On Sat, 15 Jul 2000 17:33:45 GMT, Rick Lee wrote:

>I need a recommendation for an inexpensive DV camcorder that will take
>good wide-angle pictures, e.g. three people sitting near each other from
>6 feet away.
>
>In the old days, a VHS camcorder would be rated 12.5-75mm zoom, for
>example, and the 12.5mm spec referred to the widest angle picture. It
>was easy to obtain 11mm or even 10mm lenses at the wide end.
>
>I have been unable to find an equivalent specification on DV camcoders.
>Might someone point me in the right direction?

The mm range refers to the focal length range of the zoom
lens, and must be referred to the active picture size of the
CCD chip to get the angle of view (not easy or obvious).
Almost invariably Mini-DV camcorder zooms are about 40-45mm
equivalent focal length for 35mm cameras at the short end
(hardly very wide...). A solution that is both cheap and
easy: add a Sony VCL-ES06 WA adapter (you may need step-up
rings, though the adapter includes 37mm, 46mm, and 52mm
thread-mount size adapters). Adjusting lens-to-adapter
spacing with empty filter rings can improve corner
sharpness. You cannot zoom much away from the wide end,
but this adapter is the sharpest I've found for the
widest range of camcorders (I use it on the Sony TRV9,
TRV900, PC1, VX1000, VX2000, and Pan. EZ30U), and it can
be snapped off quickly when needed. Egghead had it for
about $40, other places have it for about $70...