6x Wide Angle HD lens in NYC
 

Does anyone in NYC own the 6x XL wide angle HD lens?

I guess no one, lol.

Well for those who have this lens, is the optical quality a good deal improved over the stock lens? I have no issues at all with the stock lens, but have heard that the glass used in the 6x Wide Angle is top notch.

It just seems better, but its hard to put my finger on exactly why.

As a wide angle it is superb for interview's and indoor shots (even in cars) - lets in more light. It is an excellent all-round lens for documentaries and ENG style work.

It offers an improvement over the XLH1 stock lens as it moves the iris up to the lens (I believe this was fixed on the XLH1s lens which had three rings the original XLH1 had the iris control on the camera body).

There is no stabilizer, but there is a macro setting.

Basically I am keeping the wide angle on full time, and will only use the 20x for specific shots in the future.

Its worth keeping an eye out for them on ebay.

Thanks for your insight. I have the 's' version and yes, there is an iris ring on the lens of this model.

I really like how Canon changed the rings on the 's' version's lens to have deeper grooves and more pronounced teeth to grip on, in addition to adding more weight and traction resistance on the rings.

It looks like the 6x wide angle has the same type of rings as the original XLH1 lens.

A huge improvement over the earlier SD 3X model. The Canon AF 6X HD lens is a wonderful optic - very sharp and nice minimum focus. It doesn't have the big range and IS of the 20X HD lens, but it zooms to much wider frame and has less colour fringing. It is a must-buy for anyone using the XL-H1/a/s.
As a footnote, I even found that it worked extremely well on the older SD model, the XL2.

Thanks for this. I keep hearing and reading nothing but praise for this lens. That its the best lens Canon ahs ever made for the XL system...

I am inching towards buying one. I just wish I knew if they were coming out with an H1s successor so I knew whether this lens would work on that as well.

And It's Heavier
 

I've run across the question of size and weight for this lens but never saw an answer. I'd say it's about a half inch longer as well as a bit wider than the stock 20X.

6X lens weight is 1390 grams / 3.07 Lbs.

In comparison:

20X lens is 1236 grams / 2.73 Lbs.
Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM lens: 1712 grams / 3.78 Lbs.

Mark

1390 grams is very light for such a well-built lens, and only half the weight of many of the lenses that I use. The added weight is an advantage in my opinion, as it helps keep everything steady without the need for IS.