Telephoto Lens For HV-30 or 40

[Tony Marino]

Hi, I'm going to be switching from a GL-2 to hd due to my GL-2 being old. Problem is the Hv-30 has such a weak zoom that I need a telephoto zoom. Is there a good enough quality zoom lens for this camcorder that will work for shooting outdoors without hurting the resolution and not letting enough lighting in? I saw a canon TL-H43 at B&H Photo for $156. I'm guessing that is too cheap to be good. The salesman said century is the best but they don't make one for the 43mm. Also heard I have to be careful it's not too big or it can hurt the lens.

Thanks,
Tony

[Ray Bell]

Tony, The best way is to mount your camera onto a 35mm adaptor, several to choose from
and cheap too. The reason you don't want to hang a heavy lens on the end of your camera is that the lens threads are plastic, so best to put your camera on rails... the rail (rods) setup will support the 35mm adaptor and the lens of choice....

[Martyn Hull]

The sony vcl-hg203 i origionaly bought for a sony hdv cam works fine on my HV30 screwed into the cams uv0 filter with a metal step down ring ,so canons own 2x tele converter would be fine.

[Alan Craven]

Originally Posted by Martyn Hull

The sony vcl-hg203 i origionaly bought for a sony hdv cam works fine on my HV30 screwed into the cams uv0 filter with a metal step down ring ,so canons own 2x tele converter would be fine.

It is! I have used Sony and Canon opn brand telephoto converters in the past - including for the HV30 - and found them both to be high quality. Century tend to be even better, but even where they make one, they are very expensive indeed.

The only time I have come to grief with a converter was with a Kenco 2x, which was the wrong thread size, so I had to use a step-up ring. This would not focus at infinity (or anywhere near it) at any zoom setting.