Review - Raynox DVR-5002 Super Wideangle Converter Lens, 0.5X

In late 2007 I purchased a Canon HV-20 HD vidcam from B&H Photography, along with some accessories. Among the accessories was a Raynox wide-angle lens which I was greatly looking forward to being able to use. When I got it, it's quality was so bad that basically it was not useable. It suffered from bad chromatic and spherical aberration problems, it's focus was awful, especially the farther from center the view was. I wrote a very complaintive review of the lens on the B&H web site. Almost immediately, that review disappeared. It had been removed. I called B&H and they insisted that they don't do things like that, and bragged that their prices were higher than everybody else and that they don't do competative pricing deals because they sell better quality merchandise and they're more reputable and they never receive bad reviews. Yah, right.

Don't buy this lens if you ever come across it anywhere. It's an exceptionally bad quality lens and is inexplicably/unreasonably overpriced for it's very poor quality.

As for B&H, their review practices are dishonest and leads people to believe that people never complain about them. That's wrong.

As for my reviews...where'd they go?

The following is the re-write of my online review of their product, posted October 8, 2007, which also disappeared from their web site...

Thank You For Contacting Us

The following information was received, We will contact you shortly.

Subject: Other Inquiries
Your email address: *********
Your Name: Todd Sherman
Your phone number: **********
Order/Confirmation Number:

Your message:

Hi guys. Recently I purchased a Raynox DVR-5002 Super Wideangle Converter Lens, 0.5X and I have to complain about this thing. I'm over the 14-day thing - didn't have time as my mom died, I work and I've been busy taking care of final details and stuff, so I'm probably not going to get my money back, I'm sure. But this thing is BAD quality. This item shouldn't even be SOLD. I've seen better optical quality from toy binoculars sold in five and dime stores. Seriously. you guys pride yourselves on a good reputation, but I note you removed my bad review of this item, too. I'm fast losing trust in you. This tem suffers from EXTREME chromatic and spherical aberration and it begins just a few degrees from center and gets remarkably worse the farther from center you go. Everything has a blue fringe. Everything is out of focus. It's NOT worth $80. Not even $20. Seriously. If you can guarantee me much better quality, I MIGHT get the $200 wide angle that you now offer to go with the Canon HV-20, but right now, after experiencing THIS...I don't know whether to trust you people. This item shouldn't be sold for ANY price and it's quality is SO bad that is risks destruction of your reputation. I WILL be blogging about this on my MySpace page. I'm NOT happy with this item at all. I was SO shocked when I screwed that thing in and actually attempted to use it. My GOD! :( PLEASE do yourselves a favor and REMOVE this item from your stock. It's going to make a lot of people angry for what they pay for it and it's going to destroy your good name and reputation. :( Todd Sherman