HV20 and Sony wide angle Lens tests
 

I've just been trying my HV20 with a Sony VCL-MHG07 wide-angle lens (using a 43-52mm step up ring).

Here are some screenshots:

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/3...mal1ce8.th.jpg

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/9200/wide1go1.th.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/9...mal2gq8.th.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/9550/wide2ol7.th.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/4...mal3ur2.th.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/3159/wide3wv9.th.jpg

you may want to repost those images, you didn't use the correct links, those are just mini thumnails, way to small to see any detail

Hey Fergus...many thanks for posting these. I'm very impressed with the images taken with the Sony lens and think I'll look into getting one as well...unless others have a better alternative for a same-priced lens.

Jay

Just left click on each thumnail and it will hyperlink to the full size image

Nathan, thanks - I think the results are pretty good. My main concern was sharpness but I am satisfied with that. I have posted the raw footage on another forum (not sure I can link from here)

Have you tried any closeups with wideangle lens?

No not yet, just got my step up ring today. Any particular scenario you would like to see?

I have had some pleasing results with a Kenko .7 wide I have used on my VX2000 for years. I use a 43mm to 58mm step down to match it. I will try to post some stills tonight. Being designed for SD, it still seems to provide a decent picture for a wide angle shot. It does appear to soften the image a bit, but that is not all bad, in terms of filmic qualities.

I also use a 58mm Sony 1.7 teleextender on the other end, again originally purchased for the VX2000. CA is a big problem at the extreme end of the telephoto range with that lens.

Hmm...perhaps something that has a primary character dog/cat/fire-hydrant/mailbox ??? and a couple other interesting subjects further away (but not far away) in the background. I guess I'd like to see some DOF and how closer subjects actually look in comparison to that which is behind/around them. And pick some odd angles to capture from to help exaggerate the perspective somewhat. And maybe primary subject is drastically different in color(s) compared to background secondary subjects. Okay...that's a lot to ask for. Just do whatever you feel like doing. LOL!!!

Ok here are a few closeup shots with the Sony lens

If you would like the footage just give me a PM since its on another forum and I dont think Chris would like me to link to it. I think on the whole the images are very sharp closeup. The camera in normal autofocus does take a while to focus if the position of the subject changes quickly. Sorry for the lack of imagination with the shots, only had a few minutes in between changing baby!

Let me know what you think
Cheers
Ferg

http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/432...0357kf5.th.jpg

http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/599...0715dy7.th.jpg

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/9...0829vs0.th.jpg

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/5...1161rn5.th.jpg

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/6...1446rv3.th.jpg

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/3...1638on2.th.jpg

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/9...1825fd8.th.jpg

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/7...2123lg7.th.jpg

I always reckon it's barrel distortion that spoils many a wide-angle converter, and door frames that bow outwards as you track room to room look horribly amateurish in my book. None of the posted images show straight lines that don't pass through the middle of the frame, and this is the great barrelling test.

tom.

I like the next to last image with the garden tool best...it shows the depth I was curious about. And the one with the green leaf, I like that as well. Thanks! You've shown me what I was wanting to see.

Tom, sorry what would you like me to shoot? Door frames at the edge of the picture to test how straight they are?

Cheers

Tom:

I think the HV20 at the wide angle range has a about the equivalent of a 32 mm 35mm SLR lens. So if you slap a .7 on that end, are you enevitably doomed to seeing barrelling ?

For your comparison, here are jpegs of Shots with my HV20 with the Kenko Pro 65 which is a .65 x, not .7. All shots were at widest angle setting.

Lens is Kenko KRW-065 Pro II 0.65x

nice shots Chris, it does look a little wider than mine.

Chris, adding a wide-angle converter doesn't necessarily mean you'll get barrel distortion. But on the other hand it does often lead you down that path, as your window frame shot shows to perfection. Fergus - Chris's shot shows what I mean, yet his other shots show how the distortion can be hidden in less critical subject matter.

My Z1's 12x zoom barrel distorts on its own, so if I add my zero barrel distortion 0.52x wide-angle converter, the final results (equivalent to a 17 mm lens on a 35mm camera) do indeed show barrel distortion. It's not too objectional, but it's there all right.

If I add my zoom-through 0.5 x Tecpro converter the results are all but unuseable for serious work, though what I call 'skate-boarding' films thrive on such distortion.

tom.

Thanks Tom, it is quite pronounced on Chris' door shot but having tested mine it is there but not nearly so obvious. As you say though, depending on the shot type it can be well hidden.

Hi Fergus & Chris, thanks for those examples. Somewhere back in these threads I posted mine based on the WD43. This WD43 also suffers from barrel distortion to the point that it got me to despherize in post on critical shots, suffering some loss of sharpness of course.

Tom, my question would be: any thoughts on a (somewhat/virtually) barrel distortion-free lens in the range of .5 to .7? Thanks,
Pieter

Yes, I have a 0.52x Bolex Aspheron. It's made in Switzerland and is a glass, Zeiss T* coated single element aspheric. I've written about it at length on these forums. Here's a shot of the back of my garage, giving comparisons:
http://tinyurl.com/2bxrv5

and page one in my photos will show you the lens itself.
It is by far the very best wide-angle converter I've used, and I've tried Century, Schneider, Kenko, Tecpro, Raynox Cavision and so on.

It's not full zoom through, and at 65 of my Z1's 0 to 99 zoom range it goes dramatically out of focus. I love using this for focus dissolves on the timeline.

tom.

Tom: Couldn't track it down on line for sale. Is this something in manufacture, or are we going to have to track a used one down?

I bought my first one used to see if a lens designed for the 16 mm Bolex cameras of 35 years ago was going to work on my three-chip camcorders. It did, so I contacted Bolex in Switzerland and found they were still making them new. They are, so I ordered a new one:
http://www.bolex.ch/NEW/?p=1

You have to get a 'special' 85 mm to 72 mm (or whatever your filter thread size is) adapter made, but I have a drawing for that. Or you can butcher a lens hood as one of my followers has done, and make the Aspheron bayonet on. Cool.

tom.

Hey Tom...just checked out your camera rigs and noticed you were already doing the idea I had just started doing...using an L bracket to mount the camera, mic, on. It looks like it's Canon brand...do they still make that? Do you have a model number, I'm not finding it online anywhere. I like that one much better than the one I'm using - it's more professional looking.

http://vettaville.com/photos/CanonHV...rig_handle.jpg

http://vettaville.com/photos/CanonHV20/hv20_rig.jpg

My L bracket is indeed man-sized and girder-bridge constructed vs the rather flimsy pieces of bent alloy you see these days. Mine came badged as a Vivitar and was made for the hammerhead flashguns and metal Nikon Fs in the early 70s.

I bought mine second-hand for pennies and I peeled off the Vivitar badge because I though a Canon badge looked a lot better. Snob, huh?

tom.

Indeed that big bracket is apparently a Vivitar - have an identical one myself, needed that big hunk of steel and plastic for the Z1 to help stabilize - also seems about right for the FX7. I'll mention that if you're bracketing a smaller cam like the HV20, the huge bracket is overkill. Adds quite a bit of weight, and not much extra stability from my experience - actually a bit counter productive IMO, makes the nice light cam rig heavy and harder to hold for longer periods...

The "ergo" handle does seem to be a nice touch, and the strap for your hand makes for a nice "safety" strap.

Thanks! I'm having a hard time finding what you mean on that site... Is it the "Aspheron 6,5mm for former Vario-Switar 12.5-100"? It seems to cost a stunning 1400 Swiss Franks, which is about the cost of my HV20 :))

...now that I saw the photos of it (http://www.fortvir.net/gallery/v/tom...eron.jpg.html), it kinda makes sense... I think I am in the market for something...well...smaller. Any advice on my pending acquisition of one of the lesser gods in wide-angle-world? :)

Pieter

Exactly so Pieter. The one to get should say clearly on the back: Aspheron super wide angle 6.5 mm Multicoated for Vario Switar 12.5-100 mm.

You can purchase the 6,5mm Aspheron directly from Bolex International SA,
the manufacturer.

The normal price is CHF 1400 Swiss Francs (about £650), but if you ask nicely (a couple of us did) Bolex can grant you a nice discount of 30% off.

The final price was CHF 980 Swiss Francs (about £440), including postage
costs to England. But when you consider these are individually ground aspherical elements that are beautifully multicoated and give results superior to many a barrel-distorting zoom-through that costs more (I'm thinking Century here) it doesn't seem so dear.

Talk to Marc Ueter, tell him I sent you if you like. email bolex@bluewin.ch
There are alternative aspherics on sale at lesser prices. They're all lesser quality, but one thing they all do is remove barrel distortion.

Have a look-see here:

http://www.lenswvl.com/

http://www.wittner-kinotechnik.de/ka...a/b_optike.php

tom.