When attached to the host camera the OpticZoom Lens will magnify whatever zoom setting the camera is set to by a factor of 5x.

Therefore at a 1x camera zoom setting you would get 5x, at a 2x camera zoom setting you would get 10x, at a 3x camera zoom setting you would get 15x and at a 4x camera zoom setting you would get 20x.

On all cameras, at the lower camera zoom settings there will be vignetting ( edge / corner darkening on the image ).

This is to allow the OpticZoom Lens to be fine tuned to match the host camera and the camera zoom setting that is being used to give the best focus and image quality possible with many different cameras.

The lens has been designed with ease of use in mind, it does not have complex markings.

The basic method of focusing is to set the camera autofocus on and put the camera into Macro mode. Point the lens at an object and rough focus the OpticZoom Lens using the manual focus ring, then lock the camera autofocus onto the object ( usually by half depressing the camera shutter button ).The image should then be in good focus, very minor further adjustments can be made using the manual focus ring if felt necessary before taking the shot.

This method works on most cameras, but not all and is useful for subjects upto about 120 feet away.

Alternatively place the camera into manual focus mode and set to infinity, then adjust the manual focus ring until the image appears sharpest in the LCD this method is particularly useful for subjects over 120 feet away.

Surprisingly many people receive their lens, put it on the camera and almost immediately set off for a protracted photoshoot. They return home only to find that the vast majority of their images are out of focus and are then disheartened and disappointed. Although the OpticZoom Lens is easy to use, as with most things, a little practice is needed to get consistently good results but this practice will pay huge dividends to your enjoyment of the equipment.

We suggest that before you rush out and take hundreds of photos you spend a little time practising with your camera and the OpticZoom Lens in a controlled way.

There is no point making life unnecessarily difficult for yourself during the familiarisation process, so do this in your garden on a nice day, using a tripod and take some photos of a static object, say 40 feet away.

Take a series of no more than 10 photographs following the guidance above and paying particular attention to what the images look like in your LCD screen when you take each shot. Then immediately afterwards review the results on your PC. You may find that some shots are in focus and some are slightly blurred - try to recall what the image on the LCD screen looked like in the shots that came out well.

Keep repeating this process until your are confident ( when you achieve good focus on most of the shots, most of the time you will be ready to venture out ). By doing it in this way you will quickly learn to recognise how the image should look in the LCD screen in order to get the best results.

Practice makes perfect !! and you will soon be consistently taking some great shots.

The OpticZoom Lens has 37mm male threads which screw into threads available on your camera or camcorder.

Some cameras / camcorders obviously have different sizes of threads and to cater for this various Special Lens Thread Adapter Rings and Step-Rings are used to match the sizes up.

Some cameras do not provide lens threads at all and for some of these we have Lens Thread Adapter Tubes available that will allow the OpticZoom Lens to be fitted.

There are some cameras that simply do not have either facility available and unfortunately the OpticZoom Lens cannot be fitted directly to these particular models.

However, it is still possible to use the OpticZoom Lens with these cameras by utilising our new DigiMount Adapter ( Type L2 ) and CamMount. When using the OpticZoom Lens connected in this way we do not suggest handheld use and our Lens Tripod Mount will allow you to use a tripod.

Almost every add-on lens that is fitted to a digital camera will induce vignetting.

The extent varies depending on a number of factors, the main considerations being the add-on lens being used, the camera zoom setting being used and the host camera itself.

Usually the higher the power of the add-on lens the worse the vignetting is and also the lower the camera zoom setting used the worse the vignetting.

In most cases the OpticZoom Lens produces significantly less vignetting than low power 2x add-on lenses.

Placing the camera into Aperture Priority mode and using as wide an aperture as possible ( say f2 ) helps minimise this effect. This also has the benefit of giving a faster shutter speed and enabling easier handheld results.

We have a very large number of sample images showing the sort of results you can expect from various cameras.

See our camera compatibility issue page for known problems.

The Xtend-a-View Pro - LCD Viewer & Sunshade allows you to see the camera LCD even in bright sunlight, without glare.

When used in conjunction with the OpticZoom 5x Telephoto Lens, it assists in manually focussing the Lens and also allows the camera to be held more traditionally and comfortably upto the eye rather than out at arms length, which helps greatly with stability.

It is invaluable when Digiscoping......

We have 3 versions of the Xtend-a-View Pro i.e. the VARIABLE, WIDE and MINI and these will cater for the vast majority of available cameras.

There are only a few cameras that need the WIDE version ( mainly from the Sony range ).

You can check the website compatibility list to see which one you need for your camera. If you do not see your camera model listed or are unsure on exactly what you need just email us on info@eagleeyeuk.com for assistance.


On a very small number of cameras there may be a very minimal amount ( a few millimetres ) of the LCD screen not viewable.

On The Nikon CP950 camera, because of the curving body shape around a part of the LCD viewer the Xtend-a-View Pro fitting will not be absolutely flat and square to the LCD screen. This nevertheless does not prevent the Xtend-a-View Pro from being very effectively used with this camera.

The top and left perimeter edges around the camera LCD can be raised slightly (about 1.5mm) to a height similar to the right hand side, using the rubber material which is supplied before the Velcro is attached and this will almost entirely compensate for the problem.

A great many of these viewers have been sold to CP950 owners who use them daily on their cameras without problem .

The images that you see on the camera LCD are made up of pixels, which are essentially small coloured squares joined together to form the images. The number of pixels that are used to make up these images on the camera LCD are relatively few ( low resolution ). The images on the camera LCD look quite sharp to the eye only because the LCD screen is so small that the human eye cannot really see the pixels forming the images.

The Xtend-a-View Pro itself has a high quality glass optical lens which provides crystal clear and sharp viewing results. The lens has a 2x magnification power and this is necessary to allow the eye to be able focus so close to the camera LCD screen. If this 2x lens was not there the Xtend-a-View Pro would have to be about 6" long to get your eye far enough away from the camera LCD screen to allow it to focus properly.

When viewing the camera LCD screen with the Xtend-a-View Pro the pixels making up the images are magnified by 2x and this creates an effect similar to looking at newspaper print through a magnifying glass.

As well as seeing the overall image, you can also begin to see the small pixels actually making up the image. This is obviously only seen on the camera LCD screen and does not appear on the actual photograph itself

Because the camera autofocus system ensures that your photographs are focussed properly this effect has no relevance to the actual focusing of the camera itself and is not a defect in the Xtend-a-View Pro or the camera LCD screen.

The main purpose of the Xtend-a-View Pro is as a Sunshade to stop the glare on your LCD screen so that you can see the images, both to compose and review your shots and also when changing various menu settings.

When used together with the OpticZoom 5x Telephoto Lens the ability to be able to see the LCD pixels slightly is very beneficial as it helps when manually focussing the OpticZoom 5x Telephoto Lens . The same benefit is obtained when used for Digiscoping.

The Xtend-a-View Pro™ VARIABLE has a 50mm overall width - 40mm of which is the viewable area and 5mm each side is a border, onto which the Velcro attaches.

It has a 45mm overall height - 39mm of which is the viewable area and 5mm is a border at the top ( onto which the Velcro attaches ) and 1mm is a border at the bottom.

Xtend-a-View™ Pro WIDE replaces the previous Xtend-a-View MK2 and was developed specifically for owners of Mavica cameras. The LCD screen on these cameras is wider than most other LCDs and the standard Xtend-a-View Pro does not fit.

It has 67mm overall width - 55mm of which is viewable area and 6mm each side is a border, onto which the Velcro attaches.

It has 45mm overall height - 39mm of which is viewable area and 5mm is a border at the top ( onto which the Velcro attaches ) and 1mm is a border at the bottom.

The Xtend-a-View Pro WIDE gves you the same 2x magnification and crisp viewing that the STANDARD Xtend-a-View Pro offers.

Xtend-a-View™ Pro MINI was developed specifically for owners of cameras with the new smaller dimensioned LCD screens ( e.g. the Nikon CP4500 ). The LCD screens on these cameras is smaller than most other LCDs and the standard Xtend-a-View Pro does not fit.

It has 42mm overall width - 33mm of which is viewable area and 4.5mm each side is a border, onto which the Velcro attaches.

It has 34mm overall height - 27mm of which is viewable area and 5mm is a border at the top ( onto which the Velcro attaches ) and 2mm is a border at the bottom.

The Xtend-a-View Pro MINI gves you the same 2x magnification and crisp viewing that the STANDARD Xtend-a-View Pro offers.

The adapter has been designed to remain attached to the camera most of the time and whilst it can be removed and refitted, we do not recommend that this is how it is used.

Continual removal and refitting will, in time, affect the very snug and secure fitting which has been provided in it's design and may also mark / damage the camera lens shrouding onto which it fits.

We suggest that the adapter together with a 49mm clip-in lens cap should be left on the camera permanently as it provides great protection against accidental damage to the sensitive camera lens and lens extending mechanism.

This item has now been discontinued.

Yes you can, although in order to ensure the integrity of such transactions we have some requirements that need to be fulfilled before we will despatch an order within the EUC without charging VAT.

Firstly, we will need an original of your headed paper which shows the company / trading name and the VAT ( EUC country equivalent ) registration number. This should be sent by post to our admin offices at Wentshaw Lodge, Fairseat, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 7LR.

Payment for the order must be clearly identifiable as having come from the VAT ( EUC country equivalent ) registered company / person . Therefore in the case of an International Bankers Draft or Telegraphic Transfer some accompanying documentation from the bank must also be sent showing that the funds were drawn from the account of the VAT ( EUC country equivalent ) registered company / person.

If a credit card is used, unless this is issued in the name of the VAT ( EUC country equivalent ) registered company / person we will require a letter from the credit card company which confirms that the credit card is issued to the VAT ( EUC country equivalent ) registered company with the person who's name is on the credit card being an authorised signatory.

Delivery of the order will only be made to the address shown on the headed paper.