US accessory manufacturer Fotodiox has announced an XL version of its WonderPana Free Arc filter system for wide angle lenses that it says is designed specifically to allow users of the Canon EF 11-24mm F4L USM lens to use filters over the front element. The Canon super-wide zoom has no filter thread of its own and the front element is heavily convex, so fitting filters in the traditional way is impossible. The WonderPana Free Arc system positions a filter holder over the front of the lens that takes 186mm screw-in filters and/or 80mm rectangular filter sheets. The holder is enormous so that large filters can be used to avoid vignetting when the lens is used at its widest setting.
The Free Arc clamps the hood of the lens between its collar and the screw-on filter-holding cone, and provides a 186mm thread for the company’s screw-in filters. A set of brackets can also be attached to the cone that allow two square filters to be fitted as well. The system makes it possible to fit one round filter and one square filter at the same time, and the whole filter stage is rotatable so graduated filters can be positioned to suit the subject.
The Fotodiox WonderPana Free Arc XL costs $225.95 and the 183mm filters start at $99.95. For more information visit the Free Arc page on the Fotodiox website.
Wide? Ultra-wide? WonderPana has you covered.
Ultra wide-angle lenses are typically impossible to filter due to their bulbous front lens element, lack of filter threads and potential for severe vignetting. The ALL NEWWonderPana FreeArc XL, however, is the latest in our line of aluminum filter collars that let you to attach our massive 186mm filter options, like ND 4-1000 and circular polarizers, to wide and ultra wide-angle lenses.
Perfect for landscape and architectural photographers and filmmakers, we designed the WonderPana FreeArc XL to suit Canon’s new breed of 11-24mm lens. Durable and lightweight enough for hand-held shooting, it can be ready at a moment’s notice to answer any image challenge that requires filters. You can even keep it installed on your lens as a critical layer of lens protection. Just check out our video below to learn more:
How do you prevent light from getting behind the filters? It looks wide open on top and on the bottom of the holder. I've used the Lee filter holders for years and had to tape off the top and bottom to prevent flare from behind. But this is a much larger area to block.
In some of the Asian brands, the circular part of the filter holder has a foam gasket. It should seal against the filter that is closest to the front element. The 2nd or 3rd slots won't seal so one should use the grads there. But for 10+ stop filters, use the first slot. My Haida holder for Nikon 14-24mm seals perfectly.
HI there Kryten61! That's actually incorrect. Fotodiox is a US company. We do all of or creative here in the states, and then we manufacture gear in our own factories in China and other places. Thanks for the chance to set things straight!
Actually that isn't accurate either. ;) I designed the FlapJack lights here in the states (and named them!). LiShuai is our manufacturing partner. The FlapJacks and the WonderPana are our original designs - among others!
I want to dispel the notion that a CPL filter is not practical for use with UWA lenses. It's true that it will produce uneven sky tonality (which sometimes is possible to correct in post), but its main value is in reducing reflections and intensifying colors. I use it quite often for architectural interiors and some exteriors to control reflections, and I find it makes a huge improvement in some situations when used judiciously.
An advantage to using a screw-in filter holder like the WonderPana is the protection it gives to the protruding front lens element. I keep the adapter on all the time with either a filter or a cap. It's big and fairly expensive, but it's worth the trouble.
It looks like an April Fool's day joke, but it's real! I think it's neat. I'd like to see someone in the field using this, so I can watch it in action.
"The WonderPana Free Arc system positions a filter holder over the front of the lens that takes 186mm screw-in filters and/or 80mm rectangular filter sheets." Uh, no. Try 8 inch filter sheets. Or they could be 8.8 inch even. Their site is not very helpful with dimensions.
Actually I looked into it, and the webpages all have the proper dimensions listed out in a clear grid on each listing. Where did you find this unclear listing? Thanks.
Hmm, correct me if I'm wrong, but would this not also require REALLY specially designed filters with different thickness?
I mean when so wide, the centre would look through much less of a uniform-thickness filter, thus making heavy vignetting for anything but a 100% transparent filter...
It's normal to have exotic stuff for exotic lenses... it's a bit more expensive and only useful for certain lenses, but it's still definitely worth it for some scenarios / people who like filters
for some people it is still worth it. I use full frame and MFT both and both have its place.i can't give up one for the other frankly. Again depends on person to person and if i would not have been shooting landscapes yes i would get rid of my my Nikon D800 and 14-24 lens along with wonderpana Kit.
Your mirrorless lens would look the same if it was to have the same light-gathering capability. Nothing stops you from using a slower UWA lens on your DSLR.
I shoot micro four thirds and cannot get a reasonable filter for my rokinon 10mm f/2.8. This is a great option for those that have a need. I have to see if the specs of the Canon lens are similar and maybe this is my solution as well?
Hey there! Fotodiox doesn't have a mount for the 10mm Rokinon. We do have one for the 14mm Rokinon. The filters are smaller at 145mm. So if you ever pick up a Roki 14mm, we're ready for you! ;)
You do know an 11-24 would be no smaller on a mirrorless, right?
Full frame mirrorless is negligibly smaller than DSLR when you use fast lenses and zooms. Go and look up the Sony 70-200, 85, 24-70 Sony G lenses for evidence.
I enjoy my APS-C mirrorless for what it is but make no mistake if I wanted the same setup as my D810 I'd be carrying just as much weight (Sony A7R would need 4 batteries minimum) and my lenses would be just as heavy, e.g. Sigma 35 f/1.4 is only 50g or so more than Sony's 35 f/1.4.
As nice as the mirrorless gear is, you can't really say mirrorless covers all "bases" yet. The oly 7-14 f2.8 apparently has some field curvature according to some reviewers, and you really don't have a 11mm equiv (or 12mm) focal length lenses, nor is there even a tilt-shift lens for m43 yet. Lack of TS actually kinda frustrates me alot..
EthanP99: The Voigtländer is also slow (f/5.6) and not a zoom. At least in the "DLSR fool" world it's a bit of a non-news that you can make a slow prime smaller than a faster zoom. In the troll world these things can of course be conveniently forgotten.
mirrorless has no size advantage when like-for-like lenses are compared. Only smaller sensors and thus smaller coverage makes for smaller lenses.
The new start-up Irix is teasing an 11mm rectilinear prime for full frame. Could be an interesting option for those who want to go really wide without the cost/weight of the 11-24.
there so no real difference when in comes to lenses, reallly, specially on full frame mirrorles camera. when you want 10-12mm, short min distance focus, straight line filed of view, you get huge, bulbous lense, which needs huge filter (and holder for that). what i dint know is that 11-2 support back filter option, tnx for info. p.s. i am aware of "leica" lenses, but still..
Short flanges don't help modern lenses. AF and increased optical performance across the frame makes modern lenses retro-focal anyway.
Old, small, manual focus range finder lenses need not apply. They were all designed around far lower expectations of film, and to keep the lens relatively compact to avoid obscuring the rangefinder window too dramatically. They didn't have to contend with AF or close focus either. In many ways they are among the most constrained and compromised designs.
Every full frame lens for Sony's FE is as large as a DSLR equivalent, despite having a flange distance that shorter than even Leica's M.
"Every full frame lens for Sony's FE is as large as a DSLR equivalent, despite having a flange distance that shorter than even Leica's M."
Yes, that's correct. It still should be possible, in theory, to make WA lenses a little bit more compact for a mirrorless camera. But perhaps you're right that this isn't possible considering the performance requirements of modern lenses.
There are a lot of factors working against small low element symmetrical designs. AF is one of them also. At the sensor it requires relatively perpendicular light for faster tracking systems to analyze the light and control the AF correctly. In the lens it requires more complex groupings of moving elements to maintain accuracy across a greater range of distances.
In terms of optical performance, in addition to effects on sharpness, sensors don't like oblique angles that case colour and shading effects. Some of this can be solved with offset micro lenses and colour algorithms, but there are limits there too.
Those classic symmetrical wide Leica RF lenses are a bit of a mess even on Sony APSC cameras, where they exhibit colour shading and vignetting even in the crop frame, and they have wide open edge softness, even on Leica's own cameras.
My Leica M240 with Voigtlander 15mm is MUCH smaller than this for landscape work. Do I care that it's a f4.5 lens?? Nope, I stop it down to f11 for landscape work anyway. Cue the comments about how you all shoot star trails and f4.5 is too slow...(eye roll). 15mm not wide enough?? Voigtlander is releasing a 10mm.
yes, we're all aware about rangefinder manual, fixed focal lenses. they're nice, no doubt about that, but to cover let say 10-24 mm range, you need at least 3 of them, and none of them is af, nor have automatic aperture etc. and i have seen some picky testing with them and optically are not really that great, when in comes to corners, min. focus range, some have not so small barrel distortions etc. those new uw lenses from canon (and from others, too) are really nice and are great asset for professional work, where big size is not such a problem, but to be fair: yes, rangefinder lenses have their place, too.
Of course short flange distance helps mirrorless to design smaller UWA lenses. DSLR flange distance is ~45mm. Any lens shorter than 24mm will require retrofocal design and therefore will be huge.
Sony has 17mm flange distance and they even have 16mm pancake. Try to have 16mm pancake on DSLR. It will never happen.
Mr Izo - Yes, no doubt my Voigtlander 15mm is a fixed lens and doesn't cover 10-24mm. That said, optically I would put it up against the Canon any day of the week provided you shoot it on a Leica (as opposed to a Fuji/Sony?Olympus). It is the sharpest UWA I have ever owned with VERY min distortion...and I was a long time Canon shooter.
I keep a 35mm 1.4, a 50mm 1.5 and a 15mm in one small bag with my M240. Take those same focal lengths from Canon and you would be carrying a hell of a lot more, not to mention that optically the rangefinder lenses are superior to most of the Canon offerings.
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