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[OM] Re: ISO and teleconverters

Subject: [OM] Re: ISO and teleconverters
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 03 Mar 2007 02:24:55 -0800
Scott Peden wrote:
> I just played with ISO a lot today and what a lesson, and I was able to use
> that and shutter speed (S priority)  to get the best pics of the full moon I
> have taken to date, with that crappy (I shouldn't call it that if it is my
> best pics to date!) $41 500 mm lens and a Vivitar 2X Macro Focusing
> teleconverter MC O/OM. 2.75 inches long. Bout $45 after shipping.
>   
I bet there were other bidders.  A decent price on a great lines. 
Anybody needs one, I have a spare for sale.

> <snip>.
>
> I also have a Vivitar Automatic Teleconverter 3X - 21. I can't find any
> details on it or what the numbers mean, but the degradation is seriously
> more than the 2 X. No one bid against me on this, I got it (after shipping)
> for $25 I think.
>
>  
>
> I took a mess of photos today at a tree top 800 feet away, using the Hanimex
> 70-210 I got (another one no one bid against me on, with shipping it was
> $45)
>   
Think there might be a reason nobody else was bidding on these?

> <big snip>
>
> After checking out Jan Steinman's Zuiko shoot out and looking at what his
> Oly 2X-A did, it actually improved one of the lenses results. 
>   
I am still of the opinion that Jan's test's, while enjoyable and 
indicative of direction in some cases, had too much inherent subject 
movement with large, living birds on the thin branches of a tall tree, 
to be reliable indicators of comparative lens optical quality.

I'm not all that big a believer in lens test charts. I think they don't 
show how the lens renders low contrast tonal subtleties, especially in 
color. On the other hand, I really believe in good solid technique to 
keep camera and subject absolutely still. If the subject is moving, even 
a little, especially with teles, and especially if the movement varies 
from moment to moment, how can I possibly separate lens sharpness from 
motion blur effects.

Yes, the 2xA is a great teleconverter (better than the 7 element 
converter I have that is probably the twin of your Vivitar) certainly 
one of the best ever made and the best ever made in OM mount, but it 
still, in effect, enlarges all the weaknesses in the lens to which it is 
attached. So yes, there are circumstances where the same subject, shot 
from the same distance, with the same lens with and without the 2xA, and 
printed at the same subject size, can be sharper with the converter than 
without. But, the results will not be as good as a shot taken with an 
equal quality lens of double the focal length. Yeah sure, nothing is 
ever absolute, and some person somewhere had a contradictory result. but 
don't plan on it.

> I now I'm going to get what we pay for, good glass and good craftsmanship
> will give me more opportunities to get good shots
Which is why we don't buy Hanimex. :-)
> , but practice, even with the basement bargains I've started with has given 
> me a lot to learn with.
>   
Nice rationale. I still think that buying quality still provides the 
learning opportunity, with equipment that will be up to doing the job 
once it is learned, and without the modest, but still $ cost of the 
cheap stuff.

Moose

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