Which Lens? at DVinfo.net

John Harrison · April 1st, 2010, 03:57 PM

Hi All

Its time for me to upgrade fom my Sony V1 and Im very tempted by the 700, like many its between the 700 and the Sony ex-3
The form of the 700 wins handsdown over the ex and as most work ends up on DVD or the web the slight loss of res is of less importance than comfort and form (the v lock battery is a huge plus as well due to fitting new signal transmitters)

But Im slightly confused by the various lens offerings

What do people recommend

many thanks in advance

John

Scott Berrington · April 1st, 2010, 04:27 PM

I had the 700 on demo with the Fuji 17x lens and was not impressed. Too much CA and not very sharp to my eye. I ended up getting the camera with the 14x Canon and while it's not super, I have been fairly happy with it. The Canon seems to have a "sweet" spot between 15mm and 30mm and also maintains it's f1.6 at full zoom.

Eric Deyerler · April 1st, 2010, 04:38 PM

Look on the 13x Fujinon, its a great lens, but a little bit expensive.

Lou Caputo · April 2nd, 2010, 07:04 AM

I have two 700's both with the Fujinon 17X on them. I have not noticed any CA and we've been quite pleased with the image quality. Perhaps there's a build issue with some of the lenses? That being said, in certain situations, the 17X lens is "too much" glass for a given situation, especially in tight spaces. We've had to resort to using a 16:9 wide angle adaptor to get the shots we need in small rooms.

Frederic Segard · April 2nd, 2010, 09:23 AM

I`m buying an HM700 at the end of the month, body only, with a Th13x3.5 fujinon lens. Great glass! Expensive, but since I'm getting a loan for my purchase, it's not as problematic then dishing out in one fell swoop.

Lou Caputo · April 2nd, 2010, 06:50 PM

Frederic, is the 13X lens more costly than the 17X lens?

Steve Phillipps · April 4th, 2010, 01:28 AM

The 13x is MASSIVELY more expensive than the 17x. About £7000 vs 2500.
Steve

Lou Caputo · April 4th, 2010, 06:35 PM

WOW...I think I'll stick with my 17X then.

Alex Humphrey · April 5th, 2010, 02:59 PM

There are two different 17x fujinons now. 17x5 and 17x45. The older 17x5 has dropped about $500-$1,000 and the new 17x45 (4.5) is now the original price of the old 17x5 was a couple years ago. Mostly it's CAC tech that is apparently the identical lenson the Panasonic HPX-300. Not sure if there are plans to incorporate that CAC technology (Lens information feedback to the camera to counteract the CA that is expected in the lens... see DVXuser.com thread on Panasonic's HPX-300 CAC.. aparently the electronics combined with the lens is quite and improvement.) So you should be able to pick up a used 17x5 for $1,500-$2,000 and new ones are only $2,500. The new JVC kit will be availble soon (now?) with the newer 17x45 lens.. though it's more expensive kit than the first batch of the 17x5 kits that where on the market till recently.

John Harrison · April 6th, 2010, 04:59 AM

Many Thanks to all that took the time to reply, my supplier is offering the camera with a 17 x fujinon and a 14 x canon or just the camera body and was wondering which was the best option
I think i'll wait and go for the new fujinon 17 x (love to be able to spend 7,000 on a lens Steve but thats a little rich for my blood )
Again Thanks for the invaluable info
John

Hamish Reid · April 6th, 2010, 09:39 AM

I have the 14x Canon on my new(ish) HM700, and I'm not super-impressed -- the barrel distortion and CA at the wide angle end is pretty bad, and the lens just feels soft overall at all focal lengths.

But then I may just have a bad unit, or my expectations are too high, or I'm suffering from user error (I suspect the latter, of course). I dunno -- I'm still experimenting...

Craig Yanagi · April 9th, 2010, 12:00 AM

One thing to note: Check your back focus. It's been known to cause CA and blurred images unnecessarily.

Hope this of help.

Good Luck,
Craig

Hamish Reid · April 11th, 2010, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Yanagi

One thing to note: Check your back focus. It's been known to cause CA and blurred images unnecessarily.

Craig -- I've played with the back focus adjustment somewhat, but I have to admit I've had trouble with judging focus at the wide angle end of things -- the LCD just isn't detailed enough to be certain about it, and focus assist seems to think everything's in focus, even at f1.6 (well, that last bit's an exaggeration, but focus assist seems to be a little optimistic at times). I'm going to try again sometime soon with a larger monitor attached and see what happens...

April 1st, 2010, 03:57 PM	#1
John Harrison Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Dublin Ireland Posts: 34	Which Lens? Hi All Its time for me to upgrade fom my Sony V1 and Im very tempted by the 700, like many its between the 700 and the Sony ex-3 The form of the 700 wins handsdown over the ex and as most work ends up on DVD or the web the slight loss of res is of less importance than comfort and form (the v lock battery is a huge plus as well due to fitting new signal transmitters) But Im slightly confused by the various lens offerings What do people recommend many thanks in advance John

April 1st, 2010, 04:27 PM	#2
Scott Berrington Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Posts: 86	I like the Canon I had the 700 on demo with the Fuji 17x lens and was not impressed. Too much CA and not very sharp to my eye. I ended up getting the camera with the 14x Canon and while it's not super, I have been fairly happy with it. The Canon seems to have a "sweet" spot between 15mm and 30mm and also maintains it's f1.6 at full zoom.

April 5th, 2010, 02:59 PM	#9
Alex Humphrey Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: california North and South Posts: 642	there are now two different 17x fujinons now There are two different 17x fujinons now. 17x5 and 17x45. The older 17x5 has dropped about $500-$1,000 and the new 17x45 (4.5) is now the original price of the old 17x5 was a couple years ago. Mostly it's CAC tech that is apparently the identical lenson the Panasonic HPX-300. Not sure if there are plans to incorporate that CAC technology (Lens information feedback to the camera to counteract the CA that is expected in the lens... see DVXuser.com thread on Panasonic's HPX-300 CAC.. aparently the electronics combined with the lens is quite and improvement.) So you should be able to pick up a used 17x5 for $1,500-$2,000 and new ones are only $2,500. The new JVC kit will be availble soon (now?) with the newer 17x45 lens.. though it's more expensive kit than the first batch of the 17x5 kits that where on the market till recently.

April 9th, 2010, 12:00 AM	#12
Craig Yanagi JVC America Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wayne, New Jersey Posts: 198	One thing to note: Check your back focus. It's been known to cause CA and blurred images unnecessarily. Hope this of help. Good Luck, Craig __________________ Craig Yanagi - National Marketing Manager JVC Professional Video Division, JVCKENWOOD USA Corp.

April 1st, 2010, 04:38 PM	#3
Eric Deyerler Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Schwabach (Germany - Bavaria) Posts: 199	Look on the 13x Fujinon, its a great lens, but a little bit expensive.

April 2nd, 2010, 07:04 AM	#4
Lou Caputo Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Largo, Florida Posts: 46	I have two 700's both with the Fujinon 17X on them. I have not noticed any CA and we've been quite pleased with the image quality. Perhaps there's a build issue with some of the lenses? That being said, in certain situations, the 17X lens is "too much" glass for a given situation, especially in tight spaces. We've had to resort to using a 16:9 wide angle adaptor to get the shots we need in small rooms.

April 2nd, 2010, 09:23 AM	#5
Frederic Segard Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 209	I`m buying an HM700 at the end of the month, body only, with a Th13x3.5 fujinon lens. Great glass! Expensive, but since I'm getting a loan for my purchase, it's not as problematic then dishing out in one fell swoop.

April 2nd, 2010, 06:50 PM	#6
Lou Caputo Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Largo, Florida Posts: 46	Frederic, is the 13X lens more costly than the 17X lens?

April 4th, 2010, 01:28 AM	#7
Steve Phillipps Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wales Posts: 2,130	The 13x is MASSIVELY more expensive than the 17x. About £7000 vs 2500. Steve

April 4th, 2010, 06:35 PM	#8
Lou Caputo Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Largo, Florida Posts: 46	WOW...I think I'll stick with my 17X then.

April 6th, 2010, 04:59 AM	#10
John Harrison Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Dublin Ireland Posts: 34	Many Thanks to all that took the time to reply, my supplier is offering the camera with a 17 x fujinon and a 14 x canon or just the camera body and was wondering which was the best option I think i'll wait and go for the new fujinon 17 x (love to be able to spend 7,000 on a lens Steve but thats a little rich for my blood ) Again Thanks for the invaluable info John

April 6th, 2010, 09:39 AM	#11
Hamish Reid Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 81	I have the 14x Canon on my new(ish) HM700, and I'm not super-impressed -- the barrel distortion and CA at the wide angle end is pretty bad, and the lens just feels soft overall at all focal lengths. But then I may just have a bad unit, or my expectations are too high, or I'm suffering from user error (I suspect the latter, of course). I dunno -- I'm still experimenting...