[freeflyer56]

hi all, how do i know if a camcorder has a decent wide angle? What am i looking for in the specs? apart from the words 'wide angle' written in there of course

[senu]

"Wide angle" label is sugestive of just that, but the field of view is related to the size of sensor, not just Focal length of lens
Wide angle being the lower nos ie( 28mm- XXmm)
In reality you get what you get and while a few brands make wide angle adaptor lenses for thier standard camcorder lenses , this is far from guaranteed
The emphasis always seems to be on Zoom

[A n d r e w]

Depends on your definition of "decent." At the widest end of the zoom most consumer camcorders offer a focal length that in the old money (SLR stills photography territory) equates to around about 40 to 45mm: that's not especially wide. The specifications sheets produced by the manufacturers (these can usually be found online at manufacturers' websites) will give you the information you're looking for, usually with an estimation of the equivalent stills photography focal length (as Senu has written, the size of the sensor is a factor).

Wide angle adapters can be bought separately and seem to be a popular accessory - no doubt because the "wide" end of consumer camcorder lenses isn't really all that wide, which you'll quickly notice when shooting in cramped spaces indoors.

Andrew.

[freeflyer56]

ah i get it.. so its the focal length i'm looking for.. ideally the lower the first figure the better .. thanks