Adding lens to HF100?

[Floyd Thomas]

Hey guys. The HF100 is my first camcorder so I am new filming but I am looking to try to get the most of the camcorder. I have been looking at DOF adapters and everything, but I have noticed people talking about different lenses like Canon EF 50mm, 85mm etc. Could you add these to the HF100 by themselves, or are they more for use with a DOF adapter? but see, I am not even really sure what adding a lens would do and what the differences are between the numbers.

I appreciate any insight you guys can give me. Thanks.

[Bruce Foreman]

The lenses you mention are for the Canon DSLRs but are used on Depth Of Field adapters being used with camcorders to acheive a certain "look". Our consumer grade camcorders (and I work with a pair of HF100's so am not "talking down" when I mention comsumer grade) all have smaller sensors so the lenses on the camcorders tend to have very "deep" DOF.

Even when set for the larger (more open) apertures that on lenses for a larger format would tend to begin to result in "shallower" DOF (what you are focused on is sharp but not much else) our consumer grade camcorder lenses still show most everything sharp. So we often cannot easily isolate a subject by throwing the background quite out of focus.

Enter the DOF adapter. The image from one of the lenses you mentioned is formed on a ground glass (or other focusing screen media) in front of the camcorder lens. The DOF characteristics of the DOF adapter lens shows on that media, and the camcorder sees and records that image. This allows one to supposedly achieve a more "film like" result and many are do just that with this sort of setup.

My advice: Since you say you are new to film making hold off on the DOF adapter idea for a while so you can concentrate on mastering the HF100 and editing software to begin to achieve an end result you are somewhat satisfied with. Some degree of "selective focus" can be achieved by doing a few things in combination.

1. Use a neutral density filter to force the camcorder to open the iris more.
2. Use a greater shooting distance so you are using the telephoto end of your zoom. DOF tends to be shallower with longer lens "reach" when focused on say a person's head and shoulders. (You would also have to position a mic close to the person to get decent audio).

Accessories I found useful for my HF100:

37-52mm step up ring. Brings the filter size up to the diameter of the HF100 lens barrel.

52mm Multicoated UV filter. Kills most internal lens surface reflections from strong light hitting the front filter/lens surface, also protects lens surface and keeps dirt out. Provides mounting surface for lens hood in next line.

52mm Hama rectangular lens hood. Clamps onto the outer diameter of the 52mm UV filter.

Neutral density filter and circular polarizing filter both in 52mm.

Wide angle auxiliary lens either 0.7x or .5x with 52mm rear thread. Eventually you need a wide angle for filming in room interiors or other close in spaces. With 12x on the long end of the zoom you shouldn't need a tele adapter unless filming wildlife.

OK, why 52mm when the cam's filter thread is 37? 52mm is a more common accessory size. As mentioned above is is closer to the cam's barrel front end and makes attaching a tad easier. And the biggie: With the wide angle and tele lens adapters in 52mm they are larger than the 37mm size and as such will have the camcorder "seeing" through more of the central portion of each lens element. The center is where lenses are best corrected with most abberations, distortion, color fringing and other faults happening in the outer portions of lens element diameter.

By doing this I lucked out with fantastic sharpness and detail out of an "el cheapo" Digital Concepts 0.45x wide angle.

Hope this helps you get rolling.

[Wacharapong Chiowanich]

Agreed. Putting on a larger-diameter adapter on the camera is almost always a good thing as it utilize the better corrected central portion of the lens. But only if you can put up with the weight and the size, and often the cost. One thing you must be careful about is make sure that the step-up ring doesn't add too much space between the camera's lens and the rear element of the adapter. This is particularly important for any zoom-through wide angle adapter. If the adapter sits too far from the camera lens due to either a step-up ring or filter being put on, vignetting and some aberrations will be noticeable.

Wacharapong

[Larry Horwitz]

I also use this method with my HF100, specifically a Canon WDH43 .7X wide angle converter attached using a 37mm to 43mm step up ring to the HF100.

The camera is a big imbalanced with the extra weight on the front, but I normally use a tripod when doing wide angle shooting.

Larry

[Lorenzo Asso]

I would like to take WD-h43 for my canon HF100. My friend is selling it (he had it on his HV20). So it's enough i take an adpater ring from 37 to 43mm correct?
The AF will be ok?

I've seen on ebay also a kit of wide + tele that is very very cheap:

h**p://cgi.ebay.it/Camcorder-Objektiv-Konverter-fuer-Canon-TL-WD-H37-37-Neu_W0QQitemZ350109638504QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item350109638504&_trkparms=72%3A1385%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2% 7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

what do you think it's better I do? Is there a big dfference with canon original?

thanks in advance.

ciao!

[Larry Horwitz]

Lorenzo,

The autofocus works fine on the HF100 with the WDH43. You only need an adapter ring (37-43mm), which I purchased on eBay for $4.50. The picture quality is superb with sharp, crisp focus all the way to the very edges of the frame.

I would definitely NOT use a cheap eBay converter lens on the HF100. The ones I tried worked terribly with color fringing, dark corners, and poor focus.

Larry

[Lorenzo Asso]

Thank you very much Larry!!
I'll take the WDH43 from my friend!!
And i'll look for the adpater on ebay!

PS what about vignetting on the corner and the chromatic aberration with the wide lens mounted?

thank you again!

[Larry Horwitz]

Lorenzo,

None whatsoever!!

[Lorenzo Asso]

oooook Larry !!!! :-)

thank you again!

[Larry Horwitz]

You're welcome Lorenzo!

I am attaching a single frame from the HF100 with the WDH43 attached.

The single 1920 by 1080 frame was over 6 megabytes so I had to compress it to 250 KBytes with jpeg in order to attach it here. Although the overall image quality has much less detail, you will see that the extreme edges / corners have the same brightness and sharpness as the center of the image (and therefore no vignetting and no defocusing) and also that there is no chromatic abberation whatsoever visible.

Hope this helps you.

Best,

Lsrry

[Lorenzo Asso]

too much kind Larry! :-)
thank you very much.

it really seems a solid lens. nice!

PS you've only higher the jpeg compression to reduce its size and no other or you've also applied some USM ?

ciaooo!!!!!

[Larry Horwitz]

Lorenzo,

No unsharp mask or any other sharpening. Image is one single frame straight from HF100 video clip captured with Nero as a 6 MB bitmap, and compressed to 250 KB with no other changes.

Very glad to help and Ciaooo!!

Larry

[Lorenzo Asso]

perfetctly clear, thank you again!!

since we are speaking about an extra lens not "native", i think its crispness is really impressive.

now..i have to found some money to buy it... LOL :D

[Lorenzo Asso]

Hi Larry,

maybe i'll take WD-H37 (always original canon), 'cause i've found a very very nice price in ebay!

Since a i would like to use my 58mm polarizer, i'm looking for external diameter of this wide angle but i can't find anything. I believe it should be the same of WD-H43...Which is your diameter?
So, when i know it, i can look for an adapter, if i need...

many thanks in advance! :-)

ciao!!

[Larry Horwitz]

There are no filter threads on either the Canon WDH37 or WDH43 wide angle adapters.