On 15 Mar 2003 16:03:16 -0800, big_cochino@go.com (Big Pig) wrote:

>d_ruether@hotmail.com (Neuman - Ruether) wrote:

>> Raynox DCR-FE180 Pro Fisheye Lens Converter...

>>

>> Mine arrived yesterday. I'd been looking for a good

>> full-frame fisheye for the VX2000, and this one looked

>> like it would be good (Raynox frame-grab examples on

>> their web page tend to be usefully honest

>> representations of how their lens converters actually

>> perform [they are unique in this, and should be praised

>> for it - and some of their converters look really bad

>> on their web page...;-]). Expensive at around $400,

>> it is cheaper than the Century - and it is rather large

>> and quite heavy (1.5 pounds, making a VX2000 quite

>> front-heavy). With a 62mm mounting-thread, it will

>> fit a variety of cameras with stepping rings without

>> vignetting. Briefly, it is sharp, and it is wide

>> (VERY wide...) - and it is sharp through moderate

>> zooming. I have added it (with comparison frame-grab)

>> to: www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/WA-converters.htm so that

>> it can be compared with several other WA converters

>> used on the VX2000...

>I use the Raynox model MX3000pro wide lens. It's very

>similar to the FE180pro, but not quite as nice. I paid

>a little over $100 + shipping, which places it at about

>1/3 the price of the FE180pro.

>

>I purchased the MX3000pro lens before the FE180pro was

>released, but had I seen the comparison photos before

>my purchase I would have saved up & waited for the FE180pro.

>The FE180pro is *slightly* clearer around the edges

>than the MX3000pro wide lens, note the detail in the

>trees in the example photos below, but at triple the

>cost the FE180pro SHOULD be better than the MX3000pro.

>The real question is:

>

>Is a 5% or 7% increase in image quality worth paying

>triple the cost? Folks who purchased the Century .3X

>"death lens" always say yes, but I'm not so sure.

>

>Opinions?

>http://raynox.co.jp/actualimage/vx2000-fe180-flowerboat.jpg

>http://raynox.co.jp/actualimage/vx2000-mx3000-flowerboat.jpg

This is why I like the Raynox site...

If you look carefully at their examples, they truthfully

reveal the problems (or virtues) of their products...

- In these, they are shot in daylight, inferring that the

stop used was probably fairly small (converters show

the effects of aperture, with best edge/corner performance

with these likely around f8 with worst likely wide-open...).

- Only in the centers of the images are these about equal...

- Near the edges, the resolution differences are obvious...

- Near the corners, the resolution differences are VERY

obvious (though the rather extreme color-fringing of the

MX3000 is not - but on white against dark, it is painfully

obvious not just in the corners, but at the edges of the

image...).

- If you do not care about image sharpness off center (or

about the obvious red-green color-fringing), then the

MX3000's lower price/size/weight may tip the balance for

you...

I found the MX3000 unacceptable for me. The FE180,

though MUCH cheaper than the Century, is very good (it

does show a ghosting problem, though...), but it does make

the VX2000 VERY front-heavy (I add a n "L" bracket [a

flash handle for 35mm cameras] on the left, placed far

forward, which makes the balance much better...).