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  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    ny
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    7

    Lightbulb Make-shift tele lens on incompatible camcorder?

    I’m trying to get video of a stationary subject from about 30 miles away. I bought a pretty cheap camcorder just for this, a $150ish 78x optical zoom standard def one. I got a few good night and day versions with just the camcorder, but wanted to get closer. There are no add-on lenses like tele or wide angle made for this camcorder that I know of, and I highly doubt there are since there’s no threads or even a part that sticks out so a add-on lens that uses rubber to snug fit can be used. the front is just flat and doesn’t take add-on lenses.
    I bought a $20ish 2X tele add-on lens and tried taping it on. When the camcorder’s not using zoomed, everything’s about 2X closer/zoomed. When I zoom with the camcorder, everything gets blurred. I figured this is because the optical lens moving closer to the incompatible tele lens is making the two lenses too close and that’s not how they would work. So, I super glued a big rubber band to the tele lens to secure it to the camera and allow me to shim the tele lens with little wooden shims to see if moving the tele lens further from the camera’s optical lens when at 78X would create the right distance and allow for the tele lens to work. That didn’t work- same thing, it just blurrs and doesn’t even look like it’s zoomed further. Am I doing it wrong and the tele lens should be closer to the camcorder’s lens as it moves forward as I zoom? Only way I could see getting the tele lens closer to the camcorder’s is taking the tele lenses out of its frame and securing just the glass lenses to the front of the camcorder.
    I’m trying to get a ton of zoom for cheap obviously. I kind of gave up on it, 78X optical is good enough, but mostly just wondering. Thanks

  2. #2
    Senior Member freygr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Portland, OR, USA
    Posts
    2,522

    Re: Make-shift tele lens on incompatible camcorder?

    You have to zoom to the max then move the add on lens to see if you can find the focus point. Then make a cardboard tube to hold it at the correct distance. For best results, 1 the lens physically must be larger than camcorder objective. 2 the camcorder 78 optical does not have any digital zoom included. some camcorder had 2 or 3 meg senser but since the video before high def was only 640 x 480 they digital zoom down to 640 x 480 pixel to lengthen the zoom past the end of the real optical zoom.
    GRF

    Panorama Madness:

    Nikon D800, 50mm F1.4D AF, 16-35mm, 28-200mm & 70-300mm

  3. #3
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    ny
    Posts
    7

    Re: Make-shift tele lens on incompatible camcorder?

    i only shimmed the tele lens about an inch from the cam’s lens, so maybe if I position it further away while keeping it still by attaching a part to the tripod and super gluing the lens to that and that slides so I can get the focal point if it needs to be further away. I’ll post result of that.

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