DVXuser.com : 16x9 Wide Angle Lens Converter

Regular DVXUser readers will recognize that as far as wide-angle and teleconverters go, we have typically issued one recommendation exclusively: Century Optics (now Schneider Optics). The Schneider lenses have proven to be high quality converters, well matched to the cameras’ built-in lenses.

Now there’s a new lens to consider: 16x9 Inc., distributor of the excellent Zoe zoom controller and Foxi focus/iris controller, have introduced a .75x wide-angle conversion lens that can work with the DVX, HVX, and also other 72mm or 82mm camcorders (including the Canon XHA1, XHG1, XLH1, Sony Z1U and FX1, and JVC HD100).

Named the “HDV75X-82”, this new conversion lens uses the screw-on lens threads to mount to the camera, rather than the Schneider/Century system of bayoneting on. The Schneider bayonet certainly seems like a sturdier mounting system, and is undoubtedly quicker; I’ve always preferred the bayonet mounting over the lens-thread approach. Trying to delicately mount a heavy glass adapter onto lens threads (and making sure not to strip the threads) takes patience and precision and a willingness to start over if it’s not adequately seated the first time. Contrasted against the Schneider bayonet system, which is a quick and easy on/off system, which is relatively foolproof, I definitely prefer the bayonet. However, the lens thread approach has a notable benefit over the bayonet: the bayonet is proprietary to each camera, whereas the lens thread mount can be used on multiple cameras with appropriate step-down rings (the lens includes 72mm and 82mm adapters). Using the included adapters I was able to mount the lens onto a Sony FX1, Panasonic DVX100B, JVC HD100, and Panasonic HVX200. That’s something you can’t do with the Schneider lenses! And while the lens name clearly says “HDV” on it, it works just as well with DVCPRO-HD or DV camcorders such as the HVX200 and DVX100.

As for performance, the HDV75X-82 is a solid performer. It delivers a wider field of view throughout the zoom range, and at the widest end of the spectrum it does an excellent job. I tested the unit primarily on an HVX200, which already has a very wide lens to begin with, and the HDV75X-82 made the field of view about 20% wider while retaining crisp edge-to-edge sharpness, with no noticeable softening, chromatic aberrations, or any other negative impact on the picture. In other words, exactly what you’d want.

The converter also allows full zoom through, but at full telephoto there is significant softening at the edges and in the corners while the central image stays nice and sharp. How much that should bother you depends on how you intend to use the converter; after all, the point of a wide angle lens is to get wider shots, and at wide shots is where this converter lens excels. Zooming in can best be accomplished with no converter lens in place; obviously you’ll get a better image with the fewer adapters and converters hanging off the front of your lens, so if you want the best-quality telephoto images you should just remove the converter, right? (Of course, this would be quicker/easier with a bayonet mount, but then again, that would take away the lens’ ability to mount to other cameras so easily). It would be ideal if the lens would retain perfect edge-to-edge sharpness at every zoom setting, but unfortunately that’s just not the case here. But as long as you’re aware of the softening and under what circumstances it occurs (in the corners, under telephoto conditions) you can then be better prepared to decide whether you’ll find it acceptable for your particular shot, or whether you’d be better served by taking a few seconds to remove the converter. With the level of softening that occurs on the edges, I’d find it hard to justify leaving the converter on and using it at full zoom, unless I was trying to go for some sort of artsy center-spot focus effect. Other than that, I’d say take it off whenever you plan to be zooming to any significant degree. But, if you’re in a situation where you have to zoom in quickly and have no opportunity to remove the lens, you can at least still get a good shot in the center of the frame; that’s something Century’s 0.6x converter wouldn’t be able to do.

One area where I did notice a negative effect of the converter is in flare performance. The converter has a large curved front element which makes it prone to flaring; the normal HVX lens is extremely flare-resistant so when using the converter you’ll have to be more conscious of flare and take efforts to block light from shining directly into the converter. A good mattebox or lens shade should help here. And since the converter has a maximum outside diameter of 98mm it should easily fit into Chrosziel or Vocas matteboxes.

There is noticeable barrel distortion with the .75 attached, which is not necessarily the converter’s fault – there’s barrel distortion in the HVX’s lens at full wide angle too. So the .75 magnifies the amount of barrel distortion present. The net result is that you’ll want to watch your edges and try to keep straight lines away from the edges of the frames (challenging for architectural photography, for example) but then again you’d want to do that whenever using a lens as wide as the HVX’s anyway.

As far as how much the lens widens the field of view, I found the claim of .75x to be a bit optimistic; my guess is that it’s more like an actual observable .8x. The company says that it delivers a field of view identical to Schneider’s .75x converter; I haven’t used the Schneider, but if 16x9’s claim is true I would then have to say that the Schneider is probably a true .8x as well. At full 55mm telephoto with the converter attached, I found I could match the field of view by removing the converter and zooming to 44mm. With a simple calculation (55mm x 0.8 = 44mm) I figure that the lens is delivering a real-world .8x magnification. Not dramatically wider, but as the attached pictures show, it is wider than stock, and if you need that additional field of view the HDV75X-82 will deliver it sharply and cleanly with no light loss.

Obviously this converter is aimed squarely at Schneider’s .75X converter. They’re priced comparably, they offer comparable fields of view, and they are both zoom-through styles. 16x9 Inc. believes that they have a lot to offer, since the Schneider is bigger (105mm vs. 98mm outside front diameter), longer (55mm vs. 40mm), heavier (731g vs. 567g), and more expensive ($1195 vs. $995) than the HDV75X-82. And while the Schneider offers the excellent bayonet mount system, that can be a plus and a minus, depending on if you intend to use the converter with multiple cameras. Unfortunately I haven’t tested the Schneider to see how well it performs at full telephoto; if it maintains full edge-to-edge sharpness throughout the zoom range then it may justify the larger size, weight, and higher cost versus the HDV75X-82.

Overall I found the HDV75X-82 to be a good solid product, offering a somewhat wider field of view with very sharp, crisp performance (at the widest end.) I wouldn’t use it for fully zooming through unless I had to, but common sense would dictate that you should remove a wide converter when zooming whenever possible, so that may or may not be a big point to consider. And the flexibility it offers by being able to mount to the various Canon, Sony, JVC and Panasonic products is certainly a bonus for those who use multiple cameras (or for rental houses.)