The Impact WA Lens

[Ted]

Hey everybody,

Anybody hear of

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 215&is=REG

or have any feedback?

I know about the "you get what you pay for" but for $70, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

I'll probably stick with Raynox, and may check out Adorama...

or would this work

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 051&is=REG

I'm hearing that it would also work on the HV30 as well as the HD-6600....and the DCR comes with a free step-up ring.

Teacher Translation: Free is always good!

[Bobby]

Look at the multiplication factor. The cheaper adapter is .45x, which is very wide and will probably lead to some distortion. The Raynox is, if I remember, .66x and I have even seen .75x.

Bob

[jackfalbey]

See this thread at hv20.com for extensive test results and discussions about wide-angle lenses http://hv20.com/showthread.php?t=441. Their conclusion was that the Raynox was the best.

There is no difference between the HD-6600 and the DCR-6600. Raynox has confirmed that they are identical, and the "HD" designation is just a marketing tactic. I have the DCR-6600 on my HV20 and it works beautifully, so I'd go for the one with the free step-up ring.

[Ted]

Thanks, Bob and Jack, for the responses... yes, I think I'll go with the Raynox.

"You get what you pay for."

[Ted]

Next question...

Are there many differences between:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 051&is=REG

and

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4 ... Angle.html

I guess I'm not sure what's the difference between 52mm and 58mm with regards to quality of image.

And Jack (I believe) suggested a lens hood for my WA...but it was 72 mm? If the lens is 52 mm? Would that fit properly?

Sorry for the dumb questions.

B&H closes processing orders in about 30 min so I guess I was hoping you folks could explain to me.

Thanks much!

[Ted]

Ah, okay... I see now.

The front mount is 72 mm...thus the difference.

But if anybody can explain 52 mm vs. 58 mm, I'd appreciate it.

[jackfalbey]

The front threads on all Raynox 6600s are 72mm. That means if you wanted to put a filter on it, you'd buy a 72mm filter. The lens hood I recommended clamps to the outside of the lens, which has a 77mm diameter, hence the model # "Cavision LH-77".

The back threads come in different sizes to fit different camcorders. I got the 58mm because it fits my PD150 which has 58mm front threads, and because it also fits my wife's SLR lens which also has 58mm front threads. It doesn't really matter if you get the 52mm or the 58mm; the only problems reported were with the 43mm, which doesn't need a step-up ring because the HV30 has 43mm front threads, because it sits too close to the lens causing distortion around the edges and at zoom. The step-up ring solves this problem by holding the back of the wide-angle out a few extra mm.

[Ted]

Awesome, thanks Jack, as always, for the thorough explanation!

[jackfalbey]

No problem, Ted. I went through all this research myself not that long ago when I got my HV20. It took me days to track it all down, so I'm glad to be able to save someone else the time.