Wide angel lens and dropping audio?

[Andrew Carter]

Hi

I've noticed there's a wide angel lens on ebay for the jvc gyhd 110. Has anyone had any experiences of this lens, it seems quite cheap (60 dollars) or 30 UK price.

I've imported some footage on to my editing computer via mini dv camcorder (used as a deck) I've found some of my footage has had drop out on the audio. Anyone possiblity got any ideas of what this could be, I've been through my manual a couple of times and had no joy

Thanks
Andy

[Tom Hardwick]

Twenty quid can buy you a very good wide-angle - the 0.6x Raynox clip-on single element. I know - I've tested it. But you give no clues as to the maker's name, the power of the lens, if it's a zoom through, if it's coated and so on, so thirty quid means nothing to me.

Andrew - if you play the same tape back on another deck/camera, is the audio ok? Do the dropouts always occur in the same place however many times you capture the footage? Are your spinning heads dirty? Was the tape recorded in LP - maybe on a different machine?

tom.

[Andrew Carter]

Hi Tom,

I'll have to check the camera and tapes tomorrow. All I know, it is a brand new tape. The heads were cleaned on both deck and camera, but i'll have to check the other details.

The wide angle

72mm 0.45X WIDE ANGLE LENS

Professional 0.45x Super Wide Angle Lens (RETAIL PRICE - $299.99)

0.45X Professional Deluxe High Definition Super Wide Angle Lens

Professional High Definition: PHD Lens reduces glass flare & ghosting caused by reflections

Special Element Frame: Special matte aluminum satin finish frame reduces reflections & optimized photography

Premium Rimmed Glass: High quality rimmed glass reduces light reflection around lens edge

Infrared Compatible: For high resolution day & night recording

82mm Front Threads For Filter

Includes macro

AF / Infrared Compatible

High Definition Lens

Lens is High Quality Crystal Optics

Lens is Multi-Coated

Auto Focus

Fully Automatic

Great for Every Type of Photographic Situation

Japan Optics

Ebay
Item number: 360314007164

[Andrew Carter]

Originally Posted by Tom Hardwick

Twenty quid can buy you a very good wide-angle - the 0.6x Raynox clip-on single element. I know - I've tested it. But you give no clues as to the maker's name, the power of the lens, if it's a zoom through, if it's coated and so on, so thirty quid means nothing to me.

Andrew - if you play the same tape back on another deck/camera, is the audio ok? Do the dropouts always occur in the same place however many times you capture the footage? Are your spinning heads dirty? Was the tape recorded in LP - maybe on a different machine?

tom.

Hi

Forgot to ask, do you use an adapter to attach to your camera. Or does the wide lens attach to the stand camera lens?

Thanks

[Tom Hardwick]

Andy - it's what I call a cheerful cheepie, and if you're not too fussed over picture quality and distortion, then it might be ok for occasional use. But hey - you've got a mighty fine camera and you plan to attach a mighty unfine lens - why?

First off the spec is full of synthetic technical mumbo-jumbo and there's even a line that says in big bold type GUARANTEED NOT TO DISTORT THE PICTURE. Well I can tell you for free that the lens will barrel distort everything, all the time - in fact their demo picture shows this quite plainly.

The lens has two elements and unscrews to leave a powerful positive dioptre lens (about +10) that you can use for powerful closeups - with very wooshy edges, regardless of aperture. Again, it's a fun thing, no more, no less.

It has a 72mm attachment thread and this will screw directly to your JVC. Sensibly it has an 82mm hood thread at the front. It will dramatically increase your field of view, but you'll bend horizons, door frames, telegraph poles, tables, windows and yes - people. You'll be able to use most of your zoom range I suspect - but you won't want to what with the quality hit. I've seen lenses like this before, and only the front of the front element is coated - all the other surfaces are uncoated to save money.

Ball back in your court.

tom.

[Andrew Carter]

Hi Tom,

I noticed the distortion was quite bad, thats why I havent bought it.

Thank you for your comments, I think i'll give it a miss.

regards
andy

[Les Howarth]

The filter thread on the Fujinon lenses for the GY-HD cameras is a "standard" 82mm. Both my original 16x kit lens and a 17x which I upgraded to testify to this.

Although the 16x has a recessed front element which is considerably smaller the screw in on the shroud is still 82mm.

The adapter is for 72mm diameter lenses and itself has a filter size of 82mm at the front.

[Lee Mullen]

I wonder how this lens would fair on an Fx1?

[Paul R Johnson]

My experience is that these kind of things are not too bad at wide, but lose quality badly as soon as you zoom, and also although mine is a different filter size, on the lenses widest setting, the vignetting at the edges is pretty severe - the corners starting to reveal a circular image in the middle - like the lens hood intruding, but it's not!

[Tom Hardwick]

Ah - Les points out your JVC's filter thread is 82mm and this wide-angle has a 72mm attachment thread. That sure sounds like a no-no to me (though this doesn't always apply) and as Paul says, max wide will undoubtedly vignette the corners of your frame.

tom.

[Andrew Carter]

Originally Posted by Les Howarth

The filter thread on the Fujinon lenses for the GY-HD cameras is a "standard" 82mm. Both my original 16x kit lens and a 17x which I upgraded to testify to this.

Although the 16x has a recessed front element which is considerably smaller the screw in on the shroud is still 82mm.

The adapter is for 72mm diameter lenses and itself has a filter size of 82mm at the front.

Thanks for the info. It'll be useful for future reference. When I come to look at filters ;-)