Sony VCL-308BWH 8x3.3 mm lens at DVinfo.net

Brian Standing · April 23rd, 2009, 01:42 PM

Has anyone tried this Carl Zeiss lens (designed for the Sony Z7 / S270 series) on a JVC ProHD camera? They reportedly share the same lens mount. Looking for a moderately priced way to get wider, and this lens looks to be wider than anything I've seen in a 1/3" lens.

How does this compare to say, the Fujinon 13x, 17x or the new Canon 14x?

Tim Dashwood · April 24th, 2009, 03:10 PM

This lens is slightly wider than the Fujinon 13x3.5mm but doesn't zoom in as much (8x vs 13x.)

It would likely mount fine but you would only be able to use it manually since the Sony Z7/270 cameras use contact pins in the mount to transfer power and control to/from the lens instead of a small cable.

The Sony actually also has a multi-pin connector in order to use all of the Fujinon or Canon lenses designed for the JVC cameras.

Brian Standing · April 25th, 2009, 06:41 AM

Thanks, Tim.

That's good info.

I'm guessing that the lack of a cable connection would mean that in addition to not having a servo zoom, I couldn't use the lens-mounted, handheld "record" trigger with this lens on a JVC camera. Is that correct?

Tim Dashwood · April 25th, 2009, 01:59 PM

That's right.

Peter Ford · April 28th, 2009, 09:09 AM

The company i work for runs a JVC GY HD101 and a Sony Z7-

The stock sony Z7 lens will not fit on a a jvc camera- the mount is the same, but sony have made the zeiss lens so that the zoom servo on the side is mounted in sych a way that it protrudes back behind the lens flange, which prevents it from attaching to non Z7-cameras.

Also, the zeiss range has an electronically controlled back focus, so even if you could remove the servo, youd still wouldnt be able to set back focus correctly :(

The JVC's fujinon works fine on the Z7 though, and looks great. Once you remove the zeiss lens from the Z7, it reveals a port that you can plug the Fuji's servo control into

In the past, ive tried two different wide angle adapters for the fuji lens, to try and get it wider. One was made by fuji, the other was a non-zoom through adapter made by red eye. Both were awful (esp the red eye)- they introduced far too much CA

Brian Standing · April 28th, 2009, 10:41 AM

Typical Sony. Gotta do things their own way. Man, I wish there were more standardization in this industry.

I've been using the Fujinon .82x wide angle converter on the 16x stock lens and have been fairly happy with it, so far. I haven't seen a lot of CA, but I may not be looking hard enough. But, even with the adapter attached, the stock lens doesn't go quite wide enough.

When I was shooting still 35mm, my favorite lens was a 28mm. My second-favorite lens was a 24mm. I'd love to re-create that field of view in my video shooting, especially doing handheld work. I figure on a 1/3" camera, I need to get something that's 4mm or less at its widest to do that.

If I were blessed with 5-7 grand that I had no other use for, I'd get the Fujinon 13x and never look back. I looked at the Century .7/.5x adapters, but they're a bit pricey for something that isn't zoom-through.

The quest continues.

April 23rd, 2009, 01:42 PM	#1
Brian Standing Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 621	Sony VCL-308BWH 8x3.3 mm lens Has anyone tried this Carl Zeiss lens (designed for the Sony Z7 / S270 series) on a JVC ProHD camera? They reportedly share the same lens mount. Looking for a moderately priced way to get wider, and this lens looks to be wider than anything I've seen in a 1/3" lens. How does this compare to say, the Fujinon 13x, 17x or the new Canon 14x? __________________ http://www.prolefeedstudios.com/blog/ Documentary for the masses!

April 24th, 2009, 03:10 PM	#2
Tim Dashwood Wrangler Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 3,637	This lens is slightly wider than the Fujinon 13x3.5mm but doesn't zoom in as much (8x vs 13x.) It would likely mount fine but you would only be able to use it manually since the Sony Z7/270 cameras use contact pins in the mount to transfer power and control to/from the lens instead of a small cable. The Sony actually also has a multi-pin connector in order to use all of the Fujinon or Canon lenses designed for the JVC cameras. __________________ Tim Dashwood

April 25th, 2009, 06:41 AM	#3
Brian Standing Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 621	Thanks, Tim. That's good info. I'm guessing that the lack of a cable connection would mean that in addition to not having a servo zoom, I couldn't use the lens-mounted, handheld "record" trigger with this lens on a JVC camera. Is that correct? __________________ http://www.prolefeedstudios.com/blog/ Documentary for the masses!

April 25th, 2009, 01:59 PM	#4
Tim Dashwood Wrangler Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 3,637	That's right. __________________ Tim Dashwood

April 28th, 2009, 10:41 AM	#6
Brian Standing Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 621	Typical Sony. Gotta do things their own way. Man, I wish there were more standardization in this industry. I've been using the Fujinon .82x wide angle converter on the 16x stock lens and have been fairly happy with it, so far. I haven't seen a lot of CA, but I may not be looking hard enough. But, even with the adapter attached, the stock lens doesn't go quite wide enough. When I was shooting still 35mm, my favorite lens was a 28mm. My second-favorite lens was a 24mm. I'd love to re-create that field of view in my video shooting, especially doing handheld work. I figure on a 1/3" camera, I need to get something that's 4mm or less at its widest to do that. If I were blessed with 5-7 grand that I had no other use for, I'd get the Fujinon 13x and never look back. I looked at the Century .7/.5x adapters, but they're a bit pricey for something that isn't zoom-through. The quest continues. __________________ http://www.prolefeedstudios.com/blog/ Documentary for the masses! Last edited by Brian Standing; April 28th, 2009 at 12:48 PM.

April 28th, 2009, 09:09 AM	#5
Peter Ford Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: London, uk Posts: 99	The company i work for runs a JVC GY HD101 and a Sony Z7- The stock sony Z7 lens will not fit on a a jvc camera- the mount is the same, but sony have made the zeiss lens so that the zoom servo on the side is mounted in sych a way that it protrudes back behind the lens flange, which prevents it from attaching to non Z7-cameras. Also, the zeiss range has an electronically controlled back focus, so even if you could remove the servo, youd still wouldnt be able to set back focus correctly :( The JVC's fujinon works fine on the Z7 though, and looks great. Once you remove the zeiss lens from the Z7, it reveals a port that you can plug the Fuji's servo control into In the past, ive tried two different wide angle adapters for the fuji lens, to try and get it wider. One was made by fuji, the other was a non-zoom through adapter made by red eye. Both were awful (esp the red eye)- they introduced far too much CA