Hi all,

Whats' a better Wide Angle Lens Converter for the GL1?

The Canon Wide Angle Adapter WD-58 or the Century Optics .65X Wide Converter. And why?

Thanks
Mark

I prefer the Canon. It's less expensive than the Century, and performs better. Adam Wilt said in his review of the Century in the current issue of DV Magazine, that the Century vignettes and distorts a little bit at full wide. The Canon doesn't have that problem... lines are straight at the edges of the frame; it's a great piece of glass for less than $200. In my opinion it's one of the top GL1 accessories.

Chris thats great to here :)

I will gp with the Canon.
Thanks for your help.

Mark

Chris.

Have you seen the Kenko .65x Pro Wide Angle Lens - for Canon GL-1 (Bayonet Mount)

What do you think of it and do you think a (Bayonet Mount) would be better then a WD-58 scew on.

Its about the same price.

B&H has it on the site. but they don't have any info about it.

http://www01.bhphotovideo.com/default.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___240254___KEKRW065CB___REG___CatID=0___SID= EB0376C2210

ebay has more info at this link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1308667249

Let me know what you think.

Thanks Mark

Mark,

I have never used it. I prefer the screw-on to the bayonet mount... seems more secure to me. If I were in your shoes I'd go for the Canon... just my opinion though.

Chris.

Dose the Canon WD-58 have a full zoom?

Mark

Chris.

I just got the WD-58 for the GL1 what a great lens. Thanks for helping me out and saving me $250 bucks.

Mark

No problem -- I think you'll find it does have full zoom.

Chris is there a lens shade for the WD-58?

Mark

Is there a similar product you can recommend for the XL1s?

I was wondering what options i would have to protect a wide angle lens adapted. The two i am looking at are from century optics, the .55x and .65x models for use on the GL2. I plan on shooting with it on most of the time. Any help would be great.

A UV filter is just fine for screwing on to the front of a wide angle adaptor to protect the adaptor (the adaptor already protects the cam's lens). But..., make sure the adaptor comes with filter threads. Be careful, some Century adaptors do not have filter threads.

Thanks Frank I wasn't sure if one would be able to see the UV filter at the edges of the frame. But my only problem is I can't find out if the Century Optic lenses I am looking at have a filter thread of their own. I cant really discern it from the pictures and they dont provide any info about it in their specs. Where else would there might be more indepth resources for these lense attachments. Thanks for all the help.

I'm pretty sure Century Optics will be showing at VideoMaker Expo this week. I'll make it a point to walk over and find out.

Awesome, thanks Chris. I love this forum, I found it a couple days ago and I have fallen in love. The layout and interface is perfect. A real refresher after lurking around the new DV.com website.

The Century 0.65x does NOT have filter threads. In any case a filter is likely to vignette at widest settings.

I only just discovered that I can see the corners of my 82mm uv filter when zoomed out and using my .5x wide angle (which i just keep on my camera) but it only shows up on my mac. it isn't anywhere near 'tv safe area' but i assume it will show up on qt movies and the like.
i'm sure crystal optics are the wal-mart of the lens world, but the quality is good and the vignetting is minimal, besides i like the vignetting- and for 150$ it sure beats standing across the room to get a medium shot of a person.
and they have threads!
check ebay or any camera shop in chinatown for crystal optics gear.

As a DV newbie I am budgeting for my upcoming purchase of XM-2 and whatever else I can afford with it, hopefully the Wide Angle Adaptor, a Steadicam JR, and some filters. Does anyone know the price of the Wide Angle adaptor in the UK/US

Also, I'm hoping to make music videos for which I will need some really screwed up filters. does anyone have any reccomendations for rare/extremely weird FX filters?

I read on a separate thread about people makin their own which also interests me. Would one buy the empty threaded ring and then fit coloured translucent/transparent materials into the ring, experimenting with what works

cheers

In the US, the benchmark wideangle adapter is the Canon WD58 which gives a 0.7x factor. Street price in the USA is on the order of US$170. There are some cheaper adapters that are also of lower quality, and some substantially more expensive models as well (e.g., Century Optics). And you can find a range of multipliers as well; e.g., 0.55, 0.65, 0.7, and so on.

My Century .55 was $226 US.

b

Where can one order the new lens shade for the WD - 58 , Canon?

You can order the lens hood by itself, or the WD-58 with or without the lens hood, from our DV Info Net sponsors who are authorized Canon dealers... Pro-Tape, ZGC and Zotz Digital. See www.dvinfo.net/sponsors for contact info. Hope this helps,

Note that a potentially significant factor with wide angle adapters/converters is whether or not they are full zoom thorugh. Some only allow limited zooming, which does reduce cost significantly.

Thanks Chris. I thought about Zotz ( where I bought my new GL2 2 1/2 weeks ago before taking it to the High Sierra for a " shakedown cruise ") and they said the lens shade is $ 34.00 by itself and not yet in stock ( but coming soon ).

thanks guys. Better not quit my job too soon then! stuff in the uk usually costs is £'s what it costs in $'s in the states, so it looks like I'm looking at at least £170 for the Wide angle adaptor. A shame, as I could really do with a new skateboard...

Most front-end add-on lenses,
WA, telextender, etc., don't have threads for mounting filters or hoods. But, you can find a slightly larger filter that is just wide enough to snap over the outer rim of the extra lens. It can be held in place by a wrap of black gaffer's tape (my cheapo version of this is hose-bandage tape from an auto rack at most grocery stores). Using larger filters, the glass goes out beyond the rim of the shell and doesn't cause as much, if any, vignetting, as one that screws onto threads inside the shell. It may be necessary to put a few wraps of tape around the rim of the add-on, inside where the filter ring goes, to fill out the diameter and make it fit more snugly. Sometimes, I do this same thing to put a hood onto an add-on. I may pull the rubber of the hood off its solid ring and tape just the soft part over the shell.

Large and long-established film camera stores often have boxes full of an odd assortment of filters and hoods, that they like to sell cheaply, just to get rid of them.

Steve McDonald

Speaking of 58mm WA lenses, 14 years ago, I paid $160. for an extraordinary WA add-on. It is a .5X and carries the Telesor brand, and is marked as made in Japan. It has flawless quality, with no distortion at any point in the image and no vignetting in any light level or even when backed all the way off on the zoom. I've been using it with step-rings on smaller lenses all these years and if I grab a GL2, I'll have another use for it. I've tried to identify the manufacturer of this solidly-built lens, without success. I suspect the "Telesor" name is just one of numerous marketing brands, that have no obvious connection to its maker. Maybe one of you has run across this brand or knows someone who sells them currently?? I'd recommend one highly, if it could be located. I'd get very combative, if someone tried to deprive me of this one.

Steve McDonald

Steve, in Texas we'd say that we'd have to wrassle for it.

A quick check of the Google search engine reveals an interesting link at http://people.smu.edu/rmonagha/third/mfg.html which in turn indicates that the Telesor name comes from Masel Supply Inc., a company which I suspect may be out of business now.

Am I correct in assuming you can get the Wide Angle hood for the WD58 afterwards?

You're asking if the hood can be purchased separately, and the answer is yes, it can. Hope this helps,

Cool. Thanks Mr. Hurd.

Masel Supply can be found here:

*Masel Supply Co.
6002 Fort Hamilton Pkwy.
Brooklyn, NY 11219
718 436-0777
fax 718 871-3796

Masel has been known in the Photo Industry for years. As a foot note, Masel was one of the first grey market importers of photographic supplies. I believe they were also involved in the law suite of trademark infringements that established the right to import grey market items.

Hi.

Have just got the XM2. I'm to use it underwater and are looking for information about which different wide angle adapters I can choose between for this cam.

Appreciate any information about makers of wide-ange adapters that fits the 58mm filter thread or the bayonet mount.

Best

The Canon WD-58h adaptor works great, and the price is very reasonable. I keep it on the camera most of the time. It is a full zoom through adapter, meaning you have access to the entire zoom range with it on.

Site sponsor zgc.com sells it for $192.

Barry

Hi Barry and thanks for replying.

I'm sure the one you suggest is a good one. But since I'm to shoot underwater I'm looking for something that gives me a wider view.

I do not know if my calculations are right but:
with the adapter you suggest will the effective wideangle be something like:
original 40mm times 0.7 = approx 30mm (35mm conversion)

I'm looking for something like 20mm with the adapter attached.

Would be good to see some different brands listed so I could choose the one that's best for me.....

I think the wd-58 works out to be about a 28mm. Century makes a zoom-through .65x which will get you a little wider. Available at zotzdigital.com.

After that, I think you're looking at a fisheye, but beware as most of them are non-"zoom through"...ie you are stuck at the widest end of the zoom range (which may be fine for your use).

Barry

Have found the .55 wide-angle adapter on the century's pages.

That adapter does not have zoom-through, but is working up to approx. 10x zoom.

That should be more than enough for me underwater. Not very likely that I will zoom as much as x10 down there.

Thanks barry for the tips...!!

Best

I got the WD-58

its great. only thing is it makes the camera pretty front heavy, so i need to buy a chunky ass battery to put on the back to even it up

pictures look great. always use it for shooting indoors. Only time i take it off is for long shots.

Hello to everyone,

I am new to this post and am in the process of buying a GL2 camera or an XL1S to shoot a short film. Going with the GL2 would help my budget...

Question.:
a) Can the GL2 shoot wide angle images as you would get using 24 / 28mm lenses with an SLR photo camera or is the GL2 limited to a 39mm angle of view ?

b) Is it possible to achieve a "film look" with a GL2 ?

Howdy fromTexas,

Answer (A.)

There's a wide-angle adapter called the WD-58, available for the GL2. It multiplies the focal length by 0.7. The GL2's full wide focal length 35mm equivalent is 39.5mm; with the WD-58 attached the focal length is 27.5mm. This is a zoom-through adapter giving you access to the entire zoom range. There are other adapters available, for instance from Century Optics, that are not zoom-through but have a wider field of view. So it's possible to get out to 24mm if you really need to.

Answer (B.)

It depends on how you define "film look." We have an entire forum dedicated to this discussion; see:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=34

Hope this helps,

Thanks for answering so quickly... I can go along with that...

Have a nice end of day,

Alain

Topic sums it up, but when I get my XM2, I'd love to get the anamorphic adapter and a wide angle and obviously would want to have both of them on at the same time. Can I do this with any of the adapters out there? I looked at Century's site but couldn't find anything about that on there.

Cheers
Aaron

I wouldn't do this---too much glass.

Frank, yeah I was thinking that, but do you know if it's actually possible with these adaptors?

It won't work right. It's bad enough with these 16:9 adaptors on by themselves. From what I've read the Century is the better one. Adam Wilt reviewed both the Century and Optex not too long ago.

I spoke with a sales woman from Century and she said it's possible to mate a wide angle adapter with their anamorphic adapter, but she wasn't willing to vouch for the results. She said their pro dv series lens VS-06wa75 can clamp on to the front of the anamorphic adapter. I'd love to hear from someone who has tried this, as the inability to use a wide angle lens is the main reason I'm holding off on bying a 16:9 adapter.

One thing to remember though is that an anamorphic will give you a wider field of view anyway.

Yeah, but from what I hear, it isn't near enough. I don't know why all these camcorders seem to be biased towards the telephoto end. Maybe they figure consumers like the gee whiz sensation of being able to zoom way in. While we're at it, when is a company going to a make a series of 16:9 adapters in a variety of focal lengths?

Hey Frank, where is that review of Adam WIlt's?
I was interested in shooting with a 16:9 adapter. You don't sound terribly impressed with the adapters. I have never used one. What's up?
Maybe this post belongs in the general DV area...

Nothing's up. It's just that they don't work as good as a cam that can shoot at 16:9 (without cropping). That's from what I've read. Like you, I've never used one. Those 2 review articles were published in DV Magazine. Adam also rated them. (www.dv.com)

There might also be info about these at:
www.adamwilt.com

Try here too for 16:9 adaptor info:
www.geocities.com/hollywood/location/5272