Applies to
Raynox DCR-2020PRO 2.2x High Definition Telephoto Conversion Lens
Requirements
n/a
Author
Raynox
FileName
n/a
FileSize
n/a
Driver Date & Version
n/a (n/a)
Description
Actual User Reviews of Raynox DCR-2020PRO 2.2x Lens
Here are some of the actual user reviews that I managed to find on various discussion forums, camera review sites and other blogs. Hope you will get some ideas on the performance of Raynox DCR-2020PRO 2.2x after reading the reviews from other users:mrtwo from Pricegrabber.com (recommended)
I bought this lens to get in a closer and get more detail from my nature photos. I have been photographing mostly birds with this. I read a lot of reviews and almost went with the Olympus tcon 17 but I opted for this lens since it was much higher power and seemed to give great results. My camera (Panasonic FZ20) has a native optical zoom of 12x bringing my maximum telephoto to 432mm equivalent. With this lens multiply that time 2.2 and now I have a total of 950.4mm equivalent!!
I already had a Phayee adapter for the camera giving me 62mm threads on the end so this screwed directly on. You should check your camera to ensure you have the proper thread sizing already figured out. The lens does come with 2 step up rings, one from 52mm to 62mm, the other from 58mm to 62mm. They are plastic step rings but I imagine they should work.
Since my camera is using this lens as a telephoto adapter, my effective zoom in camera is usable from about 6x to 12x. Anything lower than 6x and it looks like you are looking down a tunnel. This is just how these things work. I can say that you can definitely get in a lot closer with this lens.
The lens seems to be constructed very well and doesnt feel too cheap to me. It comes with 2 caps (one for either side), and a nice carry bag. I had read some people were having problems with their large lens cap staying put but I have not had that problem. I purchased a tethered lens cap from Ebay before I got this in the mail but I have yet to use it.
The 82mm lens on the large side of the lens is HUGE! It lets in a lot of light! I would still recommend shooting in full daylight with this since although I havent really seen a big drop in performance, it does seem to make one. Most likely, the more daylight the better with this lens.
One word of caution - you will need a steady hand, tripod, monopod or a combination of these. I have optical image stabilization in my camera but it was designed for the 12x I am pretty sure. It does a good job at helping out but there is a big difference between 12x and 26.4x.
I would recommend this lens to anyone as long as they understand the needs of working with such a high powered lens.
Bird Filmer from buzzillions.com (recommended for high end users)
I used this lens with the Canon XH-A1 for filming birds. The lens performs well with good light. Its worst performance tended to be in situations with a lot of light or high glare. In those cases there was strong distortion outside the center ring of focus , colors did not translate as well, and contrast was upset.
There was occassional vignetting and Im not sure why. This didnt seem to be caused by the lens itself but from the light metering or focusing. Im just an amateur so there may be ways around these problems. It also doesnt work well with the cameras autofocus, so you may need to manually focus most of the time. Beacuse the A1 already has a big telephoto lens, using this lens with it will give you a very long lens, which is great for some material, but is already a source of distortion.
Another drawback is that you will probably need to use a tripod or other mount for everything, because it exaggerates any camera movement. I would recommend this lens for use with higher end HDV camcorders for wildlife photography at a reasonable price. In most situations the video quality is not quite as good as using the built in lens, but the gain in size can more than make up for it, and sometimes the lens does just fine. You will need an adapter ring of course.
Rick from buzzilions.com
I cannot be more pleased with this lens. I use it on my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50. It is awesome. Definition and clarity of details in photos is spectacular.The 2.2x zoom magnification is tremendous.
Problems Encountered: I only wish it had some kind of snap-on connection so I didnt have to screw it on and off all the time. But Im not complaining - thats a small price to pay for such an awesome addition to my FZ50.
Items I Recommend: need 55mm-62mm adapter ring for the FZ50