century optics .65 lens, soft why?
 

i have a century optics .65 for the pd150. i noticed when im zoomed in that the image is softer than without the lens. is this normal? if not it may be a defective lens. what ar your experiences, im concerned. i wanted to keep the lens on all the tim but i can't seem to get those tight sharp close ups. also i noticed there is a major back focus issue with this lens too. any advice?

Sounds like you may have a faulty unit. Had it from new? Been dropped at any time? Any visible damage? It is designed to be sharp all the way throughout the zoom (though of course will never be as sharp or flare free as the 12x zoom on its own).

What is this 'back focus issue' of which you speak?

tom.

I guess it all depends on how much softening you get. I have been using a 0.8x Canon adaptor for a 2/3" Canon 18x (9-166mm) lens a few times and it wasn't quite perfect as well. The adaptor cost like 2000 Euro but still it softened the image quite a bit when in full zoom.
My conclusion is that every glass in front of your lens degrades the image (especially when zooming in), the only question is by how much and can you tolerate it?

bought used from friend, i know the history i dont believe its ever been dropped. no visible damage looks beautiful. century optics just told me the older models did not do as well as the newer models when zoomed in all the way. i am hoping it will be as sharp as the internal 12x lens, but i guess thats too much, anything less will bother me (pd150 is slightly soft as is). i do have a back focus issue with it though. when i zoom in all the way and focus then pull out wide, its slightly blurry wide. am i correct in guessing it will never be as sharp as the 12x internal lens?

Find a backfocus chart online and fix your backfocus first. Also, if your using a wide angle adapter, i don't think it do zoom through and will look soft. i think they only work if you shoot wide. You should send a message to Ryan Avery. He's the century rep that constanly posts on here.

yes ive been speaking with ryan, very informative. basically he said the older models arent as sharp when zoomed in, i miay have the older model. i didnt know you can actually adjust backfocus on a pd150, how do you do that, its not a detachable interchangeable lens you know.

The Sony Service guys could tell you if the 150 was within spec or not, but in reality 'push auto' will allow the camera to accurately focus at any focal length and be locked when you let go the button.

There are some wideangle converters that do an excellent job of holding sharpness throughout the Sony's 12x zoom range. The wide-angle adapters will only allow partial zooming (about 55% of the 12x zoom). But all lenses, filters, buss windows and so on will degrade the Sony's 12x zoom. They'll reduce contrast, add flare and in some cases add chromatic aberration.

Sony's own Steadyshot is a three element (two glass, one fluid) addition attached in front of their 12x zoom on your PD150. Having all this glass added to the front of our lens is the price we pay for a new 'improved' look.

tom.