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06-10-2008, 08:48 PM   #1
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Screw-in wide angle?

Has anyone used one of the screw-in wide angle
attachments currently available?
I keep seeing them and wondering
if for about 35 bucks you get decent images.

I have a K100d with the standard kit zoom lens.

06-10-2008, 09:31 PM   #2
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Hey Gary,

Stay away from those add on lenses unless you're interested in the novelty aspect. They create some serious distortion.

Instead, consider getting a wide angle M42. You can probably get a screw mount wide angle for less than a K, M, A, FA, FA J, DA DA*.

Of course you can find non-Pentax branded wide angles, and some at bargain prices. Even the worst of these will be superior to a lens attachment, in either screw or K mount.

Good luck with your choice, and let us know what happens!

Last edited by w6wat; 06-10-2008 at 09:37 PM.
06-10-2008, 09:50 PM   #3
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GaryC, welcome to the Forums!

I agree with w6wat; the screw-on attachment lenses aren't going to make high quality images, but they can make some distortions that can be fun to play around with. These cheapo add-ons that screw onto the front of a main lens shouldn't be confused with screw mount lenses, such as the M42 screw mount that was used by Pentax from the late 1950s until the mid 1970s, when Pentax switched over to the K mount.

If you follow w6wat's advice and find an M42 screw mount wide angle lens, you'll also need to buy an M42-to-K mount adapter to join the M42 mount lens to your K100D; spend the extra dollars and get a real Pentax brand one, as some of the cheap knock-offs cause problems with jamming or sticky removal.
06-11-2008, 04:35 AM   #4
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As others have said, these lenses cause distortion, but, that does not necessairly mean you don't use them

There are a couple of old threads about them.

I have one lens like this, it is a 0.45x wide angle attachment, origonally purchased to use on my Kodak P&S, but it does fit also on my old 24mm tamron, making it an 11mm semi fisheye.

it is fun to play with and use specifically for these effects

06-11-2008, 05:01 AM   #5
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I have an Opteka .45x that I got for my Fuji S5200. It works okay, nothing spectacular. There is radial distortion in the corners and edges. And it worked best fully zoomed out.

The one nice thing about mine is the back element screws off to be a 10x macro filter. Again the quality is nothing special, but it is handy.
06-11-2008, 05:30 AM   #6
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Like anything, you get what you pay for. There ARE some good add-on wide angle attachments out there, but they're pricey. They're used quite often in the video world where a zoom lens may cost upwards of $10,000. With that in mind, a $1000 adapter that extends your zoom range is somewhat of a bargain.
06-11-2008, 06:46 AM   #7
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Back in the day when I had an Olympus C5050Z, I bought the wide-angle adapter. For me, it was a waste of money. It didn't give me much of a spread but for some interior shots it was useful. The biggest problem, for me, was the teeny-tiny threads. It would take me forever to get the sucker on. Okay, I'll admit I'm not the most dexterous person in the world but I honestly think it was inconvenient for anyone to use.

06-11-2008, 07:00 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by TaoMaas Quote
Like anything, you get what you pay for. There ARE some good add-on wide angle attachments out there, but they're pricey. They're used quite often in the video world where a zoom lens may cost upwards of $10,000. With that in mind, a $1000 adapter that extends your zoom range is somewhat of a bargain.
I would agree with that. You get what you pay for.

I have seen in front of the lens wide angle adaptors ranging from $50 to about $200.

As I said in my post earlier, most of these are for the P&S market or Home video recorder market,, but they do come with multi coated elements and aside from distortion are not always optically that bad.

You need to really try one out before purchasing it, and some can vignette quite badly, depending on the lens you apply them to. Go to a store, and ask them if they will let you take some trial shots, standing in the doorway. Try several shots, try shooting towards the light (to check for flair) and shooting against a rectangular object to check distortion. Take the shots home, and pixel peep the hell out of them, and then decide for yourself.

Distortion is not too much of an issue, any good photo editor can fix that, vignetting is the main issue.

My adaptor is OK on my 24mm, on my DSLR, but not OK when I mount the same combo on my PZ-1.

Also, vignetting may also be somewhat a function of the front end of your existing lens, and the adaptor. You may wish to get a wide angle adaptor 1 filter size larger than the front of the lens, and use a reducing ring. This may help a little with vignetting.
06-12-2008, 04:54 AM   #9
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Thanks for your time and your replys.
I knew it was going to be good here.
06-14-2008, 10:08 AM   #10
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Gary,
I have found that the Olympus Wcon converters give decent results. They are conservative in design with 20 to 30% decrease in focal lenght. This reduces added distortion while giving a useful increase in area covered. I shot some wide shots of a brick wall fairly close, with and without the converter and found no obvious added distortion. For $20 off feabay, it was a bargin to fill the occasional need for a very wide lens.

Dave
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