What hood would you suggest when using the sony wide angle lens?

Thanks,
Scott

The best hoods are aspect-ratio hoods (rather than cilindrical ones) If you shoot in 16:9, aim to get a 16:9 hood. Cavision sell some good ones that clamp onto the outside of the w'angle barrel.

tom.

I have the Sony LSFS58 hood with the Sony VCLHG0758 wide angle lens. The LSFS58 looks just like the stock VX2000 lense hood but it is bigger, comes apart, and lets you keep your wide angle lense on all the time. This is exactly what I wanted. It's kind of minimal as a lense hood, but it's so convenient that that's what I use all the time.

Is there any reason to get a sunshade over a cheap (ie Formatt) matte box ?

Hello there -- another question from a relative newcomer.

I have a pd 150 and a Sony vcl-mhg07 wide-end conversion lens. 0.7.

For some reason, when I put on the conversion lens, the upper left and upper right corners of the picture seem to be clipped -- at least when I am fully zoomed out.

If I zoom in a bit, the clipping goes away (or falls off the edge of what is viewable on the screen).

But why does it clip in the first place? And is there any way to eliminate this problem?

Thanks!

Albert Wong


PS. This is what I have on the camera:
UV protector 58 mm
58 to 52 mm adapter ring
Sony vcl-mhg07 wide-end conversion lens X0.7.

PS. This is what I have on the camera:
UV protector 58 mm
58 to 52 mm adapter ring
Sony vcl-mhg07 wide-end conversion lens X0.7.

And that is exactly your problem. You have an undersize lens on the camera and it is bound to vignette at fully wide zoom. You will have to restrict your zoom which is hard to do or obtain a properly sized WA adapter lens for the camera.

If I may add,

I had the exact same problem when using the Sony .7 wide angle lense WITH a UV protector. Once I removed the UV protector and attached the lense, no more vingetting / clipping!

Thanks for the response, Mike! -- maybe not the response I wanted to hear :-( but the truth is ultimately better, isn't it.

And, Brian I will definitely give it a shot without the UV filter -- if I can figure out how to twist it off! :-) it's on really tight!

Thanks again, guys.

Albert Wong

Put a rubber band around it first. The reason they don't come right off is that when you squeeze them to get a good grip, you distort the threads.

Thanks for the tip :-) -- (and I thought I was going to have to start working out of the gym! :-) )

Don't forget that if you vignette the image as seen in the viewfinder / side-screen, then the full frame (as seen on your pc monitor and as see on the wall if projected) will show far more vignetting.

Worse is to come. If you have Steadyshot turned on and move the camera at all the vignetting will increase. The answer is to use a 58 mm w'angle converter and remove all filters between converter and camera zoom.

tom.

Tom --

oh no :-(

(And I thought I was done with new purchases for a while... ooopf)

I guess I'm going to have to start making more money so I can get more toys! :-)

Albert

Good news:

Just an update -- it turns out that without the 58 mm UV filter -- I get no "vignetting" at full wide! --

Thanks everyone.

Just wanted some input on how others feel about the included WA lens with the PD170. I know from some of the other posts in the past many people feel its inferior to some of the other $500 - $600 lenses on the market...but how inferior do you think it is compared to the others - if any at all? How many people even use a WA?

I would be using it mainly for weddings, and I've used mine a few times around the house (i've only had the cam for about 2 weeks). It really doesn't seem very sharp, especially the more I zoom; but I don't want to spend another 5 or 6 hundred if the others don't make a huge difference. The fuzziness may just be my imagination anyway after reading the other posts.

First you have to understand that any of the WA attachment will go soft as you zoom in. You are far better off walking in to the subject than zooming.

I have both a Century Optics and a KenkoPRO for my 150s and I actually use the KenkoPRO more for a number of reasons (some are stupid) First on my monitor with my eye I have never seen a HUGH difference in the quality. Mind you I said a HUGH difference. Of course there is a difference but not enough for my clients to notice, heck, other video guys (and gals) I am friends with have a hard time seeing the difference. The Century is a tad sharper but they both have very littel fall off on the corners but again the Century has just slightly less.

As for the Sony lens, well, it's not bad. It's probably on par with the Kenko or Optix.

As for when you'll use it, I use it when I can't get the shot any other way. Especially during the reception when the dance floor is crowded. I have always liked walking the floor with the camera overhead. It can be a bit dangerous but hey thats why we get the big bucks right!?

I've used it on occassion for ceremonies-a very small chapel and sometimes outdoors depending on where I set up.
Use the right tool for the job and the job becomes a lot easier.
HTHs
Don

Thanks, Don

...very good clarification and since it's not a huge difference, I guess I'll stay with the sony WA. No reason to throw money away when I can be spending on something else I really need.

Actually, the Sony .75 lens is a real quality piece of glass, and if you are having a problem with sharpness, there may be a problem. This lens is what is known as a "zoom through" which means it will hold focus through the entire length of the zoom range. There are other less expensive lens adapters that will only allow you to zoom through a portion of the range before they go out of focus. But you should have no problem with the Sony. The major problem with the lens is the additional weight, and the large front element is a real flare catcher. You might want to invest in a hood for it, or a "Flarebuster," from www.flarebuster.com.

Many shooters find the wide angle indispensible, and leave it on the camera all the time. If you are certain you have a focus problem with it, you should have the camera and lens looked at by a qualified tech.

Wayne Orr, SOC

no wayne,
I'm not certain - and the more I read, the more I think its in my head. I've just seen so many posts that say the Century Optics or the Canon or this or that is light years better than the included Sony WA.

From my perspective, I don't want to have a great camera with an add on lens that makes the shots worse than without it. If thats the case, Id rather take the thing off until I can get a quality one.

Brandon,
While the Sony may not be quite as good as Century Optics there is nothing wrong with it. If it was a piece of junk Sony would be stupid to include it as no one would use it and everyone would piss and moan about how bad it is, so all in all I say use it and have fun with it.

As for the "focus" problem keep a couple of things in mind. 1st-anytime you add more glass in front of the prime lens things sometimes "look" different-softer, and 2nd, as Wayne stated, the lens is a zoom thru but as I said before when you push any WA to its far limits it will look a bit soft on the long end. If you need to do that kind of zooming in then either don't use the lens OR walk in on the subject if possible. Like I said, even my Century Optics WA goes a bit soft on the long end of the zoom.

The WA attachment can be a complete bust or the greatest thing since sliced bread IF you understand that it is another piece of glass in front of the prime lens, it will go somewhat soft on the long zoom and might cut off the corners a little bit BUT it will get you shots that you might not get otherwise or will let you get a BETTER shot than you might have gotten without it.

Use the Sony in good health,
Don

thanks for the advice Don - well taken.

I love my Sony wide angle lense. One thing a lot of people don't realize is that Sony makes a lense hood especially for this lense: the LSF-S58. It is bayonet mount and works over the screw in Sony Wide angle lense. It looks just like the stock lense hood only bigger. I have one and really like it. Check it out here:

http://www.discountcell.com/cellular/bb,asp,e_SNSonyWideAngle,pi_LSF-S58,1c,pr.htm

Thanks Laurence,

The S58 lens hood actually came with my 170, however I don't have a clue what its means when they say in the description in the link, "The Lens Hood also serves as an excellent viewfinder and framing device".

huh???

I'm played around some today with the WA and I am really starting to like it - it just takes some getting used to - and even with a 970 battery on the back, it is HEAVY!

I love my Sony wide angle lense. One thing a lot of people don't realize is that Sony makes a lense hood especially for this lense: the LSF-S58. It is bayonet mount and works over the screw in Sony Wide angle lense. It looks just like the stock lense hood only bigger. I have one and really like it. Check it out here:

http://www.discountcell.com/cellular/bb,asp,e_SNSonyWideAngle,pi_LSF-S58,1c,pr.htm

Are you saying this lens hood is large enough to fit over (or) on the wide end of the VCL-HG0758? If so, that's just the item I'm looking for!

Thanks!

Dave,

thats exactly the one you need - I took it off and checked for you to make sure.

Yes, I have the VCL-HG0758 and the LSF-S58 lense hood completely covers and protects it. It is a tight enough fit that it really doesn't act as much of a sun shade, but it's just so darned practical that I don't even care. I use it 100% of the time. I also want to say that I have no problem zooming in with this lense. Focus is good throughout the range.

That LSF-S58 looks quite good, and I wish my personal camera (PDX10) also had one that could be used with WA lenses and actually shade.

IMO everyone should get that shade AND the Flare Buster. When I was at B&H I couldn't find anyone to understand what I needed when I described what the Flare Buster was. The problem was I didn't remember the name. They showed me several shades, but all were too large and heavy for the PDX10.


Carlos

I shot video of our Pastor during his sermon yesterday for the second week to get in more practice with my 170. I used the Sony wide angle on it for the first time standing about 30-40 feet back from the pulpit and zoom through was between 60-80%.

Only potential problem I see is that after capturing the video, I see a lot of pixelation in the picture on my monitor. I didn't notice any of this from what I shot with the original lens last week and I thought you could pretty much zoom completely through with the Sony WA without much quality loss.

Could it possibly be anything else? I haven't changed any settings in camera that I remember, and I'm using Vegas with Magic Bullet editors to edit on.

The wide angle is the only thing I can think of, and if it is, I'm dissapointed because I really like using it much better than with the standard lens.

The wide angle adaptor is an optical device and can't cause "pixellation." If there's a zoom-through problem it would be out of focus (blurry) or maybe distorted (straight lines being curved). I have the Sony wide angle adaptor for my VX-2000 and have used it a lot with the full zoom range. Have never noticed a problem like this. I'd have a look at your editing software. Or if you're seeing big blocks, like a mosaic effect, that's a symptom of bad tape, dirty heads, or a head alignment problem.

You weren't shooting 16:9 perhaps, were you? That can produce a pretty ragged picture on PD-170...

Boyd,

It looks like fairly big "blocks" like you said. May be a bad tape even though it was brand new. The 170's brand new so it shouldn't be a head alignment issue. I haven't had any past issues with Vegas either so I guess I'll shoot with a new tape and see.

First...thanks for the information on the LSF-S58. I was wondering what that was for (came stock with the 170). Took me a few to figure out that it is actually two pieces that have to be seperated in order to install it.

Second...my WA does not hold focus when I zoom with the rocker arm located above the tape deck on the camera. It does hold focus when using the zoom controller on the handle. The former zooms much quicker than the latter. So obviously the solution is to just zoom slower. But....I was hoping there may be a setting or an adjustment I could make to solve that problem as most of the time when I zoom I want to do it in a hurry.

I know it's a shot in the dark, as someone on this thread has already mentioned you're putting glass in front of glass, but I'm hoping there may be some hidden knowledge.

That makes no sense (the action, not you). The same lens is being operated by the same signals. What you describe is controlled by the Back focus adjustment on the camera, an adjustment that is not accessible to the user.

If you set the focus at the full zoomed out position (the only position at which you should focus in this case), the lens should stay in focus across the zoom range. The only effect the WA adapter will make, regardless of brand, is to slightly soften the focus across the entire range of zoom positions.

Hi Mike,

First of all ...amature alert here...that would be me, so all I can do is describe what happens when I zoom. Up until reading these posts I had no idea the lens should stay focused all the way across the zoom. Since reading this thread and your recent post I have been experimenting with zooming on a tripod...no difference....and cleaning the WA and the built in lens. Still the same. Loss of focus about mid way through the zoom.

What seems odd and I can't confirm that this is absolute, but after zooming all the way in...when I zoom back out it seems to stay in focus ....or at least looks better.

BTW this is with both the WA and the built in. You think it's possible I got some bad glass? Wouldn't make a difference now as I'm out of warranty. Like I say I thought this was normal behaviour. Who knew it was supposed to stay focused? (Just now getting the time to get to know this camera after little over a year of owning it.)

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

OK, terminology mixup here.

You focus the lens at maximum zoom (narrowest field of view). It will then stay in focus as you zom towards the minimum zoom, (widest field of view).

All lens designs 'breath' to some extent. That is, their focus does shift a little bit as you zoom the lens. But not to a great extent.

I am almost ready to purchase my 170, when they are back in stock at B&H. I am interested in the wide angle adapter. Is this for adding a wide angle lens? Or will it adjust the 12X lens that is incorporated to a wide spec? Any ideas, none of the information I can find is that forth coming.

Hi Devin. On B&H's website, click on the "Item Includes" tab on the PD-170 page and you'll see it lists the VCL-HG0758 Wide Angle Adapter. This is a screw-in wide angle adaptor which is added to the front of the builtin lens. It's a .7x adaptor, so that means it makes the lens' existing focal length 70% of what it would be normally. So, for an easy example, if you zoomed the lens to its full-wide position of 6mm the adaptor would make it behave like a 4.2mm lens (6.0mm x 0.70 = 4.2mm).

I have one of these lenses for my VX-2000 and it produces a very nice image with little noticeable distortion or softness. The only downside is that it doesn't have filter threads on the front.

Here's some more info on the adaptor lens from B&H's website:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=200951&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

If you want a good wide angle buy yourself the bayonet mount Century Optics .65 lens.. I have one and it's great, if you want bigger, I own a Extreme Fish Eye from Century and that lens is just crazy..

I can vouch for the Century 0.65x wide-angle converter, and once you've used a bayonet, who would go back to screw threads? Pentax realised this back in 1974, and here we are, still faffing about with plastic threads.

The Century is beautifully made, heavy, expensive, doesn't vignette the image and has excellent anti-reflection coating. The only thing I'd say is that for the price (and the power) I think it should barrel distort less.

tom.

So would you say the Century 0.65X is better or at least as good (optically) as the Sony Wide Angle lens?
I really really hate the screw on design of this lens and I am always afraid I am going to strip the threads especially when I am trying to get it on in a hurry.

Optically (apart from the barrel distortion as I've said) the Century 0.65x lens was the best of a group test of wide-angle converters that I carried out. The Sony wasn't included in the test, but my guess is that although the Century has a bayonet that enables rapid fit and removal, the optical qualities are such that you would be happy to leave it in place all the time.

I really really hate the screw thread as well. Never sure when it's going to drop off as you unscrew it, the 4:3 hood is never perfectly aligned (depends how tightly you screw the lens in place) and of course there's always the fear of cross-threading. The latter means you take more time, and very often when you suddenly need a wider view, that's exactly what you don't have.

tom.

So would you say the Century 0.65X is better or at least as good (optically) as the Sony Wide Angle lens?
I really really hate the screw on design of this lens and I am always afraid I am going to strip the threads especially when I am trying to get it on in a hurry.

Comparing the two just makes me gasp! Seriously though, hands down the quality of the Century Lens .65 or any of there lenses are amazing. I own 4 Century lens for my PD150. I also couple that with a sunshade with 4x4 glass filter holder for those lenses since the stock sunhood won't fit..

Extreme Fish Eye
.65 Wide Angle
2x Tele-Photo Convertor
16:9 Ratio Convertor which I will probably sell since I don't really do anything in widescreen..

Greeting from a new member

Hope I have this posted in the right place.

I'm interested in comments on the Sony "High Grade" .7X adapter for use on an HC90.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=SOVCLHG0730&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=250110

I might "need" this adapter when I do walking tours on trails. I like the idea of Ron Dexters low POV mount and thought that maybe a 'wide' would help with the overall effect. I.e. I want to get a dog's eye view of a trail:
http://www.rondexter.com/stop_motion_animation/professional/intertial_camera_stabilization/low_pov_rig.htm

Thanks for any help (and or re-direction to the correct post forum).

JohnG

Well the screw on design of the Sony wide angle lense is inconvenient if you take it off. I never do though. Sony also makes a hood just like the factory one only larger called the LSF-S58 for about $50 that fits right over the screw in Sony lense using the bayonet mount. If you're like me and leave the wide angle lense on constantly, it's really a convenient setup.

Getting back to the original question... regardless of the optical quality, the standard version of the PD-170 includes the Sony wide angle lens, so if you're buying one just be aware of this:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/DisplayModel?m=0&p=2&sp=11&id=71949
Wide conversion lens included as standard

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=296545&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
Item includes
DSR-PD170 3-CCD Mini DVCAM Camcorder
VCL-HG0758 Wide Angle Adapter

BTW, just looking on B&H's website I see that all their PD-170 packages are listed as out of stock. Hmm.....

Hey Folks,

I need some advice on a good wide angle lense for a good price. I will be using it to shoot various things but especially working accident scenes for training and development purposes. Thanks for your help.

Joe

This has been pretty thoroughly covered here, as well as other threads if you do a search

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=47930

Anything which works on the PD-170 will also work on the VX-2000

Thanks Boyd that is what I needed to know. Have a good one.

Hey All..

This may be a dumb question.. But I figure no question is dumb..

Regarding the PD-170 with it's standard lens and the Sony Wide Lens adapter it comes with. Is there any reason why I shouldn't just keep the wide lens on it 24x7? Do I lose anything by using the wide lens over the standard lens? If so, what are the pro's and con's to using the wide all the time?

Thanks

I know that some people do leave the wide lenses on all the time. I have that Sony wide lens for my VX-2000 and the image does seem very nice. However, any glass that you add in front of the builtin lens has to degrade the image somewhat. I think it will be more of an issue when you're shooting towards a light source because of internal reflections. Of course it's also big and heavy. Personally, I'd only put it on when you need it.

I leave my wide angle lens on pretty much all the time. It really makes sense to do this if your main thing is run and gun work. The stock lense simply isn't wide enough for this type of work. Not only can you get more in the shot, but handheld camera work is smoothed out as well. Think of this: if you are on a film set, walls are missing and you can get away from the action a little and still frame the shot. The audio boom guy will get the mic in close in spite of how far back the camera is. In a run and gun situation, there isn't room to get far enough back to frame a shot, and even if you could, you'd be to far away to get decent audio with the camera mic.

When I first started using the pd170 I kept the WA lens on all the time until I recorded an event and the focus looked soft when optically zoomed all the way in. So I stopped zooming in all the way to stop this and zoomed in only three quaters. Now when I do an event that will have full zoom I keep the WA lens off and the focus is perfect. In short I only use the WA lens when necessary otherwise I feel it compromises the zoom shot. It might compromise other aspects of the video as well.