Hi all,

have made a decision about both cameras. Have ordered the FZ30 and am waiting on my "windfall" to order the 5D.

Does anyone know anything about the Raynox lenses? The DCR2020 PR high definition telephoto looks amazing - but then I know nothing about lenses.

I know I can use it with an adaptor ring on the FZ30. Does anyone know if its any good and if I can use it with the 5D as well?

Alternatively - got any better suggestions?

Thanks

Katheric

The Raynox - and on the yahoo FZ10 group they rave about the Olympus TCON and WCON lenses also - does work nicely with the FX30, there are a lot of ultra tele photos, often at the zoo , that look pretty spectacular. I'm not sure of what adaptors etc you'd need, I'll include some links I've collected, there are a lot of instructions and useful hints available online!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FZ10_Users/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FZ10_Users/links

Well, these should get you started!

They look like great fun but I think it'd be a shame to use on of these on a Canon 5D which, image-wise, is capable of so much more!

Yes thanks Pup, I forgot the 5D part - I don't know if the thread sizes etc are suitable for the SLR lenses, so with luck it's not even possible to get a Raynox on a Canon lens!

The better ways to muck up SLR lenses: tele extenders (ones you put between body and lens, rather than in front of the lens), extension tubes, +filters (closeups), lens reversers... all cheap(er) ways to get the effects of a purpose-built lens. Although, for 'artistic' effect I'd be tempted to figure a way to get that Raynox on the end of a pristine, tack sharp lens... tee hee...

Let's face it, we have a large component of gearhead within us, why else hang out at the virtual fence blabbing about hardware! In any gearhead culture there are the usual subcultures (remarkably consistent across autos, stereos, guitars, cameras...)

There's a great deal of enjoyment to be had from making equipment do what it isn't well suited to, and a bunch of nice pictures too.

Yup, I'll sign up to gearheadanonymous.org just as soon as you set it up! Good point, Nesster, but you forget that we're meant to buy expensive low-dispersion glass Lensbabies for messing about with? :-) Oh, and Photoshop so we can make de-noise pics of bridges taken at midnight (with a suitable plug-in), stick a sunset behind them, try to make them look like they've been projected on a school wall, and THEN try to make it look like we photographed all this with a plastic Lomo and processed the result with some dodgy darkroom chemicals! :-)

Precisely, me Pup, precisely. I decided I wasn't going to give the Lensbaby to brother in law after all... heh heh. He's getting a backpack instead.


Meanwhile, I'm awaiting with slightly bated breath: Katheric let us know when the FZ30 arrives & how you like using it!

Not here yet - I'm going crazy waiting! Payout in next fortnight I hope, then I'll be ordering the camera body and at least one lens for the 5D.

Have been playing with composites in photoshop. Spent all morning putting together images of florence & accidently closed it without saving - sometimes I think I'm 5 years old!

Off to look at the sites suggested by Nesster. Great image hiding_pup. Katheric

Cheers, Katheric... Have you decided which lens yet?

I've been doing more playing with layers this week, trying to decide whether there's mileage in such images commercially... They don't really make the most of the really great optics I have though and that troubles me..

No I've decided I need to do a lot more research first. I seem to recall you made some suggestions when you first recommended the 5d. Will check them out. Would like to be able to use the lenses on both cameras - should have thought more about this before ordering fz30. Never mind. Will work it out I guess. Living in the country means there isn't much to look at in local camera shops. Have to wait to go to the city to look all the options.

Well time to get out into the sun I think.

I think I suggested first lenses for the Nikon D200...

Don't know much about Canon but I reckon I'd start by thinking about the 24-70mm f2.8 EF, or the 24-105mm f4 EF... If I was buying, I'd be greatly tempted by the 24-70mm. These guys ran an interesting comparison a while ago to help you begin to decide...

PS I've just been outside, photographing cygnets again (they grow so fast!) but now am happy to be in the cool indoors with my rather warm laptop... :-)