Review rated by 11 Ciao members on average: very helpful
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This is a conversion lens for the Olympus E-10 and E-20.There are not many lensaccessories for the E-10 just a couple of mid range conversion lenses and one giant 300mm lens, for bird watchers. I recently bid for a TCON 14B on auction site and am very pleased with it considering I got it for less than half price(£75), I am not sure if I would have been so impressed if I had paid the full £220 for it. Its a good lens but when you consider it only adds 1.5 to the lens power £220 is a lot to pay. Having said that the extra zoom does make a difference, giving 6x as opposed to 4x, which is a useful addition.
There are a couple of drawbacks with this lens which are not advertised in the publicity for this it, which is understandable I suppose, but it is a bit of a surprise if you are not fully informed before you buy the lens. The lens must be set at maximum telephoto distance, otherwise there is a dark shadowing around the edge of the picture. This means that you must jump straight from the 4x setting to the 6x setting and there is no graduation in between. Where as with the zoom on the camera itself there is a smooth transition from 0 to 4x and all points in between, this is something I had not realised before I bought it, having said that I would probably have still bought it.
The camera’s built-in flash is disabled when the lens is attached, the built in flash is in a direct alignment with the lens body and when you add extra length to the lens about another 80mm. The built-in flash merely illuminates the back of the lens when fired. This means buying a sync flash unit (the Olympus FL40 is the dedicated flash for this camera, though others can be used), to mount on top of the camera before you can use the lens unit in dark conditions. This is not an unsurmountable problem, but worth bearing in mind if you are on a tight budget. I did not know this myself before I bought the lens. Cheaper alternatives to the Olympus Flash are available.
The quality of the lens itself is impressive, a very sturdy construction in keeping with the quality of the E-10, and E-20, which the lens is designed for. Its good for pulling in tight portrait shots, as you don’t have to push the camera in to the subjects face to get in close, as well as its use as a long range extension. Also you may need to use a tripod at slow shutter speeds as the combined weight of the camera, which is pretty heavy to start with, plus the lens it does start to make it a bit unwieldy.
I would advise looking around on the auction sites for this lens if you want it, as there seems to have been a few E-10 s and accessories coming on to the 2nd hand market at the moment, it is also worth keeping an eye out for the partner to this lens the WCON-08B, the wide angle conversion lens for this camera which has also been coming on to the auction sites recently. It is a nice lens but at £220 a bit pricy, particularly if you want them both.
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09.04.2006 21:25
Mm, sounds ok....
21.02.2004 17:14
Great review. Good detail in there. Your recharge-able battery one needs a little work.