The Aspheron works beautifully on the XH-A1, giving the equivalent of 17 mm wide-angle. This is seriously, frighteningly, Krubrick Overlook Hotel corridor wide. You can zoom to beyond half way.

The Aspheron is fitted with an 85 mm attachment thread (there's no thread for a hood) and you'll need a special adapter made to take that down to 72 mm. It's a special because the 85 mm thread doesn't extend beyond the rear of the lens. I have a drawing of the adapter if you need it.

I've made my Aspheron bayonet to my Z1, and this is a far nicer solution than fiddling about with screw threads. Here's a link to using the Z1's hood as the bayonet:

Z1-Aspheron4 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I buy mine direct from Bolex in Switzerland as they don't have a UK distributor.

tom.

Yes, I would like the drawing of the adapter.
Also, do you have any other reference for fixing up the Aspheron for an XH-A1.
Finally, can you tell me the product or part number for the Aspheron you get from Bolex Switzerland?
http://www.bolex.ch/NEW/?p=6#12
Thanks!

Hi Jack, yes - you got the right page and 150001 is the Aspheron you want.
I don't have any other details for attaching it to the XH-A1 except to say that a special adapter will cost you (unless you're an experienced lathe operator) whereas a modified bayonet-on hood would ultimately be a better solution.

Best you read this thread - you'll be as enthused as my other disciples:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-hvr...ow-attach.html

tom.

Tom... that is with both one into the other. It's a suggested way of using it but I think I'll not use it so often in that combination.
M

Marcello - do I read you wrong? The modified hood that holds the Aspheron becomes an integral part of the wide-angle. You never take the lens out of the chopped up hood.

Century / Schneider Optics
 

You can't go wrong with any of the high-end Century / Schneider Optics converters (and they are great people to deal with as well).

I have been using their converters for years, and have never had any issues with their line of converters.

The IF multi-coated series are particularly well designed and lighter than the round series. In most cases, you will need a beefy ring screwed into the lens filter thread (I had a local shop make up some titanium rings for me) to keep the focus ring from binding when the converter is clamped on.

And don't forget a matte box / filter holder combo to finish it all off.

BTW, if anybody has a FA-8XIF-00 matte box / filter holder for sale, please contact me. Mine developed legs a few weeks ago and walked off.

Enzo.. I see you are in Roma in Italy. Me too. We should meet and maybe do something together. Yes.. I need some sort of ring otherwise I cannot move the focus ring once i screw the adaptor on. But what can you tell me about the distortion?

Ciao Marcello!

I actually have not been to Rome in a couple of years (Italy yes, Rome no) No work there. I have to keep that old lupo away from the door ;)

I am mostly based in the LA area now (but work a lot in Giorgia and Louisiana). I own a pensione (that's been in my family for at least 200 years) in Procida, so I visit there a lot.

You can have a metal ring (titanium is the best material, size to strength wise) made up, or, if you don't mind keeping a piece of glass on the lens while using a converter, get a Hoya HD filter. Supposedly, the HD line is made using a special hardened glass, so the HD filter series should be stiff enough to keep the lens barrel from warping.

I have the late model IF converters, and only with the 13x Fuji do I get some very slight barrel distortion at full wide. To me, that slight distortion looks just fine and is what audiences are used to seeing in ultra-wide shots anyway.

No distortion to speak of using the 17X, 16X Fuji, or 14X Canon lenses.