Lens options and understanding the JVC HZ-CA13U PL- adaptor

[Svein Rune Skilnand]

I have been using my JVC GY- HM790 camera for quite some time now and I really like the images it produces. However I do feel that my Canon 14X lens that came with the camera does not have the best optics. It is far better then the stock Fujinon 16X which used to come with the HD100 and 200 series but it suffers from cromatic abberration in high contrast situations.

So for the past month I have been trying to find and buy a different lens for it. However all the dealers I contact, cannot recommend any lenses that are better for it. They say this will always be a problem with 1/3 imagers. Therefore they are recommending to buy a different camera with bigger imagers.

So, going back and forth, I decided to look for a PL- lens instead for my JVC HZ-CA13U PL- adaptor, and landed on the Digioptical DO1850M 18-50 mm T3 PL mount- zoom lens, which looks really nice. Upon contacting the salesreps they gave me answer I cannot understand.

"The JVC HZ-CA13U is for the HD200 only not the canon bayonet on the HM790. It means the HZ-CA13U is not meant for the GY-HM790U. You can use the MTF adapter for PL mount lens and other Canon bayonet lenses will be fine as well and you can use the Letus35 adapter for 35mm lens. There are also 1/3 lens adapters from canon that can be used as well"

I cannot for the life of me understand that the top model HM790 cannot use other and better lenses that would give it even better images. I have only been looking at 1/3 inch lenses including the HTS series by Fujinon.

Any help or input is really appreciated.

[Scott Berrington]

I find it hard to believe that the HZ-CA13U will not work on the HM790. I have a HM700 which came with the Canon 14x lens and the HZ-CA13U works perfectly on the camera. I used it 2 weeks ago with a Zeiss 32mm T2.1 prime with no issues. That being said, I still got some CA in strong contrast situations...maybe caused by the HZ-CA13U or the camera prism?

One thing I did notice, the Canon 14x seemed to give a sharper image than the Zeiss/HZ-CA13U combo. The Zeiss did have a nice "natural" look to it, which was perfect for the project.

Scott

[Svein Rune Skilnand]

Scott. The HZ-CA13U adaptor certainly fits my HM 790. I just put it on and I had no problems. It fits perfectly, as expected.

Is there anything you have to change in the menus to make it work? Any settings to change?

I am pretty sure the salesrep was wrong, but they are a well renowned dealer and I don`t have any experience with PL- lensesor adaptors myself.

Strange to hear you get CA with your combination. I was under the impression that CA is caused by the optics you put on it. You are right about the Canon lens though. I certainly feel that the Canon is sharp enough, but is also has its downsides. In my case CA.

Have you tried other 1/3 inch lenses on the camera?

[Scott Berrington]

You have to go into the camera process menu and scroll down to "Reverse Picture" to flip the image, which will be upside-down when using the HZ-CA13U and a Cine lens.

I know Canon and Fujinon have much better lens for 1/3" cameras, but they are very expensive. The Fuji 18x4.2mm(no 2x extender) looks nice and you might be able to get it for under $10000 US...still a lot of money.

If you can keep your 14x lens between 8mm and 30mm(hard to do I know), there is very little CA.

[Svein Rune Skilnand]

I will remember to do that. I guess I´ll find out anyway when everybody is up side down......

I have been looking at the Fujinon 18x for a while. It looks very good indeed. It is a lot of money but if I can justify the cost, that is probably the one I will end up with if I go down that route. I have been looking at the 13X by Fujinon, but I cannot find out whether it is better than the Canon. Nobody seems to know. The sales reps are just pushing me towards the bigger chip cameras. Which is frustrating.

Are you saying that the Canon will be better if I don`t use the extreme wide angle or tele zoom? Is this the so called sweet spot of the lens? Where do you try to keep the aperture as well?

[Scott Berrington]

Yes, from the basic testing that I've done, the sweet spot is really good between 15 and 30mm...even at wide open aperture. I know it's impossible to limit yourself to these focal lengths, but for planned shots, you will get good results in the 8-30mm range.

Any chance that you could demo the Fujinon 18x?

[Svein Rune Skilnand]

I will try those ranges and see if my images improve.

No. Unfortunately I can`t find any dealer that has the Fujinon 18x in stock.

I have been watching the show "Little people big world", which I understand has been shot on Pro HD cameras with the Fujinon 13x. There doesn`seem to be much CA on those