Hi,

Raynox and some of the filters ordered are in.

First results:

Very little barrel distortion.
No problems with the zoom, but couldn’t check with small iris due to the constant lack of sun (yeah that's London).
No problems visually with stacking, (but I am yet to properly analyse the shot and test the set-up with all apertures):
43/49 ring - UV - Polarizing - Raynox - UV

Engineering problems with stacking:
Raynox feels too heavy for the sliding ring on polarizing.
It is difficult to remove polarizing from Raynox, due to lack of the grip on the sliding ring.

What is the best way to shift stuck rings and filters? I had to use Blue-Tack to increase the grip.
WD40 maybe?

Where are you screwing on the polarizer, on the Raynox's front threads or on the cam itself? The filter should go on the front filter threads of the (Raynox) adaptor.

That makes for a very expensive (72mm diameter) polarising filter Frank, and the effect on the chips will be just the same (bar some vignetting maybe) if the filter is screwed to the camcorder's filter thread.

tom.

Right. I was thinking of the vignetting with putting the filter in-between.

FWIW,
I tried using a Tiffen UV filter between the Kodak WA and the 953 lens and the result was terrible. Got ghosting, flare, and image defocusing. So, I wouldn't recommend that practice, at least for the Kodak, maybe other lenses will work better.

Just checked the following stack:
43/49 ring - HoyaUVMC - Raynox .66x pro - HoyaUVMC

Zoom OK
Focusing OK
Sharpness OK
No vignetting
No artefacts
Stabilizer badly affected.

With all this weight added to the front of camera it looks like the optical stabiliser has lost all its effectiveness. Very little difference now with or without it.

All this as seen on TV through composite.
I am still unable to do any PC work with it.

A word of caution:

Avoid like a plague Raynox step-up rings as sold by Jessops. Made of soft plastic and impossible to remove once stuck.

News to me about Jessops selling plastic step-up rings. I suppose you could cut them off with a break-off-blade knife should they become permanently stuck. Or melt them with a soldering iron.

Interesting to hear your thoughts on the OIS losing its effectiveness when a wide-angle converter is added. I too have noticed this, and despite the fact that you're using shorter focal lengths you still have to really work at keeping the camera steady.

I've just done some 'running across the lawn' shots. I suspended the VX2k in a string bag and held it just above the grass. Aspheron and steadyshot on. RUN! On the big screen just now it made my eyes pop.

tom.