Wide angle lens for HD2000

[Quenaelin]

It is quite impossible to test all these lenses in local shop and in my country almost every shop wont allow to open packages unless you buy them first. Then you will need your computer with bigger screen and time to find out different errors in pictures. It is more easier to ask first hand experience from Sanyo users than to test different lenses in few minutes in local shop.

[Markinter]

Originally Posted by relate2

I think the bottom line Quenaelin is that wide angle len's equal distortion. The Raynox is .66 against the Sanyo's .7 not much but also being a physically larger lens it lets in more light if you are shooting in low light situation.

Regarding other wide angle len's if you look at this video from Jan van der Meer who does a lot of Exacti videos you will see a wide angle lens on his camera. I am sorry I don't remember the name of it but Jan raved about it and I looked at buying one for my camera until I found out it was worth more than the camera itself.

http://www.vimeo.com/groups/sanyo/videos/6445171

I think you may just have to put up with the distortion which in video I don't think it is as much a problem compared to photos.

Robert

Jan uses a Century fish-eye lens and says you get what you pay for.
I have a old Sony .06 VCL-0637 which translates to Video Conversion Lens 0.6 37mm thread. I ordered a step ring from 40.5mm to 37mm and it works ok but it was cheap $40. I agree fish eye = distortion to some degree.

[Quenaelin]

Originally Posted by Markinter

Jan uses a Century fish-eye lens and says you get what you pay for.
I have a old Sony .06 VCL-0637 which translates to Video Conversion Lens 0.6 37mm thread. I ordered a step ring from 40.5mm to 37mm and it works ok but it was cheap $40. I agree fish eye = distortion to some degree.

How about vigneting, is there any vigneting when you use step-down rings and lens with 37 mm thread? I don't know what kind of wide angle lens to buy, but I don't want to buy expensive lens, only to notice it has same or similar problems as cheaper lenses.

Has anybody Sanyo original wide-angle lens VCP-L07WEX? I want to hear what you think about this lens, is there much distortion and is sharpness good when zooming through lens?

[Markinter]

There is no vignetting in my cheap wide angle. Any zooming will magnify any existing distortion and defeats the purpose of a wide lens. You could use your editing software to zoom in post (pan/crop) slightly as another option but that too will reduce resolution.

It's all about trade offs. Decide what matters most in your shots and get the most expensive lens you can afford.

[otna]

Originally Posted by Markinter

Jan uses a Century fish-eye lens and says you get what you pay for.
I have a old Sony .06 VCL-0637 which translates to Video Conversion Lens 0.6 37mm thread. I ordered a step ring from 40.5mm to 37mm and it works ok but it was cheap $40. I agree fish eye = distortion to some degree.

Yes, but which lens does Jan use?
in what diameter : 37 or 43?
And, besides, what about the weight of the a whole thing (I use my HD2000 without any tripod)?
Yet, I've read you can't zoom all the way with the sanyo L04 without blurring (from X4); what's the point then having it, instead of an simple semi- fisheye adapter?

[Markinter]

I believe its a 37mm. Weight should be minimal and not really affect hand held shooting.
I don't do any zooming with the wide angle. If I need a tighter shot I just remove the lens. It only takes a few seconds.

[otna]

Originally Posted by Markinter

I believe its a 37mm. Weight should be minimal and not really affect hand held shooting.
I don't do any zooming with the wide angle. If I need a tighter shot I just remove the lens. It only takes a few seconds.

No zooming on a .6, like yours, that's probably Ok, but on a .4, no zooming means vignetting. Besides, what is the point having such a lens if we can't zoom. An simple adapter does the job for a few grams and for much less money, doesn't it?

Another point is: wouldn't it be safer to use a 43mm one, for any step down ring might cause even more vignetting?