Schneider optics / Century 1.6x telephoto problems at DVinfo.net

Brendan Pyatt · March 6th, 2009, 06:11 PM

Hi,
I am interested to hear from anyone using a Century 1.6x telephoto lens (part 0HD-16TC-Z7U) on their Z5.
I have tried 2 now and they both fit the cam but are loose when mounted.
I have a Century 1.6x and 2x for my V1 and the fit is really good.

thanks.

Lukas Siewior · March 6th, 2009, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brendan Pyatt

Hi,
I am interested to hear from anyone using a Century 1.6x telephoto lens (part 0HD-16TC-Z7U) on their Z5.
I have tried 2 now and they both fit the cam but are loose when mounted.
I have a Century 1.6x and 2x for my V1 and the fit is really good.

thanks.

Since the Z5 and Fx1000 have diff lens then other 72mm camera, there is less thread on it and some adapters won't fit tight :-(

Brendan Pyatt · March 7th, 2009, 05:03 AM

thanks.

I am not sure if that is relevant as the Century / Schneider Optics lenses use the bayonet mount.

Maybe I have just had 2 bad lenses or there is something odd about my Z5. Still it would be good to hear from someone else using this lens/ camera combo.

Shawn Lam · March 8th, 2009, 11:30 AM

I noticed the same thing when I was testing four Century/Schneider lenses for an EventDV article on the Z5U, including a low light test with the Canon XHA1s, Panasonic, HMC150, and Sony Z7U (April 2009 edition).

I thought it was just my bad luck but it looks like it may be an issue across the board. It only affected the 1.6x telephoto on the Z5 but worked as promised on the Z7. By the way, the 0.6x and 0.75x wide angles lenses work nicely on the Z5 but the 0.55 fisheye does not. My recommendation is to stick with the 0.75 WA as it has full zoom through and can be used with manual focus.

I'm going to alert Century of this problem.

Ryan Avery · March 9th, 2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brendan Pyatt

Hi,
I am interested to hear from anyone using a Century 1.6x telephoto lens (part 0HD-16TC-Z7U) on their Z5.
I have tried 2 now and they both fit the cam but are loose when mounted.
I have a Century 1.6x and 2x for my V1 and the fit is really good.

thanks.

Brendan,

It appears as though you have a timing issue on the lock ring of the adapter. Sony makes fine cameras but they do not manufacture the sunshade bayonet ring with great accuracy so there can be a tolerance from one unit to the next. This is because Sony is only putting a shade on this bayonet and not a heavy adapter. We manufacture the adapters to the most neutral position possible to avoid having to adjust it but sometimes the issue happens anyway. You can adjust the timing on our lock ring yourself. Please give our service department a call to walk you through it.

Schneider Optics Service Dept
John Sioringas
818-255-9359

Martin Duffy · March 11th, 2009, 05:18 AM

I have tried with great success recently using the 30X digital extender.

I know that digi zoom has been traditionally a bit suspect in terms of quality but I am pretty certain there is an improvement in this area with the Z5/fx1000.

I filmed a game of Australian Rules football last weekend which is on an arena about double that of a Soccer field.

Light was either overcast or totally clear and the images are honestly really good.

I would be interested to see what others think about this feature. The work I do is not for broadcast TV and even if it was I am certain the 30X extender makes the grade.

What was really interesting during filming was that I found I was slipping in between having the 30X button on and off depending on where the play was in the field.

A great feature and it will save me paying out $900+ on a decent tele lens.

Brendan Pyatt · March 11th, 2009, 05:58 PM

As a follow-up:

It's been fixed now. The lens needed adjustment and the uk dealers where excellent.

I don't want to sound like an advert but credit where credit is due. Century make decent products and have superb customer service.

Martin Duffy · March 16th, 2009, 04:57 PM

Further to my post last week I am over the moon re the 30X digi zoom.

I have now used it 3 times and are blown away by the little if no loss in quality.

For those doing sport it is just awesome being able to press a button and "BANG" you are in there so much closer. When the play comes towards the camera I hit the button and its cuts back out to a 20X zoom giving me a wider picture.

When on 30X I just can't see any digital distortion, although I haven't seen it yet on a big LCD/Plasma TV or in HDV as I am shooting in standard DEF.

But based on what I see so far it really is a big plus and well done Sony on this one.

March 6th, 2009, 06:11 PM	#1
Brendan Pyatt Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Southampton UK Posts: 165	Schneider optics / Century 1.6x telephoto problems Hi, I am interested to hear from anyone using a Century 1.6x telephoto lens (part 0HD-16TC-Z7U) on their Z5. I have tried 2 now and they both fit the cam but are loose when mounted. I have a Century 1.6x and 2x for my V1 and the fit is really good. thanks.

March 11th, 2009, 05:18 AM	#6
Martin Duffy Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 156	30X extender I have tried with great success recently using the 30X digital extender. I know that digi zoom has been traditionally a bit suspect in terms of quality but I am pretty certain there is an improvement in this area with the Z5/fx1000. I filmed a game of Australian Rules football last weekend which is on an arena about double that of a Soccer field. Light was either overcast or totally clear and the images are honestly really good. I would be interested to see what others think about this feature. The work I do is not for broadcast TV and even if it was I am certain the 30X extender makes the grade. What was really interesting during filming was that I found I was slipping in between having the 30X button on and off depending on where the play was in the field. A great feature and it will save me paying out $900+ on a decent tele lens.

March 16th, 2009, 04:57 PM	#8
Martin Duffy Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 156	30X extender Further to my post last week I am over the moon re the 30X digi zoom. I have now used it 3 times and are blown away by the little if no loss in quality. For those doing sport it is just awesome being able to press a button and "BANG" you are in there so much closer. When the play comes towards the camera I hit the button and its cuts back out to a 20X zoom giving me a wider picture. When on 30X I just can't see any digital distortion, although I haven't seen it yet on a big LCD/Plasma TV or in HDV as I am shooting in standard DEF. But based on what I see so far it really is a big plus and well done Sony on this one.

March 7th, 2009, 05:03 AM	#3
Brendan Pyatt Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Southampton UK Posts: 165	thanks. I am not sure if that is relevant as the Century / Schneider Optics lenses use the bayonet mount. Maybe I have just had 2 bad lenses or there is something odd about my Z5. Still it would be good to hear from someone else using this lens/ camera combo.

March 8th, 2009, 11:30 AM	#4
Shawn Lam Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Port Coquitlam, BC Posts: 28	I noticed the same thing when I was testing four Century/Schneider lenses for an EventDV article on the Z5U, including a low light test with the Canon XHA1s, Panasonic, HMC150, and Sony Z7U (April 2009 edition). I thought it was just my bad luck but it looks like it may be an issue across the board. It only affected the 1.6x telephoto on the Z5 but worked as promised on the Z7. By the way, the 0.6x and 0.75x wide angles lenses work nicely on the Z5 but the 0.55 fisheye does not. My recommendation is to stick with the 0.75 WA as it has full zoom through and can be used with manual focus. I'm going to alert Century of this problem.

March 11th, 2009, 05:58 PM	#7
Brendan Pyatt Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Southampton UK Posts: 165	As a follow-up: It's been fixed now. The lens needed adjustment and the uk dealers where excellent. I don't want to sound like an advert but credit where credit is due. Century make decent products and have superb customer service.