So I picked up a new toy attachment for my camera today – a Canon WC-DC58A wide-angle lens adapter.
I had wanted one of these for a while – I always feel like my indoor photos don’t quite capture the “scope” of some of the places I’ve been.
So, when the opportunity arose, I picked one up. If you do a little searching, you’ll find that these adapters aren’t cheap – they range from $150-$175, depending on where you go. And that price shows in the packaging – the lens comes in its own protective bag, with a cover for both the front and back of the lens. It’s also quite heavy – but then again, there is quite a bit of glass in this little lens!
This fun little device screws onto the front of the Canon LA-DC58E Conversion Lens Adapter, which itself snaps onto the accessory ring around the front of the Canon Powershot S2, S3, and possibly other S-series models’ main lens. And I have to say, it looks quite impressive there!
Though, the weight of the lens makes me worried, since the conversion tube is plastic after all… but I think as long as you’re not unnecessarily rough with it, it’ll be fine.
Of course, the most important aspect of the lens is not how it looks, but how it performs! So, I had to try it out.
Fortunately, I have a very useful test subject right here – my home office. My office is quite small & narrow, so it’s a perfect place to try out some wide-angle action.
Here’s a reference shot of my office, standing in the doorway to the rest of the house:
With just the stock lens, you can’t really see much of my office at all – the view is just too narrow.
Now, here’s a picture from the exact same position, but using my new wide-angle lens adapter:
As you can see, you can… well, see a lot more of my office (except for the floor, which is dark, because the light in my office is terrible).
In the first picture, you can only just see the very edge of my computer’s monitor, while in the wide-angle shot, you can see the whole monitor (and a little bit beyond). Also, you can see the bookcase on the left-hand side, which really helps show how narrow/cramped/small my office is – something that’s lacking from the first picture (where you might think the office is much bigger, and you’re just seeing a corner of it).
There is a very slight amount of distortion around the edges of the photo, but I had to look for it, because I didn’t see it at first.
All-in-all, I’m quite pleased with the results – and I can’t wait to give it it a try someplace more exciting than my home office!
