Canon 3x wide angle lens

Ash Greyson · November 8th, 2005, 11:24 PM

I prefer by a large margin, the 3X. However, if you are in a situation where you cant switch lenses often, you can check out the CPO stuff. I dont like the .7x as much but it is zoom thru...

ash =o)

Michael Paul Young · November 10th, 2005, 04:34 PM

Ive seen mention of this here before, but never saw any replies. I'm curious if any has experimented with putting one of the wide angle adapters onto the 3x lens to see see just how wide it would go?

Eric Elliott · November 11th, 2005, 02:30 AM

I've got a Century Optics .6x adapter that works very well for me. There is a bit of distortion at the outer edges but it's not very noticable. I made the decision to go with the adapter over the 3x lens for two reasons: The price (of course) and because, under the conditions I usually work in, it's a little more convenient than swaping lenses.

Bob Safay · November 11th, 2005, 07:21 AM

Jeff, go with the Canon 3x. It is a fantastic lens. And, it is 72mm like the 20x so you can swap filters. I used it to video a small ships engine room. Excellant results. Bob

Michael Paul Young · November 11th, 2005, 08:11 AM

So often I had the same question, months and months, but I can never find freakin image comparisons....So now that I have the 3x, I will help you out..I posted two images, both shot in the exact same spot and situation (low light, in my studio, just fluorescent lights, in other words, nasty lighting). Both shot in 24fps, 16:9 and manually focused on the chair.

The 20x: http://www.designgraphik.com/mike/z/24p_20x.jpg
The 3x: http://www.designgraphik.com/mike/z/24p_3x.jpg

These are straight exports after capture from Premiere. I have yet to get super sharp shots with 3x. But from reading everyone else's posts about the 3x and with it being wide, you wont get that. But on my Canon SLR with the 10-22 lens, its still fairly close in comparison to my regular 18-55 lens....so who knows. If anyone sees this 3x shot and thinks its way "unsharp', please let me know so I can hit up Canon. If it looks normal, then I guess that's the best we gonna get with it!

I just ordered a used .6x Century on ebay recently too. Im going to test putting this on the 3x lens to just see how wide I can get the xl2 to go without insane distortion. Centurys site mentions the .6x on the 3x will make it a 15mm (in 35mm terms). Thats wider than my SLR 10-22 lens (about 16mm in 35mm), which shoots super awesome wide shots: http://www.designgraphik.com/imagex/11102005.jpg (SLR SHOT).

Hope this helps, and ill post some examples of 3x with .6x when it arrives and if it works!

Jimmy McKenzie · November 11th, 2005, 08:47 AM

The 3X is the tool. The C.O. product is good, but not as flexible.
Now to your more important issue. Your post shows tourist. From where? There are many folks here who might take to the idea of helping you out with a rental situation for not too much $. If you can plan your sequences and scenes well, perhaps you could do this inside of a couple of days?

Ash Greyson · November 11th, 2005, 03:23 PM

Works... but only really useable in 4:3 mode, in 16:9 there is lots of distortion and most adapters will be in the viewable area. I have used it for effect though...

ash =o)

Richard Hunter · November 11th, 2005, 06:47 PM

Hi Michael. Thanks for posting the comparisons, but can you please check the links because I can't open them. Thanks.

Richard

Bruce S. Yarock · November 12th, 2005, 01:22 AM

Jeff,
Are you in south fl? I did some shooting during and after Wilma, and we're editing a 30 minute doc. I'd like to see what you did.
I have all 3 lenses for my xl2 (3x, 16x manual and 20x).
give me an email or call.
Bruce yarock
yarock at aol dot com
954-431-0940

Michael Paul Young · November 12th, 2005, 08:47 AM

Hey sorry about that, just moved to new server and images didnt get copied...Link works now.

Duncan Ross · November 13th, 2005, 01:31 PM

I've noticed my 3X zoom loses focus as soon as I hit the zoom button which I find most annoying as it does spoil the shot. It will come back into focus. I'm using auto focus. I did read some threads a while back about back focus and other focusing issues etc with this lens, but I can't remember the exact content.
Are all 3X zooms like this? It seems to show up worst zooming in from its widest setting. It was a new lens at the beginning of the year.

Justine Haupt · November 13th, 2005, 03:10 PM

This might sound like a silly question, and I'm sure it won't be helpful, but why don't you just use manual focus?

Pete Bauer · November 13th, 2005, 03:21 PM

Since it regains focus, I don't think it is a backfocus issue. It is tough for all autofocus systems to lock on quickly under the various combinations of any of these circumstances:
- 24p (or to a lesser extent, 30p), as compared to 60i autofocus speed
- low light
- lack of vertical lines or detail in the image
- very bright lights (sunlight) in-frame..."blinds" the autofocus system

I like the 3x lens, but like any device, it is better suited for some things than others. It does seem to me also that the 3x autofocus is a little slower than that of the 20x. Because I shoot either 30p or 24pA, both of which slow down the ability of the autofocus system compared to the same shot in 60i, I really lean toward manual focus. Expecially if I'm going to do a zoom shot, I pretty much will plan to set up the focus manually. Unfortunately, autofocus isn't perfect on any camera and can't always save the day. Practicing manual focus is still a necessity for sharp video.

Frederic Segard · November 13th, 2005, 07:24 PM

The Sony PD170 is probably the fastest auto-focus I've seen so far, even still, it is not perfect. As Pete says, frame rate, low light, bright lights, even the PD170 will be throw off balance. Manual is best, but if you do run and gun stuff, it may be tedious at times to keep things in focus, especially with servo driven focus rings.

Greg Boston · November 13th, 2005, 07:31 PM

Plus, like the other auto lenses, the 3x has only one motor shared between zoom and focus. If you're zooming, it can't focus even if the autofocus wants to until you stop zooming. You didn't say which way you were going with the zoom, but the best method is to zoom in, focus, zoom out to desired frame. Then, when you zoom in, the lens should hold focus. If you're starting on a wide shot, you might think you are focused but it will become apparent as you zoom in if your aren't, hence the method I described above.

-gb-

November 10th, 2005, 04:34 PM	#197
Michael Paul Young Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Baltimore, MD, USA Posts: 28	3x lens with wide angle adapter? Ive seen mention of this here before, but never saw any replies. I'm curious if any has experimented with putting one of the wide angle adapters onto the 3x lens to see see just how wide it would go?

November 11th, 2005, 08:11 AM	#200
Michael Paul Young Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Baltimore, MD, USA Posts: 28	Comparison Images... So often I had the same question, months and months, but I can never find freakin image comparisons....So now that I have the 3x, I will help you out..I posted two images, both shot in the exact same spot and situation (low light, in my studio, just fluorescent lights, in other words, nasty lighting). Both shot in 24fps, 16:9 and manually focused on the chair. The 20x: http://www.designgraphik.com/mike/z/24p_20x.jpg The 3x: http://www.designgraphik.com/mike/z/24p_3x.jpg These are straight exports after capture from Premiere. I have yet to get super sharp shots with 3x. But from reading everyone else's posts about the 3x and with it being wide, you wont get that. But on my Canon SLR with the 10-22 lens, its still fairly close in comparison to my regular 18-55 lens....so who knows. If anyone sees this 3x shot and thinks its way "unsharp', please let me know so I can hit up Canon. If it looks normal, then I guess that's the best we gonna get with it! I just ordered a used .6x Century on ebay recently too. Im going to test putting this on the 3x lens to just see how wide I can get the xl2 to go without insane distortion. Centurys site mentions the .6x on the 3x will make it a 15mm (in 35mm terms). Thats wider than my SLR 10-22 lens (about 16mm in 35mm), which shoots super awesome wide shots: http://www.designgraphik.com/imagex/11102005.jpg (SLR SHOT). Hope this helps, and ill post some examples of 3x with .6x when it arrives and if it works!

November 11th, 2005, 08:47 AM	#201
Jimmy McKenzie Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Waterloo Ontario Posts: 721	3x ... The 3X is the tool. The C.O. product is good, but not as flexible. Now to your more important issue. Your post shows tourist. From where? There are many folks here who might take to the idea of helping you out with a rental situation for not too much $. If you can plan your sequences and scenes well, perhaps you could do this inside of a couple of days?

November 12th, 2005, 08:47 AM	#205
Michael Paul Young Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Baltimore, MD, USA Posts: 28	check it again..sorry Hey sorry about that, just moved to new server and images didnt get copied...Link works now.

November 13th, 2005, 01:31 PM	#206
Duncan Ross Tourist Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 4	3X Focusing I've noticed my 3X zoom loses focus as soon as I hit the zoom button which I find most annoying as it does spoil the shot. It will come back into focus. I'm using auto focus. I did read some threads a while back about back focus and other focusing issues etc with this lens, but I can't remember the exact content. Are all 3X zooms like this? It seems to show up worst zooming in from its widest setting. It was a new lens at the beginning of the year.

November 8th, 2005, 11:24 PM	#196
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	I prefer by a large margin, the 3X. However, if you are in a situation where you cant switch lenses often, you can check out the CPO stuff. I dont like the .7x as much but it is zoom thru... ash =o)

November 11th, 2005, 02:30 AM	#198
Eric Elliott Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: O'Neals, CA Posts: 71	I've got a Century Optics .6x adapter that works very well for me. There is a bit of distortion at the outer edges but it's not very noticable. I made the decision to go with the adapter over the 3x lens for two reasons: The price (of course) and because, under the conditions I usually work in, it's a little more convenient than swaping lenses.

November 11th, 2005, 07:21 AM	#199
Bob Safay Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 1,557	Jeff, go with the Canon 3x. It is a fantastic lens. And, it is 72mm like the 20x so you can swap filters. I used it to video a small ships engine room. Excellant results. Bob

November 11th, 2005, 03:23 PM	#202
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	Works... but only really useable in 4:3 mode, in 16:9 there is lots of distortion and most adapters will be in the viewable area. I have used it for effect though... ash =o)

November 11th, 2005, 06:47 PM	#203
Richard Hunter Trustee Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Lipa City Batangas, Philippines Posts: 1,110	Hi Michael. Thanks for posting the comparisons, but can you please check the links because I can't open them. Thanks. Richard

November 12th, 2005, 01:22 AM	#204
Bruce S. Yarock Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pembroke Pines, Fl. Posts: 1,842	Jeff, Are you in south fl? I did some shooting during and after Wilma, and we're editing a 30 minute doc. I'd like to see what you did. I have all 3 lenses for my xl2 (3x, 16x manual and 20x). give me an email or call. Bruce yarock yarock at aol dot com 954-431-0940

November 13th, 2005, 03:10 PM	#207
Justine Haupt Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 208	This might sound like a silly question, and I'm sure it won't be helpful, but why don't you just use manual focus? __________________ ~Justine "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams" -Arthur O'Shaunessey (as quoted by Willy Wonka)

November 13th, 2005, 03:21 PM	#208
Pete Bauer Wrangler Join Date: May 2003 Location: Eagle River, AK Posts: 4,100	Since it regains focus, I don't think it is a backfocus issue. It is tough for all autofocus systems to lock on quickly under the various combinations of any of these circumstances: - 24p (or to a lesser extent, 30p), as compared to 60i autofocus speed - low light - lack of vertical lines or detail in the image - very bright lights (sunlight) in-frame..."blinds" the autofocus system I like the 3x lens, but like any device, it is better suited for some things than others. It does seem to me also that the 3x autofocus is a little slower than that of the 20x. Because I shoot either 30p or 24pA, both of which slow down the ability of the autofocus system compared to the same shot in 60i, I really lean toward manual focus. Expecially if I'm going to do a zoom shot, I pretty much will plan to set up the focus manually. Unfortunately, autofocus isn't perfect on any camera and can't always save the day. Practicing manual focus is still a necessity for sharp video. __________________ Pete Bauer The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein Trying to solve a DV mystery? You may find the answer behind the SEARCH function ... or be able to join a discussion already in progress!

November 13th, 2005, 07:24 PM	#209
Frederic Segard Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 209	The Sony PD170 is probably the fastest auto-focus I've seen so far, even still, it is not perfect. As Pete says, frame rate, low light, bright lights, even the PD170 will be throw off balance. Manual is best, but if you do run and gun stuff, it may be tedious at times to keep things in focus, especially with servo driven focus rings.

November 13th, 2005, 07:31 PM	#210
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	Plus, like the other auto lenses, the 3x has only one motor shared between zoom and focus. If you're zooming, it can't focus even if the autofocus wants to until you stop zooming. You didn't say which way you were going with the zoom, but the best method is to zoom in, focus, zoom out to desired frame. Then, when you zoom in, the lens should hold focus. If you're starting on a wide shot, you might think you are focused but it will become apparent as you zoom in if your aren't, hence the method I described above. -gb-