Filters For Wide Angle Lens
 

Forgive me for what may be a simplistic question. I have a Sony TRV-950E. I use a wide angle lens almost constantly. I appreciate the results I get in many situations using a polarising filter, HOWEVER, I have been putting the polariser between camera and lens as I cannot find a wide angle lens (37mm mount) that has a threaded front end. Many problems; lens wobbles, lens falls off on more than one occasion, lens is now damaged.

The question, can I get a wide angle lens with a thread on the front or alternatively, can I get a polarising lens that slips onto the front. I am looking for a high quality lens, as you would expect from the owner of a TRV-950.

" . . HOWEVER, I have been putting the polariser between camera and lens . . " I suspect you do mean an adaptor? A WA adaptor? Yes?

I can not speak for Sony, but my Canon XM2 has a WA with a 80mm BIG end. This is not threaded, but, using a proprietary, purpose made adaptor-clamp ring within the Kestrel Matt Box, this "slips" over the BIG end and clamps tight on the WA. Having this setup I can slot polarizer/NDs - grads+solids/Mists etc in the 2 slots I have in the Kestrel.

I know and appreciate exactly your dilemma, I too experimented with inter polas: camera>pola>WA . .and found a lot of issues using this setup.

At some point you will appreciate the need ( =budget!) to get on the other side the WA. Doing it this way has many advantages.

Grazie

Sorry for being dense, but I do not understand your reference to a WA adaptor. Since it is a supplementary lens, then yes I guess it is just that. I have a friend with the earlier Canon. I bought the Sony in part because of its greter portability. I travel every year, very often in rough terrain under odd conditions. I need to consider weight and bulk (no tripod) so the idea of a device clamped to the end of my lens does not enthuse me. In addition to that, all my video camera gear fits into one small bag and it really has to stay that way.
I very much appreciate you taking the trouble to respond to my post, and I do see that you have suggested a logical solution, but I must push on and hope to find a threaded WA adaptor.

Thank you.

John,

I have a couple of those WA (wide-angle) converter lenses, one Kenko and one Sony that I tried once on my ancient CCD-TR700 Hi8 machine. IIRC, these adapter lenses don't have filter threads on their front elements. Hence the need to use a polarizer between the adapter and camcorder lens. Just a moment, I'll get them...

...Yep, I have in front of me now the two lenses. One is a Sony VCL-R0752 and the other is a Kenko KVC-05II 0.5x. Neither has front filter threads. And, guess what? I have a Bower 52mm polarizing filter on the back of the Sony. I haven't, uh, didn't use these much due to the severe chromatic and spherical aberrations which thoroughly soured me on such makeshifts, but maybe there is a practical solution to your having the WA adapter fall off.

What I strongly recommend is that you only turn the polarizer (or, rather, the WA adapter) in a clockwise direction when adjusting it. That's counterclockwise or anticlockwise from the viewfinder perspective. Then you'd need never worry about an adapter going south. BTW, this is one of the reasons I went with Cokin filters. Never have to worry about it.

The alternative is to apply some kind of thread-locking agent to the threads of the filter and adapter. Highly NOT RECOMMENDED.

Hope this helps.