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Camera Lens News No. 8
Fall 1999 |
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Mutagon 0.6x – the high quality wide-angle converter
for Sony digital handycams
A wide-angle converter is probably the most important accessory a camcorder user desires. With the Zeiss Mutagon 0.6 x there is now a wide-angle converter available which matches the optical performance level of the Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 1,7–2,2/3,3–33 lenses used in high quality digital camcorders from Sony. Mutagon is a name combining the Latin word ‘mutare’ – to change, and the Greek ‘–gon’, meaning angle.
The Mutagon is threaded to the front of the prime lens, as distinguished from the well-known Zeiss Mutar which is inserted between the lens and the camera. The new Mutagon 0,6 x, designed and made by Carl Zeiss in Germany, was specifically conceived as an optical complement fitting the 30 mm accessory thread of the Vario-Sonnar 1,7–2,2/3,3–33 lens featured in several high-performance Sony camcorders. These include models PC 1, PC 2, PC 3, TRV 8, and TRV 10.
The Mutagon 0.6 x is marketed worldwide by Sony. The Mutagon 0.6 x has a truly professional background: Since the minia-turized Sony camcorders with their Zeiss lens offer such a high image quality they are often used by professional broadcasters who need to position a video camera where none of the big broadcast cameras could possibly go, like on a helmet or under a car fender. And all too often the wide angle coverage of the built-in lens is not quite sufficient. Since professionals expect a wide-angle converter not to add dis tortion, not to reduce image brilliance,
and not to lose sharpness in the corners or even cut the corners off altogether a new approach was needed. This is why Zeiss created the Mutagon 0.6 x.
For the first time in the growing world of digital video, the Mutagon offers performance which will satisfy the professionals, and convenience which will seduce the amateur. It is truely a giant step forward in this field. | |
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