Wide angle lens for Sony hc42

[FFlyer 0]

Hi all,

Im going to buy a new Sony hc42 before the end of the week and the only concern I have is the 25mm lens. I will be using the camera for freeflying 99% of the time so would you recommend getting a wide angle lens? and if so then which one?

This is going to be my first camera so im very new to all this. Which kind of lenses do you need for which kind of jumps? I presume if you are flying very close to someone else then you need a wider lens than if you are flying a few meters apart.

Any help here would be great,
cheers

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

You can buy at least three different varieties of flat, wide-angle lenses for that camera: WayCool, Royal Optics, and Xdream Optics. There are threads all over this forum which discuss those lenses.

[Squeak 17]

Quote

You can buy at least three different varieties of flat, wide-angle lenses for that camera: WayCool, Royal Optics, and Xdream Optics. There are threads all over this forum which discuss those lenses.

Also Liquid Lens by Cookie Composites http://www.cookiecomposites.com/

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[duroejc 0]

I just got an HC42 mounted on an Optic. I use the stock Sony .6 WA lens. About $30 including shipping.
I'm pleased with the results.

[WeakMindedFool 0]

Spend the money, get the low profile lens....I got really cool video of my old kenko being RIPPED off my brand new PC1000 (on the first fucking day I jumped it!) from a riser strike. I'm a fan of Diamond!
Peace!

Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves.
-Eric Hoffer -
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[FFlyer 0]

Ok, thanks for the links and suggestions. Ill have a look. I think ill wait till I jump the camera a few times so I can decide how wide the lens needs to be.

[jmidgley 0]

Hi

I've got the HC42 and I bought a Diamond 0.3 for it. I haven't finished making a box for it yet so it hasn't been airborne. Be aware that the lens still sticks out past the side of the camera - you'd need to do something in the bracketry line to guarantee not having it swiped off by a riser.

It looks like you can zoom in a fair way (reducing the degree of wide-angle-ness) before you get problems with focus.

HTH
John

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

I estimate that I can "pull" my .3 lens in to about .45 before it goes fuzzy. I do the "in your face" ground interview stuff with it all the way out to .3, but generally always do the actual skydive with it zoomed to near the max available (around .45).

Chuck

[FFlyer 0]

Well I just got the camera today
Has anyone here been able to remove the hand strap without cutting it? I really dont want to cut it I havent really had a proper look at it yet but hopefully its possible.

[beowulf 1]

Cool with the FF2 and a thin wide angle lens, the lens barely sticks out. It would be very unlikely for it to get snagged.

[pcalandra 0]

Forget about the strap, just perform the strapectomy, it really doens't hurt all that bad

As far as lenses go, I have a $39.00 Cokin right now on my HC42. It is .5X and at full wide on the HC42 it matches my Canon digtiel rebel, 18 mm almost perfectly with no visible vignetting. I purchased that one because it's the only one that has threads on the front so you can put filters on it like a Polariizer for instance. Aside from having to paint the inside of the lens adapter ring black (you could see a circular silver reflection in the video depending on the lighting) it works fine. I'd rather have a nice piece of glass instead of plastic, but until they put threads on the front I'm not going to spend my money on them.

[riggerrob 558]

Has anyone here been able to remove the hand strap without cutting it? I really don't want to cut it I haven't really had a proper look at it yet but hopefully its possible.

[droquette 0]

i have an hc 40 in a bonehead dbox and managed to leave the strap attached and it still fits good.

HISPA 72 ----- "Muff Brother" 3733

[skyblade 0]

If you remove the strap by cutting the stitching and pulling it out make sure you put some gaffers tape over the resulting hole in the casing. This will stop dirt from getting into the tape mechanism, and will also prevent tape "flutter" caused by airflow into the casing.

Jaco

>Anything worth doing requires a helmet<

[FFlyer 0]

Quote

If you remove the strap by cutting the stitching and pulling it out make sure you put some gaffers tape over the resulting hole in the casing. This will stop dirt from getting into the tape mechanism, and will also prevent tape "flutter" caused by airflow into the casing.

Jaco

I didn't think of that. Good idea, thanks!!

[Casquito 0]

I picked up a new lens the other day for my HC42
It was hard to find a lens wider than the stock .6 for cheap but I found a .45 at BH for 30 bucks
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=320929&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
I swapped out my sony .6 but the fov was the same- disappointing.
The Sunpak has a macro ring that you can unscrew but is required to thread the lens onto the 25 mm mount. the macro makes the base lens less wide.
but, i managed to remove the lens from the step ring and the lens is REALLY wide now. Probably the .45 advertised. No vignetting at the wide end but tele's only to mid range now.
Just FYI for anyone looking for a decent cheap lens for 25mm mounts.
I don't know if the link works but you can search BH for it
Sunpak CAL-1185 25mm 0.45x Wide Angle Converter Lens
Mfr# CAL1185 • B&H# SUCAL1185