It has taken me a litlle more time than I expected. Her it is:

Sony Carl Zeiss Wide Angle Lens Test on Vimeo

Oops, it's been deleted from Vimeo, Gabor.

Derran - I'm pretty sure the Sony 0.8x designed for the Z1 won't fit the (same thread size) Z7. The Z7's zeiss lens is of a quite different construction to the Z1's.

Ah too bad the link isn't working anymore. I really wanted to see the footage. Thanks Gabor, for taking the time to make this vid for us. Hopefully you can get it back online.

Tom, I must have seen it wrong then. Didn't Sony make a wide converter for this camera?

Yes, Sony make a 0.8x for the Z5 and the Z7 - it's just that I think they're different lenses and not interchangeable. Real users will know more.

Seond chance! If not in HD via Vimeo than back to SD:

Sony Wide Angle Lens Test Zideo, de grootste Nederlandse videosite waar je geld verdient met jouw video.

Yes fantastic! Thank you very much for this footage, really helpful. Looks like a great lens. This is the real wide view I was searching for.

Gabor, You use it on a S270 right? Do you ever take it off, or leave it on the cam the whole time?

Derran, yes, indeed I do use the version for the S270 which is slightly different from the Z7 version. It is my standard lens on the camera but so now and then I switch to the standard lens if I need more teleview. Both lenses are built with the same quality and optical there is no difference. Advantages of the standard lens compared to the wide angle lens: Longer zoomrange and barndoors on the front. The lenscap of the w/a lens drops off all the times. Every time I put the camera on the ground the lenscap drops of, quite frustrating.

Yes it can be very frustrating, if the lenscap keeps falling off. Too bad they didn't use the integral lens cap. Especially on a wide angle you want to keep the lens dust free. Otherwise it will be very noticeable on the screen.

Perhaps something like this will help you to protect the lens:
Century Precision Optics | DS-MBLC-00 Matte Box | 0DS-MBLC-00

I hope this helps. I bought a 16x9 WA lens for my Z7 and had to get the 16x9 rubber hood to go on it. I paid closer to $200 last year for it, but it seems to have had its price lowered. It doesn't close or have a cover, but does offer some protection. It slides over the lens and then you tighten it down a bit. It keep my fingers out of the shot as well ;)

16x9 Inc. :: Rubber Shade - 85mm

Last week I was on an assignment covering a whaling ship returning to port with its controversial cargo. Decided to use the standard stock lens with protective filter as opposed to the wide-angle without a protective filter. Boy am I glad I did because the lens came into contact with ocean-spray and rain. I was constantly wiping it with a chamois. There was a lot of run-and-gunning going on and there were many chances that lens could have been scratched. Here's the bottom line for me: There must be a protective filter attached when I used the wide angle. Now, I just gotta find a solution. Any ideas?

Thanks for the suggestion, Chad. I will definitely look into the rubber hood. The lens hood that comes with the VCL-308BWH is very sturdy. Despite the lens cap falling off, it is very thick and provides a lot of protection. How’s the sturdiness of the 16X9 Inc. 85mm rubber shade that you linked to?

308BWH is good.

Sony VCL-308BWH Wide Angle Lens review part one (test) on Vimeo

This is my test video part one. but my English is poor. I can only speak Chinese. Sorry.

A very good alternative for the wide-angle lens is this wide-angle convertor from Sony: the VCL-HG0872K. Sony only markets it for the Z5, but it performs even better on the Z7, and it's a perfect fit. Plus no risk of dust getting into the cam in dusty working circumstances.

Originally, I was also looking at the VCL-308BWH, but for one third of the price I have a very good wide-angle solution (although there is some barrel distortion at the full wide setting), that comes with a mattebox and filter holder.

Re: VCL-308BWH Wide-Angle Lens Hood & Filter
 

I realize this is an old thread, but something happened that relates to it. I'd been going without a protective ND filter on the lens of my new EX1R because it was easier to screw on the wide angle converter when I needed it. Well, while shooting low to the ground from a moving car, a pebble was thrown and put a tiny scratch directly on the naked lens. A $2,000+ lens replacement could've been prevented with a $60 filter. Luckily, the cam is insured.

Re: VCL-308BWH Wide-Angle Lens Hood & Filter
 

As to the filter: I've managed to screw a UV (HMC) filter from HOYA on to the lens and a lens hood as well. It took some strength to put lens hood back, but it worth it considering the las post.