Wide Angle converter

[MadDogMike]

I'm about to buy an Nex-5N for our real estate business. I'd like the SEL1855 lens for all-around shooting, but I really need wide-angle for interior shots. Seems like the .75 Wide Angle Converter (VCL-ECU1) is designed to go with the 16mm pancake lens (SEL16F28). It seems a shame to buy another lens for the sole purpose of using the wide angle converter. With the SEL1855 going down to 18mm, the 16mm doesn't really offer any advantage (other than making the camera pocketable). Any chance the wide-angle converter would fit on the SEL1855 lens? I'm guessing not. Might there be a decent third-party converter that could be used with the SEL1855?

Thanks,
Mike

[Ozzie_Traveller]

G'day Mike

There are plenty of r-e shops using w/a converters on all sorts of cameras so the idea is quite feasible

I have a Kodak / Schneider 0,7x job picked up some time ago, marked down from $249 > $99 as the Kodak camera it was matched to had gone off-the-shelf & the shop didn't know/care enough to consider other options

Two important things tho > the filter thread diameter for it to screw onto the main lens [most are 55mm then you use adapters for other sizes] > & the image quality that comes with brand/price
Don't go for a $49 cheapie 'coz they're a piece of junk ... you'll need to consider a brand-name job and expect to pay $200-$300
[ps- have a sqwiz at the recent panasonic thread for comment on Accessory Lenses for other posts/responses]

I would suggest you pop into the B&H site and look at their "0,7x accessory lenses" and see what you can come up with

Regards, Phil

[MadDogMike]

Thanks Ozzie. I checked and saw that both the 16mm and 18-55mm lenses have the same 49mm filter thread diameter. So, maybe the Sony converter will work on either lens after all.

[TCav]

The 16mm f/2.8 lens has a 5% wider angle of view than the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens at the wide end. Also the larger f/2.8 aperture lets in almost twice as much light, so you're less likely to need a flash. That's especially important for indoor shooting because flashes don't cover really wide scenes unless you use a diffuser, and diffusers redirect a lot of light where you don't need it, so you'll need an especially powerful flash. The downside of a flash, even with a diffuser, is that closer objects will be brighter than more distant objects. The best thing to do is use a wide lens, put the camera on a tripod, and use a longer shutter speed.

That is, unless you want to spend a lot of money on a complex flash system, which the NEX won't work with anyway.

[MadDogMike]

Thanks TCav, that really helps. May get that 16mm lens after all.

[DonalDuc]

Originally Posted by TCav

That is, unless you want to spend a lot of money on a complex flash system, which the NEX won't work with anyway.

This isn't true. With a flash trigger ($5.60 incl.ship.) EACH flash light works with NEX.

[TCav]

Originally Posted by DonalDuc

This isn't true. With a flash trigger ($5.60 incl.ship.) EACH flash light works with NEX.

Ok. Thanks. So he could spend a lot of money on a complex flash system.

[TCav]

Just for reference, this is what 17mm looks like:

[MadDogMike]

Yeah, my old setup was about equivalent to 18mm, and it was plenty wide.

[Ozzie_Traveller]

G'day all

@Mike - several thimgs come to mind
While I am sure that 'both' lenses you quote are excellent lenses, the 18-55 will provide a bit more versatility than the 16mm one

The 18-55 [covering a standard APS sensor] has an horizontal angle of view of 65deg at 18mm ... and with the 0,7x adapter, this will go out to 92,5 degrees

Q- will a 92,5 degrees angle of view do you, or do you need to go to 100deg via the 16mm + 0.7x adapter?? ..... thus do you need to spend $$ on the 16mm as well??

@DD - a good thought re- flash triggers, -but- the simple optical trigger often doesn't work with eTTL system cameras due to the multiple flashing process as the camera goes thru its metering processes. I do not know whether this Sony does that, this is just a thought of mine

@TC - not all of us create our flash systems via " spending a lot of money on a complex flash system. " There are options out there for achieving full-flash TTL operations at a vastly lower price than the big-brand flashguns ... however this thread is not the one to have this discussion: this thread is about lenses etc

Regards, Phil