Sony VCLHG0737C High-Grade Wide Conversion Lens for HRD-HC1, HD1000U, HC5, DCR-SR200, DCR-DVD308, DVD408 & DVD508 Camcorders Camcorder Reviews

Sony VCLHG0737C High-Grade Wide Conversion Lens for HRD-HC1, HD1000U, HC5, DCR-SR200, DCR-DVD308, DVD408 & DVD508 Camcorders

wide angle lens 2008-05-04

this lens is great, it should be made as original equipment. it makes general subject video taking more practical and flexible.

High quality glass 2008-04-23

Like the previous high-grade 30mm wide-angle lens from Sony for it's 30mm camcorders, this 37mm model is very high quality. Yes, it's a little delicate, so you'll need to take care when installing it and removing it. It works best if you hold (or mount the camcorder on a tripod) vertically in order to thread the lens onto the camera, but you shouldn't avoid this lens just because P. White is clumsy. If you have a thumb, you should be fine. Also, you should realize that this is a wide-angle lens, and will give you a larger field of view, not get you closer to your kid's soccer game like Bob Fox thought. There is very little distortion at the corners of the image, as is common with most wide angle lenses. Good glass makes a good lens, and Sony did a fine job with this one.

Semi-Wide angle 2008-04-05

I did several test with this product, and although it is wider than the standard lens, customers should not expect huge wide angle shots like in the movie the Shining. You just get a little bit more. If anyone know anyone knows a wider angle lens that would work for the Sony Handycam HDR-CX7 please let me know. In a positive the packaging was great and it came with a firm fitting lid for both sides.

Pretty much what you'd expect 2008-04-01

I have a Sony HDR-HC7 and really needed a wider angle of view. Really I wish that camcorder designers would make their standard lenses wider, but that is not the point. This adapter is just what you'd expect. You screw it on and get a wider view. My only complaint is that it really doesn't go as wide as I would have liked. Be warned, it is a bit heavy cumbersome.

A nasty, badly designed product ... 2008-03-27

I bought this lens to accompany my new HDR-SR12E camcorder. The lens costs $142 (a lot more in the UK) and the camcorder (from Amazon) $1400. The lens screws into the very fine pitch filter mount on the end of the existing lens. The thread is extremely delicate and barely adequate for small and light filters. It is grossy INADEQUATE for a heavy and bulky lens assembly. The lens is held on by two vertical rotations of thread. That's ridiculous. I only got the camcorder yesterday and I fitted the lens indoors as a test last night. That time it screwed on after little fuss but I had no light with which to test it. Today I took the camcorder and the lens outside at lunchtime. A typical camcorder case will not accommodate the camcorder with the lens attached so I had to mount it in the street. It refused to locate into the threads and with only a few seconds of trying I'd managed to scratch the end of my camcorder with the lens mount and strip the black enamel paint from the camcorder's filter thread!!! Then disaster, I was so busy trying to protect the camcorder that I lost my grip on the cone shaped (and smooth!) lens and it fell to the ground. The impact crushed the tiny threads and made my $142 lens junk there and then. I didn't get a single frame of video out of it and I'm furiously angry with SONY for creating such a piece of junk. There's no way a large piece of heavy glass should ever be attached to a camcorder by a tiny filter thread with a pitch so fine that it's near impossible to engage the lens into the threads without stripping them. This is a truly appalling design and I urge you not to risk it.

Returned mine. 2007-11-18

I was hoping to use this lens with my HD camcorder to get closer shots of my kids' sporting events. However, the video using this lens was dark, blurry, and the black circle is visible at almost all levels of zoom. I returned it after one day of use.

Works Like it should. 2007-05-15

I have an HDR-HC1. This wide angle lens is compact and screws on very nicely. It works. There. I said it.