.43x Wide Angle Lens
 

I have never used a wide angle lens on a video or still camera. The wide angle lens that I have is .43x. When I zoom in, the outside edges around the picture of the camcorder gets cloudy. Am I doing something wrong, or is this natural?

Thanks in advance,

Pete

.43x is very wide... unless it's a really good lens ($$$) I would expect some problems. It may not be full zoom-through, meaning it will lose focus at some point as you zoom in. It will also probably have a lot of barrel distortion (make straight lines appear curved).

Thanks Boyd......When I zoom in is when I get the cloudiness on the edges of the picture. I guess that's a normal problem huh? It is a very wide angle lens, I guess it's pretty much useless for football games. The z5 seems to have a pretty wide lens already.

Thanks,

Pete

I don't think it's a "normal problem" because there is no "normal lens". There are many different brands, quality levels and prices for wide adaptor lenses. You get what you pay for. But I would be very surprised to find a .43x wide adaptor with decent quality. Sony makes an adaptor specifically for the z5 which is very expensive and heavy, and it is only a .8x.

Thanks a ton Boyd!

Pete

Boyd is right. Sony's 0.8x is a top-notch lens and costs $500 (without matte box or hood). The .43x you have must be simpler lens and not zoom-through, which means you should be using it only in zoom-out position. It might be a great lens for a skater or other extreme sports fanatic :-) What brand is it, Pete?

It's a digital concepts, and yes, when I start to zoom out is when it gets cloudy around the edges. This thing has such a wide angle that you can actually see the edge of the lens itself in the picture.

Pete

Where can you get one? I might be interested in it :-)