Wide Angle
 

Just looking for some advice on the a wide angle lens for the XL2... Having just got the camera (and tripod etc...) I’m running out of funds fast, I really need a wide angle lens but the canon X3 one is way out my price range at the moment.

Just wondering what peoples experiences are with the much cheaper adaptor ones are? Do they distort the image so much that it renders them (and the XL2) pointless or are they not to bad?

Thanks in advance...

The answer to your question about wide angle adapters can probably be answered by doing a search on this forum. I will add my opinions here as well.

I would only trust Century Precision Optics for WA adapters for the XL2. They are reliable and of the highest quality. But even they have some drawbacks.

The 0.6x WA adapter is not zoom through. You have a limited zoom range.....maybe about half. The adapter shows very little chromatic issues but does exhibit significant barrel distortion. Nothing near a fisheye but straight lines near the edges of the frame will show "bending" or bowing. Personally this doesn't bother me too much but the limited zoom does. I doa lot of "run and gun" style filiming and can't often find time to switch lenses.

The 0.7x WA adapter is full zoom through. A big plus! But from there it is all downhill in my opinion. It is obviously not as wide as the .6x and therefore exhibits less geometric distortion. However I see significant chromatic abberations at edges. It often makes the image appear to be out of focus at the edges or very soft. I found this to be unacceptable to me and opted for the 0.6x instead.

Having said this I sometimes could still get amazing footage from the 0.7x but usually when zoomed in significantly. I am thinking this is because the camera is looking through the very center of the glass where the light is not getting bent nearly as much.

If optical quality is absolutely the most important thing for you and you can change lenses often then I can highly recommend the Canon 3x lens. It is by far the cleanest and sharpest of the WA options. I couldn't perceive and geometric distortion or chromatic abberations at all.

Hope this helps and doesn't confuse you more!

Good Luck!

The 0.6x produces a better image than the 0.7x IMHO though I would recommend saving up for a used 3X, I have seen them go for $700... the 3X from Canon is terrific glass for the price.



ash =o)

Thanks for your advice... I knew the cheap alternative wouldn't be worth it, just hoped it would be ok- time to start saving.

if you can wait and save some money I would rather go to canon 3X because good quality than Century Optics and putting that adaptor in a big camera is annoying me. I have Kenko KZW-075 PRO in my 20X lens good adaptor also but I realize is not good enough (got what I pay ;})

thing to consider with wide angle adaptor
1. lens hood (cost money)
2. price 700 or 3X 1170 BH store
3. when you need wider and close shoot w/ adapter is big & heavy + flare w/out lens hood. (closer shoot most hand held for indoor)