Will these (.7X/.5X WIDE ANGLE ADAPTER SET - Schneider Optics (http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecommerce/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?CID=1085&IID=1362)) work? Will I need any extra thread adaptor or so? What quality can I expect? Can somebody suggest a better product or a similar that will have a lower price?

With optics, in general terms, price equals quality.

If you want a lower price, you will usually get lower quality.

Will these (.7X/.5X WIDE ANGLE ADAPTER SET - Schneider Optics (http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecommerce/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?CID=1085&IID=1362)) work? Will I need any extra thread adaptor or so? What quality can I expect? Can somebody suggest a better product or a similar that will have a lower price?

This is a standard set Century has sold for some time, and it works on most lenses.

For the standard JVC lenses that fit the HD series and the HM100, look at this page:
JVC GY-HD250U, 200U,110U & 100U with a 16:1 Fujinon Lens - Schneider Optics (http://www.schneideroptics.com/century/prodv/jvc/110u.htm)
You will need the 85mm clamp ring listed with one asterick and linked at the bottom of the page.

To get more information contact the Van Nuys office directly. Tell them the size of the end of the lens (the JVC lenses are 82/85mm), the exact lens it is, and they will respond. You can email or telephone.

This wide angle set clamps to the outside of the lenses. It is also heavy with both pieces in place (but most adapters of good quality will be heavy).

Here are a couple of threads that discuss wide angle adapters:
JVC GY-HD250U, 200U,110U & 100U with a 16:1 Fujinon Lens - Schneider Optics (http://www.schneideroptics.com/century/prodv/jvc/110u.htm)
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/jvc-gy-hd-series-camera-systems/70101-love-new-cam-but-wide-angle-kills-deal-2.html

What lens are you using on the HM700, and how much wider do you want to go?

The Century set can be bought cheaper from B&H, for example, and since a lot of them have been sold, it's sometimes possible to get them used... with the possible need to buy the adapter ring.

Price wise, anything a lot cheaper than the Century products, generally is not going to give quality pictures.

Don't forget:
adapter: not zoom through
converter: zoom through

Thanks... When you say zoom through or not you mean that I cannot keep the focus during the zoom or that I can use it only wideangle? I don't use much zoom but I like to shoot quickly changing focal lenght all the time. I wrote to Schneider allready and now they asked for extra info. They seem serious. I found a few used but in US and not Italy and to get it here with insurance etc.. I'll better just buy a new one. I am planning on buying also the Canon14x (that now JVC bundles with HM700). Will it fit also there? Thanks for help.

Zoom through means the add-on lens 'converts' your camera's zoom. So if you fit a 0.5x converter to a 10 to 100 mm zoom, you end up with a 5 to 50 mm zoom. It's still 10x and it's still the same speed (f stops).

A non zoon-through adapter is generally lighter, cheaper, won't flare as much but often barrel distorts more. A typical single element will take your camcorder's 10 to 100mm lens and give you 5 to 30 mm, something like that.

tom.

Thanks... When you say zoom through or not you mean that I cannot keep the focus during the zoom or that I can use it only wideangle? I don't use much zoom but I like to shoot quickly changing focal lenght all the time. I wrote to Schneider allready and now they asked for extra info. They seem serious. I found a few used but in US and not Italy and to get it here with insurance etc.. I'll better just buy a new one. I am planning on buying also the Canon14x (that now JVC bundles with HM700). Will it fit also there? Thanks for help.
Zoom-through: you can go to any zoom on your lens while using the attached wide-angle. These are called converters.

Not zoom-through or partial zoom-through: These are called adapters. They make the widest setting on your lens wider, but you cannot zoom in. With some adapters, you are able to zoom in a little bit, but usually never more than half way.

Converters are heavier, have more elements, are more expensive, and are not available in versions that go as wide as adapters.

Adapters are lighter, usually have fewer elements, and can be made very wide.

In general, the more you pay the better the adapter/converter. There are differences in prices between companies, but the same quality generally falls in the same price range if the same type of adapter/converter is being compared.

If two adapters from the same company have the same X (times) value but are wildly different in price, chances are the more expensive one has more elements, has less barrel distortion and/or has special qualities that make it superior, though these qualities may or may not be relevant to your application.

The Century .7/.5x combo fits most lenses when you use the right adapter between the WA adapter and the lens. Many if not all the JVC lenses are 85mm outside diameter (with 82mm threads), so the same adapter should work for your lenses.

The JVC standard lens for the HD camera line (and apparently the lens put on some of the HM700 cameras in Europe) is a cheaper lens and has special characteristics. A metal ring must be threaded into the end of the lens or the .7/.5x when clamped on will distort the soft lens barrel of the cheap lens. Though the .7/.5x does work on it.

There is a JVC WA converter made for this cheap lens, and I believe this converter does not work on other lenses made for the JVC cameras, even though it has 82mm threads.

Century is very dependable, and I would recommend them. They deal with a full range of lens accessories for many cameras, and their products and recommendations can be trusted from my experience. Small companies that make a few items for special use or cameras are not as likely to be dependable for an adapter/converter that works across several lenses.

If you are buying new, you might contact B&H as they carry the full Century line. They might have a better price, even with shipping to Italy, and I would trust them and their experience to get it there if they say they can. (I have had varying success using regular mail to Italy, but I don't know how successful private carriers are.)

I finally got the lenses. I nought them used on the net from Germany. the package got here in a few days and lenses had no scratch on the glass.

I need some help to find the best way of using them.

I zoom my standard Fujinon 16x lenses to wide.
Hook on the 2 adaptors combined.

Can't get focus with lens focus.. have to use macro.. so no zoom through (but that is not important for me..) . But is it normal to have use macro to find focus?

Now the image. I get a bit of a "fish eye" distortion on the edges which I was not expecting from "wide" adaptors and not "fish-eye"adaptors. Am I supposed to zoom half way through and find a "sweet spot" somewhere in the middle for normal "wide angle" use (and just keep the all wide for some fish-eye effect? Is it what I should have expected and how to use?

Here without... www.siroma.com/AreaRiservata/dvinfo/normal.jpg
... and with... www.siroma.com/AreaRiservata/dvinfo/wide.jpg

(please do not comment on lighting settings etc.. just a test for angle, lines, etc..)

thanks,
M

I had the same problem with the 16x9inc .6x Adapter, I sent that back, and am waiting on the .45x. If I have to use the macro to focus then I want it as wide as I can afford. Now I'm lookin at the Cavision .6x converter, it's zoom-thru so I'm hoping it won't have to be focused with the macro.

Yes, you always have to use the wide-angle macro focus when you fit an adapter.
I agree Marcello - the barrel distortion is most noticeable and I would find that unacceptable. That was taken with the 0.5x or the 0.7X? Of course under water it would be ok, but for most video work in fresh air it would be bending horizons, telegraph poles, buildings, doors windows, tables and so on.

Of course zooming in a bit will reduce the barrelling, but that's not what you bought the lens for, is it?

tom.

This read has information that will be helpful to you:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/jvc-gy-hd-series-camera-systems/72983-anyone-using-wide-angle-lens-adaptors.html
Read Stuart Nimmo's post, third from the end of the second page.

If you are shooting doorways a few inches from the lens, any .5x (or .6x or .7x) adapter will give a lot of distortion. As seen in the picture, distortion in the rest of the shot is fine. If you are shooting interesting people in a close-quarter documentary situation, the distorion would never be noticed.

If you want limited distortion and a bit of wide angle on the stock 16x lens, the JVC .82x converter is what you need. (This is only works on the 16x lens). This converter is zoom through and will you a bit more wide angle, but not a lot.

If you want greater wide angle coverage and a vastly improved image overall, the JVC 13x lens is what you want. It will work on any of the JVC 1/3" cameras and is highly desirable, so it is not an unreasonable investment at $6000 or so. People who buy the 13x generally use it as the standard lens on the camera and leave the inferior quality 16x in the box.

In general,

--Lenses determine the zoom range and the quality of the image.
--Converters change the lens to act like a lens with a different zoom range. The quality of the converter determines how much degradation in picture quality there is. A converter may or may not be left on the lens most of the time.
--Adapters are for special shots and shooting situations. They are generally not meant to be left on the lens all the time.

If you are shooting doorways a few inches from the lens, any .5x (or .6x or .7x) adapter will give a lot of distortion. In general, Converters change the lens to act like a lens with a different zoom range.

Can't agree with you on this one Jack. My 0.52x wide-angle adapter doesn't add any barrel distortion whatsoever, and certainly not 'a lot of distortion' as you claim.

And converters change the lens to act like a lens with THE SAME zoom range, not a different zoom range as you claim. A 12x zoom is still a 12x zoom with a zoom-through converter in place - though of course the focal length extremes will have altered.

tom.

Different use of "range." I mean in terms of mm of the lens, such as instead of 100-300mm equivalent the converter changes it to 50-150mm equivalent.

What .52x adapter do you have that doesn't have any barrel distortion? How much did it cost?

Thanks.

I see from another post the .52x you are talking about is the Bolex Aspheron.

However, I don't think this is big enough to adapt to the 82mm JVC lens. If I remember, you were using this on a Sony camera with a 58mm fixed lens?

Spot-on Jack - it's the Bolex Aspheron. Just bought another one, 465 UKP delivered to my door, so certainly not cheap for a single element. I've used it on the Z1, Z5, HMC151 but these are only 72 mm filter threads.

Spot-on Jack - it's the Bolex Aspheron. Just bought another one, 465 UKP delivered to my door, so certainly not cheap for a single element. I've used it on the Z1, Z5, HMC151 but these are only 72 mm filter threads.

Will the Aspheron attach directly to an XH-A1 which has 72mm threads, or is it necessary to make some kind of adapter?

Where do you buy them from?

Thanks.

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! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/16987760@N00/278073141/?addedcomment=1#comment72157603848589896)

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

tom.

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! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/16987760@N00/278073141/?addedcomment=1#comment72157603848589896)

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-z1-hdr-fx1/67992-aspheron-lens-how-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.

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?

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.