Customer Reviews

Canon WC-DC58A Wide Converter Lens for the S5 IS, S3 IS & S2 IS Digital Camera

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This lens does exactly what it should. The overall quality is extremely good. Take a look at my photos:

- First photo is without the lens
- Second photo is with the lens and flash
- Third photo is with the lens and without flash

There are a few things to note about the photos:

- There is a substantial amount of barrel distortion. This is normal. Try not to have straight lines near the borders of the photo to make it less obvious.

- Fringing is exaggerated. You notice fringing (purple or blue tints) along high contrast edges of objects that are near the borders. You can see this on regular shots but is more exaggerated with the wide angle lens.

- The lens makes a shadow when using the built-in flash. You can see the shadow in the photo with the flash. In a darker environment, it is very obvious. The external flash is the only way to fix this.

A couple details:

- You can get an extender that is a nice brushed aluminum here:

http://www.lensmateonline.com/S2.html

- The camera has a setting (Converter) to indicate that you have the lens attached. It's not obvious what it does but it is indicated by a change in the image stabilization icon so I assume that it affects the way that image stabilization works.

Overall, I recommend this lens.

This was a great purchase for me. For family shots indoors, or even outside landscape scenes, it works very well, capturing a lot more panorama than you could otherwise. But one word of caution. At maximum magnification with my Canon S5 IS, I got a little blur, and not just around the edges. Perhaps it is my camera, but everything else is wonderful and in focus...unless I go to maximum length on the lens. I also got a rounded shadow when I used the built in flash with the Wide Converter, because the Wide Converter sticks out so far. However, if you use a larger flash off the hot shoe (i.e., I use a Canon 580 EX II from my DSLR), you can shoot all day with no shadow at all. Do not forget one more very important thing. To attach the Wide Converter to your camera (Powershot S2, S3 and S5), you must have the Canon LAH-DC20 Conversion Lens Adapter (which also comes with a junky little sun hood). I got my lens adapter (LAH-DC20) at Amazon as opposed to Canon, and for a whole lot less...almost half. The adapter allows you to attach filters like Sky 1A, polorizer, star and others, but you can't attach a filter and then attach the Wide Converter. It only goes on the lens adapter (LAH-DC20). If you get the LAH-DC20, and attach a 58mm filter, you can also order a Canon 58mm Snap-on-lens Cap (about $9 at Amazon). It fits perfectly and firmly on any lens filters you attach and the camera lens is then protected, as is your filter(s). What you can't do is put any filters on and then add the Wide Converter. And you should know the Wide Converter has no threads on the outside/end to add a filter there either (and FYI...the Wide Converter comes with a very large cap of it's own and a plug for the other end when not in use, along with a nice little cloth pouch). The lens cap that comes with the camera is made to slip off when the camera is turned on, to avoid compromising the gears in the lenses as they move out of the camera body...a Canon safety feature. But the thing comes off if you look at it cross-eyed, so it leaves a lot to be desired. I actually bought two of the LAH-DC20 Lens Adapters and leave one attached to the wide converter and the other to a polorizer filter with the positive 58mm cap attached. That way the lens is always protected and I can interchange them very quickly. I'm sorry this is a little long, but you should know the whole story. And for the record, I love my Wide Converter and S5 setup. Good luck to you.

I highly recommend the Raynox DCR 1540Pro Teleconverter for the Canon S2 instead of the Canon branded one. Hoya makes a 67mm UV filter for this and both are available at Lensmate.com. The Canon WC-DC58A wide angle converter however is really good. Tiffen made a better one but it seems to not be available anymore.
By the way, the function that the S2 provides for settings using the lens adaptors and teleconvertors are to adjust for the AutoFocus function of the camera and are necessary unless you wish to try to focus yourself using the manual focus which, in my mind, because of the LCD both in the screen as well as in the viewfinder with a lower resolution than an optical viewfinder, is iffy at best. Trust the camera.....it really does an excellent job. One final note, I would recommend using the Focus Bracketing option in lower light situations as the Auto Focus is weak in those situations.

Fairly decent. Produces pictures with optical blur on the edges if you use zoom. Leaves black semicircle on pictures taken with a flash about 1/5 the way up from the bottom on the picture because the flash isn't tall enough to miss the wide lens. Other than that.. it does capture a few more degrees. If you are going to pick this or the telephoto attachment, get this.

+ Extra wide shots
+ Less distortion at greater zoom

- High price
- Heavy lens

I have used this lens with the S3 and the S5 as well as the Digital Innovations brand lens, the Canon lens is worth the extra money. It is one of the only .75 lenses that can be used for a 58 mm adapter and much better quality. You only get distortion at the most zoomed in points and is not as extreme as with other brands. It is a lot of money but if you care about how your photos come out it is worth it.

For about $30 more than the basic 58mm Raynox 6600, the WC-DC58A, (S2/S3/S5) WC-DC58N (G3/G5/G6), and WC-DC58B (G7) are worth the extra money because they provide a much sharper image. While there is certainly more barrel distortion than both 6600 series lenses, this is something which can be easily corrected in most image software. As experience shooting with wide angle lenses increases, users tend to figure out readily how to best frame shots to avoid obvious levels of distortion. In terms of post-processing, if correcting distortion is necessary it is a quick fix with little lost compared to the often lengthy process which goes into fixing unwanted fuzziness.

The only real negative with the Canon wide angle conversion lens series is the inability to utilize lens filters and hoods. Although it should be unnecessary for most shots, you can easily put together a 72mm slotted holder for Cokin filters but, as is the case with every wide angle conversion lens currently on the market, you will get vignetting. There are several solutions available for creating proper wide angle shots that will work for power zooms but the cost for bracket rigs is equivalent to buying a mid-range dSLR.

I was happy with the clarity of the optics, the fit(when screwed together, they where almost seamles), but, and this is a BIG but, the built in flash does not work well with either the WC-DC58A or the TC-DC58B converter. A dark area created by a shadow from the lense overpowers the rest of the picture area. So if you want wide or additional telephoto capabilities, don't expect to be able to use a flash. It seems there is a more powerful off camera flash from Canon, BUT it is a slave (no direct fire from camera as far as I can find}, thus it is activeated by the on camera flash and you get the same old shadow. Who ever designed this has their head where the sun does not shine, so to speak.

Received this lens converter today and took a few interior shots with it to assure it's condition. I am extremely pleased with this lens. It is of the highest quality and delivers sharp clear pictures with a much wider field of view than the S5IS lens is capable of without it. I used a Canon 220EX flash and obtained excellent results.

I would highly recommend this lens converter to any S5IS owner who wants a wide angle lens with Canon's quality.

The Canon WC-DC58A suited my Canon Powershot S5 IS just fine. I was able to use it after I opened the box and started shooting to see if if really made a difference. It did! But be mindful that it is bound to create a dark spot in the bottom of your pictures if you just use the built-in flash of the camera because the lens protrudes and it blacks out that area of any object or subject you wish to photograph. Best in outdoor photography or one where you do not need a flash. Or you can get a flash that attaches to the shoe of your camera and because of that, is elevated.

Sometimes get shadow of flash on photo if using minimum focal length. Every other situation I love using this lens an keep it attached to the adapter for quick access. So basically love it but be careful indoors taking group photos. maybe i just need to get the extra flash offered.