Canon 3x wide angle lens

Chris Hurd · August 16th, 2005, 11:28 AM

Quote:

he changes lenses regularly without switching off his camera and has had no propblems.

Regardless, the owner's manual recommends against this practice, therefore DV Info Net recommends against it as well.

Sid Ahmed · August 26th, 2005, 05:03 AM

Hello folks ,
i`m intersted to buy a canon 3x wide lens , and i would be greatful if someone show me where i can find a clips shot with this lens on the web.
thanxx.

Chris Hurd · August 26th, 2005, 08:00 AM

See these pages:

http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article10.php

and:

http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article38.php

Those are still images, not video clips, but they give you an idea of the 3x field of view.

Ash Greyson · August 26th, 2005, 11:37 AM

The 3X lens is a quantum leap up from any adapter. I highly recommend it...

ash =o)

Sid Ahmed · August 27th, 2005, 07:41 AM

thanx Chris and Ash :)

Per Oellgaard · October 23rd, 2005, 12:19 PM

my 3x wideangle lens suddently stopped working. I can´t zoom ind and out and the manual focus doesn´t work either. It seems as there are no contact to the camera. The original 20x zoom works OK.
Can anybody tell me what to do?
Thank You.
Per

Ash Greyson · October 23rd, 2005, 01:06 PM

Prolly a blown fuse, have to have it serviced... this can happen randomly but is usually do to removing or placing the lens while the camera is on.

ash =o)

Per Oellgaard · October 25th, 2005, 08:40 AM

Thank You for a fast answer.
My lens is sent to the servicecenter.
Per

October 31st, 2005, 04:05 PM

I'm planning on purchasing the Canon 3x lens. BUT, the main reason I'm doing so is to allow me to film someone in front of a greenscreen. I need to be able to film the person in front of the greenscreen from head to toe with a little bit of space for walking two to three paces in any direction.

My reason for wanting to buy the 3x is to reduce the amount of space that I need to have from the front of the camera to the person. Right now with my 20x stock lens, it's exactly 13 feet.

Could anyone tell me from your experience with the 3x lens what distance the above could be reduced to?

I'd hate to buy the $1,200 lens and it not accomplish my goal.

Douglas Joseph · October 31st, 2005, 04:36 PM

I own the Canon 3x wide lens, but I don't have an answer for your question right now; I'll try to have one later, though. Thus far, the Canon 3x wide lens has done everything I've wanted it to. It really has provided me some beautiful wide angle shots. It also does a great job reducing shake, compared to the 20x opitcal zoom lens. But I highly doubt you'll regret paying the cost, it's well worth it.

October 31st, 2005, 06:45 PM

Thanks Douglas,

I appreciate the offer. I have not had any luck with finding a place that rents the Canon 3x. Otherwise, I'd be happy to just rent one for the day to try it out.

The distance from my XL2 to the area where I'd like to put/build the greenscreen is 13ft. But with the 13ft, I have no room to step forward at all, let alone two to three paces forward.

I'm sure you are right though about not regretting the purchase, even if it does not work. I'm sure it's a great lens!

A. J. deLange · October 31st, 2005, 09:58 PM

Easily done. The 20x lens has a minimum focal length of 5.4 mm and the 3X 3.4 mm. Thus the same size image obtained at 15 feet with the 20X will be gotten at 15 x 3.4/5.4 = 9.44 feet.

November 1st, 2005, 07:25 AM

Thanks A.J. -

Using the formula you provided above, 13 feet would be slightly over 8 feet. That's good news for my project... bad news for my checking account.

[I had originally posted 15 feet in my question, but was able to measure it later for the true number of 13 feet]

Jeff McElroy · November 8th, 2005, 05:34 PM

Hello, my name is Jeff McElroy, and I am an aspiring entrepreneurial indi filmmaker / high school senior.

I just got my XL2 kit a few weeks ago and I am the happiest kid in the county.
I am in a bit of a spot however; I am financially dependent on my parents… and beggars can’t be choosers, if you know what I mean. I made it clear before the purchase that the accessories were going to cost about 1/3 of what we spent on the camera itself. With that harsh reality noted, I need to be highly specified in what I need, as not to spend money on unnecessary products.

Never passing up the chance for capturing antiquity, I have already gone and done three stupid things with my baby:

a) I filmed Hurricane Wilma out of an open 2nd story window…

b) I was knocked into by a 300 pound football player while filming a game on the sidelines, and finally…

c) I agreed to a documentation job that just so happens to be set in my worst nightmare:
a dusty, greasy, smoke-filled hazy car garage.

In this third little project, I quickly discovered that my 20x lens fails miserably with tight interior shots. The car is completed around Christmas, and I am documenting conceptualization, construction, and the capabilities of the finished product. Kind of like those awful biker building shows on Discovery HD (American chopper, etc), only this wont suck.

To get to the point… I need to get a wide lens.
I am debating weather or not to achieve these kinds of shots via an EF adapter and suitable lens, in lieu of the big 3x one that screws straight into the body (which I cant afford right now).

Would that be cheaper than simply buying the 3x, or even an adequate substitute? I don’t want any fisheye or distorting effect* or anything like that.
*I am aware of the given focal length distortion, but am not sure if it will screw up what I am trying to do here.

I absolutely need to find a solution before this Christmas, as I will then be shooting interior shots of the very small vehicle.
I have no intention shooting anything with a telephoto lens, so I don’t know how practical it would be for my purposes to invest in the EF route. If this is not a good idea anyway, are there any other solutions to this problem of not being able to get wide shots?

I am sorry if this is a stupid question, but I am sorta’ young and I need help.
Understand that I am kind of limited due to my young age, disheveled priorities, and available resources, but my spirit is certainly very willing to accomplish great things cinematically!

Richard Hunter · November 8th, 2005, 06:52 PM

Hi Jeff. Rest assured, you are not the first to feel the need for a wider lens on the XL2!

You basically have 2 choices, the 3X Canon lens or a wide angle converter. The EF adaptor doesn't work for you because all EF lenses become mega telephoto when fitted to the XL2 (due to the sensor size being so much smaller than a 35mm film image).

If you can live without the 20X zoom range, your best option is the 3X lens. From the way you describe the project, this sounds like the way to go.

Alternatives are the 0.7X and 0.6X converters from Century Optics. These allow you to retain more zoom range than the 3X lens (the 0.6X is not zoom-through however) but reduce image quality a bit and add a lot of weight to a camera that is already front heavy (no big deal if you are using a tripod though).

Richard

August 26th, 2005, 05:03 AM	#182
Sid Ahmed New Boot Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 11	3x wide lenses clips Hello folks , i`m intersted to buy a canon 3x wide lens , and i would be greatful if someone show me where i can find a clips shot with this lens on the web. thanxx.

August 26th, 2005, 08:00 AM	#183
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	See these pages: http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article10.php and: http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/articles/article38.php Those are still images, not video clips, but they give you an idea of the 3x field of view. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

October 23rd, 2005, 12:19 PM	#186
Per Oellgaard New Boot Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Denmark Posts: 9	Problems with 3x wide angle lens my 3x wideangle lens suddently stopped working. I can´t zoom ind and out and the manual focus doesn´t work either. It seems as there are no contact to the camera. The original 20x zoom works OK. Can anybody tell me what to do? Thank You. Per

October 31st, 2005, 04:05 PM	#189
Guest Posts: n/a	Canon 3x Lens - Distance to View Entire Person? I'm planning on purchasing the Canon 3x lens. BUT, the main reason I'm doing so is to allow me to film someone in front of a greenscreen. I need to be able to film the person in front of the greenscreen from head to toe with a little bit of space for walking two to three paces in any direction. My reason for wanting to buy the 3x is to reduce the amount of space that I need to have from the front of the camera to the person. Right now with my 20x stock lens, it's exactly 13 feet. Could anyone tell me from your experience with the 3x lens what distance the above could be reduced to? I'd hate to buy the $1,200 lens and it not accomplish my goal. Last edited by Guest; November 1st, 2005 at 07:21 AM.

October 31st, 2005, 06:45 PM	#191
Guest Posts: n/a	Thanks Douglas, I appreciate the offer. I have not had any luck with finding a place that rents the Canon 3x. Otherwise, I'd be happy to just rent one for the day to try it out. The distance from my XL2 to the area where I'd like to put/build the greenscreen is 13ft. But with the 13ft, I have no room to step forward at all, let alone two to three paces forward. I'm sure you are right though about not regretting the purchase, even if it does not work. I'm sure it's a great lens! Last edited by Guest; November 1st, 2005 at 07:22 AM.

August 26th, 2005, 11:37 AM	#184
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	The 3X lens is a quantum leap up from any adapter. I highly recommend it... ash =o)

August 27th, 2005, 07:41 AM	#185
Sid Ahmed New Boot Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 11	thanx Chris and Ash :)

October 23rd, 2005, 01:06 PM	#187
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	Prolly a blown fuse, have to have it serviced... this can happen randomly but is usually do to removing or placing the lens while the camera is on. ash =o)

October 25th, 2005, 08:40 AM	#188
Per Oellgaard New Boot Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Denmark Posts: 9	Thank You for a fast answer. My lens is sent to the servicecenter. Per

October 31st, 2005, 04:36 PM	#190
Douglas Joseph Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Zanesville OH Posts: 205	I own the Canon 3x wide lens, but I don't have an answer for your question right now; I'll try to have one later, though. Thus far, the Canon 3x wide lens has done everything I've wanted it to. It really has provided me some beautiful wide angle shots. It also does a great job reducing shake, compared to the 20x opitcal zoom lens. But I highly doubt you'll regret paying the cost, it's well worth it.

October 31st, 2005, 09:58 PM	#192
A. J. deLange Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: McLean, VA United States Posts: 749	Easily done. The 20x lens has a minimum focal length of 5.4 mm and the 3X 3.4 mm. Thus the same size image obtained at 15 feet with the 20X will be gotten at 15 x 3.4/5.4 = 9.44 feet.

November 1st, 2005, 07:25 AM	#193
Guest Posts: n/a	Thanks A.J. - Using the formula you provided above, 13 feet would be slightly over 8 feet. That's good news for my project... bad news for my checking account. [I had originally posted 15 feet in my question, but was able to measure it later for the true number of 13 feet]

November 8th, 2005, 05:34 PM	#194
Jeff McElroy Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 91	getting the wide shot Hello, my name is Jeff McElroy, and I am an aspiring entrepreneurial indi filmmaker / high school senior. I just got my XL2 kit a few weeks ago and I am the happiest kid in the county. I am in a bit of a spot however; I am financially dependent on my parents… and beggars can’t be choosers, if you know what I mean. I made it clear before the purchase that the accessories were going to cost about 1/3 of what we spent on the camera itself. With that harsh reality noted, I need to be highly specified in what I need, as not to spend money on unnecessary products. Never passing up the chance for capturing antiquity, I have already gone and done three stupid things with my baby: a) I filmed Hurricane Wilma out of an open 2nd story window… b) I was knocked into by a 300 pound football player while filming a game on the sidelines, and finally… c) I agreed to a documentation job that just so happens to be set in my worst nightmare: a dusty, greasy, smoke-filled hazy car garage. In this third little project, I quickly discovered that my 20x lens fails miserably with tight interior shots. The car is completed around Christmas, and I am documenting conceptualization, construction, and the capabilities of the finished product. Kind of like those awful biker building shows on Discovery HD (American chopper, etc), only this wont suck. To get to the point… I need to get a wide lens. I am debating weather or not to achieve these kinds of shots via an EF adapter and suitable lens, in lieu of the big 3x one that screws straight into the body (which I cant afford right now). Would that be cheaper than simply buying the 3x, or even an adequate substitute? I don’t want any fisheye or distorting effect* or anything like that. *I am aware of the given focal length distortion, but am not sure if it will screw up what I am trying to do here. I absolutely need to find a solution before this Christmas, as I will then be shooting interior shots of the very small vehicle. I have no intention shooting anything with a telephoto lens, so I don’t know how practical it would be for my purposes to invest in the EF route. If this is not a good idea anyway, are there any other solutions to this problem of not being able to get wide shots? I am sorry if this is a stupid question, but I am sorta’ young and I need help. Understand that I am kind of limited due to my young age, disheveled priorities, and available resources, but my spirit is certainly very willing to accomplish great things cinematically!

November 8th, 2005, 06:52 PM	#195
Richard Hunter Trustee Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Lipa City Batangas, Philippines Posts: 1,110	Hi Jeff. Rest assured, you are not the first to feel the need for a wider lens on the XL2! You basically have 2 choices, the 3X Canon lens or a wide angle converter. The EF adaptor doesn't work for you because all EF lenses become mega telephoto when fitted to the XL2 (due to the sensor size being so much smaller than a 35mm film image). If you can live without the 20X zoom range, your best option is the 3X lens. From the way you describe the project, this sounds like the way to go. Alternatives are the 0.7X and 0.6X converters from Century Optics. These allow you to retain more zoom range than the 3X lens (the 0.6X is not zoom-through however) but reduce image quality a bit and add a lot of weight to a camera that is already front heavy (no big deal if you are using a tripod though). Richard