Product Description

Wide angle 0.7x optical conversion lens for Panasonic DMC-FZ7 and DMC-FZ30 digital cameras

Product Details

• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: DMW-LW55
• Released on: 2006-08-15
• Dimensions: 1.63" h x 3.16" w x 3.16" l, .67 pounds

Features

• Converts FZ7 from 36mm to 25mm
• Converts FZ30 from 35mm to 24.5mm
• 3 elements in 3 groups
• 55mm Filter accessory size
• Lens adapter DMW-LA2 must be used to fit FZ7

Customer Reviews

Superb add-on for the Panasonic Lumix FZ50
The Panasonic Lumix FZ50 is an extraordinary digital camera. Leica design approved optics deliver crisp images on a 10 Megapixel sensor. Great ergonomics and very responsive handling. Granted, it is not a Nikon or Canon DSLR. You don't want the FZ50 for sports or street photography where there truly is a critical moment that must be captured. But for everything else, the FZ50 is more than fine and making it even better are the auxillary lenses, the LT-55 and LW-55.

The LW-55 is a screw-in converter that provides the equivalent of a 24.5mm lens on the FZ50. Images are surprisingly sharp, though not quite as sharp as those produced by the FZ50 lens. Distortion is very surprisingly minimal. The LW-55 weighs but 11 ounces and is only a few inches square. A bit pricey, yes, but less expensive than a 24mm Nikkor or Canon lens. No, I'm not comparing them directly, but in a relative way.

Take an FZ-50, add the LT-55 and LW-55 and for roughly a thousand dollars you have an approximately 3 pound package that will take you from 24.5mm through 1,137mm. Not bad at all for an everyday camera and especially delightful for travelling. Throw in a lightweight tripod like any from the Velbon line and a third-part flash unit and you've got everything you need. (The Panasonic dedicated flashes are frightfully expensive.) Again, the FZ50 is not a Nikon or Canon DSLR, but for most purposes, it fills the bill nicely.

Jerry

Too Expensive
The primary flaw of my Lumix DMC FZ8 is that it caters to the telephoto crowd--the same folks who got their first 35mm SLR and then wanted a telephoto zoom to go with it. The truth is, most people will use a good wide angle about 90 percent of the time. They're also the same folks pushed up against a wall trying to fit in wide shots.

So along comes Panasonic's answer: a 3-element lens that gives users the wide angles they need. Are these Leica-ground multi-coated premium quality lenses? Hardly. This is a screw-in converter, the same kind that used to cost $29.95 in New York camera stores for the 35mm crowd who couldn't afford a real wide-angle lens. But $225+ is just too much to ask for a 3-element lens, unless it's Hubble quality computer-designed lens.

Barrel distortion is quite noticable at this wide setting, but then, even the old Vivitar 2x converters were 4-element designs.

Buy a budget converter. There's software that can help with distortion, but don't expect much from any converter...even if it costs as much as the camera!

Good Optics
I am very pleased with the quality of the conversion lens. As a previous reviewer said, wide angle tends to be much more useful to people than a super tele, unless yor into wildlife or sports photagraphy. My only complaint is that when attched to the camera you aren't supposed to zoom, you are supposed to use it at max wideangle on the camera (24mm focal length with the converter). The FZ-50 max wide without the conversion is 35mm focal length. So there is a large gap, use 24 or 35 focal length. But I intend to experiment with Zooming with the converter attached and see if it adversly affects performance. I want to be able to shoot in that gap.