i wanted to know something similar.

i have a basic JVC GR-D30 camcorder, and wanted to know if you could attach fisheye/widescreen lenses to it...

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Hi,

You seem to be a bit confused about the difference between "wide screen" and a "wide angle lens". They aren't the same thing. A wide angle lens has a short focal length (generally less than 25mm) and thus is able to let in light from further to the left and right of frame. Once you start getting really wide (less than 8mm) the images will distort a little causing the "fish-eye" effect.

Wide screen on the other hand has to with the image which is captured onto the recording medium (tape/film etc). Wide screen has an aspect ratio where the width is significantly greater than the height of the frame. In order to capture wide screen images on standard 4:3 aspect ratio media, you need to use an annamorphic lens. The lens uses optics to squeeze the horizontal width of the image into the 4:3 ratio, so if you look at the frame it appears to be streched. The image is then unsquished either by the editing program or by having an annamorphic lens on the projector in the case of film.

For more information, see the ?url?/FAQ?/url? question on the Wide Screen Maze in Cinematography.

Ben C.

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