On Wed, 25 Oct 2000 04:35:53 GMT, "Greg Aldridge" wrote:

>Could someone let me know if there is a rating system for determining the
>quality/performance of a video lens. I have seen in the Kenko advertisements
>that they have a lens construction system value ( 2E/2G, 3E/3G) . This does
>not seem to correlate to a higher quality "Pro series" vs. their standard
>series.
>
>I am thinking of purchasing a 2x and a 0.5x lens (37mm) for a Sony Digital
>Handycam (TRV120) .

Mfgrs. often tell you the relative quality of their products
by labeling them "pro", "HG", etc., or specifying them as
suitable for the top-grade camcorders. In general, more
elements indicates sharper and/or lower in distortion
converters, but there are some good single-element aspheric
lens converters made. In general, it is not just the quality
of the design and construction of the converter that counts,
but also the matching with a particular camcorder lens (and
sometimes adjusting the spacing used between the lens and
converter will improve performance).
All this makes it impossible to rate converters alone
reliably. If you buy one, buy it from a dealer that will
take returns...

>Also does anyone know what manufacturer makes Sony's HandyCam lens(37mm)? It
>would be nice to know if any of the after market lens companies make a
>superior lens than what I could purchase directly from Sony.

Sony's direct-sales prices tend to be high - try B&H or
Camera World of Oregon... (www.bhphotovideo.com,
www.cameraworld.com) Look for Sony, Kenko, and Raynox,
and perhaps some others. Look also at my camcorder reviews
(under the "I babble" index) for specific combinations that
are good - maybe your camcorder (or one with the same lens)
is there...