EX1 wide angle and Telephoto lens

[David Elkins]

I'll see if I can't send you some of our sunny California weather. Looking forward to your tests. Cheers.

[Paul Cronin]

Ah yes that would be nice. Spring has sprung in Rhode Island but it is still New England.

[Sean Donnelly]

just got a century 0.6x wide angle, and it vignettes like crazy. I'll post some stills later tonight when I have a chance, but in the zoom range where it normally would vignette, it is several times worse than it is without the adapter. It does seem as though this all goes back to sony's QC with sensor placement, I'm just bummed because I was hoping to use it on a job next week.

-Sean

[Alexander Kubalsky]

Hey Guys, Has anyone heard anything more about the Zunow Wide Angle Lens yet? Not even a screen grab in Japan yet.

http://www.videoalpha.jp/news/2008/04/000131.php


Im curious to know if its any good, not that Im in a hurry to shell out a $1000 for it.

[Paul Kellett]

I had a redeye 0.7,bit of barrel distortion but no other problems apart from the fact it wouldn't quite fit under the lense hood.
So i returned it.
Nice lens though.And only £200.

Paul.

[Tom Hardwick]

Same here Paul - I returned my RedEye 0.7x as although it claimed to be an aspherical element it wasn't aspherical enough, and the barrel distortion was too much for me. Beautifully coated and very light though.

That was with my VX2k. My friend seemed happy with his on the DVX100A, but that barrel distorted even more (perhaps because the Leica zoom went wider anyway).

tom.

[Paul Cronin]

David I have not forgotten you with the 1.6 Century. I will try and give it a go now and see what I can come up with for stills.

[David Elkins]

No worries Paul. Looking forward to what you come up with! By the way, do you use a mattebox with the tele?

[Paul Cronin]

I use a Century Sun Shade that I have had for years. It holds one 4x4 filter in a tray. Works nice and is a great price.

For my work a mattebox is too bulky and just gets in the way.

It is very gray out but if the phone stops ringing I will get a few clips with and with out now.

[Paul Cronin]

David thank you very much for getting me in gear to do this test. I have been very busy and had not taken the time to do a proper test with the Century 1.6 telephoto on the EX1.

Well the results are not good. The lens has the same problem I had with the wide angle and it is so bad I have asked for a RA# for the lens.

I did three test at full zoom with and with out the lens.

Stills:

[Don Pham]

well that's 2 strikes on century. i ordered the fisheye and waiting for delivery. these quality issues for the ex1 lenses is making me nervous about the fisheye.

[David Elkins]

Wow, I had such high hopes for this piece of glass. I thought the issues with the WA adapters wouldn't or couldn't manifest themselves in a tele but, sadly, I am dead wrong. This is really incredible that Century would have shipped such flawed products.

I am sorry, Paul, that were the guinea pig for us but thanks so much for posting the pics and doing the tests. Better to find out now than when you were out at sea though!

I would like to hear from Century now what is going on with these adapters. I for sure will not be ordering one and will begin to look at other makers.

[Graeme Fullick]

I just got the century 0.6X and unfortunately it also vignettes just as described previously in this post - not useable. It is even worse as my camera is not a vignetter - and the vignetting with the Century 0.6X occurs perfectly evenly in all 4 corners between 6.5 and 15.

Asking for a return is going to be difficult as I live in Australia and ordered from B&H.

This is really dissapointing as I have other Century lenses that I am very happy with.

Ryan,

I know that you said that Century were working on an engineering fix - will this apply to lenses already shipped such as mine?

.

[Tom Hardwick]

Graeme - are you sure this vignetting is reason enough to abandon your relationship with this lens? How does it fare in all other respects - in other words is is sharp, flare free, light, affordable, easy to carry, hood and fit, is the barrel distortion acceptable, does it allow enough zoom and so on? And if you return it, where else will you look for a replacement?

My super-wide vignettes the very corners on my Z1's frame at full wide, but if my clients are noticing this then my film has lost them good 'n' proper. But I have one thing on my side - I can zoom up a tad and the unlit pixels disappear. The optical design of the Fuji on the EX1 doesn't work this way.

tom.

[Graeme Fullick]

Originally Posted by Tom Hardwick

Graeme - are you sure this vignetting is reason enough to abandon your relationship with this lens? How does it fare in all other respects - in other words is is sharp, flare free, light, affordable, easy to carry, hood and fit, is the barrel distortion acceptable, does it allow enough zoom and so on? And if you return it, where else will you look for a replacement?

My super-wide vignettes the very corners on my Z1's frame at full wide, but if my clients are noticing this then my film has lost them good 'n' proper. But I have one thing on my side - I can zoom up a tad and the unlit pixels disappear. The optical design of the Fuji on the EX1 doesn't work this way.

tom.

Tom,

Have only just got the lens and tried it on the camera inside at night.

At the widest setting of the Fujinon lens (5.8) the lens "just vignettes at the corners" a little. Like you I have seen this on the Z1, and also like you I zoom in a tad to clear it up - works a treat and the lens is sharp. With this lens as you zoom in the vignette gets far worse - maybe 5% of the frame at 10mm - very ugly - and dissappears at 15mm (which is about equal to the widest setting on the stock lens). Can't really comment on sharpness yet, as I need to shoot outside to check it.

The lens is beautifully made as are all Century lenses, and it is nice and light and easy to use. Just wish that it was useable as a WA on my camera!