On Tue, 06 Nov 2001 13:51:58 GMT, frank@cytologyservices.com (Frank Ramage [CSMI] [WUGNet])
wrote:

>Hi David,

>>> The Raynox HD6600-pro .66X

>Is this a good general pirpose, keep-in-the-bag lens for my VX-2000?
>I find the need to get wider-angle shots in my sequences to setup the Medium &
>Close-ups...
>
>Thanks (for all your advice!),

I switch off between it and the .7X Canon WD-58
(a tad less sharp in the far corners at wide angle
and wide open, more linear distortion at the wide end,
less flare and ghosting, and more consistent performance
throughout the zoom range) - and I also use a Sony
VCL-ES06 (about .5X, regardless of rating) and a
no-name fisheye for wider, but these are not as sharp
and will not zoom far from widest setting without
losing sharpness. The Canon is good enough to leave
on the camera permanently, since there is so little
degradation of the image (it occasionally needs a
sun-blocking flap on top, easily taped on); the
Raynox is excellent over the wider 2/3rds of the
zoom range, but must be more carefully shaded; as a
wide add-on for occasional use, the Raynox is also
excellent, but it and the Canon are not a whole lot
wider than the camcorder lens alone (about like
switching from 50mm to 35mm with a 35mm camera -
hardly "super-wide"...;-). For **wide**, I use
the other two above, but these zoom almost none,
and have very noticeable barrel distortion (not
objectionable to me most of the time, but... [see:
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/perspective-correction.htm
for more on this, with sample frame-grabs]). The
Raynox 6600 is the only low-distortion WA converter
I know of (if you do not like the curvature
introduced by most converters, and if you haven't
accepted my arguements in favor of keeping the
curvature...;-).