wide angle adaptors
 

Has anyone else had a chance to try out any other wide angle adaptors other thatn the one from JVC. I tried it out the other day but found that it just isn't wide anough for what I'm looking for. I trying to shoot in a car and shoot the driver head on, not from the side, the best that I can do right now is to get a tight head shot.

Also, does anyone know of a good camera mount for in car shots for the HD-100.

Thanks in advance,
Brian

Wow Brian, I'm not sure that even the 13X ($$$) lens is going to do a whole lot for you shooting straight on from inside the vehicle. Although I'm sure shooting from the side might be closer to what you might be looking for with the 13x (unless it's in a Mazda RX-8, and if so then forget it). The HVX is smaller and was a little wider and yet I doubt that you could accomplish a shot like that.

Maybe design / fabrication a small rig for outside the vehicle, it would still cost a whole hell of a lot less than buying a 13X just for that shot, just a thought. You can still run your mics inside.

You'd need a fisheye lens to get a much wider shot from inside the actual car. Find a way to mount it to the hood or shoot from another vehicle. Or consider rear-projection or chroma key.

I think people underestimate how wide the 13x3.5mm actually is.

Here's a shot I took with the 13x3.5 set to 3.5mm. This was a compact car, and my camera had the AB mount + battery on the back butted up against the windshield.
I also switched lenses and compared the FOV on the stock lens with and without the adapter.

after market?
 

Thank-you for your input. We currently use a Panasonic DVX100 for in car shots on our driving show www.drivingtelevision.com and have no problem. Does anyone know if any after market adaptors work with our HD100? This shot is used in every show several times as you can imagine, but it is our last,biggest stepping stone in switching our whole show to HD100's. Kinda boggled because we start shooting the 4th season in a month.

Thanks again

I remember that image Tim, it's a good guide as to what can be done with the 13X lens. But for the type of shot he is trying to achieve I still think the HD100 may not be the best choice.

Brian, the example clips help, now I see what you are talking about. I still think you are going to have a problem using the HD100 from "that angle" inside the car as it's a fair amount longer camera than the DVX100. I have shot from the back seat and as a passenger with the HD100 and I would not expect to shoot with it on the dash pointed at the driver, I just don't think it's realistic, in just any size car. However, you might consider shooting from another angle into a mirror or reflective glass. You could even induce a shallow DOF this way... just a thought.

If you don't mind me asking, why are you not just shooting with the HVX, given it's size and function, I mean if the shoe fits? We use both cameras, but I would be using the best tool for the job, (regardless what other HD100 owners might have to say).

I intercut my car footage with use of a standard def lipstick cam. It's usually not seen for very long, and with good postproduction tools you can intercut successfully. The other option is a car rig and shoot thru windshield. (don't forget circular polarizer)

hows the century optics WA solutions?
CAvision seems to have .7x .6x .5x and a .42x adapters (link: http://www.cavision.com/pictures/JVC.../JVCHD100U.htm)

any reviews?

Daniel, we're switching over to HD with the HD100's. If possible, we would like to stay in the HD realm and not intermix the 2 formats, mainly for visual purposes. We will shoot in HDV, then we will transfer to HDCAM for broadcast. I agree though that the HVX100 is the perfect camera for the job. We just throw it up on the dash with a cloth underneath, jamm it against the winshield, and hold it while the host speaks. We've even had people e-mail us and ask us what kind of mount we use because they think it's so steady.

Having the camera outside is an option but just more time consuming and is also weather dependent. We shoot in all weather.

Brian

I'm not sure I understand then, if the HVX100 is perfect for the job then why would you shoot with the HD100? You understand that the HVX is HD and not SD? Although you can shoot both with it just as you can the HD100. You would not be intermixing by using the HVX as an HD camera.

Are you intending to edit on a Mac or PC? The reason I ask is that we mix footage from the HD100 and HVX clips with a quick convert via Cineform, and drop them right into the timeline together in Premiere Pro.

I think people are getting confused between a DVX-100 and an HVX-200, different standards and different cameras.

You can either use one of the beam across the bonnet (hood in US) or a large suction type car mount. The beam type is good because once rigged you can quickly change camera position and even rig the camera a bit out from the car.

A polarizer will help with reflections

My mistake
 

Sorry for the misunderstanding Daniel, I meant the DVX not the HVX. Silly me. Thanks for the info though. I will be editing on a MAC. We are just switching over this month.

Brian

Seems like any of the 82mm screw in adaptors should work. I'd love to hear any reports.