Today I received my .75 Schneider Wide Angle Converter from B&H and I was initially elated. Why initially you ask? Well, I wanted to check some technical specs so I went to the Schneider Optics web site - http://www.schneideroptics.com/century/dv/ex/ex.htm - where I had originally seen the lens adapter (after NAB last month) and I couldn't find it on the web page that I had bookmarked. Curious, I called Schneider/Century in LA and learned that yesterday the company has withdrawn the piece from the market and are actively recalling all units that are currently in the retail channel. The woman I spoke with said that they had discovered some rather significant optical anomalies and decided to recall the unit. So, if you have bought this piece of I suggest you contact your retailer and return the unit. The woman at Schneider/Century I spoke with said that the company is currently working on addressing the problems in this model adapter with a updated version, but that they are several months away from solving the problem.
Schneider/Century Optics .75x Wide Angle Converter for the EX1
- Thread starter torv
- Start date
That's just amazing to me. How the heck does a company with the reputation of Schneider/Century manage to let something like this out the door? They obviously had to test this before they release it to manufacturing. Did they think that nobody would mind the vignetting? Simply amazing.
Buck Forester
Well-known member
A couple of days ago I called Century Optics directly to inquire about their .60 and .75 converters. I can't seem to find much info or reviews on them. They're very new, but I would've thought SOMEONE would've bought them and provided an online review. I want to shoot wide but I didn't want to buy blind. Of course they have a great 30-day no questions asked return policy, but I still like to know what I'm plunkin' down cash for.
I spoke with a gal on the phone who then handed me to someone else, who, luckily, was in the upper echelon of management for Century Optics. I won't name names just because a couple things he said was sorta "off the record" and I want to honor his confiding in me (I'd make a lousy news reporter, ha!). The guy was very nice and helpful and spent probably 20 minutes on the phone with me, very personable. Made me feel good about the company.
Short story long, he said the .75x was being pulled as we spoke. Apparently (going by what he said), unlike other camera manufacturers, Sony does not provide Century with pre-release working cameras to work on, so they can't figure out the glass as the camera is released. I got the feeling he was a little frustrated with Sony's policy in this regard. He said the first release of the EX1 worked fine with the adapters they made for them, but there must have been some change in the EX1 soon after the first cameras came out because their adapters weren't working well with the later EX1's. It was probably during the Sony vignetting issues and other things the first releases of the camera had, Sony changed things up and it affected the adapters. I think they'll be revising their .60 too, he said they seem to work good but I got the feeling he wasn't pushing it on me. Maybe it depended on the individual EX1. He said I can try it and send it back within 30 days if I noticed any vignetting or soft corners. He did say the teleconverters and fisheyes seem fine. I guess the EX1 is a little bit different in how things focus in terms making a converter/adapter lens. He emphasized the quality and reputation of Century Optics and they won't market anything they feel don't feel 100% about, so they yanked it.
Sony makes the .80 but I want to go wider than 20%. I'll probably have to get the .80 in the meantime, or maybe I'll give the .60 Century a shot and see how it goes.
I spoke with a gal on the phone who then handed me to someone else, who, luckily, was in the upper echelon of management for Century Optics. I won't name names just because a couple things he said was sorta "off the record" and I want to honor his confiding in me (I'd make a lousy news reporter, ha!). The guy was very nice and helpful and spent probably 20 minutes on the phone with me, very personable. Made me feel good about the company.
Short story long, he said the .75x was being pulled as we spoke. Apparently (going by what he said), unlike other camera manufacturers, Sony does not provide Century with pre-release working cameras to work on, so they can't figure out the glass as the camera is released. I got the feeling he was a little frustrated with Sony's policy in this regard. He said the first release of the EX1 worked fine with the adapters they made for them, but there must have been some change in the EX1 soon after the first cameras came out because their adapters weren't working well with the later EX1's. It was probably during the Sony vignetting issues and other things the first releases of the camera had, Sony changed things up and it affected the adapters. I think they'll be revising their .60 too, he said they seem to work good but I got the feeling he wasn't pushing it on me. Maybe it depended on the individual EX1. He said I can try it and send it back within 30 days if I noticed any vignetting or soft corners. He did say the teleconverters and fisheyes seem fine. I guess the EX1 is a little bit different in how things focus in terms making a converter/adapter lens. He emphasized the quality and reputation of Century Optics and they won't market anything they feel don't feel 100% about, so they yanked it.
Sony makes the .80 but I want to go wider than 20%. I'll probably have to get the .80 in the meantime, or maybe I'll give the .60 Century a shot and see how it goes.
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davidcheok
Member
Hey Buck,
Did u manage to get the 0.6 Century? If so, how was it?
Did u manage to get the 0.6 Century? If so, how was it?
Buck Forester
Well-known member
Howdy David... no, if I remember correctly they yanked the .6x Century from the market due to some problems, so I got the .55x Century Optics fisheye. It's 'sorta fisheye', depending on your angle exaggerations, but I really like the lens. I love the ultra-wide perspective. But it's a specialty lens for certain situations to mix things up, I wouldn't keep it on my camera all day. Dang I wish I could get some footage edited and uploaded to show some examples. I'm going to start taking some Final Cut Studio 2 online classes next week to get up and running.