Jumped in with both feet today - HM700
 

I decided I just cant wait an indeterminate amount of time to get going with this camera (there is just no firm delivery date for the Canon lens).

So today I placed an order with Pro Video & Tape in the Portland, OR area for a GY-HM700 with the 17x5 Fujinon lens.

I should have the kit early next week. (Profound irony -- now they're waiting on shipment of more Fujinon lenses. No instant gratification for me. :-) )

I'm especially hoping to get some practice in while there's still spring blossoms on the trees.

Looking for recommendations for a reasonable quality wide angle adapter, preferably under $500, doesn't need to be stronger than .7x, and which will accept filters and a lens hood. I believe the filter diameter on the Fujinon lens is 82mm.

kool
 

I got mine in april for a big event in Orlando the crew loved it and me too


Good luck


Doug

This may be a good (probably best) choice, the .7x Century adapter:
.7X WIDE ANGLE ADAPTER - Schneider Optics

It is not zoom through.

It is $459 at B&H:
Century Precision Optics | 0WA-7X93-00 0.7x Wide | 0WA-7X93-00

If you want to be sure this will work on the specific lens, call Century in Van Nuys:
http://www.schneideroptics.com/contact/contact.htm

Thanks... I was looking at that one.

Any recommendations on one which supports zoom?

Cavision makes a .7x conveter for the JVC 16x lens:
Cavision 0.7x Wide Angle Converter
However, i do not know if will work on the 17x lens. I was told that that the JVC converter (.82x) for the 16x lens will NOT work on any other lens.

Also, I'm not not sure of Cavision quality. Many people seem to question the quality of the glass of their optical attachment lenses.

Century also makes a .8x converter for the JVC 16x lens. I don't know if this would work on the 17x lens not. My suggestion is to call them and ask if they have anything for the 17x lens. (Call the Van Nuys office.)

I gave them a call today and the sales person said that for the Fujinon 17x5 1/3" lens they recommend their model WA-8XIF-20, which is a .8X adapter. Unfortunately, according to the person I spoke to, it retails for $2,575.

I also spoke to Cavision and the rep stated that their adapter should work just fine, although it has not been tested on the Fujinon 17x5 1/3" lens, it has been used on a variety of lenses without problems. That one is around $1,100-$1,200.

Is the Cavision an Adapter or a Converter?
Adapter = Not zoom through (though some are partial)
Converter = zoom through

For $500 I don't think it's possible to get a converter that is worth using (if one exists).

My choice would be the Century Adapter. I have one of their adapters and it is very good. The one I have is wider, so there is distortion, but the picture looks good. The distortion is not noticed when shooting straight on.

Converters are also very, very heavy compared to most adapters. If needing a wide angle view, the .8x converters don't offer enough often. The .7x adapter can give a wider view when that is what is needed.

Thanks, I didn't mean to confuse people by mixing the terms "adapter" and "converter", I had thought that they were synonymous.

The models I posted, I am told, are "converters" which allow zoom-through.

I was hoping to have that kind of flexibility, but given the price I may just have to work with an adapter.

Ideally, I'd prefer to just have the Canon 14x lens, but I can't wait any longer. Maybe someone will want to swap someday. :-)

According to my local dealer, the regional JVC folks are expecting to receive the back-ordered Fujinon lenses "any day now", which will then be shipped to the dealer, so it looks like I'll have to wait until after the Memorial Day weekend to get my camera. So much for practicing by recording footage of all the spring blossoms...

"Any day now" turned out to be today!

I picked up the camera with Fujinon 17x5 lens, and A-B tandem charger and battery today around noon.

There was some confusion between the dealer and the JVC rep as to whether this bundle included a carrying case, so right now I'm using a loaner soft case from the dealer.

What follows is mostly personal life-impressions, so if you're interested in the tech scoop about the camera, spare yourself and stop reading...

I took a few shots around downtown Portland to get a feel for the camera (sorry, no clips particularly worth sharing), but a generally warm and muggy day quickly turned into a rainy moment, so I retreated indoors. I did notice more CA than I would like at the full zoom end of the lens.

One thing that will take some getting used to is the number of people who stopped and asked me what project I was shooting, or what channel it would be on, etc... something that never happened when I was shooting with consumer gear. And, dang-it, I was trying to get candid shots on the sidewalk, and people kept stopping and apologizing out loud for walking through the shot.

On the plus side, one guy approached me and asked if I was a DP, and gave me his business card. (I've already emailed him my portfolio and explained I'm just getting back into this, I'm not ready to wear the "DP" label just yet.)

I may go out and get some nighttime shots in a few hours... sadly, tomorrow is meetings all day, Thursday is clean-up the remodel mess at the studio because the insurance company has graciously decided to schedule an inspection that day, so perhaps Friday I can take this thing out again and see what I can do with it.