some Raynox teleconverters that can be used with FZ18. So, you can achieve an overall optical zoom around 27X (with DCR 1540PRO - 1.54X teleconverter) and an overall optical zoom around 39X (with DCr 2020PRO - 2.2X teleconverter). See: http://raynox.co.jp/english/digital/fz18/index.htm.
I bought a similar digital camera (Olympus SP560UZ) with the same 18X optical zoom and I use this teleconverters with it. You can see some pics here:http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=100919.
I bought a similar digital camera (Olympus SP560UZ) with the same 18X optical zoom and I use this teleconverters with it. You can see some pics here:http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=100919.
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kittykat23uk
Well-known member
Yep, just got the LA3 and TCON-17 as an early christmas present. Can't wait to try it out!
ETA: You will probably find that the image quality is slightly better on your FZ50 compared to the FZ18 and I believe you can use the TCON-17 on either camera.
ETA: You will probably find that the image quality is slightly better on your FZ50 compared to the FZ18 and I believe you can use the TCON-17 on either camera.
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kittykat23uk
Well-known member
Hi Jimb,
Lucky you! I'm sure you'll love this camera! Here are a couple of shots taken today with the FZ18 and TCON-17. The fox was taken at 5 meg EZ option and the others at 8 meg with the TC. The sky was pretty overcast so the light wasn't great.
Lucky you! I'm sure you'll love this camera! Here are a couple of shots taken today with the FZ18 and TCON-17. The fox was taken at 5 meg EZ option and the others at 8 meg with the TC. The sky was pretty overcast so the light wasn't great.
Attachments
Hi kittykat,
Those are some nice shots. Are those handheld at maximum zoom? Have you found more of a problem with camera shake when using the tele-converter?
Jim
kittykat23uk
Well-known member
Thanks! They are hand held, but probably not at maximum zoom. I can't really recall. I have found that when it is overcast like it is at the moment, the results either with or without the teleconverter are not great because I'm not getting a fast enough shutter speed. I'm not sure how much the Teleconverter is affecting this but, I don't think its making too much of a difference whether I use it or not in these conditions as I think itis really the lack of light generally that is the issue. Having said that, I still got a reasonable shot of a song thrush on boxing day..
Attachments
Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
As I've said on other threads, care should be taken when using the zoom multiplier figures to make comparisons between the focal lengths of different camera models.
The FZ18 has a wide angle 28mm eq lens. Eighteen times this gives an effective zoom focal length of 504mm at maximum zoom.
The FZ50 has a 35mm eq wide angle. Twelve times this is 420mm effective maximum zoom, not such a huge difference than is suggested by the straight comparison between the factors 12x and 18x.
Kittykat above points out that using the extended zoom on the FZ18 at 3meg gives 28.7x zoom, ie 28.7x28mm=803mm. The FZ50 however is a 10meg camera compared with the 8meg of the FZ18.
Using the extended zoom of the FZ50 at 3meg gives 21.4x zoom, ie 21.4x35=749mm. Again not such a huge difference as may be supposed from the multipliers advertised.
The FZ50 can be a bit noisy at 3meg and I prefer 5meg (17.1x35=599mm). The 1.7 converter on this is 1017mm equivalent at 5 meg quality. (Full 10meg is 714mm with the teleconverter).
The FZ18 has a wide angle 28mm eq lens. Eighteen times this gives an effective zoom focal length of 504mm at maximum zoom.
The FZ50 has a 35mm eq wide angle. Twelve times this is 420mm effective maximum zoom, not such a huge difference than is suggested by the straight comparison between the factors 12x and 18x.
Kittykat above points out that using the extended zoom on the FZ18 at 3meg gives 28.7x zoom, ie 28.7x28mm=803mm. The FZ50 however is a 10meg camera compared with the 8meg of the FZ18.
Using the extended zoom of the FZ50 at 3meg gives 21.4x zoom, ie 21.4x35=749mm. Again not such a huge difference as may be supposed from the multipliers advertised.
The FZ50 can be a bit noisy at 3meg and I prefer 5meg (17.1x35=599mm). The 1.7 converter on this is 1017mm equivalent at 5 meg quality. (Full 10meg is 714mm with the teleconverter).
I am brand new to this forum , so PLEASE bear with me. I am just getting back into photography after a 30 absence. So this new digital stuff is all new and not making a whole lot of sense , but I am reading and shooting alot and trying to learn. My problem is that I have a TCON 17 1.7 multiplier but I cannot find the PANASONIC DMW-LA3 adapotor so I can use the TCON. Does anyone know of a sight or place to get one at? I tried PANASONIC and they informed me it would be mid MARCH 2008 before they have one available. I am desperate as I have a vacation to the Carribean in about 3 weeks and would love to have the use of the TCON then , infact I would love to get the adaptor ASAP so I can practice some first. My camera is the PANASONIC FZ18. THANK YOU!!!!!!
kittykat23uk
Well-known member
Welcome to the forum Lung. I have responded to your question in your other thread. Don't despair though if you can't get an LA3 before you go. This camera is versatile enough without the televconverter and a lot lighter too! I've only just bought the TCON 17 and got the adapter for christmas. Prior to that I took the camera to India and got some very nice shots without the converter.
