Canon 3x wide angle lens questions

Jeff Donald · May 21st, 2003, 08:41 AM

If you can afford the lens, by all means, get it. It will provide the best wide angle shots for the XL1. It's as good as it gets, provided you understand the limitations outlined above. The 0.7 is a more affordable substitute but is not as sharp as the 3X WA. It also is not as well corrected and shows more barrel distortion.

Chris Ferrer · May 30th, 2003, 09:24 PM

thanks for everyones advice! I was looking back into my days of schooling in photography where you could easily stop down to create greater DOF... that didnt necessarily give me the result I was looking for and instantly went to blame it on the new lens. However, my last shoot I did try shooting a mid-range aperature and concetrated more on the focusing and got some nice results back. BUT, I still stand by my guns when I say this lens is much more difficult to focus then the standard 16x is. I am hoping a new viewfinder down the road will help remedy that.

So now I feel much better about my $1200 purchase! I would not have been able to get the shots I did if it wasnt for this lens!

thanks guys,

Chris

Dean Sensui · June 6th, 2003, 04:32 AM

Hi Chris...

I use a Century 0.7 WA adapter and have it mounted on my 16x lens almost full-time. A lot of the shooting I do is at close range and I developed a habit of shooting wide from years of news photography.

The results are good. Not tack sharp, but definitely acceptable. It also allows me to use the full 16x zoom range, although the long-end of the lens is now 0.7 of the max focal length.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

Andrew Petrie · June 6th, 2003, 07:42 AM

I got a 3x wide this week, practical for my needs as I'll always stay wide with it. I have not yet had a chance to really try it out for sharpness however, I'll give you my first impressions this weekend.

Chris Ferrer · June 6th, 2003, 07:46 AM

I have actually done my third shoot with it and I can say I am happy with my purchase now. Still getting use to focusing it but my shots have come out perfectly these last 2 times.

John Threat · June 7th, 2003, 06:18 PM

I still think , this lens is soft for the most part. It's possible to achieve focus, a decent one, but not razor sharp like on the 16x. They cut some corners with this lens.

It also only has one ND filter setting, which lies between too much for indoor and to little for bright daylight.

It's zoom and focus rings feel like they are digital. You can spin them 360 degrees and you never get a real feel of pulling focus. A rack focus nightmare.

You widest apeture is going to be 2.0/1.8

However, if you need to get a nice wide angle shot, this will do it for you. If you are far back enough, you will be able to get a decent shallow depth of field going.

Edwin Quan · June 11th, 2003, 09:24 AM

is $800 shipped considered a good price for a used, in good shape 3x wide xl1s lens?

John Threat · June 12th, 2003, 05:21 AM

I picked up my 3x lens for $900 brand new in box off E-bay

Andrew Petrie · June 12th, 2003, 10:39 AM

Ken, was that from those Seaggie guys? Or Somewhere in NY/Brooklyn?

edit - My bad - JOHN :)

John Threat · June 12th, 2003, 07:45 PM

Who is ken? i bought it from someone in brooklyn, ny

Dylan Couper · June 13th, 2003, 12:17 AM

$800 seems a little high for a used one, especially off Ebay. I'd probably be more likely to spend $100 more and get a new one. Whichof course, may or may not be new...

Andrew Petrie · June 13th, 2003, 07:54 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by John Threat : Who is ken? i bought it from someone in brooklyn, ny -->>>

Sorry John! I meant John. Sorry, I've interacted with so many K-names this past 2 weeks, I've got K on the brain. Appologies :)

John Threat · June 13th, 2003, 02:29 PM

The one i got from ebay, and i know this doesnt happen everytime
was absolutely new and flawless. I seriously doubt it was ever mounted anywhere.

Andrew Petrie · June 23rd, 2003, 05:13 PM

The 3x wide angle is a nice lens. There's one issue I thought you should know about. If you're planning on using screw-on filters, you can use a maximum of one if you're going full-wide. Since the lens zoom is fairly weak in magnification, most people will be using this lens wide anyways.

I shot video this weekend, and the results in Vegas show a nice circular masking over the corners where my polarizer was sitting. I did not see this in my viewfinder during the shoot (FU-500 colour) however, so just a friendly warning. :) Perhaps the colour viewfinder is just too small (both in physical size and resolution) to pick up small problems like that...

Using a single filter is fine, I had a UV filter on for protection, and it was a bright day so I threw on the circpol.... all my full wide's are problematic, I can cut and crop but damn.

Otherwise I'm enjoying my 3x.

Ken Tanaka · June 23rd, 2003, 08:38 PM

That's a good tip, Andrew. I've never tried to use more than 1 filter with mine, but I can certainly imagine how a stack would begin to vignette the image at wide settings. Using the "thin" models of filters, where available, may enable you to use two without causing trouble.

May 21st, 2003, 08:41 AM	#76
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	If you can afford the lens, by all means, get it. It will provide the best wide angle shots for the XL1. It's as good as it gets, provided you understand the limitations outlined above. The 0.7 is a more affordable substitute but is not as sharp as the 3X WA. It also is not as well corrected and shows more barrel distortion. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

June 6th, 2003, 07:42 AM	#79
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	I got a 3x wide this week, practical for my needs as I'll always stay wide with it. I have not yet had a chance to really try it out for sharpness however, I'll give you my first impressions this weekend. __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

June 11th, 2003, 09:24 AM	#82
Edwin Quan Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: United States Posts: 38	going price for used 3x wide lens for xl1s? is $800 shipped considered a good price for a used, in good shape 3x wide xl1s lens?

June 12th, 2003, 10:39 AM	#84
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	Ken, was that from those Seaggie guys? Or Somewhere in NY/Brooklyn? edit - My bad - JOHN :) __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

June 13th, 2003, 12:17 AM	#86
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	$800 seems a little high for a used one, especially off Ebay. I'd probably be more likely to spend $100 more and get a new one. Whichof course, may or may not be new... __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

May 30th, 2003, 09:24 PM	#77
Chris Ferrer Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Durham Posts: 116	thanks for everyones advice! I was looking back into my days of schooling in photography where you could easily stop down to create greater DOF... that didnt necessarily give me the result I was looking for and instantly went to blame it on the new lens. However, my last shoot I did try shooting a mid-range aperature and concetrated more on the focusing and got some nice results back. BUT, I still stand by my guns when I say this lens is much more difficult to focus then the standard 16x is. I am hoping a new viewfinder down the road will help remedy that. So now I feel much better about my $1200 purchase! I would not have been able to get the shots I did if it wasnt for this lens! thanks guys, Chris

June 6th, 2003, 04:32 AM	#78
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	Hi Chris... I use a Century 0.7 WA adapter and have it mounted on my 16x lens almost full-time. A lot of the shooting I do is at close range and I developed a habit of shooting wide from years of news photography. The results are good. Not tack sharp, but definitely acceptable. It also allows me to use the full 16x zoom range, although the long-end of the lens is now 0.7 of the max focal length. Dean Sensui Base Two Productions

June 6th, 2003, 07:46 AM	#80
Chris Ferrer Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Durham Posts: 116	I have actually done my third shoot with it and I can say I am happy with my purchase now. Still getting use to focusing it but my shots have come out perfectly these last 2 times.

June 7th, 2003, 06:18 PM	#81
John Threat Major Player Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York Posts: 322	I still think , this lens is soft for the most part. It's possible to achieve focus, a decent one, but not razor sharp like on the 16x. They cut some corners with this lens. It also only has one ND filter setting, which lies between too much for indoor and to little for bright daylight. It's zoom and focus rings feel like they are digital. You can spin them 360 degrees and you never get a real feel of pulling focus. A rack focus nightmare. You widest apeture is going to be 2.0/1.8 However, if you need to get a nice wide angle shot, this will do it for you. If you are far back enough, you will be able to get a decent shallow depth of field going.

June 12th, 2003, 05:21 AM	#83
John Threat Major Player Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York Posts: 322	I picked up my 3x lens for $900 brand new in box off E-bay

June 12th, 2003, 07:45 PM	#85
John Threat Major Player Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York Posts: 322	Who is ken? i bought it from someone in brooklyn, ny

June 13th, 2003, 07:54 AM	#87
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	<<<-- Originally posted by John Threat : Who is ken? i bought it from someone in brooklyn, ny -->>> Sorry John! I meant John. Sorry, I've interacted with so many K-names this past 2 weeks, I've got K on the brain. Appologies :) __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

June 13th, 2003, 02:29 PM	#88
John Threat Major Player Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York Posts: 322	The one i got from ebay, and i know this doesnt happen everytime was absolutely new and flawless. I seriously doubt it was ever mounted anywhere.

June 23rd, 2003, 05:13 PM	#89
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	a Note for new 3x lens users The 3x wide angle is a nice lens. There's one issue I thought you should know about. If you're planning on using screw-on filters, you can use a maximum of one if you're going full-wide. Since the lens zoom is fairly weak in magnification, most people will be using this lens wide anyways. I shot video this weekend, and the results in Vegas show a nice circular masking over the corners where my polarizer was sitting. I did not see this in my viewfinder during the shoot (FU-500 colour) however, so just a friendly warning. :) Perhaps the colour viewfinder is just too small (both in physical size and resolution) to pick up small problems like that... Using a single filter is fine, I had a UV filter on for protection, and it was a bright day so I threw on the circpol.... all my full wide's are problematic, I can cut and crop but damn. Otherwise I'm enjoying my 3x. __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

June 23rd, 2003, 08:38 PM	#90
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	That's a good tip, Andrew. I've never tried to use more than 1 filter with mine, but I can certainly imagine how a stack would begin to vignette the image at wide settings. Using the "thin" models of filters, where available, may enable you to use two without causing trouble. __________________ 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