Century or Canon wide angle lens for XH-A1?

M

MarkF

Member
Hello everyone.

I'm having difficulty deciding whether to go for the Century (0.8x VS08CV72) or Canon (0.75x WD-H72) wide angle lens for the A1. The Century has a more universal front filter size, but costs more. The Canon comes with a lens hood (the Century one doesn't as far as I can tell) but does not have a thread for a front filter. A matte box is not a consideration at present as it will be quite awhile before I can afford one!

Does anyone have any experience with both of these lenses? I have not heard any complaints about the Canon WD-H72, but is Century better quality than the Canon? Is it worth the extra cash or should I stick with 'manufacturer's own'?
 
Neither is totally free from barrel distortion, but the Canon has a decent shade, and you can probably pick one up for $450.

I like the WD-H72 for what it is. A fun addition to the toolkit.

Most of the time the stock lens is wide enough.
 
I'm just thinking it's better to be prepared, in case I am in the situation where I will need the lens to go wider (like shooting in a car for example). So do you think it's not worth the extra money for the Century?
 
Just out of interest, have you (or anyone else) had any experience with Digital Optics lenses? Are they cheap & nasty or good value/quality? They do wide angle lenses too.
 
[SIZE=+0]Me again.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=+0]First off, thanks for your help and responses Elton, I really appreciate it.[/SIZE]
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Not having had much experience with additional lenses, what with being a bit new to this (ok, I haven't had ANY experience with wide angle lenses - I'm just learning what I can from forums such as this), would you (or indeed anyone) be able to recommend a 'wider' wide angle lens other than the Century and Canon as discussed above (preferably something that isn't going to take a great chunk out of my bank balance, or give my wife an excuse to leave me).

On a side note, I have ordered a Raynox HDP-9000EX High Definition Telephoto conversion Lens 1.8X, which is supposed to be very nice, and a Raynox HD-FXR180 High Vision 180-degree (diagonal) Fish-Eye Conversion Lens (which was designed for the Sony HD cams such as the Z1 but is apparently compatible with all 72mm mount threads) - apparently Raynox are the oft over-looked but good quality lens manufacturers. Has anyone had any experience with Raynox, or indeed the two lenses I have just mentioned?
 
No experience with them, but it sounds like with the Fisheye you'd get the effect you're after. I believe Century makes a .6 WA, but I would imagine it's got plenty of geometric distortion too. That would certainly get you wider, but will it be acceptable?
 
To be honest the fish eye is mostly for that fish eye effect which I will probably use once every six months - I just wanted to make sure I bought a good (and affordable) one. As for the wide angle, it's mostly for indoor shooting than for outside landscapes (although I'm sure it will be used for that too) - so wider would be better for those closed-in spaces. Maybe with some careful lighting I could get away with distortion at the edges (which are the parts most effected if I'm right)?
 
Yes, edges are the most effected, but objects moving horzontally through the frame can appear to bulge and recede too.

It's just how it goes with most adapters. I think the Canon is easily the best value.
 
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