I know this question has been well documented.. years ago.. but now there are lens sets for the xm2 (gm2) all over ebay.. mostly from usa. Basically you can buy the official canon xm2 lense from 90 to 200 quid.. or.. there are alternatives.. from 20 to 40 quid.. has anyone tried these cheaper alternatives? Have they genuinely came down in price or been copied.. or am i gonna have problems?

i.e. 58MM Wide Angle Lens +Macro 0.45x for Canon GL1,GL2,XM2 on eBay (end time 24-Mar-11 05:05:00 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/58MM-Wide-Angle-Lens-Macro-0-45x-Canon-GL1-GL2-XM2-/230480643929?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item35a9b78759)

My experience with photo lenses is that good glass is not cheap and cheap lenses are not good.

However, good is relative to you needs and expectations. For Joe or Jane Sixpack it may be adequate, but I would not count on it be adequate for serious use. $23 is not a lot of money, and if you can return it for a refund feel free to give it a try and let the rest of us know how it turned out.

I still have the SAME Canon WD glass. It's been screwed onto one of my XM2s since new - 9 years ago(?). Never let me down and I've made thousands of pounds shooting with it.

Grazie

Well... i got the cheapy... the result is... you can 'see' the lens through the samera when on wide :-( You can actually see the corners.. if you zoom in slightly you loose them but that kinda defeats the point... missed out on a genuine cannon one on ebay for £35 too which is a real shame... still... not picked up a camera in months now :-( its become more of a hobby than a business ambition these days.. too much faf on too many variables....