So what is the best converter to make the 16x5.5 wider?
 

I've been reading all the threads about these converters and adapters and people in each thread all insist upon their conflicting and confusing opinions, so I'm lost right now.

What's the best way to convert the 16x5.5 that comes with the HD-110 into a wider angle lens? I've been looking mostly at the Red Eye adapter, and the Century Optics adapter.

I can't figure out if either of these will work without some extra odd thing clamped onto my camera, or if I'm going to need to adjust focus whenever I zoom, all the people saying conflicting things in the threads on this forum just created an overwhelming amount of conversation that I have been unable to cleanly pick through for months and months.

The Red Eye - mini Wide Angle Adapter for video, film and photography | VFGadgets.com

0WA7X9300 Century Optics .7x Wide Angle Adapter Lens for JVC GY-HD110U Camcorder, and Panasonic AG-HPX300 Camera with Fujinon TH17x4.5 lens (85mm Clamp Ring Required)

Can anyone provide their opinions on which of these will best suit me? Or any alternatives?

With either of the wide-angle adaptors, you may lose some of the utility of the zoom function of your lens.

The Fujinon on the HD100 offers an added challenge. The 82mm filter thread resides in a fixed shroud in front of the focus barrel of the lens.

It is not a constant distance from the front of the lens as the focus barrel moves the front element furthur forward towards the filter in closer focussing. I observed some additional colour fringeing on hard edges when trying to mount an achromat for groundglass relay work. I found I had to mount the achromat lens closer and directly onto to the front of the moving focus barrel. I was able to do this because the front element of the Fujinon lens is not large and the achromat I used was small enough to just fit within the front shroud.

The 82mm filter diameter on the Fujinon appears to have been chosen to enable exchange of accessories from other shoulder mount style cameras which use B4 lenses which seem to have settled on the 82mm diameter at the front end as a common standard.

Chances are, the Century lens will give you a cleaner image but I may be wrong. I can only attest to the good results I have had with Century products as I have not used the competing product.

For any manufacturer, the challenge rests in trying to make a product as universal across a number of camera types as possible to keep costs reasonable. I think they do quite well.

Wait for better qualified comments than mine before jumping to the marketplace. There may be better alternatives such as a hard adaptor and a separate wide-angle prime lens to fit the JVC camera.

WCV-82SC Fujinon Wide Converter
 

Hi James,

You want a Converter not an Adapter. Converters allow zoom thru, adapters don't.

Take a look at the WCV-82SC Fujinon Wide Converter. I've had one of these attached to a 16x5.5 on my GY-HD200 for years. Screws onto the lens threads. Piece o' cake.

Best of luck,
Jeff

My problem is that with this, I still have a pretty tight lens for what I'm trying to shoot, which right now is mostly on-the-street documentary work. Zoom through isn't very important to me, at least not as much as having a wide FOV. And since soon I'm going to be shooting a few short films, with no during-shot zooming, will this be a problem at all? Do you think the tradeoff is not worth it? If I had the resources, I would trot down to BH Photo and buy the 13x3.5, but since I'm a college student on a budget, I need to figure out a different way...

James