Canon Teleconverter? (1 Viewer)

[shezza]

Hi all, I have read various threads that talk about 1-5 x and 2.00 x teleconverter? are these add-ons

 

[Sandpiper]

Canon make both 1.4x and 2x teleconverters (or extenders in Canon-speak). They are designed to fit between the camera body and lens to magnify the original image by the amounts shown. Beware though that they will not fit all Canon-fit lenses due to their design. They have a protrusion on the lens side which restricts the range of lenses they will fit. I think that most L series lenses will fit but cannot comment on non-L or other makes. You should be able to find a compatibility chart on Canon's website.

Mike

 

[shezza]

Not sure if this is the converter that they (Canon SX50 owners are talking about) because the lens doesn't come off.

 

[Shaggy2070]

I believe the Canon SX50 has built in teleconverters but I'm not sure how it works.
Possibly similar to digital zoom???

Someone with a CanonSX50 will explain better.

 

[crazyfingers]

I believe the Canon SX50 has built in teleconverters but I'm not sure how it works.
Possibly similar to digital zoom???

Someone with a CanonSX50 will explain better.

SX50/SX40/SX30 owner here. It's digital zoom. The convenience is that it can be set to toggle with an outside button to use fast without going into the menus. It appears that results can be better than the alternative of optical only/crop but why is still unclear to me.

I'd call it an interesting feature and sometimes handy.

 

[Roy C]

SX50/SX40/SX30 owner here. It's digital zoom. The convenience is that it can be set to toggle with an outside button to use fast without going into the menus. It appears that results can be better than the alternative of optical only/crop but why is still unclear to me.

I'd call it an interesting feature and sometimes handy.

Not sure that it is digital in the normal sense, my understanding is that it applies an in Camara crop which will be better than cropping yourself in processing - when you crop yourself your are reducing/throwing away pixels but with in-camera cropping all the pixels are still used in the crop.
Could be wrong but there seems to be a consensus of opinion that this is how it works.

 

[crazyfingers]

Not sure that it is digital in the normal sense, my understanding is that it applies an in Camara crop which will be better than cropping yourself in processing - when you crop yourself your are reducing/throwing away pixels but with in-camera cropping all the pixels are still used in the crop.
Could be wrong but there seems to be a consensus of opinion that this is how it works.

Doesn't regular digital zoom also preserve the full pixel count? That is of course the difference between the digital teleconverter and crop.

Unfortunately I can't test and check what normal digital zoom does to pixel count because I'm in a hotel in Tokyo, 7000 miles from my SX50.

 

[Roy C]

Doesn't regular digital zoom also preserve the full pixel count? That is of course the difference between the digital teleconverter and crop.

Unfortunately I can't test and check what normal digital zoom does to pixel count because I'm in a hotel in Tokyo, 7000 miles from my SX50.

Yes, normal digital zoom does retain all the pixels but there is a difference between normal digital zoom and the method Canon use with their so called 'digital converters'. I have done several test with the SX40 comparing the 1.5x digital converter (1260mm) against using just normal digital zoom at 1260mm and the digital converter IQ is most certainly better.

 

[shezza]

Thanks for all this feedback on converters BUT where are they mentioned in the manual?
Plus how to bring them into use. I have even searched online but to no avail!

 

[DavidNB]

SX50/SX40/SX30 owner here. It's digital zoom. The convenience is that it can be set to toggle with an outside button to use fast without going into the menus. It appears that results can be better than the alternative of optical only/crop but why is still unclear to me.

I'd call it an interesting feature and sometimes handy.

My first digital camera was a fuji which claimed it was equivalent to 6 megapixels, but i think it was actually something over 4, but they had some interpolation software that made made more pixels.

I think the Canon must be similar, as when one uses the 1.5 or 2.0 converters the same number of pixels shows as a shot which uses optical zoom only.

I can't think of anything else it could be other than interpolation software.

I have checked it against the equivalent digital zoom without converter being used, and I'm convinced that they are better. Another thing is that I understand that when the digiconverters are being used is that it increases the IS.

It is amazing that I - who doesn't have the steadiest of hands - can get usable - though not wonderful - pics hand held at 100x zoom using the 2.0x converter.

Like this one today at the Gan, near Dale, Pembrokeshire

ETA I just went to the ruler on Google Earth to estimate the distance. It was about 150 yards if I remember where the birds were correctly.

David

 

[DavidNB]

Thanks for all this feedback on converters BUT where are they mentioned in the manual?
Plus how to bring them into use. I have even searched online but to no avail!

They are only available in some settings. There is a lot of advice on this in the last page or so of the SX 50 long thread. I suggest you look for a post in which crazyfingers posts his settings a page or so back.

David

David

 

[draycotebirding]

Thanks for all this feedback on converters BUT where are they mentioned in the manual?
Plus how to bring them into use. I have even searched online but to no avail!

Page 132 for SX50 and page 85 for SX40

Regards

John

 

[crazyfingers]

They are only available in some settings. There is a lot of advice on this in the last page or so of the SX 50 long thread. I suggest you look for a post in which crazyfingers posts his settings a page or so back.

David

David

Hey David, that was in the SX50 topic here: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=240202&page=16


Post #389

 

[crazyfingers]

Yes, normal digital zoom does retain all the pixels but there is a difference between normal digital zoom and the method Canon use with their so called 'digital converters'. I have done several test with the SX40 comparing the 1.5x digital converter (1260mm) against using just normal digital zoom at 1260mm and the digital converter IQ is most certainly better.

Thanks. And I still wish that Canon would explain this stuff instead of needing to do all the testing.

I will try the tests myself when I get back home to see what the difference is. Glad to hear that it's better.