Lens Conundrum

WiseGuy Productions

WiseGuy Productions

Member
Hi folks. I feel like Im walkin into an AA meeting....

I wonder if anyone else has experienced this. Maybe someone has advise? Im really just looking for cheap therapy ;-D

So I thought a Wide Angle Lens would be a great addition for the 100b so I went on Ebay and bought this unit.

it comes with a Macro as well and the ad says it MADE for DVX100b! You get TWO lenses for like 50.00 so how could you go wrong? Right?

Turns out, the only way it will FIT with 100b, is to couple the MACRO to the WIDE ANGLE Lens because the wideangle lens by itself will not thread to the dvx100b directly.

THEN I found out that there is a small retainer ring INSIDE the MARCO housing. You can remove this, which allows the MACRO lens to come out, then you are left with a HOUSING that WILL couple the WIDE ANGLE LENS to the 100b SUPER RIGHT? WRONG....

Problem is, no matter how you slice it, this WIDE ANGLE LENS only has a 62mm thread so what happens is you need to ZOOM 100b IN to the point where the camera will not see the TUNNEL EFFECT you know?

like, unless its ZOOMED half way IN, it looks like you are looking through a tunnel! its not till aprox 50% zoom that you start to loose the tunnel and see the square frame like you are supposed to.

HENCE, the LENS is USELESS! You LOOSE all the effect of the lens (except for the distortion) because you are forced to zoom in so much!

has anyone else come across this?

is there a PROPER WIDE ANGLE LENS for DBX100b? Im thinking we need something that couples directly to a 72mm thread.

I liked the idea od having both the Wide angle and the Macro but if it DOESN'T WORK - it simply DOESN'T WORK!

Im afraid I will be sending this back.

How can they say on EBAY that it works with 100B? - I mean "if FITS" but it doesn't "WORK" you know?
 
WiseGuy Productions said:
How can they say on EBAY that it works with 100B? - I mean "if FITS" but it doesn't "WORK" you know?
Click to expand...

"I read it on the Internet! It must be true!"

Not every eBay seller is trustworthy, and honestly I'd say the shady sellers outnumber the reliable ones. There are lots of folks producing cheap knock-off merchandise who will tell you whatever you want to hear. There are sellers who hock "studio lighting" for videograhpers, but the lights come with cooling fans built in (a noise problem for sound) because they are pretty much fire hazards (a problem for everyone on set). Just because they say it's durable studio lighting doesn't mean it's a safe buy.

And two lenses for $50? That should have been a red flag.

Opteka seems to be the going favorite for lower-cost wide-angle lenses that truly fit the DVX. Research before you buy, and make sure that what you buy has the 72mm thread on it.
 
It's no conundrum that "if it sounds too good to be true" ($50 macro/wide angle), it probably is!

Don't know what your budget is, but here's various wide angles by Century, who are known for quality glass.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=century+lens+dvx100b&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

I'm not sure how wide you consider a "proper wide angle," but I have a Century .7 wide angle that you can zoom all the way in and out with.
Here's a comparison test I did with the .7 on and off the DVX:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFqMZPo-dig

And here's Opteka lenses. I've never used one, but I hear some like them.
http://opteka.com/lensesforvideocameras.aspx

And be sure to get the correct (72mm) ring size.

Sometimes you can find used Centurys on the Marketplace section of the forum.
 
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