2008-05-21

HF100 + Wide Angle Converter


Doesn't it look cool? I've chosen the Raynox HD-5050PRO. It matches the camera perfectly and it costs less than the WD-H37C 0.8x wide-converter offered by Canon. The HF100 now feels very professional and valuable because of the added weight.

Read the comment by Gareth about the supplied 37/37mm adapter ring then read my observation.

The widest angle of the HF100 lens equals 43 mm on a 35 mm camera. This is very little wide angle - in fact that's no wide angle at all - so a wide angle converter will help you out in tight places. A 0.5x wide angle converter will widen the view to a 22 mm equivalent and show twice as much.

The HF100 doesn't display the actual zoom values, just a tiny bar. Below is the approximate 35 mm equivalent zoom range of the HF100 without and with 0.5X wide angle converter. I retrieved the values from the JPEG Exif data and rounded the figures for the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 positions of the zoom display so you can easier memorize them. Since the the midpoint between W and T is the only zoom position that can be set with a certain accuracy these very rough figures will suffice.

Basically this means you can use an 0.5x wide angle converter up to half of the zoom range. The rest is (and should be) covered by the HF100 without converter.

Below is a wide angle shot at f8 with the Raynox HD-5050PRO mounted. I think the converter is pretty good. It's considerable sharp at the borders and there's no darkening of corners visible. Note that this is only true for wide angle shots. Don't use such a converter in tele mode because it's not designed for this and the image gets very unsharp at the corners. Download the original JPEG.

Below are three scenes without and with the converter. The zoom was always at it's widest setting.


HF100 without and with 0.5x wide angle converter from Martin Koch on Vimeo.

Note that 22mm is an extreme wide angle and if you put a filter on the converter it will be visible at full wide angle.

15 comments:

Dennis & Liora said...

Hia,

Im Dennis from Holland (Amsterdam) and i have a Question...

Im totally turning towards the HF10.. since i saw your videos and site.. it looks way better than the HV30, but posibly that depens on who's filming ;)

Is it possible when you have the wide angle converter to FILM.. i mean i only see a picture with the converter but no movie...

Thnxx for the Site and info!

My email is
Dennis_ace@hotmail.com

Martin Koch said...

Hi Dennis, I don't have experience with the HV30 because I directly jumped from miniDV to AVCHD. If you read the HF100 test at camcorderinfo.com the quality should be close to the HV30 but not better. I don't want to use tape again so my decision was clear. But if a bit more quality and better manual control is important to you the HV30 may be the better choice at the moment.

I'll add three samples with and without converter.

Gareth said...

Hi Martin,

I followed your footsteps and bought Raynox HD-5050PRO. I noted from your photos that you did not put on the 37-37 adapter ring. On looking closely the make of the lens, the proximal end of the lens is short and curved. Looking through the manual, it also recommends putting the 37-37 ring to a 37 threaded device. I think I'd better put it as instructed.


Gareth

Martin Koch said...

Hi Gareth,

you're correct. When I received the converter and twisted off the cap I automatically removed the 37/37 adapter ring. I also didn't read the manual so I didn't notice it's existence until recently. I already emailed Raynox about this ring but didn't get a reply up to now.

The above shots are without the ring but from now on I'll better use it.

Let us know what you think of the 5050pro and how far into the tele range it can be used without blurring the edges. Thanks.

Unknown said...

Hi Martin,
first off - thanks a lot for those useful informations and testvideos about the HF100.
I got mine a few days now and planning to buy the Raynox HD5050, too.
I've got a question:
"Is it possible to mount a UV-Filter between the hf100 and the Raynox HD 5050 without a loss in quality?"

This might be a dumb question but since this is my first camcorder, theres a heavy lack of knowledge ;)

Martin Koch said...

Hello "ABS", this is a good question. I also considered this as it would allow full wide angle. Since the 37/37mm adapter ring has approximately the same height as a filter it should work. I only hesitate because I've read somewhere that a filter should always be first in the path of the light.
Since you most probably buy a 37mm filter I'd try it out. I can't because I wasn't able to thread the 5050pro on my UV/IR filter.

Martin Koch said...

Regarding the adapter ring please see
http://canon-hf100.blogspot.com/2008/06/raynox-5050pro-with-adapter-really.html

thedude2008 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
e_three said...

I found this post very informative. I have decided to purchase the Raynox HD-5050 Pro, but I cant find it any where. Everyone seems to be out of stock. Do you know of a place that is carrying them currently? Or can you tell me of a reliable place to put in an advance order?

Thanks in advance for your help.

manu2023 said...

http://www.digitaltoyshop.com for me.
I received mine just few days ago.

e_three said...

I also have the HF100. Its a great camera. I remember seeing a vid on vimeo that had a guy using a lens adapter for aperture. It was an artistic lens, that let you manually adjust the focus. When used in the video it made it look like a dream sequence. Very blurry back ground and sharp in focus subject or vice versus. I wanted to purchase it but now I cant find the video and dont remember the name of the adapter. I searched online forever to no avail. Does anyone have any idea what Im talking about that can possibly point me in the right direction? Thank you in advance.

Martin Koch said...

I have no clue but do you probably mean a Lensbaby? http://www.lensbaby.com/

or do you mean a 35mm adapter?

Martin Koch said...

Search for "HF100 35mm adapter" on Vimeo.com

e_three said...

Awesome! Thank you for the fast response. Thats the one. It looks like the only one I could find for sale is this one:

http://vid-atlantic.com/encinema35setup.html

Its over $200 and its only the adaptor. I still have to buy the lens. I have 2 questions. Is it worth it? and if it is which lens should I get? I dont want to go all out but I dont want crap either. I love the effect it gives. Im getting ready to do a mini documentary on the birth of my daughter. I love the effect but I dont want to make a rash decision and spend $500 unnecessarily.

Martin Koch said...

You ask the wrong person as I have no experience with 35mm adapters. All I see is that they are bulky and that DSRL will eventually replace them. If you can live with the handling limitations a Canon 5D markII can already give you that look.

You can also have a low depth of field look for free with your HF100. Choose Av mode and set an arperture of 2.8. Then put the camera on a tripod and move it far away from your soon to be born daughter so you can zoom fully in.