This summer will need a 300mm - suggestions

[JimBuchanan]

I cringed when I saw your photo. I had this lens, but sold it three years ago before the price skyrocketed. I did not then foresee the coming of m4/3s. It is a marvelous lens.

I have an MD adapter for my EP-2 -- these are cheap, and effective.

Well, the substory is that I was commisioned to convert this lens to EF mount, and in the process accidentally broke the rear element. I had to offer to buy the lens from its owner and was taken aback when I found them selling for $700 and up on ebay, which is what I paid the owner. This emocon is how I felt.

Weeks later I realized that the rear element just extended the focal plane to 43.5mm of the Minolta register. Without the rear element, the m4/3 20mm register is still possible, therefore the plan to convert to m4/3. Right now the m4/3 bayonet is just sitting on the lens, in the photo.

 

[Abbazz]

If you can find one, the Canon FL-F 300/5.6 is a superb lens in a compact form, because it's the first lens ever made with fluorite elements. It's shorter than a regular 300mm telephoto yet it delivers sharp images with lots of contrast, great colors and no chromatic aberrations, even when used wide open. Here are a few pictures taken on my E-P1, all hand held and without sharpening:

Wide open:

100% crop, no chromatic aberration, even in bright sunlit areas:

Wide Open:

At F/8.0:

Interior shot, from the upper level of a shopping mall, wide open:

100% crop (with a bit of sharpening, you can actually read the paper, which was located about 15 meters away):

Cheers!

Abbazz

 

[Ron Evers]

This thread got me thinking. I use a Sony VCL-DH1758 1.7x Tele Conversion lens on my Canon S5 for wildlife & started to wonder what it would do on the front end of my 45-200. I put it on & set up on our balcony to try it out at different ranges. This converter yields a FL of 340mm or 680 equivalent. All shots are at maximum zoom.

2. This squirrel acquired house is about a hundred feet away

3. The small Pine is about 300 feet away

4. The water tower is about 4 km away.

 

[greypilgrim]

This thread got me thinking. I use a Sony VCL-DH1758 1.7x Tele Conversion lens on my Canon S5 for wildlife & started to wonder what it would do on the front end of my 45-200. I put it on & set up on our balcony to try it out at different ranges. This converter yields a FL of 340mm or 680 equivalent. All shots are at maximum zoom.

Ron,
An interesting low cost alternative. The only image that shows sharpness is the bird house through the fence. Given that the 45-200 is not massively sharp, how do you find its sharpness in this combo? How does the combination handle? No tripod mount, obviously, so that would imply handheld or bean bag potentially.

It looks like it might cantilever the mount on the camera a fair bit. Did you find it torquing the mount when you have the camera mounted to your tripod?

Thanks,

Doug

 

[Ron Evers]

Ron,
An interesting low cost alternative. The only image that shows sharpness is the bird house through the fence. Given that the 45-200 is not massively sharp, how do you find its sharpness in this combo? How does the combination handle? No tripod mount, obviously, so that would imply handheld or bean bag potentially.

It looks like it might cantilever the mount on the camera a fair bit. Did you find it torquing the mount when you have the camera mounted to your tripod?

Thanks,

Doug

This was the first time I had it on the G1 but I shoot with it on the S5 hand held all the time & do not find it much forward heavy; it is only 250gm (about a half pound). The light was poor @ the time with wind & light drizzle which will rob away from the sharpness of the images.

I was not concerned about over-stressing the tripod or lens mounts with the converter mounted as I have hung some much heavier glass on the G1 before.

Just an idea for you to consider.

 

[Andrea Manuti]

Canon FD 300mm f/4.5, used on eBay, $ 100 with its 2x Canon Extender 2X-B:

If you add the 2nd extender (2X-A), you get this:

This is not a correct configuration, but it's still fascinating...