[inquisitive]

Hello
What is the lowest cost vid-cam that has this spec:

1.[4mm focal length at wide angle (smaller is better)] - edited 7th april to read as the line below.

1.wide view equal or better than focal length of 3.6mm on a 1/4.7 chip
2.manual, optical zoom
3.av out
4.lanc socket

any format is fine

appreciate if anyone has a knowledge of low cost vid-cams that have this spec. thanks for thoughts/knowledge.

stephen

[redsox_mark]

4mm focal length at wide angle (smaller is better)

To me this is an odd request. I guess what you want is the performance to be as wide angle as possible? The reason this request is odd is that the effective wide angle is a function of the sensor size as well as the focal length. So a camcorder with focal length of 5mm and a 1/3" CCD will shoot a wider angle than one with a focal length of 3mm with a 1/6" CCD.

manual, optical zoom
av out

These are no problem, every camcorder has this.

lanc socket

This (combined with low cost) is a problem. Only Sony and Canon support the LANC protocol. And a LANC socket is generally reserved for high end models.

The only reasonably affordable model I know of with a LANC socket is Sony HC96 - which is discontinued, but can still be found. As it has a large 1/3" CCD the focal distance is 5.1mm, but this produces the same effective focal length as a lens with 2.55mm and a 1/6" CCD. Converted to 35mm equivelent the lens/sensor will perform like a 42.8mm lens. Prices and links here
http://www.pricerunner.co.uk/pl/8-54...Compare-Prices

[inquisitive]

To me this is an odd request. I guess what you want is the performance to be as wide angle as possible? The reason this request is odd is that the effective wide angle is a function of the sensor size as well as the focal length. So a camcorder with focal length of 5mm and a 1/3" CCD will shoot a wider angle than one with a focal length of 3mm with a 1/6" CCD.

....... umm, good point, thanks....... yep, the performance to be as wide as posible is what the requirement is indeed for.


The requirement I am trying to equal (or even better) was first trialed on a sony PDX10... it had 3.6mm on a 1/4.7 ccd... then I attached a 0.7 wide angle clip-on lens to the 37mm diameter filter thread. This wide angle with the ability for a bit of optical zoom is important factor.

If I can edit the first thread, I will change this.
thanks again.

....... Is there a table, or a formula somwwhere where I could mix and match the FL withthe chip size to get a comparison?

[inquisitive]

Ive just done some rough comparitive maths based on your info in post of:

......a large 1/3" CCD the focal distance is 5.1mm, but this produces the same effective focal length as a lens with 2.55mm and a 1/6" CCD

for a pdx10 with a 3.6mm on a 1/4.7 chip.....the equivalent on a 1/3 chip would be a 5.65mm (ish)

so if I am thinking this the correct way around, the sony HC96 with its 5.1mm on its 1/3 chip would indeed actually give a wider view than the pdx10 with its 3.6mm on its 1/4.7 chip.


stephen

[redsox_mark]

Yes, that sounds right.

You can add a wide angle converter to the HC96 (30mm thread).