On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 03:15:45 GMT, Erik Harris <n$wsr$ader@$harrishom$.com> wrote:

>I've decided that I'd like to get a wide-angle lens for my DCR-PC100

>camcorder, which has a 37mm thread. I honestly have no idea where to start,

>in terms of choosing a brand or model.

Hmmmm, funny you should ask - and, BTW, I've

been a bit nostalgic of late for that PC100...;-)

I've tried out a bunch of WA converters on the

30-37mm threaded cameras I still have...

>Are Sony's lenses good for the price, or can I do just as well or better for

>less money by going with a third party lens?

None that I've seen but for the Raynox .66X...

>If Sony is my best bet, what is

>the difference between the VCL-HG0737X lens that lists for $190 and the

>VCL-MHG07A that lists for $145? Both claim to be high-grade wide angle

>lenses, and the Sonystyle.com page has almost identical descriptions for the

>two. Other than "about $50", the only differences I can see are in physical

>design. The more expensive one is a 37mm lens and is physically larger,

>while the cheaper one is much smaller in one dimension, and is a 52mm lens

>with an included 37mm adaptor.

I wonder if the HG stands for "High-Grade" (it does),

and the MHG stands for "Medium-High-Grade"...;-)

I had not heard of this second, but have tried the first,

and the .6X zoom-through. The .6X is wider and far cheaper

(and lighter), but not as "snappy" at the edges as the really-sharp .7X HG (about $145 at B&H vs. $50...).

>If I'm just as well off going with another brand, what brands are good or

>bad? I don't want to save $20 or $30 just to find that the edges of my

>footage are fuzzy or have color problems.

The HG showed color-fringing at the long end on my

TRV30, but not on others, and it is really good on

the TRV900 ([!!] Yes, it does work, with a home-made

52mm->37mm step-down ring...!).

>Any suggestions, or pointers to websites would be appreciated.

There are some WAs that can fit, compared at:

www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/WA-converters.htm - though

these tend to be rather large/heavy for the PC100.

I like the light VCL-ES06 - though it is not

"zoom-through", and though the Raynox .66X is fairly

large for the PC100, it is light and sharp (and

low-distortion). The .7X HG is longer and a bit

smaller in diameter, but it is surprisingly heavy.

I will try to remember to look at my notes on

other WA converters I tried on the PC100 tomorrow...

There is a small Kenko ".5X" (closer to .7X) that

I have been using that I got after selling the

PC100 - it has been quite good (and it is small,

light, and cheap...), but not quite as crisp as

the .7X HG...