The Century 0.65x does NOT have filter threads. In any case a filter is likely to vignette at widest settings.

crystal optics .5x and nle
 

I only just discovered that I can see the corners of my 82mm uv filter when zoomed out and using my .5x wide angle (which i just keep on my camera) but it only shows up on my mac. it isn't anywhere near 'tv safe area' but i assume it will show up on qt movies and the like.
i'm sure crystal optics are the wal-mart of the lens world, but the quality is good and the vignetting is minimal, besides i like the vignetting- and for 150$ it sure beats standing across the room to get a medium shot of a person.
and they have threads!
check ebay or any camera shop in chinatown for crystal optics gear.

wide angle adaptor - price
 

As a DV newbie I am budgeting for my upcoming purchase of XM-2 and whatever else I can afford with it, hopefully the Wide Angle Adaptor, a Steadicam JR, and some filters. Does anyone know the price of the Wide Angle adaptor in the UK/US

Also, I'm hoping to make music videos for which I will need some really screwed up filters. does anyone have any reccomendations for rare/extremely weird FX filters?

I read on a separate thread about people makin their own which also interests me. Would one buy the empty threaded ring and then fit coloured translucent/transparent materials into the ring, experimenting with what works

cheers

In the US, the benchmark wideangle adapter is the Canon WD58 which gives a 0.7x factor. Street price in the USA is on the order of US$170. There are some cheaper adapters that are also of lower quality, and some substantially more expensive models as well (e.g., Century Optics). And you can find a range of multipliers as well; e.g., 0.55, 0.65, 0.7, and so on.

My Century .55 was $226 US.

b

new wide angle lens shade
 

Where can one order the new lens shade for the WD - 58 , Canon?

You can order the lens hood by itself, or the WD-58 with or without the lens hood, from our DV Info Net sponsors who are authorized Canon dealers... Pro-Tape, ZGC and Zotz Digital. See www.dvinfo.net/sponsors for contact info. Hope this helps,

Note that a potentially significant factor with wide angle adapters/converters is whether or not they are full zoom thorugh. Some only allow limited zooming, which does reduce cost significantly.

lens shade
 

Thanks Chris. I thought about Zotz ( where I bought my new GL2 2 1/2 weeks ago before taking it to the High Sierra for a " shakedown cruise ") and they said the lens shade is $ 34.00 by itself and not yet in stock ( but coming soon ).

thanks guys. Better not quit my job too soon then! stuff in the uk usually costs is £'s what it costs in $'s in the states, so it looks like I'm looking at at least £170 for the Wide angle adaptor. A shame, as I could really do with a new skateboard...

Most front-end add-on lenses,
WA, telextender, etc., don't have threads for mounting filters or hoods. But, you can find a slightly larger filter that is just wide enough to snap over the outer rim of the extra lens. It can be held in place by a wrap of black gaffer's tape (my cheapo version of this is hose-bandage tape from an auto rack at most grocery stores). Using larger filters, the glass goes out beyond the rim of the shell and doesn't cause as much, if any, vignetting, as one that screws onto threads inside the shell. It may be necessary to put a few wraps of tape around the rim of the add-on, inside where the filter ring goes, to fill out the diameter and make it fit more snugly. Sometimes, I do this same thing to put a hood onto an add-on. I may pull the rubber of the hood off its solid ring and tape just the soft part over the shell.

Large and long-established film camera stores often have boxes full of an odd assortment of filters and hoods, that they like to sell cheaply, just to get rid of them.

Steve McDonald

Speaking of 58mm WA lenses, 14 years ago, I paid $160. for an extraordinary WA add-on. It is a .5X and carries the Telesor brand, and is marked as made in Japan. It has flawless quality, with no distortion at any point in the image and no vignetting in any light level or even when backed all the way off on the zoom. I've been using it with step-rings on smaller lenses all these years and if I grab a GL2, I'll have another use for it. I've tried to identify the manufacturer of this solidly-built lens, without success. I suspect the "Telesor" name is just one of numerous marketing brands, that have no obvious connection to its maker. Maybe one of you has run across this brand or knows someone who sells them currently?? I'd recommend one highly, if it could be located. I'd get very combative, if someone tried to deprive me of this one.

Steve McDonald

Steve, in Texas we'd say that we'd have to wrassle for it.

A quick check of the Google search engine reveals an interesting link at http://people.smu.edu/rmonagha/third/mfg.html which in turn indicates that the Telesor name comes from Masel Supply Inc., a company which I suspect may be out of business now.

Hood later?
 

Am I correct in assuming you can get the Wide Angle hood for the WD58 afterwards?

You're asking if the hood can be purchased separately, and the answer is yes, it can. Hope this helps,