Olympus 1.4X teleconverter

[jlyle]

I just bought a Zuiko 1.4X teleconverter to use with my Olympus E-330 camera and lenses. This weekend, I took it in the water, using the TC in combination with a Zuiko 50mm lens. The Oly has a crop factor of 1:2; the 50mm+1.4XTC is the 35mm-film-equivalent of 140mm.

I’m very pleased with this combination. It was fast to focus and gave sharp results.

Below are some examples (Southern California):

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

Very nice images jlyle.
I also use this combination all the time with both a ring flash and dual strobes. It also works well with the Inon M67 close-up lens.

Phil

 

[gary-ramey]

My 50mm just arrived in the mail yesterday. What a crackin' little lens. I was blown away by how quickly it focused in low light. I'll get to use it underwater in a month in the Philippines. Can't afford that nifty teleconverter but I've got a custom woody's diopter on the outside and might try an internal diopter as well.

Very nice photos BTW. Love that blenny...awesome work.

 

[jan10]

hi
I was also thinking of buying 'something' to get a closer and 'bigger' view on the small animals. I have already the 50mm lens with a E410 in a Oly housing and Oly port
What I see now is that the price of the Oly EC 1.4 convertor costs more than a new port of Inon plus the UCL 165M67 close-uplens that Phil is talking about.
Anybody an idea why I shoudn't go for the new inon port and inon close-up lens (and sell my 50mm port)or otherwise put: what is the REAL difference between a teleconvertor and a close-uplens
thks
jan

 

[gary-ramey]

Jan I wish I could answer your question. I'm sure when I get this wrong someone will correct me...haha. The teleconverter turns the 50mm f2.0 into a 70mm f3.5 lens with the same focusing distance. The wet diopters, I believe, act like a magnifying glass. So you're not changing the characteristics of the lens at all.

 

[Larry C]

I think you got it pretty right, Gary. The teleconverter increases the focal distance of the lens, allowing a bigger, closer looking image, though with some loss of light. The close up lens allows you to focus closer to the subject, allowing a still larger image and perhaps reducing the loss of sharpness due to stuff in the water between the camera and subject. Downside of the diopter is that if the subject is skittish, you might have to get too close and make it run away. The ability to flip it up or down makes that easier to deal with.

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

You are both pretty much on the right track. With the diopter you get more magnification but you need to move closer to the subject, which can be a problem.
Getting strobe light between the port and subject can become an issue and spooking the subject. The Inon diopter is very sharp and their is no loss of light.

With the tele converter you reduce the angle of view of the lens, (e.g. 1.4X 50 mm to 70 mm and 2X 50 mm to 100 mm) and loose one or two stops on light. At the same time you are able to put more distance between the port and subject which allows for better lighting and a less skittish subject.

I would go for the Inon port and diopter. You can add the X1.4 converter and extension ring at a later time. That being said my number one choice for macro is the 50 mm and 1.4 tele converter. I use it all the time and also add the M 67 diopter from time to time.

Image 50 mm macro and 1.4 X tele converter.

Phil Rudin

 

[merxlin]

Phil, I'm curious what distance was that shot was taken from?

 

[gary-ramey]

Since I can only play with the lens topside until my trip next month, I'll post a shot I took yesterday. They're both the same shot, one is a 50 percent crop. I was interested in taking a macro on F2.0 to see what the results looked like. The DOF was like a few mm. Incredible. You can actually see a line the DOF creates in the sidewalk. As a reference the subject was a small grasshopper almost an inch long. I was around 10" from it on the sidewalk.

 

[Zapple]

Those are nice pictures, seems like a good camera.