Greetings

Can someone measure (preferably with a digital caliper) the outer diameter of the WD-H43.

I plan to order and then mount (epoxy??) a filter adapter to the 'snout' of this pup. However, I won't have a H43 in my hands until the end of next week.............. don't want to wait to get the filter adapter ordered.

Thanks
JohnG

John, were you able to find the answer to this? i'm looking for a mattebox/sunshade to fit the wide angle adaptor. thanks.

John, were you able to find the answer to this? i'm looking for a mattebox/sunshade to fit the wide angle adaptor. thanks.

Hi Jaser

No. :-(

Unfortunately, the adapter was returned (by UPS) to Amazon because it was "undeliverable". Arghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! I don't have a clue why that happened. Really ticked me off actually. :(

In the mean time I've been spending all of my "free" time researching and ordering parts for my editing machine.............. so I haven't looked for a replacement. Will do that sometime this coming week.

The idea of a mattebox/sunshade sounds GREAT!!! I'd be very interested in any ideas you have. I've thought of building one myself. ???

JohnG

John, were you able to find the answer to this? i'm looking for a mattebox/sunshade to fit the wide angle adaptor. thanks.

I use the Cinetactics with mine, seems to fit well since its adjustable.

http://www.cinetactics.com/

Its cheap and very portable.

steve, thanks! i've been looking all over google for these guys since i forgot the company name. so you currently use it w/ the WD-H43? how well does it fit? would love to see photos. =) thanks again!

steve, thanks! i've been looking all over google for these guys since i forgot the company name. so you currently use it w/ the WD-H43? how well does it fit? would love to see photos. =) thanks again!

Hey,

Yeah it fits pretty good, the wide end of the WD-H43 is just enough to fit it snug. I will upload a few pics tomorrow of my setup.

Steve

Hey,

Yeah it fits pretty good, the wide end of the WD-H43 is just enough to fit it snug. I will upload a few pics tomorrow of my setup.

Steve

Steve

GREAT find!

JohnG

Here are my HV20 Pics.

Take care.

Steve

Have you looked into the Cavision LH77 hood? It might clamp onto the outer lens barrel.

The OD on the WD-H43 is 2.9345". And yes, I'm serious. ;)

thanks for the photos steve! looks good to me! is that the matteblox dv or HD? i assume no vignetting?

guy, thanks for the LH77 suggestion. i'm wondering also if it will be able to clamp onto the wide angle. there are photos here w/ it on a 55mm raynox wide angle:

http://www.pana3ccduser.com/showthread.php?p=86921

thanks for the dimensions tim. wondering what the front side is equivalent to in mm?....

I believe that comes out to be 74.5mm. Might be a tad too small for the LH77 which I believe is designed to mount to a 77mm diameter lens. However, you might be able to snug it with some tape around the lens barrel.

thanks for the photos steve! looks good to me! is that the matteblox dv or HD? i assume no vignetting?



Your assumption is correct... =) and it is the Mattebox DV version, I originally bought it for my VX2000, so I already had it, you might want to ask them if the HD version is better, because it wasnt offered when I bought mine.

Take care,

Steve

Here are my HV20 Pics.

Take care.

Steve

Steve - which audio adapter are you using? The "Rover" is just a housing correct?

Steve - which audio adapter are you using? The "Rover" is just a housing correct?

Hi Peter,

The Rover that I have is called the Ultimate Rover... It has the Beachtek XLR Adapter built in the Post, I purchased it a few years back for use with my VX2000 and its been a godsend for me. I like the fact that its compact with out too much stuff to worry about, plus I use the post as a hand grip for stabilization. I think you can still find them at videosmith I think.

Take care,

Steve

So I measured the WD-H46 that I use with my HV20 (with a step-up ring) and get 67-68mm diameter. What are my options for a lens hood?

been researching and now we know of at least 2 matteboxes/sunshades that will fit the hv20:

the matteblox dv since it's adjustable(possibly HD version as well)
and the indiesnap(www.indiesnap.com). i've been trading emails w/ them and they have a $30 adaptor which will need to be ordered in addition to their mattebox to fit w/ the various wide angles. total cost will be $229 compared to steve's $99 matteblox dv.

there's also the posibility of the cavision LH77 which costs $39. no confirmation on that yet.

So I measured the WD-H46 that I use with my HV20 (with a step-up ring) and get 67-68mm diameter. What are my options for a lens hood?

OK, I feel a little silly, on the inside of the lens cap for the Canon WD-H43 it says the lens is 74.5mm diameter (like I measured). Cavision said they didn't recommend the 77 and they would see if they had something they could mock up. I have a 80mm hood and would need about a 5mm clamping ring. They said they would get back with me.

Hey, mine says 67mm! Well I'll be! Does anyone think there are major differences between the HD46 and the HD43, apart from the size?

Outside of bigger glass almost always being better, I don't think anyone has posted side-by-side shots to compare.

keep in mind the h46 was made for an sd camera (specifically the optura line), and the h43 was made to resolve hi-def video. whether or not the h43 is better, i can't say as i haven't used either at the moment.

tim, any update on the LH77?

spoke to cinetactics and he suggested the matteblox DV over the HD. he also mentioned that the sale will end at the end of the month. i'm seriously considering steve's setup over the indiesnap because of price. but would like to know if the LH77 maybe an option.

No word yet, I'll call Cavision again today.

The Rover that I have is called the Ultimate Rover... I think you can still find them at videosmith I think.

Don't see the Ultimate listed anywhere...

Also, I picked up a WDH43 - very impressed with the quality. However I notice a much more contrasty image using the adapter, esp. at the wide end. Anyone else see this? Reminds of the Canon EOS still camera "L" lenses. These professional lenses create a much more contrasty image than regular lenses. I needed to turn down the contrast on my HV20 to compensate. But I like the angle of view on WDH43, though barrel distortion is pretty noticeable at the wide end of the zoom. It's fully zoom-thru and I will probably keep it on the camera full time now. (Also, along with my Azden SMX-10, the WDH43 makes the camera a bit more professional looking for anyone doing work for clients.)

Talked to Cavision again. They suggested either the LH-77 or the 80 I already have (from my HC-1) and some foam tape. Not ideal but it should work.

Peter, How do you like your mic compared to the Canon DM-50. It would be nice to not have wires but the Canon is double the weight. How does performance comare?

Peter, How do you like your mic compared to the Canon DM-50. It would be nice to not have wires but the Canon is double the weight. How does performance comare?

Can't say as I haven't used the Canon - but at half the weight and price the Azden's fine for me. In my preliminary tests at least, the sound is excellent.

Don't see the Ultimate listed anywhere...

Also, I picked up a WDH43 - very impressed with the quality. However I notice a much more contrasty image using the adapter, esp. at the wide end. Anyone else see this? Reminds of the Canon EOS still camera "L" lenses. These professional lenses create a much more contrasty image than regular lenses. I needed to turn down the contrast on my HV20 to compensate. But I like the angle of view on WDH43, though barrel distortion is pretty noticeable at the wide end of the zoom. It's fully zoom-thru and I will probably keep it on the camera full time now. (Also, along with my Azden SMX-10, the WDH43 makes the camera a bit more professional looking for anyone doing work for clients.)

Peter,

I bought this thing about 3 years ago, you might want to contact videosmith directly and see if its still even offered. It is called the ultimate rover but your right, I didnt see it anywhere on their site either. Possible falling-out with Beachtek? Dunno.

Steve


EDIT: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=161243&is=REG

Looks like its discontinued =( thats too bad because I really like it.

They're back ordered everywhere. Need it next week. Preferably with splashbag! If so, email Cici Clark at ciciclark82@yahoo.com.

Thanks!

Peter,

I bought this thing about 3 years ago, you might want to contact videosmith directly and see if its still even offered. It is called the ultimate rover but your right, I didnt see it anywhere on their site either. Possible falling-out with Beachtek? Dunno.

Steve


EDIT: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=161243&is=REG

Looks like its discontinued =( thats too bad because I really like it.

Steve - I went with the Beachtek DXA-2s. Seems to work really well and I like that it mounts under the camera.

Also - an update on the Azden SMX-10. I'm now rating it's sound quality as "good" rather than excellent. For $69 it's a good alternative to the built-in mic, but compared to my AT897, which I recently discovered will fit on the HV20 no problem [won't extend into frame even with the Canon WD-H43], the SMX-10 kinda sucks wind. Still, I'm using it as my family/travel mic. Saving the AT897 for more serious work.

Peter, as I'm waiting on my Azden 200 XLR wireless I'm still thinkin' that I want to have a boom mic in my bag. I just shot an outdoor bluegrass event today in the park and the sound was terrible with the crowd chatter that was picked up. Had I had that AT 897 or the Azden 200, I would have probably been OK. I was about 12 feet from one of the speakers but it didn't cut it like it does at a big festival with big speakes.

What's a good price on that AT. It looks like it's over $200 at most places. I guess you have to plug that guy into your Beachtek for phantom power. How does the Beachtek provide phantom when your in the field? A couple 9 volts or something? Does it have an XLR or just a small jack that you would plug right into the camera?

Peter, as I'm waiting on my Azden 200 XLR wireless I'm still thinkin' that I want to have a boom mic in my bag. I just shot an outdoor bluegrass event today in the park and the sound was terrible with the crowd chatter that was picked up. Had I had that AT 897 or the Azden 200, I would have probably been OK. I was about 12 feet from one of the speakers but it didn't cut it like it does at a big festival with big speakes.

What's a good price on that AT. It looks like it's over $200 at most places. I guess you have to plug that guy into your Beachtek for phantom power. How does the Beachtek provide phantom when your in the field? A couple 9 volts or something? Does it have an XLR or just a small jack that you would plug right into the camera?

There is NO phantom power on the Beachtek DXA-2s (in fact most of the Beachtek adapters don't have phantom power.) BUT it's not a problem b/c the AT897 can also run on battery power (it takes one "AA"). But the good good news is you don't even need to spring for the Beachtek if you're going to use the AT897 solely on camera. I've used a simple XLR to mini cable with mine and it works fine (for short runs unbalanced connections are fine. However, if you're going to boom any mic, you'll definitely want the Beachtek.) Best of all B&H has a great kit for the HV20 - includes AT897/RodeSM3 shock mount/XLR-to-mini cable for $269.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/481529-REG/Audio_Technica_AT897_Shotgun_Microphone.html

Edit: Actually there is one shortcoming to this setup: it records only in mono. So if you watch your footage from the camera on a stereo TV, you'll only get sound out of one speaker. This is an easy fix if you edit your footage in the computer first, but for those who don't edit, beware of this. To get sound out of both speakers without editing you'll need the Beachtek which has stereo/mono settings. In "Mono" it sends the same signal to both audio channels.

just wondered if anyone could be so kind as to post some raw footage with the WD-H43. I would like to order the lense but just want to see it in action. If it could be compared to the same scence without the wide angle it would be even better ;)

Thanks in advance
Fergus

Peter, thanks for the input. I will think about how much I need it. BTW, I have an XLR PRO which is almost identical to the Beachtek. It mounts under my camera and does a terrific job for me. I sometimes shoot with 4 or 5 XLRs both dynamic and condensor. They feed a Mackie mixer and than I come out of the Mackie to my XLR Pro and on into the camera. Now I'm just trying to figure out how I can haul this stuff around on a portable dolly with a power inverter.

On the person that wanted some raw footage, I won't make any promises but I shot some HD with my HV20 yesterday of an outside bluegrass group. I played it on my 32" HDTV monitor via HDMI and it looked beautiful. I can capture a minute of it into my Studio 10.7 and post the raw file on my website. I'll try and get it done today and if I can, I'll be back here to give you a link to download it. I shot with the WDH43 but I also was zoomed practically all of the time. I think I may have just a few seconds that I didn't zoom.

Thanks John much appreciated!

Here are a couple links to samples. All were shot at HD60i using all automatic settings. I have tested the MP4 files with Windows Media Player and Quicktime. WMP where I work didn't work. Both home and at work were WMP11. I suppose it's a codec issue but I'm completey new to mp4 files. I captured & rendered the mp4s with Pinnicle Studio 10.7 with HD addin. I capture the mt2 file with HDSplit. The quality of the MP4 files shocked the hell out of me for how good of quality they were. Now if I can figure a way to stream them from my website. These clips were shot on a sunny day at a park pavillion so the band was in the shade. It was about 2:00 PM CST this past Saturday. I didn't have my sound rig so the sound isn't good from the internal mic. I was about 12 feet from the speaker and about 15 to 20 feet from the band. Zoom at some level was used most of the time.

I've been told by visitors to my website that they downloaded the long clip in a little over 3 minutes. This will vary greatly, depending on you broadband speed and how you get routed.

(1) http://www.johnhartford.org/hd-files/grasspack-hdvsplit.m2t

(2) http://www.johnhartford.org/hd-files/grasspack-sugarfootrag.mp4

(3) http://www.johnhartford.org/hd-files/grasspackhd1.mp4

(1) size: 172,349,440 - 61 seconds
(2) size: 162,542,279 - 3 minutes 31 seconds
(3) size: 47,218,173 - 61 seconds

downloading the mp4's now - thanks john