Do Telephoto Conversion Lenses work?

[SRSound]

Hi all! I am thinking about purchasing the Sony DSC-R1 (seems like the best option before diving into the DSLR pool) but I am concerned about the "limited" zoom. If I ever wanted to take longer distance wildlife shots, I don't want to have shot myself in the foot with an incapable lens. Sony (as well as many 3rd party companies) offers a Telephoto Conversion Lens and I was wondering if that would actually give me the extra distance I might want, or if it would lower the image quality, etc?

P.S. I have been using a FujiFilm S5000 for years now and was hoping the DSC-R1 would help producer nicer images... But as an enthusiast/hobbyist, I cant justify the money it would cost for a Nikon D80 with a nice range of lenses

 

[iGary]

I had some converters with my old Coolpix, it just wasn't fun.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[SRSound]

What do you mean "wasn't fun" - poor results? I have heard the lens on the R1 is superb and I wouldnt want to degrade the quality with a cheap attachment.

 

[iGary]

What do you mean "wasn't fun" - poor results? I have heard the lens on the R1 is superb and I wouldnt want to degrade the quality with a cheap attachment.

Just a pain in the ass to use - maybe things are different now.

They were big, bulky, hard to screw on.. maybe things have changed.