Chinese Metal Vented Lens Hood

[Vincenzo Maielli]

Hi to all, dear friends. Have you any experience with the chinese metal vented lens hood for the M Summicron 35 and 50 or 90 lenses, selled in E-Bay? Are useful?
I own a Leitz IROOA that i use both on Summaron 35 mm f/ 2,8 and Summicron 50 D.R. Now i want buy another lens hood and i want know as work the chinese metal vented hood.
Thanks for the answers.
Ciao.
Vincenzo

 

[monochromejrnl]

i have a 39mm vented screw in hood for a 50/2 or 35/2 summicron that i've used and the quality is quite good... only concern is that threads are not a smooth as some others i've used before (nikon and voigtlander) and personally i've decided to avoid using threaded hoods as much as possible (after i jammed one on my 50/2 hexanon - since sold)...

 

[furcafe]

Ditto on the 1st part: these are modern Chinese copies of 1950s-60s Japanese aftermarket hoods. I've always disliked the original clip-on Leitz hoods for ergonomic/aesthetic reasons, & was using the Walz/Hoya/Kenko originals before these copies were being made; in my experience the screw-in hoods do just as good of a job @ blocking flare & protecting the lens as the Leitz hoods. I personally have never had any real problems w/the modern reproductions binding on a lens, or rather haven't had any more of a problem w/them they I have had w/the '50s-60s originals, which also have some variation in the quality of the threads, etc.

i have a 39mm vented screw in hood for a 50/2 or 35/2 summicron that i've used and the quality is quite good... only concern is that threads are not a smooth as some others i've used before (nikon and voigtlander) and personally i've decided to avoid using threaded hoods as much as possible (after i jammed one on my 50/2 hexanon - since sold)...

 

[peter_n]

Not sure what eBay dealer you are considering but seller heavystar sells good quality hoods. I have a number of them (all screwed into UV filters) and they have been fine.

 

[Didier]

I have the 39mm, the 40.5mm and the 43mm vended hoods from heavystar. All screw in perfectly.
Didier

 

[Ara Ghajanian]

I have a number of them (all screwed into UV filters) and they have been fine.

I never thought of screwing them into a filter first (I never use filters). I always thought it would cause vignetting.

The quality of the threads is pretty bad in my opinion. I bought one from heavystar and I couldn't get it on one lens and it almost jammed on another. The problem is that when you try screwing it on, because it doesn't take, you run the risk of it slipping and hitting the lens element. I wouldn't recommend them.

 

[ywenz]

ara: my heavystar hood is fine. however QC must be almot nonexistant with these hoods..

also... are they painted with lead paint?

 

[Ken Ford]

I have two - a non-tapered one from Heavystar and a really nice tapered one from RedLeica1. The Heavystar is well made, but the RedLeica1 one is a real beauty!

 

[peter_n]

Actually the best 3rd party hoods I have come across are made by B+W. It may not be too well known but the quality filter makers B+W and Heliopan make excellent hoods. Heliopan makes an extensive range of hoods that seem to be unavailable in the US. The B+W hoods are readily available here through B&H though, I have two of them and they are the best hoods I've ever seen from any manufacturer, 3rd party or OEM.

 

[furcafe]

Perhaps, but I doubt anyone's in the habit of licking their lens hood (or stirring their coffee/tea w/it).

also... are they painted with lead paint?

 

[varjag]

IIRC lead was mostly used in white, yellow and red paint.

The hood that heavystar sells are common and available from other sellers, sometimes for twice cheaper. There are also new vented hoods now, styled like "muzzle brake" for Summicron, but available in other sizes. I have one on my J-3 sitting on table beside me, looks really cool.

 

[terrafirmanada]

I have both the Leica clip-on hood and the after market screw-on hood. I prefer the clip-on for my 50 cron (since I can reverse it and stick it into my bag). But I prefer the screw-on for my Summaron, since it does not impede the use of the aperature adjustment (the Leica clip-on seems to get in the way.)

 

[ywenz]

Perhaps, but I doubt anyone's in the habit of licking their lens hood (or stirring their coffee/tea w/it).

I have put mine in the mouth on more than several occasions.

 

[erikhaugsby]

Actually the best 3rd party hoods I have come across are made by B+W. It may not be too well known but the quality filter makers B+W and Heliopan make excellent hoods. Heliopan makes an extensive range of hoods that seem to be unavailable in the US. The B+W hoods are readily available here through B&H though, I have two of them and they are the best hoods I've ever seen from any manufacturer, 3rd party or OEM.

They're also really expensive. 🙁

 

[drewbarb]

I have a nice 12585 version metal clip-on hood (which I bought for the outrageous sum of $50 dollars years ago). This worked fine and looks good, but the mounting ring got damaged in a fall last year, and now it's useless. So I bought a Chinese screw-in vented and angled shade from ebay for something like 3 dollars. It's beautiful- well-made, has a nice matte surface, and screws in easily and securely to all my 39mm threaded lenses. But the vents are in the wrong spots. When it is screwed onto any of my lenses, none of the vent holes line up with the camera's viewfinder. I'm left looking at the small metal tab which holds the hood together, not through a hole. One vital bit of the design poorly handled. Oh well. With shipping from China it still cost under $10. You get what you pay for, I guess. Now I use a Leica clip-on plastic vented hood- for which I spent another 75 friggin bucks. It's not as nice as the older metal one I had, but it works.

 

[peter_n]

They're also really expensive. 🙁

Compared to heavystar's hoods - yes. Compared to Leica hoods - no.

 

[peter_n]

Back home from work and here is a pic of a B+W lens hood on an E58 Noctilux. The diameter of the hood is around the same as the diameter of the lens focusing ring and it is smaller and neater than the original hood. It works really well!

 

[Vincenzo Maielli]

Thanks to all, we are all enlightening.
Ciao.
Vincenzo

 

[sanmich]

Is the B&W 39mm vented?

 

[peter_n]

I have not seen the 39mm B+W hood but my thinking is that it probably isn't. Leica makes hoods for rangefinder cameras, the B+W hoods are for use on any camera.