On Fri, 17 Jan 2003 19:23:10 GMT, "GuitarMan" <me@home.net> wrote:

>I am very new to all this, so this may be a pretty dumb question ok? I have

>just bought a Sony DCR-TRV16E (U.K. Pal) camcorder. I am very pleased with

>it, and it does just what I read it would do, in reviews etc. One of the

>things I am very interested in doing, is making my own kind of nature type

>films of animals, but especially birds. I have a pet cockatiel who I can

>film anytime, and with ease flying around my large room with the camera's

>standard 10x optical zoom lens. I don't think this will be enough for taking

>reasonable close shot's of very skittish, and nervous wild birds and animals

>though, hence the tele-converter question. The lens on the TRV16E is made by

>Carl Zeiss, and is apparently quite a good quality one. The lens cap is the

>spring loaded type, which you press together and place on the "threads" at

>the end of the lens. Is it possible for an extra lens to attach here,

>similar to the bayonet mount I used to have on my Minolta SLR camera years

>ago, only threaded on instead? If it can be done, how does it work exactly,

>because obviously the Carl Zeiss is a powered zoom lens? and how much are

>low to medium quality tele-converters in the 2x to 5x range anyway? If it

>can't be done, I am not overly concerned, and will just have to try and get

>much closer to my "bird and animal" subjects, with the original 10x zoom,

>while keeping as quiet as I can, and hope that method works.

There are several 1.4X to 3X tele converters that would fit,

most under $100 - but unlike with WA converters, my limited

experience with tele converters is that they are generally

not very good (and most will darken the image corners/edges

when zoomed much away from longest setting...). The better

ones are generally the less interesting 1.4X-1.7X ones,

unfortunately...