[Recovered Thread: 99993]

[AlAsaad]

bkrownd wrote:

genece wrote:

Go for it

I have joined the ranks of the insane. I decided I had spent too much
time agonizing over this decision, and that the envy and longing would weigh
heavy on my heart should I fail to do what is right, so I

WENT FOR IT! :shock: :? :G
I guess I'm the guinea pig (oink) for mounting the FZ7 on this lens.
(you know the lens is THE MASTER in this little arrangement.)

Now I need to find an affordable multi coated 86mm UV filter worthy of it,
because I don't want to EVER have to clean the pristine surface of this holy artifact.

Nah, you're OK. Just remember that the only thing you'll get for all that money issome darn fine images and buyer's remorse when you relize the OLY T-CON 1.7 is also a kick-butt tele in its own right.

Get three filters,all HOYA HMC (HOYA Multicoated):

HOYA HMC 1b (world's greatest UV filter), HOYA Circular Polarizer &HOYA HMC ND (.6).

*Remember too that a Polarizer is also a ND filter.

**"Affordable" filters sux-hugely.

Good light and good shooting.

[bkrownd]

That filter set in 86mm will cost more than the lens. :? I heard a buzz that the good Hoyas can be very hard
to clean. I was pondering a B+W MRC. I'm going to let the adrenaline subside for a couple of days
before I make any more Lifetime Investments. Later in the fall I may eventually get a TCON17 as well,
for a lighter travel option. It seems like small potatoes now. I'll see how well I make use of what I've
got in the meantime. Perhaps I'll turn into one of those maniacs who carry two cameras at the same time,
one equipped for telephoto and the other for wider angle.

[bkrownd]

AlAsaad wrote:

Nah, you're OK. Just remember that the only thing you'll get for all that money issome darn fine images and buyer's remorse when you relize the OLY T-CON 1.7 is also a kick-butt tele in its own right.

You forgot to mention the arms of steel I'm going to develop carrying it around.

I cannot deny the logic of your arguements. It was an emotional purchase. I'm compensating for my small sensor. :lol:

Any opinion on the Bower brand of filters? I may want my credit card to cool down a bit
before purchasing any fancy $120 filters.

[bkrownd]

I'm considering a BIG hood for this lens, both to block out reflections
and stray light, and possibly as a cheap $20 alternative to a $120 protective/UV filter.
I'm looking at 73mm deep hoods that would keep fingers and other objects far
from the $$$ lens and $$$ filter.

Is there a rule-of-thumb for estimating how much extra vignetting such a
hood would cause? Any teleconverter users have experience doing this?
If 86mm would be a problem, I could easily step up to a 95mm or 105mm dia. hood.
I'm not really concerned about a bit of vignetting in the corners of the image,
but a broader effect may occasionally be too annoying. I crop down
almost every image a lot, and I doubt that will change much. I'm not
going to be using this lens for anything that's going to fill the frame.

TIA!

[bkrownd]

Oh my god, it's HUUUUUUUUGE!!!! I am in love.

The original brace/clamp for the Nikon camera extension tube almost works on the FZ7. I just need to modify it so the clamp can be closed around the larger diameter tube. The balance is pretty good where the brace's new mount screw hole is. (for the monopod screw) I guess I won't need a Bogen/Manfrotto 3420 brace.

Soon I'll receive a Nikon HN-13 hood, and a deeper 95mm hood.

[bkrownd]

Some quick tests this evening. This is cloudy post-sunset light and all handheld, so don't knock the image quality. The helicopters are about 3.4 km or 2.1 miles away through hazy humid tropical air.

No zoom (1X), bare FZ7



12x zoom, bare FZ7



12x FZ7 plus TC-E17ED (20.4x)

[bkrownd]

The second test was a watertower at the port about 5 km or 3 miles away, and the smaller pix are a bit darker.

1x bare FZ7



12x bare FZ7



12x FZ7 plux TC-E17ED (20.4x)

[AlAsaad]

No matter what, a Monopod would have helped.Hanging big honking glass like that Nikon onto the front end of your rig will tend to affect the image (Gyroscoping effect and such. While a long sighting plane is good for target shooting, it adds to unsharness with glass.

A caution. Remember too, that the camera's IS sytem is not designed to handle the added focal length a TC adds, and so, the IS is not quite as effective as using just the built-in lens.

Here's my quarrel with digital capture: while the contrast would have been lower in such seemingly dismal light, digital fails to deliver the contrast and punch of film, as in your shots.



And justhowfar away>>>>>> were those "Birds"?!

bkrownd wrote:

Some quick tests this evening. This is cloudy post-sunset light and all handheld, so don't knock the image quality. The helicopters are about 3.4 km or 2.1 miles away through hazy humid tropical air.

No zoom (1X), bare FZ7



12x zoom, bare FZ7



12x FZ7 plus TC-E17ED (20.4x)

[romerojpg]

So how much in the end did it cost to convert your camera to get that much more zoom? it looks better thant he standard zoom thats for sure

[bkrownd]

romerojpg wrote:

So how much in the end did it cost to convert your camera to get that much more zoom? it looks better thant he standard zoom thats for sure

Shroud of Doom lens hood: $15
Pemaraal snout: $24
Oddball 55-60mm step-up ring: $28
Dinnerplate sized 86mm Multicoated UV filter: $44
Mega-zoom trekking pole monopod and head: $110
Honking big hunk of beautiful glass: $300
Unpixellating my birds: priceless
The look on people's faces as I showed it off: you can't buy that kind of thing
(shipping $25)