Wide Angleness

[Dave Robinson]

Hey all,

I need wide angle, I currently use the standard 16X lens on my XL1 and I'm gonna need wide angle for an upcoming project. I have a question.

Am I better getting the 3X wide angle lens or a wide angle adaptor for my current lens? I'm not overly keen on swapping out lenses and exposing all the delicate looking gubbins inside the camera body to the elements while doing it so I figure an adaptor is the safer option but are there any adaptors that can achieve the same wide angleness as the true wide angle lens?

Ta

Dave

[Don Palomaki]

The Canon 3x zoom lens is probably your best bet for image quality, but not cheap.

A number of folks like the Century 0.65x, it is partial zoom through for about half the zoom range. I have used it with satisfactory results.

I suspect the newish Canon 0.8x (WD-H72) introduced for the XH-A1 series would work well on the XL1, but have not tried it.

[Jean-Philippe Archibald]

I have extensive experience with the 3X lens, the century 0.65x and the red eye HDV .7x adapter.

Like Don said, the 3X is the best quality-wise.

I don't really like the century (or other adapter) because of their size and weight. The XL serie cameras are already front heavy. And since it si bayonet mount, you can only use it on one partuliar lens.

Teh red eye is the best compromise IMO. It is filter sized, weight about nothing, you screw it in front of the lens like any other filter. The Quality is great, even less distortion than the century one (but more than the 3x lens). Might be a bit more expensive than the century adapter but a lot less than the 3X

I purshased it because I was looking for a wide angle solution that would be working on both the standard lens and the manual one. I don't regret it.

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Jean-Philippe Archibald

I have extensive experience with the 3X lens, the century 0.65x and the red eye HDV .7x adapter.

Like Don said, the 3X is the best quality-wise.

I don't really like the century (or other adapter) because of their size and weight. The XL serie cameras are already front heavy. And since it si bayonet mount, you can only use it on one partuliar lens.

Teh red eye is the best compromise IMO. It is filter sized, weight about nothing, you screw it in front of the lens like any other filter. The Quality is great, even less distortion than the century one (but more than the 3x lens). Might be a bit more expensive than the century adapter but a lot less than the 3X

I purshased it because I was looking for a wide angle solution that would be working on both the standard lens and the manual one. I don't regret it.

Our .6x weighs in at just 10oz. You might want to give that a good look over. Our zoom through converters are quite heavy because they use quality optics and all that glass weighs a lot.

http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecomm...=1385&IID=6219

Ryan Avery
Regional Sales Representative
Schneider Optics

[Jean-Philippe Archibald]

Hi Ryan,

I am not saying that your product isn't good. I have used it a lot and I know that it's a great tool.

I only wanted to put forward a good alternative. The red eye lens weight is only 3.5 oz and since it is thread, we can use it on any XL lenses, and even on other cammeras. Sure, it has drawbacks. It is only .7x and non zoom through (the century non zoom through is .6x).

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Jean-Philippe Archibald

Hi Ryan,

I am not saying that your product isn't good. I have used it a lot and I know that it's a great tool.

I only wanted to put forward a good alternative. The red eye lens weight is only 3.5 oz and since it is thread, we can use it on any XL lenses, and even on other cammeras. Sure, it has drawbacks. It is only .7x and non zoom through (the century non zoom through is .6x).

I suspect that most of the weight loss on the red eye lens is from the mounting system. We use a lock ring made from high quality aluminium and therefore weighs more.

I do not question your opinion of Century products as I understood your answer to be a critique of overall weight. I would like every one to understand the exact spec and make the decision based on facts.

Good job pointing out the alternatives. Its all about choices anyway.

Ryan Avery
Regional Sales Representative
Schneider Optics

[Don Palomaki]

Ryan.

I note that the bayonet mount on the 72mm 0.6x for the XL/XH has changed somewhat from the mount used with the original 0.6x for the XL1.

Was the any change in the glass, or just a mount change? (BTW, the image on the web site does not match the drawing.)

[Mike Teutsch]

The 3x Canon lens is your best bet.

m

[Don Palomaki]

Wonder how the Canon 6x XL wide angle lens produced with the XL-H1 in mind would work on the XL-1?

It is not cheap and probably optical overkill to say the least, but would carry forward further into the future.

[Ryan Avery]

Originally Posted by Don Palomaki

Ryan.

I note that the bayonet mount on the 72mm 0.6x for the XL/XH has changed somewhat from the mount used with the original 0.6x for the XL1.

Was the any change in the glass, or just a mount change? (BTW, the image on the web site does not match the drawing.)

Don,

There was no change in the optical design. The mount was changed so that the element sat farther back from the front element of the lens. The XL1 .6 design caused the two elements to touch on the newer cameras.

The picture is of the old design and the new design is in the drawing. We need to update the photo. The new design can also accept our wide angle shade which also accepts a 4x4 filter holder.

http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecomm...=1080&IID=1341

Ryan Avery
Schneider Optics

[Mike Teutsch]

Originally Posted by Don Palomaki

Wonder how the Canon 6x XL wide angle lens produced with the XL-H1 in mind would work on the XL-1?

It is not cheap and probably optical overkill to say the least, but would carry forward further into the future.

It would probably work just fine, but at 5 times the cost and no image improvement.

M

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

The Optex .7X wide lens is very good and quite sharp when used with the Canon 16X AF, 16X MF and 20X AF lenses, although it is very difficult to find decent hoods etc to prevent stray light on the very large front glass, and also no front filter thread. I eventually sold it.

The Red Eye lenses are, as already pointed out, extremely good and I have used the .5X and .7X, and latest .7X HDV. The Red Eye .7X HDV is the best glass (although now I only own the normal .5X and 72 mm Red Eye Aspheric DV.7x since the 72 mm Red Eye Fx HDV .7x was stolen in Spain).

For more information go to:

http://www.collinscraft.com/

I also own the Canon AF 3X lens (I've owned two after one was stolen in Spain and was replaced with a new one). This lens is very good, and although I don't think it handles as well as the 20X lens I do use it a lot because it works very well with a polarizer filter on the front for outdoor wide work on the XL2 body.