Definition: Conversion lenses are small pieces of lens hardware that fit over lenses on a limited number of digital cameras, providing slightly increased zoom or wide angle capabilities.
Three types of conversion lenses exist.
Telephoto, or zoom, conversion lenses provide additional magnification capabilities.
Wide angle conversion lenses increase the scope of the lens to place more detail in the shot.
Macro conversion lenses improve the capability of the lens to choose extreme close-up photos.
Conversion lenses are listed in magnification amounts, such as 0.75X or 1.5X, which means they can affect the lens to which they are affixed by that amount. A 5X optical zoom lens becomes a 7.5X optical zoom lens with a 1.5X conversion lens.
Specific conversion lenses are available for only certain models of digital cameras, especially fixed lens cameras. Most basic, point and shoot models cannot accept conversion lenses.
