Sony VCLHG0737Y HG Wide Conversion Lens x0.7 for 37mm for some Sony Camcorders

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.7 x 3.8 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009Y2WRQ
• Item model number: VCLHG0737Y
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 20, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Get HD picture quality with the VCL-HG0737Y high grade wide conversion lens (x0.7, 37mm). It'll put you right where the action is, whether it's a sporting event, a graduation, or a family outing. The lens is built with a three groups, four elements structure. The VCL-HG0737Y is even constructed of extra-strong aluminum and glass, making it both stylish and durable.

What's in the Box
Lens, carrying pouch, front lens cap, and back lens cap.

Product Description

Broaden your field of view with this high-grade Sony wide angle conversion lens for camcorders with 37mm filter and lens attachment threads. This wide-conversion lens enables you to shoot at wider angles to fit more into your picture. It is convenient for capturing large groups of people or for shooting wide objects such as buildings. Sony VCL-HG0737Y offers unmatched ease of use, making it the accessory of choice for reducing distortion and boosting image detail in a wide-angle format. This high-grade converter lens offers twice the detail at the edge of an image. High enough resolution to provide HDV picture quality Fits all 37 mm diameter lenses Magnification: x0.7 Wide-Angle coverage Lens with 3 groups, 4 elements

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Sony HD camcorder- very desirable item, July 29, 2006

By 

J. A Harring (Fla) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony VCLHG0737Y HG Wide Conversion Lens x0.7 for 37mm for some Sony Camcorders (Electronics)

Strongly consider this if you have one of the Sony HDV camcorders this is made for. I rate this as second to extra batteries in your "must have" accessory kit. Used to expand the field of view in most indoor applications. Of course it works great outdoors too. Not as aggressive as some of the others, such as Century Optics, but not nearly as expensive. Far higher quality than the other lower priced ones.

Pros:
Excellent glass quality
No noticable distortion, color tinging or other undesirable traits. I had this issue with a knockoff wide angle lens.

Cons (reasons for 4-stars:
Heavy! (But it's a big piece of glass)
No way to use a filter, no threads on objective lens.
No easy way to use a sunshade - sunshade is hard to find (expensive too).

Tips:
Consider buying the Sony "Y" series telephoto conversion lens too. If you do, it has an included sunshade that can be used on this one. It's a little big, but I use a small piece of black gaffers tape to hold it in place. Works fine.
Take a small piece of self-stick velcro and put it on the lens cover. Take the other piece and put it on the leg of your tripod. This Gives you a good place to put the lens cover while shooting.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for any camcorder, January 12, 2007

By 

luxe pas cher - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony VCLHG0737Y HG Wide Conversion Lens x0.7 for 37mm for some Sony Camcorders (Electronics)

I ordered this lens from Amazon to fit onto my new HV10 1080i camcorder. I used them first for a trip across the US last October. When I returned home the quality of high def movies I made with the Canon camcorder was jaw dropping ! --and the same quality for parts with and w/o the Sony lens. However the HV10 main - only - problem is that is shooting angle is a bit narrow, hence the need for a wide angle lens.

If you have a HD camcorder you can't use something cheaper than the Sony HG lens. I can tell you since I made the mistake of using also another cheap ("Digital Vision" bought in San Francisco tourist trap--i mean a "discount" shop ) wide angle lens, that someone offered me as a gift, the result was a complete crap, the picture was almost completely ruined, big loss of light and detail, completely fuzzy in the corners. So you should stay away of anything cheaper than the Sony HG lens, even if you have a standard def camcorder.

To my eyes it is very difficult to tell the difference between shootage used with and w/o the HG0737Y lens, except the wider angle of course ! There is no loss of definition and almost no loss of light either. Almost no barrel effect -- its'only a 0.7 conversion.I checked this on my Sanyo Z3 projector which is only 720p, so I will have to check again on a 1080p projector -- when the price will have dropped enough.

This lens is a bit large and heavy but that goes with its quality (all glass and aluminium body) and it was still very usable for vacations.

Also I would like to find the same quality and price for a 0.5 conversion. I removed one star because it is only a 0.7 lens.

One last word about Amazon service : the fast shipping option breaks speed records and Amazon was 100% reliable about shipping date. So Amazon also deserves my recommendation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect fit for Sony HDR-HC1, March 7, 2007

By 

Steven Bogolea - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sony VCLHG0737Y HG Wide Conversion Lens x0.7 for 37mm for some Sony Camcorders (Electronics)

I bought this for indoor shots and an extremely happy with the build and the very low distortion this lens provides. It gets a little soft at the edges, but even on HD you'd be hard pressed to tell. It even works all the way into the telephoto range of my camera. I know most people think this isn't very important. But filming a two year old means you don't have time to unscrew the lens to get the shot sometimes.