Can You Change Lenses On A Camcorder? – Detailed Guide

INTRODUCTION

Do you want to improve your camcorder's image capturing ability by using different lenses? Well! You can do that if you're having a vintage camcorder with you. Yes, you cannot use interchangeable lenses with a new model camcorder.

Now that you've clearly understood this; you can continue reading if you're sure you want to improvise the visual capability of your old style camcorders.

You can get this done by using a lens adapter (an essential ring, that lets you connect the lenses with the camera). The lens adapters are affordable; support versatile camcorder lenses. Up now, these all sound simple enough; Right? Hmm that's the catch! Don't think that your work will be done once you connect the lenses to your old model camcorder with the adapter. Keep in mind that it will take some time to set up a shot with the attached lens adapter.

I’ll start by letting you know how to use a lens adapter correctly and how you can open up optimum possibilities of using a lens adapter by adjusting a few manual settings. For your convenience, I’ll also discuss the available camcorder lenses that you can try to get the best shots in a diverse range of lighting and shooting conditions.

HOW TO USE LENS ADAPTER IN THE CAMCORDER?

You may assume that the lens adapter is easy to use, but it’s not always the case. Some affordable lens adapters do not support electronic data transmission from the lens to the camera; that affects several camera functions like autofocus.

When the autofocus function stops working, it also disables a few other features, such as infinity focus, aperture. So, at this moment, you have to make some manual adjustments to camera settings.

You may find manual adjustment a bit confusing. Don’t worry; it’s not rocket science.

Follow these steps to set the shooting parameters manually.

Firstly, make sure that the lens aperture is wide open during focusing on the chosen subject.
Then, adjust the exposure until you get your desired ISO setting. The hand-held exposure meter is more accurate than the camera’s built-in meter.
If you have this handy device, try to measure how much light is actually falling onto your subject and set the exposure accordingly.
After that, set the shutter speed by stooping down the lens towards the required aperture setting. Hereby, follow the note of exposure measurement to achieve the proper aperture settings.

Your camera is now ready to shoot. After taking a picture or a single shot, you must ensure whether the exposure is properly set or not? It isn’t, adjust the shutter speed or aperture again; go through trial and error; try until you get an impressive sharpness and detailed resolution.

As per general guidelines, you would get the best shot while shooting in direct sunlight or snow using an aperture around F-22, a shutter speed of 1/125 per second, and an ISO setting of 100. You could try the exposures of around f/5 to f/8 in cloudy conditions depending on the level of shadow. The F-2.8 is good for shooting at sunset or sunrise. For the night, we generally use F/0.125 and below that range.

HOW TO CHANGE LENSES ON CAMCORDER?

1. CHECK COMPATIBILITY OF THE LENSES

You have to make sure your camcorder will support the chosen lenses first. To do so, look for the corresponding mark on the lens mount or camera body and check the compatibility from the brand’s official site.

2. REMOVE THE EXISTING LENSES FROM THE CAMCORDER

First, Hold the camcorder firmly pointing at you; next, press the lens release button; then, twist the lens mount either clockwise or anti-clockwise; after a slight turning, the lens will come off your hand.

3. ATTACH THE LENSES

To do so in the camcorder, you will need a lens adapter. First, you need to attach the lens adapter to the lens mount by slightly turning it; then follow the same with your new lens to attach it to the adapter.

available camcorder lenses

WIDE ANGLE LENSES

When you visit a beautiful place; generally, you wish to capture the entire scene the way you see in the frame. In this case, we use wide-angle lenses to capture more of the scenery. In general, the wide-angle lenses offer 16 mm to 35mm focal length, which is great for architecture photography and videography.

FISH-EYE LENSES

A fisheye lens is basically a specialized version of wide-angle lenses; that offers an endless field of view, even having a very low focal length like 8 mm. Such ultra-wide-angle lenses come in handy for indoor shooting and designing works.

CONCLUSION

In this article, you’ve learned how to change lenses on a camcorder. We also discussed some camcorder lenses and when they should be used. That means you’re just one step towards becoming a good videographer.

Hopefully, you’ll choose the right camcorder lens against the specific shooting conditions; and draw a big round of applause for your creative work.

Evangeline

Evangeline is one of our expert authors based out of Fort Collins, Colorado. she is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops and teaches many aspects of photography; hence she started to produce educational content about photography and frequently writes content for Filmosphere.

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