Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

Other than really can't use in low light conditions, this is a great product. Turned three lens into six. You should use a tripod on your "zoom" shots. I have used it with my 14-42, 40-140 and 70-300 lens. Works really well.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

It's a good quality glass. With fast enough shutter speed it can give you the better resolution than the cropped images without it e.g. when the lens is 50-200, you can get more details at 400mm(w/ EC20) rather than the cropped images from 200mm (w/o EC-20), tested on E-5.
Two cons:
1. When applied to 50-200, I feel it is softer than the images w/o it. I believe it's because of optical limitation of the lens.
2. The f will be greater than 7 (much slower) while 200x2x2=800 equivalent might need 1/800 sec shutter speed. It's a dilemma.

I think it would be a good company with SHG lens as SHG: f/2.0 -> f/4.0, it will be more practical to get fast enough shutter speed. And the softness caused from optics design should be gone, as some reviewers already said.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

I use this converter for some extra long ranges when doing landscape shots. Works very well for mountain shots.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

I use the teleconverter, with my 50-200 zuiko lens. Great for extending your telephoto lens for wildlife photography. Great quality, very minimal if any, loss of picture quality.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

A solid offering from Olympus. I gave it 4 stars only because you lose a little more image quality than with the 1.4 EC-14. But that's no so much the converter's fault as it is the result of the laws of physics. The 2-stop light loss this coverter provides means that if you are using it on the 50-200 you really want to be shooting in bright light. Again, that's not a knock on the product, just the way the laws of optics work.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

From much of my reading/experience, I gather that most pros do not recommend teleconverters. However, most will admit that teleconverters have their purpose. The EC-20 is indeed one of the better units. As with any teleconverter, a longer reach will also include the loss of an f stop, or in this case, 2 f stops. Mated to a fast lens, f 2.8 or faster, and assuming many lenses are not at their sharpest wide open, this reduction in available light transmission has not proven to be a challenge when mated to an E-30 with a quick lens. One does see a difference in viewfinder brightness; Nonetheless, images are recorded accurately. I have not detected any reduction in sharpness when viewed on an iMAC monitor. Under low/artificial light conditions indoors, one may find EV adjustments are in order. I must assume that folks will be purchasing the EC-20 to use outdoors with wildlife, etc. and for this purpose, the converter performs as advertised. There are two caveats to consider when purchasing this unit: Are the lenses you have supported? And understand that the auto focus can get a little glitchy without a tripod at dawn or dusk. Few users will get spectacular results at the focus distances obtainable using this product under dim lighting conditions without a tripod (I rarely depend on IS when shooting static scenes). Nonetheless, the EC-20 teleconverter is far less expensive, lighter and easier to stow than a lens of comparable reach. There are trade-offs but I would still recommend this product if one has a requirement for it. I typically mate the EC-20 to either a 14-54 f2.8 or a 50-200 f2.8 and my E-30. I have not used it with a super wide angle - others might offer reviews on that application.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

I had it on at a sporting event the other day and got some great shots. I have an E520. Tried with 70-300 all OK, but more fun with the 18-180. The autofocus was not quite sharp enough for me so I set it to [S-AFM] and the final small adjustment got what I wanted. It is well built, feels solid, and change the camera's capabilities. Like all equipment, your first shot isn't going to be your best, takes a little time to get used to the new geometry. At the higher end the F stops start round F11 but go out to F45, I am not sure they are not doubled as well.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

Bought to extend the range of a Zuiko 70-300 telephoto zoom...worked well on a bright day....autofocus worked as well....probably not so much on a less bright day, but I understood that going in........overall it worked better than I anticipated

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

This combination gives me a an equivalent FOV of a 600mm on full frame with a f 4.0 aperture. Use it for sports and animals. Focusing is not compromised. The lens still focuses as fast as it does without the converter. Too early to comment on the accuracy, but I haven't noticed any significant difference. Weight is perfect for me, since I am small. Great combo with the E-5.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

Great way to expand your shooting capabilities. Very sharp results, although you may need a tripod wth less than sunny conditions.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

I bought the EC20 to make my 150 F2 olympus lens equivalent to a 600mm F4. I was a little concerned that the optical quality would not be up to my expectations. It turned out that the combination was much better than expected. It's very sharp at F4 and at F4.5 to F8 I can't see any difference in optical quality when using the 150 by itself or with the EC20. I think this might be due to the fact that the 150 is a superb lens to begin with. Focussing is a little less positve in low light but outdoors it's great. I highly recommend this combination.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

I bought this product to get me even closer to the action. I am a sports photographer and with the EC-20 2.0X Teleconveter I am able to double my zoom.
This product works best when the weather is sunny because you will loose 2 f-stops of light.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

All positive. A great product. Much better than any after-market screw-on or add-on doublers. I have taken many telephoto pictures with this doubler. They are all sharp. Have not tried it with wide-angle or macro lens yet. Highly recommended if you need super telephoto.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

Added to my Olympus E3 to extend reach of Zuiko 50-200 lens.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

What a fantastic addition to the ever increasing lens portfolio.

The size, weight and everything about it is just exactly what i was looking for.

Need to be careful in using it in low light scenarios as the quality may be effected.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

I am so thrilled to be able to bring objects in so close. I love my SP565UZ but wanted to take pictures with my EPL1 and this is so much handier to enable me to take the smaller camera with me!

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

Turns a short lens into a macro

Extends the reach of a telephoto lens

Due to the 2 stop light loss you need to use this in bright light or with a tripod. Any blur from your primary lens is magnified. For example, the 50-200mm is not tack sharp at 200mm. It's a bit better at f5.6. With the converter, that equals 800mm, f11, but still not tack sharp. Handheld in direct sun is OK, use a tripod otherwise. Would be great with a fast prime. I would not bother using it with kit lenses. Better to just buy a higher grade lens.

The best but most expensive teleconverter around.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

I use my lenses for Wildlife and Sports and this 2.0 teleconverter works great to bring things closer.

There is a noticeable difference without it. I haven't taken it off the 70-200mm since I got it. I'm very happy with it.

It has trouble focusing if there isn't plenty of light.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

Using this teleconverter for shooting wildlife. great results, in fact unexpected results is bringing out things that could not be seen until the picture was shot. Glad i purchased this converter.

Comments about Olympus EC-20 2.0X Teleconverter:

Using a teleconverter is an affordable way to get more reach from your lenses. Unfortunately, it's at the expense of smaller aperture size. If you have a fast lens to start with, the resulting decrease in f-stop might not be a problem. My Olympus 2x teleconverter has been a great addition to my lenses. In good light (and a fast lens)you can get the results of $4000.00+ telephoto lens at a fraction of the cost.