Wide Angle Lens Converter for GL / XM

Joe Sacher · June 25th, 2003, 09:50 AM

Is that a 0.3x? Seems like it would get very fish eyed looking video if you have that wide of a lense on a GL2. Bottom line is if you are getting video that you like, it works for you.

David Woodland · June 25th, 2003, 11:10 AM

Yes, it is a .3x wide angle clip on lens by raynox. It seems to be getting good clips so I'm happy with it. Its just people were saying on this other skate related messageboard that the lens is horrible. Oh well, later on.

Luke Gates · July 1st, 2003, 08:14 AM

I also use the .3 raynox on my GL1 and I get great quality. Its not quite full fish-eye...maybe about say 150 degrees but it does the job for me. As you probably allready know its not a zoom through lens....after you zoom about 4x the focus drops. The clip on is nice becuase I have had several skateboards take it out and it just merely fell off. One hint that I would definitely do...there is a small hole on the lens...that is made to tie the lens to your camera. TRUST me this will save your fish-eye more than once. One more thing....there is some crazy lense flare when you are filming in the sun...be careful or you will get some whacky shots. Otherwise the clip on works just as good as the screw on. I have both and tend to use the clip on because its so easy to go long lense in a hurry. hope this helps

Tom Hardwick · July 1st, 2003, 02:03 PM

I was suspicious of the clip-on facility until I tried it. It may look ungainly but it shure holds on tight and the very best thing is the ease and *speed* of fitting and detaching the lens. This is an important aspect with any non zoom-through, and I think Raynox have a goodie here.

All the Raynox clip-ons have lots of barrel distortion though, and that's why I passed on owning one. Their 6600 PRO lens is so distortion free that I wonder why theu don't do a distortion-free single element aspheric in their line up. I'd certainly have one of those.

tom.

Luke Gates · July 1st, 2003, 06:55 PM

man oh man we seem to have similar products. I have the Raynox 6600 pro 52mm lens for my Nikon digital and it is great. And yes there is no noticeable barrel distortion.

The thing with the .3 raynox...its a semi-fisheye so barrel distortion is what we're looking for...........nearly every "line" done filming skateboarding, rollerblading, etc is done with a fish-eye. Granted most films use a 700 dollar century optics "death" lens. So the 100 dollar Raynox is an amazing fish-eye for the guy who just spent 1800-2500 on a GL1 or GL2.

David Woodland · July 1st, 2003, 11:05 PM

HEHE, that would be me. I just got 2 more clips tonight, they looked amazing.... what is barrel distortion? I'm still new to the lens department, thanks, later.

Alex Knappenberger · July 1st, 2003, 11:17 PM

Barrel distortion is the fisheye effect you see, the "bending" of the straight lines.

Ken Tanaka · July 1st, 2003, 11:18 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by David Woodland : ...what is barrel distortion? I'm still new to the lens department, thanks, later. -->>>

Image curvature typically most noticeable in vertical lines near the left and right edges of the frame.

Luke Gates · July 2nd, 2003, 03:14 AM

the easiest way to see barrel distortion is film a normal size doorway with the door open. get close enough so it fills the frame horizontally and you will see the sides of the doorway bow out quite a bit. Its what tends to make that 4 foot gap you are jumping with your rollerblades look to be about 8 feet. Proper filming also gives you that effect. Besides the fact that it makes a skate "line" look more stable...less camera shake, allows you to get closer, and allows you to not have be looking into LCD all the time, the fish-eye makes it much eaiser to make skating look good. Long lense is damn hard to perfect, but if you want to see an awesome video using a lot of long lense buy or download
Es' Menikmati....its great.

David Woodland · July 2nd, 2003, 06:39 PM

Is that a skateboarding video? I can't stand to watch skateboarding videos for some reason. Mainly because I'm a rollerblader and I gap 25 stair sets like nothing since ive been fruitbooting for almost 7 years. I know the tricks are hard on a board but I'd rather watch people put their life at risk while doing a sport. later.

Luke Gates · July 2nd, 2003, 08:57 PM

HAH...have you seen a skateBOARDING videos lately? They are throwing themselves down some crazy sets of stairs that would shake your lil' fruitboots right off you. And yes rollerblading is MUCH easier to begin with...just the basic gaps and handrails. But the stuff they are doing now...like crazy true-spin topside grinds and linking 2-3 grinds on one rail. Thats damn crazy. I have a few friends who do some stuff on rails that just blows my mind. And I respect that a lot more than when they just do a 3 down a huge set of stairs.

David Woodland · July 2nd, 2003, 10:08 PM

Switch ups are overated. I find myself doing new things people never think of. That is what seperates a person from the "trendy" side of any sport. Also, my sponsors are really appreciating the way I've been skating.

Harry Doyle · July 6th, 2003, 10:00 PM

i'm shooting my second skate video this year. last year i used a single chipper and the kenko .43x fisheye which worked great for $59USD. i also had the raynox clip on for 28-37mm lenses which i didn't care for much at all.

i got my gl2 this spring and picked up the raynox .3x MX3000 semi fisheye. this is certainly a functional lens, and despite the poor reviews on the skate boards (no pun intended), it works quite well. one common complaint with this lens is that the clip-on mechanism lets light in through a small gap between the fisheye and the camera's thread, causing some extra glare. i didn't find this to be a problem, and i didn't find glare from other light sources in my shots ruin shots terribly. with the lens clipped straight onto the gl2, i found it similar to around .4x. however i read that if you put two uv filters on your camera, and then the lens, you get a wider angle. i did this, and ended up with something pretty close to .3x with relatively little vignetting.

raynox also makes a death lens competitor (model DCRFE180PRO). the problem is that it isn't bayonet mount and it weighs almost twice as much as the death, which might be risky for your lens threads if you go running/skating around with it. and it costs 300-400 bucks, so you'd be better off to save for the century anyway.

i bit the bullet recently and bought the century optics .3x lens. it is definitely wider than the raynox with zero vignetting as well. i still have my mx3000 as a backup. maybe if i have some time this week i'll do some comparison photos.

harry

Bob Benkosky · July 7th, 2003, 12:29 AM

With all the lenses floating around including Canon's own WD-58H at .75x, which is not too fisheye looking, which other brnads are good without paying so much???

Does anyone know or even have a .50/.65/.75 wide angle lens they can recommend that doesn't xost as much as Canon's?

I've seen some on Ebays that include a macro lens on it to, which seems nice. I don't want a fisheye look, but I do like a nice wide screen. I assume that would be .65x or .75x lens rather than a .50x or .45x.

Give me all the info if you can. I am looking to buy one ASAP.

I do like Canon's lens, but it's a bit much, but I don't want a lens that makes everything look soft because it's junk either.

Luke Gates · July 7th, 2003, 06:04 AM

ya I bet ur sponsers like what you're doing...LOL.

anyway, Harry...you have any sample footage from your videos? I would like to see some of your stuff!

July 1st, 2003, 11:18 PM	#158
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	<<<-- Originally posted by David Woodland : ...what is barrel distortion? I'm still new to the lens department, thanks, later. -->>> Image curvature typically most noticeable in vertical lines near the left and right edges of the frame. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

July 7th, 2003, 12:29 AM	#164
Bob Benkosky Major Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Lake Park, Florida Posts: 202	Wide Angle lens selection question. With all the lenses floating around including Canon's own WD-58H at .75x, which is not too fisheye looking, which other brnads are good without paying so much??? Does anyone know or even have a .50/.65/.75 wide angle lens they can recommend that doesn't xost as much as Canon's? I've seen some on Ebays that include a macro lens on it to, which seems nice. I don't want a fisheye look, but I do like a nice wide screen. I assume that would be .65x or .75x lens rather than a .50x or .45x. Give me all the info if you can. I am looking to buy one ASAP. I do like Canon's lens, but it's a bit much, but I don't want a lens that makes everything look soft because it's junk either. __________________ http://www.veoh.com/channels/filmmaker My clips and films.

June 25th, 2003, 09:50 AM	#151
Joe Sacher Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 177	Is that a 0.3x? Seems like it would get very fish eyed looking video if you have that wide of a lense on a GL2. Bottom line is if you are getting video that you like, it works for you.

June 25th, 2003, 11:10 AM	#152
David Woodland Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ky Posts: 54	Yes, it is a .3x wide angle clip on lens by raynox. It seems to be getting good clips so I'm happy with it. Its just people were saying on this other skate related messageboard that the lens is horrible. Oh well, later on.

July 1st, 2003, 08:14 AM	#153
Luke Gates Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: new jersey Posts: 151	I also use the .3 raynox on my GL1 and I get great quality. Its not quite full fish-eye...maybe about say 150 degrees but it does the job for me. As you probably allready know its not a zoom through lens....after you zoom about 4x the focus drops. The clip on is nice becuase I have had several skateboards take it out and it just merely fell off. One hint that I would definitely do...there is a small hole on the lens...that is made to tie the lens to your camera. TRUST me this will save your fish-eye more than once. One more thing....there is some crazy lense flare when you are filming in the sun...be careful or you will get some whacky shots. Otherwise the clip on works just as good as the screw on. I have both and tend to use the clip on because its so easy to go long lense in a hurry. hope this helps

July 1st, 2003, 02:03 PM	#154
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	I was suspicious of the clip-on facility until I tried it. It may look ungainly but it shure holds on tight and the very best thing is the ease and speed of fitting and detaching the lens. This is an important aspect with any non zoom-through, and I think Raynox have a goodie here. All the Raynox clip-ons have lots of barrel distortion though, and that's why I passed on owning one. Their 6600 PRO lens is so distortion free that I wonder why theu don't do a distortion-free single element aspheric in their line up. I'd certainly have one of those. tom.

July 1st, 2003, 06:55 PM	#155
Luke Gates Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: new jersey Posts: 151	man oh man we seem to have similar products. I have the Raynox 6600 pro 52mm lens for my Nikon digital and it is great. And yes there is no noticeable barrel distortion. The thing with the .3 raynox...its a semi-fisheye so barrel distortion is what we're looking for...........nearly every "line" done filming skateboarding, rollerblading, etc is done with a fish-eye. Granted most films use a 700 dollar century optics "death" lens. So the 100 dollar Raynox is an amazing fish-eye for the guy who just spent 1800-2500 on a GL1 or GL2.

July 1st, 2003, 11:05 PM	#156
David Woodland Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ky Posts: 54	HEHE, that would be me. I just got 2 more clips tonight, they looked amazing.... what is barrel distortion? I'm still new to the lens department, thanks, later.

July 1st, 2003, 11:17 PM	#157
Alex Knappenberger High School Student Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Canton, Ohio, USA Posts: 609	Barrel distortion is the fisheye effect you see, the "bending" of the straight lines.

July 2nd, 2003, 03:14 AM	#159
Luke Gates Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: new jersey Posts: 151	the easiest way to see barrel distortion is film a normal size doorway with the door open. get close enough so it fills the frame horizontally and you will see the sides of the doorway bow out quite a bit. Its what tends to make that 4 foot gap you are jumping with your rollerblades look to be about 8 feet. Proper filming also gives you that effect. Besides the fact that it makes a skate "line" look more stable...less camera shake, allows you to get closer, and allows you to not have be looking into LCD all the time, the fish-eye makes it much eaiser to make skating look good. Long lense is damn hard to perfect, but if you want to see an awesome video using a lot of long lense buy or download Es' Menikmati....its great.

July 2nd, 2003, 06:39 PM	#160
David Woodland Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ky Posts: 54	Is that a skateboarding video? I can't stand to watch skateboarding videos for some reason. Mainly because I'm a rollerblader and I gap 25 stair sets like nothing since ive been fruitbooting for almost 7 years. I know the tricks are hard on a board but I'd rather watch people put their life at risk while doing a sport. later.

July 2nd, 2003, 08:57 PM	#161
Luke Gates Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: new jersey Posts: 151	HAH...have you seen a skateBOARDING videos lately? They are throwing themselves down some crazy sets of stairs that would shake your lil' fruitboots right off you. And yes rollerblading is MUCH easier to begin with...just the basic gaps and handrails. But the stuff they are doing now...like crazy true-spin topside grinds and linking 2-3 grinds on one rail. Thats damn crazy. I have a few friends who do some stuff on rails that just blows my mind. And I respect that a lot more than when they just do a 3 down a huge set of stairs.

July 2nd, 2003, 10:08 PM	#162
David Woodland Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ky Posts: 54	Switch ups are overated. I find myself doing new things people never think of. That is what seperates a person from the "trendy" side of any sport. Also, my sponsors are really appreciating the way I've been skating.

July 6th, 2003, 10:00 PM	#163
Harry Doyle Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sydney, NS, Canada Posts: 40	i'm shooting my second skate video this year. last year i used a single chipper and the kenko .43x fisheye which worked great for $59USD. i also had the raynox clip on for 28-37mm lenses which i didn't care for much at all. i got my gl2 this spring and picked up the raynox .3x MX3000 semi fisheye. this is certainly a functional lens, and despite the poor reviews on the skate boards (no pun intended), it works quite well. one common complaint with this lens is that the clip-on mechanism lets light in through a small gap between the fisheye and the camera's thread, causing some extra glare. i didn't find this to be a problem, and i didn't find glare from other light sources in my shots ruin shots terribly. with the lens clipped straight onto the gl2, i found it similar to around .4x. however i read that if you put two uv filters on your camera, and then the lens, you get a wider angle. i did this, and ended up with something pretty close to .3x with relatively little vignetting. raynox also makes a death lens competitor (model DCRFE180PRO). the problem is that it isn't bayonet mount and it weighs almost twice as much as the death, which might be risky for your lens threads if you go running/skating around with it. and it costs 300-400 bucks, so you'd be better off to save for the century anyway. i bit the bullet recently and bought the century optics .3x lens. it is definitely wider than the raynox with zero vignetting as well. i still have my mx3000 as a backup. maybe if i have some time this week i'll do some comparison photos. harry

July 7th, 2003, 06:04 AM	#165
Luke Gates Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: new jersey Posts: 151	ya I bet ur sponsers like what you're doing...LOL. anyway, Harry...you have any sample footage from your videos? I would like to see some of your stuff!