Comments

wcoxe1 wrote on 3/25/2003, 8:57 PM
Depending on the quality of the main optics inside the camcorder, it may make no difference. For instance, Sony makes two different 37mm wide angle lenses, one about 3 times the price of the other. On a $400 camcorder you probably don't have good enough main optics to really see the difference. But, on a $1500 on you MIGHT.

The biggest thing you need to be aware of is that if there is TOO much wide angle effect then you may start seeing the 4 corners of your scenes go a bit darker than the center. This effect is quite common with the more extreme wide angle add-ons made by some non-camcorder manufacturers, which explains a bit the lack of extreme wide angle add-ons from the original camcorder manufacturer. They avoid the problem.
starixiom wrote on 3/26/2003, 3:37 PM
I have heard that the Kenkos add a lot of vignetting to the image. I was just wondering if there was a place that reviewed camcorder accessories. Thanks.
jason_2025 wrote on 3/26/2003, 4:01 PM
Which camera are you looking to add this lens to?

J\
shjomama wrote on 3/26/2003, 4:46 PM
www.centryoptics.com its high end stuff and expensive but it will tell you alot if you read it. i just picked up a .45x wide angle for 100$ at www.thecameraclub.com they didnt have much but it was cheap so i got it.
craftech wrote on 3/26/2003, 5:53 PM
What kind of camera do you have? That's the first question.

John
starixiom wrote on 3/26/2003, 6:07 PM
A Canon Optura. I know, in terms of resolution, it has a hard time competing with newer models by just about everyone. But i really enjoy using it.
Paul_Holmes wrote on 3/26/2003, 7:11 PM
With proper light, manual exposure and manual white balance (which you can set on the Optura) you can get some stunning results. I had one for several years and sold it to my brother, and was very happy with it. Also, by using the Color Correction filter and increasing the saturation and making other adjustments, you can get footage that looks quite nice. I know. I just finished editing 5 hours of video he took in Paris. In good light a lot of it turned out really well.
riredale wrote on 3/26/2003, 7:23 PM
I have a Sony TRV8 miniDV camcorder with a Zeiss lens. I don't know how much the "Zeiss" name counts, but the images are pretty darn sharp to my eyes.

A couple of years ago I realized that the widest setting wasn't very wide on camcorders, and I bought a cheap ($20) "Insta-Wide" adapter that had little spring clips that could grab the threads on the front of the camcorder lens. It worked fine, but if I tried to zoom, the focus would go away if I tried a medium or telephoto shot. Still, it was FAR better than nothing if I needed a wider shot, which was most of the time (I was making a documentary that involved a lot of hand-held work and walking).

Last spring I bought a Sony 0.6 Wide-conversion lens #VCL-0637H for about $40 on the web (list about $50). It had 37mm threads, so I needed to buy a 37-30 step-down ring to mount it to the camcorder. It works beautifully, with no vignetting in the corners even at full wide-angle, and zooming works normally now. I am very pleased with it, and leave it on the camera most of the time.

I do not know how much better your results would be with a $100 or even $1,000 adapter lens, but I can't see much, if any, difference between the Zeiss lens alone or shooting through the adapter, so I'm a happy camper.