raynox 2020pro 2.2 telelens with Z1

[Jane Snijders]

I just received a microscopic lens from raynox.
I am very satisfied with the results. Now I am planning to order the raynox
supertele 2020pro 2.2 x .
Is anyone using this lens with the sony Z1?
Would appreciate some feedback.
ARe there any on line reviews that I can read.
I can not find a shop nearby that has it in stock. So I have to gamble if it gives good results with the Sony Z1.
I already work with a Canon 1.4 tele but often I would like to have that extra range....
Also I want to use it for shooting close ups with a nice depth of field.
lookin forward to tips and comments....

[Boyd Ostroff]

It's been discussed here before. There might be some issues...

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=39061
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=51686
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=63168
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=58525

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Originally Posted by jane snijders

I just received a microscopic lens from raynox.
I am very satisfied with the results. Now I am planning to order the raynox
supertele 2020pro 2.2 x .
Is anyone using this lens with the sony Z1?
Would appreciate some feedback.
ARe there any on line reviews that I can read.
I can not find a shop nearby that has it in stock. So I have to gamble if it gives good results with the Sony Z1.
I already work with a Canon 1.4 tele but often I would like to have that extra range....
Also I want to use it for shooting close ups with a nice depth of field.
lookin forward to tips and comments....

I would hesitate to buy it for the Z1, which has a 72mm mounting thread. The Raynox DCR-2020PRO 2X telextender has a 62mm mounting thread and would need a 72-62mm step-down adaptor ring to fit on the Z1. I have this telextender for my VX2100, which has a 58mm mounting thread. This telex vignettes at any point below about 85% of full zoom on the VX2100, so would likely vignette much worse on the Z1. If you zoomed in for closeups with this telex, past the point where it vignetted, you wouldn't get much depth of field. I find that at full zoom on my VX2100, I have to tweak the focus very precisely, as the DOF is very short with this powerful telex. I'm afraid that shooting closeups and having a long DOF, is not going to be possible with a telex that can't be backed-off, because of the vignetting.

It's possible that at the very top end of the zoom range, it might not vignette on the Z1, but I wouldn't guarantee it. Oddly enough, on Raynox's website, they show a picture that was taken using this telex on a Sony FX1, that has the same lens size as the Z1. I can't explain this, but hopefully, someone with a Z1/FX1 who has tried this Raynox telex, will post a response.

I find that this Raynox telex produces an excellent picture and I also use it on a large digital still camera. I see no distortion nor aberrations with it and it has good resolution. I believe the lens resolution they claim of 260 lines per mm, would be adequate for HDV.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by J. Stephen McDonald

This telex vignettes at any point below about 85% of full zoom on the VX2100, so would likely vignette much worse on the Z1.

In one of the threads linked above a user says that it vignettes even at full zoom on the Z1/FX1. I looked around for Z1 telephotos myself a few months ago, and there aren't very many options unfortunately. I ended up with the Century 1.6x, which is expensive. But it allows you to zoom about halfway without vignetting.

[Jane Snijders]

thnx for the links and comments. I guess i ll have to check it on the camera first before ordering it. The only shop that has it here is a 3 hr drive away.....

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

In one of the threads linked above a user says that it vignettes even at full zoom on the Z1/FX1. I looked around for Z1 telephotos myself a few months ago, and there aren't very many options unfortunately. I ended up with the Century 1.6x, which is expensive. But it allows you to zoom about halfway without vignetting.

Boyd, can you give a rundown on the overall performance of the Century 1.6X telex? I've been hoping to get a first-person review on it, but there seem to be few people who have one. I assume this is the same 75mm lens they recommend for SD cameras like the DVX100 and XL1-series. If the magnification X-number is equal to the zoom range on the FX1/Z1, it would give 19.2X total, which should please most people. Do you think it has enough optical resolution for HDV? I wonder if Century publishes the lines per millimeter optical resolution, as you see on the Raynox site? It seems odd that Sony would not have a telex of this sort and size produced for them for their 72mm HDV models.

[Steve Shovlar]

I used to own one for the FX1. I took it back after a day. It doesn't work well. Vignetting problems. You have to zoom in and even then there were issues.

By the way if anyone is interested I am selling a Century Optics wide angle lens on ebay at the mo. Do a search for my username, "jayneshov1".
I am in the UK but sell worldwide. Now that is a fantasic lens. Century rock!

[Boyd Ostroff]

Stephen, see my comments in this thread, along with frame grabs: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=58525

I don't think it's useful to use a number like 19.2x because it's relative to the wide end of the range, and with the adaptor installed you can only zoom halfway. The the telephoto end of the Z1's built in zoom the 35mm equivalent focal length would be about 400mm. The 1.6x adaptor takes that to 640mm which I find useful when shooting stage performances from about 100 feet away. However my PDX-10's built-in lens was about 500mm at full zoom, and the Sony 2x lens took that up to 1000mm which was really nice. But I don't think there's any way to get that and maintain quality and some zoom-thru capability on the Z1.

Steve: I guess you had different expectations that I did, because I'm happy with the Century lens. Of course there will be vignetting at some point, I don't think you could design a lens that didn't vignette unless it was huge. But the 1.6x lets me get around the middle of the zoom range which I think is pretty good.

[Steve Shovlar]

Boyd, the 1.6 Raynox was OK. I used it quite a bit.

It was the 2020 PRO I was talking about when bringing up vignetting.