Apologies if I've missed a previous thread on this--I did look.

Is the filter set of the thread title suitable for HDV acquisition? My A1 came on Monday and I've stepped out of my element (DV) with this one. I'm unsure how the jump in resolution will affect which filters I can use. I'm assuming that any glass filter will be suitable, the train of thought being that they're used with film and digital SLRs, but I want to be sure before I start selecting--I've noticed that there are "HD Quality" wide angle adaptors available.

Are there "HD Quality" filters? Or am I right in thinking that any glass filter will do the trick?

(Also, if anyone wants to explain the difference between "HD Quality" wide angle adaptors and ones that aren't marked as same, I'm all ears. This would set my mind at rest. I would guess that they're just clearer and a better quality than the adaptors used for prosumer SD cameras, which don't need to be of the same standard due to the lesser resolution that can hide poorer quality optics.)

Excuse a naive question . . .

Apologies if I've missed a previous thread on this--I did look.


(Also, if anyone wants to explain the difference between "HD Quality" wide angle adaptors and ones that aren't marked as same, I'm all ears. This would set my mind at rest. I would guess that they're just clearer and a better quality than the adaptors used for prosumer SD cameras, which don't need to be of the same standard due to the lesser resolution that can hide poorer quality optics.)


Hi Nic. I moved to an A1 from an XL2, and modified my Century optics 0.7X adaptor to use with the A1. The bayonet design is very similar so the mod is quite simple.

Anyway, I ended up sellling the adaptor because it produced a blurry ring at the extreme left and right edges when shooting in full wide angle, which for me makes it quite worthless. I don't know if this is a SD/HD resolution issue, or because the A1 lens is wider than the XL2's to begin with, but now I would definitely hesitate to buy an adaptor that wasn't specifically targeted at the A1.

Richard

A wide angle adapter is one thing, and the one you have may not have been suited for 16:9 chips and the wider lens, giving you soft edges. But any good quality filter should be distortion free edge-to-edge. I've used Series 9 Tiffen filters on a wide range of video cameras as well as film cameras. The main thing is to avoid the cheapo filters. You get what you pay for.

Thanks for your answers. Would the Canon FS72U filter set constitute "cheapo" filters?

List price from B&H on that set is about $115. That's a little on the cheap side, but they're probably OK.