Schneider/Century Optics .75x Wide Angle Adapter for the EX1 Recalled!!

[Don Greening]

This an important piece of info for all EX owners who’ve ordered or are considering this Schneider adapter. Thanks for posting this, Torv.

– Don

[Michael Palmer]

I purchased the .6X wide angle HD adapter, it is not the zoom through
0HD-06WA-EX1
I haven’t really needed to use it yet but now I will call Schneider Optics.

[Don Greening]

[Michael Palmer] “I haven’t really needed to use it yet but now I will call Schneider Optics”

When you call keep in mind that it’s the .75 that’s been recalled and not the .6. That one is still up on the Schneider site.

– Don

[Michael Palmer]

I noticed at NAB that even the .6X didn’t seem to work that well. I understand that I don’t have the same .75X adapter but want to open up a communication line and find out if the EX1 lens and/or firmware issue cause problems for any of their wide angle adapters. I think I’m going to send my EX1 in for the firmware update next week.

[Chris Stevens]

I recently took delivery of .6x & 1.6x Schneider adapters & find the .6x a real problem with focussing. I followed the instructions regarding focus & macro settings on the EX1, but still the camera has trouble achieving focus, & ones focussed it pops in & out occasionally?

G5 dual 2.7, OS10.5.1, 4G RAM
Media100 HD V12 & Producer, AE 7
5.6 terra RAID

[Rafael Amador]

Lucky me. Two weeks ago I’ve placed an order for a tripod and the CO .75 Wide Angle.
The vendor mistook the order and didn’t sent the lens.

Mac OX 10.5.2-FC 6.02-QT 7.4.1
G5 2x2Gh 4GbRAM-BlackMagic Extreme
PMBP 17″Core2Duo 4GbRAM-AJA ioHD
JVC DTV-17″
SONY EX-1 . SONY PD170
..and always a big mess on top of the table.

[Don Greening]

[Michael Palmer] “I understand that I don’t have the same .75X adapter but want to open up a communication line and find out if the EX1 lens and/or firmware issue cause problems for any of their wide angle adapters.”

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with this, Michael. Whatever the reason for the poor performance of the Schneider/Century .75 adapter I think that it caught the manufacturer off guard. Normally their products are beyond reproach and it may well have been an out of alignment EX they were using for development that created these issues in the first place. Who knows. Also, if one factors in the idea that many of the production EX cameras had different lens alignment issues there would be different results depending on what condition one’s own EX camera was in. I don’t envy the task that the manufacturer’s QC team has ahead of them.

I did have the Schneider .75 adapter on order but it never arrived before the recall. Interesting though, that my Sony .8 adapter works well. I just hate having that little tulip shade glued on to the front of it. Sort of precludes any use of a matte box, doesn’t it?

– Don

[Buck Forester]

Hey Don, with the Sony .80x adapter, are you saying the lens hood is fixed? Is there no way to use a GND filter up against the glass with that one? If that’s the case, I can’t use it because much of my stuff will be shot with GND filters and I want to go wide.

[Don Greening]

[Buck Forester] “Hey Don, with the Sony .80x adapter, are you saying the lens hood is fixed?”

Yes, the tulip shade is actually glued on to the lens body. Some people that have the Sony adapter are removing or cutting it off (somehow) so they can use it with a matte box. Also, there are no filter threads on the front of it, either. Have a look:

https://www.dvinfo.net/conf/attachment.php?attachmentid=6803&d=1206648166

– Don

[Buck Forester]

That seems odd, the only way to shoot with this adapter is bare lens? Well, I’m not buying that one… thanks for the heads up. I hate to have to go the 35mm adapter route to shoot really wide, but I may have to if it’s my only solution.