Help with Zoom Lense

[440GTX]

A friend let my try/have his e-bay 2X zoom lense with my Sony H10
( I know you get what you pay for but it cost me a cup of coffee )
My Sony H10 with the 2X lense shoots Good shots to about 25m
By good I mean very very little blur.
This is with full Sony H10 at 10 Zoom and the 2X lense = 20 Zoom ( Optical )
After 25 m the image becomes blured and 40 m+ it is very blured
The camera is set on automatic . I am still new at this.
It is not hand shake.
Any suggestions or anything I can / shoud try ??

Thanks in advance
Fred..

[SmartWombat]

Does the H10 have a menu option to set what accessories are added to the lens?
My Canon G9 and Minolta A1 and A2 have menu options to tell the camera if I'm using an add-on wide lens or telephoto lens.
That stops the camera choosing settings that are not compatible with the accessories.
Usually zooming too wide with the telephoto, or too long with the wide angle, will cause problems in the image.

But in your case zooming long with the telephoto shouldn't be a problem.

e-bay is often a problem.
Cheap accessories not designed for the camera in question, but general purpose lenses with different fittings, threads, and tubes attached that make them fit a camera, but aren't properly compatible with it.

Suggestion - throw the lens in the bin?
I'm being a little harsh, but the screw-on lenses aren't good optical quality.

I haven't even risked the Canon built lenses on my Canon - they're 1/4 the price of the camera (not cheap!) and I'm not that desperate to put another piece of glass in the way, even Canon glass.

[freygr]

You know that long lenses do have a very small depth of field. With the lens wide open if you focus on a close object the back ground will be like you describe. Are you sure that the 2X converter is an AF model as if it is not you have to manually focus the lens and manually set the F Stop..

[Sushigaijin]

I had a sony 1.7x converter for a sony H5, and it worked wonderfully. I really liked it with a close-up lens screwed between the camera and the converter - it moved the macro working distance to FEET from the camera rather than inches.

The lenses I had were Sony branded and very high quality. I would say that I didn't notice ANY image degradation from them. In fact, I felt that the lenses were not the IQ limiting factor for that camera - the JPG engine was more suspect. I think that screw-type converters can be underrated. They can also be garbage though, there is a reason why they still have a bad reputation.

So with that in mind, I'd strap the camera to a tripod, set it to f/5 and try shots at different focal distances. Eliminate the factors of camera shake, insufficient shutter speed and the variable of aperture sharpness/softness. I'd even try stepping back to 9x instead of 10x. Sometimes lenses become softer at full zoom so that might help too. If it's still not sharp at all focal distances, don't use it farther than 25m

I doubt it is a depth of field problem. The depth of field at >25m is going to be pretty big regardless of magnification and f/stop. The small sensor of a compact camera will also help with that regard.

Here's two from the H5. First with just the close-up lens, second with the close-up lens and the converter. It was really a fun combo.

[440GTX]

Thanks for all the help.

SmartWombat , Yes the HD does have lense settings. I used telephoto.

freygr I am NOT sure the converter is a AF model . I am new to this camera and photography so at this time I have NOT found a way for manual focus. More manual digging. If I use the auto focus it Focuses a sharp picture but then it goes blury right away ( Out of focus ) before shooting. I think this is the problem

here are 3 shots . First ( No Zoom ) second and third at 10 Zoom with 2X conversion lense.
Good for Snakes shots LOL
It looks OK at 15m ( these shots ) but after 20m to 25m it is very blurry.
Last one is a tree at 30m ( Yuck )

[SmartWombat]

And it's not sony branded?

[freygr]

I don't see any problems with the first two photos, but the third should be sharp, It's like the
2X is not letting the lens focus to infinity. Does the zoom work OK with out the converter?

[440GTX]

I don't see any problems with the first two photos, but the third should be sharp, It's like the
2X is not letting the lens focus to infinity. Does the zoom work OK with out the converter?

Yes, the zoom works excellent without the converter. I am sure problem is what you said.
The zoom lense will not let the camera focus. I have the camera focus set at infinity.The Sony H10 does not have manual focus. Funny, the zoom lense works OK up to 20 m as you can see in the second shot, but after 20 m you have what you see in the third shot.

[440GTX]

Are you ready for this
I set the Sony H10 to NORMAL Lense.
first shot chimney at about 60 m with 10 X No conversion lense
2nd shot chimney at about 60 m with 7 X and 2X conversion lense 14 Zoom
14 Zoom is all its good for after that it gets blury and cannot focus

[freygr]

Are the Conversion lenses the front mounted lenses? If so there are made for close up work not distance, and the lens will not focus to infinity.

[440GTX]

Are the Conversion lenses the front mounted lenses? If so there are made for close up work not distance, and the lens will not focus to infinity.

The lense is a screw on lense ( with adapter ) on front of the origional lense.
I was not aware there are different conversion lenses.
What it boils down to, the camera with the lense will not focus to infinity
Under 20 m with 10 X zoom and 2 X conversion its good.
I must have a 2X for Close ups.

If thats the case , that explains it .

Thanks
Fred...

[Sushigaijin]

a photo of your lens will clear up any confusion.

[SmartWombat]

There are close-up lenses for 2x magnification, and lenses for 2x telephoto zoom.
A photo of the lens is needed to see which you've got.

[440GTX]

There are close-up lenses for 2x magnification, and lenses for 2x telephoto zoom.
A photo of the lens is needed to see which you've got.

Thanks again for all the help
Hope these pictures help.
On the lense it says " Crystal View PercisionOpticis Japan 2X super high definition "

[Sushigaijin]

This looks like a teleconverter to me, not a close-up lens.

Therefor the reason it won't focus at infinity is either manufacturing flaw or that the camera doesn't understand where to find focus in its spectrum of focal movement. I'd try the lens without setting the camera to teleconverter, and I'd try manual focus if your camera has it.

If it still isn't focusing at infinity then don't use it at infinity! :idea: