I ended up purchasing the century optics -58 model for the time being. As soon as I make some more money I plan on getting the Canon WD58H as well.

I'll probably be taking this lens off and putting it on a lot, so I was wondering if anyone here has tried getting a UV filter to snap onto the front of it.

I measured the internal diameter of the snap on plastic cover which came with the lens, and it was around 75mm, so I think a 77mm UV lens with a little gaffer's tape around the WA lens might fit on front snugly. Has anyone tried this?

I really want to protect the lens, I'm almost too paranoid to even use my camera until I can get some glass in front of it. The thought of a speck of dust or an accidental fingerprint on it is driving me crazy!

0.7X wide and filter in-between
 

Canon's 0.7X wide adaptor is not threaded on front, so whenever you need a filter, it has to be mounted on the 58mm filter between the lens. Now the question is, does this extra gap (thickness of the filter rim) affect optical quality no matter how minimal?
If the filter is a polarizer, how can you deal with it when the 0.7X hood comes in sight when you rotate the filter?

The reason why many wide angle adaptors don't come with filter threads in the front is because the adaptor makers know that most people know that filters cause vignetting on wide angle adaptors, or at least on "their" wide angle adapotors. :-))

But most people want the thread option anyway, so some makers do put on the threads. With threads, you can also screw on a hood, instead of being clamped on.

It's not a good idea to stick a filter in-between the cam's lens and adaptor.

So what should I do?
I have already bought the Canon 0.7X wide adaptor for my XM2. Will a matte box solve the problem whenever a polarizer is needed with wide adaptor on? Or if there is any alternatives?
Appreciate any advices!!

Get a matte box. Cokin might be the way to go because:

1) They work
2) They're inexpensive

Just to backup Franks recommendation. I put a filter between my old GL2 and the WD-58H, which ended up crossthreading on the wide angle. I finally got it off, but the threads on the wide angle were ruined.

Apart from possible crossthreading, which can be avoided with care, does anyone know of an optical reason why not to put a filter between the wide angle and the standard lens? I have the same setup and I don't want the bother of taking the UV filter off the camera lens every time I want to use the wideangle

Opteka Wide Angle Lens on GL2
 

I recently purchased a cheap kit with opteka wide angle and telephoto lenses and filter kit.

When I use the wide angle lens on the GL2 and it is zoomed out all the way, I can see the circle of the lens adapter on the frame? I figure this is because its a cheap lens, but I though I'd get everyone's opinion.

Is the lens a dead weight? If so, is the Canon WD-58 worth the money? Is this problem what everyone keeps talking about called vignetting?

You can download a screen shot taken with the lens on to see what I'm talking about:

http://homepage.mac.com/cwright3/FileSharing20.html

Thanks!

First of all, that's a lot of baseballs and one sleepy cat.

Now, first of all, regarding the WD-50H (which I use), I don't see any of the lens when at full wide angle. If I did, I wouldn't be happy, because there's little point in purchasing a wide-angle lens that you can use when in the full wide-angle position. Sometimes, however, I can see a little of the lens edges, but this is never visible inside the 'TV-safe' area that you will see on your TV.

Secondly, this is NOT vignetting, which is a pattern on your video caused by filters (usually) that are not being used properly.

Chris,
Are you sure you're seeing the Opteka's edges or could you actually be using, and seeing, your normal GL2 lens hood?

Hoods for wide-angle lenses must be shaped differently than for normal lens ranges. The hood on the WD58H is a good example, with cut-outs along the left and right edges.

I tried using the wide angle lens again without any lens hood at all, and still had the same problem, so it must be the opteka lens.

However, this "effect" disappears once I'm zoomed in about halfway. I guess its just a bad lens

Does your lens have a macro, I just got a century fisheye for my GL2 and I will throw some impressions in this thread. BTW just how wide is your lens?

The label on the lens is: "Digital Super Wide 0.5X AF Precision Optics" and apparently has a macro because it says "macro" in big red letters on it :)

This is NOT a fisheye lens... just a 0.5X wide angle

thanks for your help!

Are you sure you weren't in a submarine?
(sorry, slow shift at work, couldn't help it)

Any chance at a refund on the lens?

well the unit is brand new, but I bought it as part of a GL2 accessory kit on eBay from a store called 47st. Photo.

The whole kit was pretty cheap, so I wouldnt be surprised if this problem is just because they sent me a cheap lens. I'll send the store an email anyway and see what they say

Chris,
Yours is not atypical of a common problem video newcomers encounter: buying photo accessories for video cameras. I am not familiar, indeed I've never heard of, an "Opteka" lens. But there are dozens of accessory lenses and kits commonly sold by photo operations-turned-video-outlets. 47th Street Photo has been in the mail order business since Lincoln was shot (or at least its seems so). Over the years they have expanded into selling you-name-it but their heritage is deeply in still photography. So I would not be surprised to find that them inappropriately hawking photo accessories for video cameras.

I suspect that your wide angle adapter would work fine if mounted to a still camera lens that does not have a wider focal length than 50mm. But since the GL2's lens can pull out a bit wider, the Opteka's physical design is too thick to prevent its rim from encroaching.

That's part of why video-specific adapters like Canon's WD58H and Century's products are worth their prices. They're designed to be mounted on typical video camera zoom lenses.

I suggest trying to exchange the Opteka, although I'd be very surprised if 47th cooperates nicely.

Wide Angle & Tele Lens
 

I'm new to the forum and to the videography business. I'm still in the process of acquiring equipment and have many questions. This forum has been very helpful!
I'm looking for a wide angle lens for my GL2 and am considering the Canon WD-58 adapter vs Century Optics .65. I'll be doing weddings and other events. I'm also looking at the Century Optics 2X Tele Converter as I plan to do some sporting events.
Any feedback on these items would be appreciated!
Also, has anyone had any problems getting their rebate from Canon for their GL2? I'm considering a second GL2 but I'm really peeved with them now (6 months and I'm still waiting)!

Welcome aboard, and where the heck is Lutz? hehe...

As far as your wide angle, the WD 58 would be easier on the wallet, but most will tell you that Century is better. How much better? I don't know, but you can do a search for them at the top of the page, and find threads related to them.

As far as rebates, as a general rule, I avoid them. Sometimes they show, a lot of times they don't. I got mine from Canon after several months... after I had given up on it.

Thanks for your quick reponse! After searching, I'll most likely go with the Canon lens for wide angle. I'm still not sure about the tele or wether I need one or not.
By the way, beautiful, downtown Lutz is close to Tampa (Go Lightning!!).

I think I may have been there once... when I was lost on the west coast. That happens to me a lot ;)

Try doing a broader search here for your w/a... There have been a few brands recommended that are a little less than the WD58.

By the way... If that GL2 is like my GL1, you'll want the tele too. I just bought a cheapie off ebay, and hope to get it soon. I'll let y'all know how it works out.

wide lens GL2
 

i want a wide lens attachment that is not costly. i found one that is 58mm, but it wasn't recomended for the GL2. would any 58mm fit? also would anyone suggest a certain one that won't break the bank? thanks.

If the lens you are looking at is for a still camera, it probably won't work. Look around for a used WD58- They can be found for around $100 to $130.

Using the Wide Angle Lens all the time?
 

I am just wondering how many people use the Canon wide angle lens on their GL2 all the time?
I am getting sick of taking it on and off all the time and would rather just leave it on.

So I guess I am asking if you are in a situation where you really don't need the Wide angle, do you take it off? or just leave it on for simplicity sake?

Thanks for your input.

My WD58H is a permanent attachment to the camera. I can't remember when I last removed it.

Well seeing as I'm not shooting all day, everyday I probably don't get as annoyed as others, but I remove mine. I don't like the barell distortion that's obvious when looking at things like doorways.


Aaron

Jeff,

I shoot with the WD58H attached all the time as it gives me shots that I would otherwise not achieve.

I use mine all the time. As for barrel distortion, you should zoom in a bit to lose it. You'll end up with the same shot as if you'd taken the lens off...

Robin.

Using zoom with WD58H
 

Hi everyone!

I got my WD58H to day and I'm planing to leave it on permanent. But I'm conserned about quality loss when using zoom. Will the WD58H influence the images when I use zoom ?


Vidar

Is 0.5x Wide Angle too much?
 

Hi,
I´m in the process of buying a wide angle adaptor form my XM2.

I´m trying to decide if I should go for 0.7x or 0.5x.

I will be using it for fiction on small spaces, and events, mainly on-stage concert shooting.

Unfortunately around here, I can´t find anything in between these two sizes.

I know the 0.5x will be fine for the concerts, but I´m a bit scared that it will be too much "angle" for fiction.

What do you think?

Yes on certrain shots with a .5x you will probably see some vignetting. Might not be obvious in some places but it'll be there. Just depends how important that exra reach is to you. A .7 should not have this problem

Federico - I highly recommend canon's WD-58h. If you research around the forums a bit you'll see that this is a highly revered option for the GL1/2 and the XM1/2. I can recommend it myself - I shoot almost enitrely with the adapter on my GL1 and have been extremely pleased. Minimal distortion, considerable wide angle of view, and moderately priced - it's just a good mix.

I´d love to get the Canon... but unfortunately, this item is almost impossible to find here, and where available it goes for more than 300 Euros.. which is way too much for me right now.

Right now I can´t afford that, and I need It NOW.. so I´m looking into the few available options...
Which are very few.. and then I´ll upgrade when possible.

Anyway, I thought of getting the Raynox .65X but not available either, so I´m left with a .50 and a .70 and some hama but it has a 56mm thread diameter.

I don´t care too much about the vigneting, for the concerts I shoot I know it´s not a problem.. and for fiction I´ll be cropping for wide screen.

What worries me is that the barrel distortion will give me an excesive look for the fiction..

Wide angle and light question
 

I need to buy a wide angle lens for my GL2 I already have the Century Optics Fisheye, but need something with no distortion. I film houses and need the widest angle possible without any distortion. Also I would like input on these cheap wide angle off eBay. My house tours are put on the internet, and are compressed a lot, so do I need to spend the money on the name brand? Some of these on eBay are going from $30-80.

Also I need a good light, I have a NGR that screws onto my camera, but it's only 50w (non-adjustable), I need something brighter that is going to light up a room (much more watts), and would also like it to be adjustable. Right now I'm using a shop light; it's working great but it a pain to take around and slows my shooting down. I would like to just hook it on my camera and move from room to room.

Thanks for the help.

The WD-58H is the best deal and perhaps best performer for a wide-angle, sub-fish-eye adapter. It's very good glass at a very modest price. Frankly, it's a crime to put cheap, slow glass full of aberrations in front of the GL2's outstanding lens. It basically degrades the entire camera.

Go over to the "Photon" forum for input on lights. You'll find a substantial body of information on the subject there.

Buyer Beware
 

If you consider how much the WD-58H sells for (not to mention any of the Century Optics lenses), I wouldn't think anything that sells for in the price range you described would be worth purchasing.

Just my 2 cents worth.


Regards,

Rocky

Microphone and wide angel lens?
 

First of all i just want to apologize if the things i ask has already been talked about a million times (And that my english sucks! :D )

I bought a GL2 cam a few weeks ago (actually a XM2, i live in Sweden) Anyway, i´ve realized that i need:
1) A microphone
2) A wide angel lens

I want a small microphone that works great when shooting documentarys (you know like following a guy and interviewing him while his walking around in a mall or something)
I´ll be handling all things on my own (no crew) and there fore i want a microphone that i just can attatch to the cam and then know that it will be a good sound. No fuzz!
I´ve been suggested to buy the Sennheiser MKE-300 but i think it´s to big! I need a smaller one...

The wide angel lens i just want one thats good but costs a litter less. I don´t really want to spend all that money that the WD-58H costs.

Would be great if you could help me, and perhaps give me a suggestion or two about other things that would be great to have with my cam.
Thanks!

Hey Oskar,

Your English is fine!

I just picked up a used Canon WD-58 on Ebay for $100. It didn't come with the lens hood, but I can spend the money on that one when and if I ever need it. I have seen them sell there for even less.

There are other manufacturers of accessory lenses for these cameras, but many of them are not as good as the Canon, and you will see the difference in your footage.

Regarding microphones, there are no easy answers. I have an Azden SGM-1x shotgun, which works pretty well. Not perfect at all, but I always seem to think that there is a better solution than I have to use at the moment.

The Sennheiser is another moderately priced shotgun, which I haven't used, but I assume its going to give similar results. I expect that a shotgun mic is the best solution for the situation you described. These microphones need to be pretty long. You can probably find a smaller one than the MKE-300, but keep in mind that they make them in that shape and size for a good reason.

I have recently been shooting a documentary in which the interviewer has been holding a Shure SM-58 vocal mic, and mixing that with my Azden Shotgun for ambient sound. The difference in sound quality is HUGE, versus just using the shotgun!

I can only assume that a really expensive shotgun is going to give you better results than these ones. Maybe a really expensive one would be smaller. I haven't used them, so I can't give you specific advice.

Good luck!

Thanks for your answer!

Oh, i forgot to say that i would prefer a microphone with mini-tele so i don´t need to buy that XLR-thing also!

How about the Sony ECM-MS908? Or will that be worthless for me?

My personal opinion is that it is better to go with an XLR microphone, so when you expand to two microphones, connect to a mixer, etc. in the future, it will still be usable. You will definitely need to have an adapter to connect the XLR to the camera. You can go with the box that Canon makes (MA-300, which uses up the hot shoe on top of the camera), the nice Beachtek adapter (which I am sorry I didn't know about before I bought the MA-300), or get a cable converter from XLR to 3.5mm. Shure makes one - the A96F. This was all well discussed in the Audio section several months back.

Look at the following thread...

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22353

Yeah a cable converter from XLR to 3.5mm would be a solution...So now when i got the cable, all i need is the microphone... :D