telephoto converter suggestion for hfs100
 

has anyone tested a good telephoto converter for this camera? 2x? i used to have a schneider (century) 1.7 for my canon xha1 but didnt see one for sale with a 58 mm reverse thread. bill

You want a teleconverter on top of the built in 1.7x converter in the camera?

well it only goes to 460mm? i need at least 1000mm equivalent to a 35 mm.

Okay, understood.
If you can't find one with a 58mm thread, why don't you get a 72mm lens and attach it with a step-down ring? That's what I do with all my lenses/filters from my Sony FX1 for use on the HFS100.

i still need some advice on what anyone is using for a screw on telephoto adapter 2x...? vivitar, schneider?

We manufacture this tele-converter but I have not tested it on the HFS100 yet.

2.0X TELE CONV. 58MM MKII - Schneider Optics

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

I have not tried this on your camera but it works well on my Canon GL2 with 58mm thread. This is a big and heavy lens measuring 3 1/2 inches at the front and does a 1.7X. I did a quick look and Amazon had some for $125 which is considerably less than I paid for mine new. I got it to go with my Sony 717 and thought , why not, and tried it on my GL2.

Sorry, forgot to give the model #--Sony Tele Conversion Lens VCL-HGD1758.

Anyone tried the Canon TL-H58 1.5x teleconverter lens designed for this camera?

Joe, thank you for this recommendation. Following your tip I ordered a VCL-HGD1758 for about $100 on Amazon. I just tried it out this morning on some local prairie dogs, and it worked beautifully :) Sharp focus, no chromatic aberration. And apparently none of the "dimming" I've seen when using the just the built-in zoom and 1.7x digital teleconverter on the HF-S100.

That last may be a consequence of today's bright morning light :) Regardless, the Sony lens works like a champ. Thanks again.

In some shots against a blue-sky background, there is noticeable purple fringing. It's not a problem for me, but I felt obliged to mention it lest my previous comments were too glowing :)

Looks a lot cheaper than the Canon version. I believe this is the same as the VCL-DH1758 but with a different casing - can anyone confirm that?

Mitch - have you tried this lens in combination with the internal 1.7x teleconverter to extend the range even further?

Dom - Yes, and it works fine. Details are a bit muddied when focusing on distant objects, just as they are for the internal 1.7x teleconverter by itself. (I don't understand why this happens, but have noticed it when recording e.g. roosting birds at distances > 30 ft.)

With the internal 1.7x I now always use manual focus - much more reliable and does produce very sharp results in the centre of the frame at least. Have you tried that? Depth of field can be very narrow unless you change the aperture manually to compensate - hence rest of the frame can look "muddy". Background blur can still look a bit unattractive though. I've been having more problems with fringing which I was why I was interested in the external teleconverter but sounds like that might still be a issue from what you say.

Hi Dom,

Thanks for the suggestion! I will try again. The few times I've tried manual focus outdoors, I haven't had much luck -- even with peaking turned on and a hood over the LCD :)

Precision manual focus is probably easier for close-up work which is mostly what I've been using it for. At long range it's a matter of estimating where the middle point between equally soft spots on the focus wheel is I think!

I've had some success at eliminating fringing with the teleconverter in bright conditions with the use of a polarizer filter. I'm not sure what the technical explanation for this is but you might try it.