Hood for Summicron 50

[iMacfan]

Hello everyone,

I wonder if you could suggest a hood for my Summicron 50, as the results I've been getting are variable, and I think that this is sometimes down to flare, and sometimes just me being a crap photog!

I believe that it is a 70s Summicron, no tab, black, says WETZLAR on the front, and the SN is 2439XXX. I don't have an original lenscap, so I'm using a push on russian one at the moment, so a hood with its own cap would be great if possible.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

David

 

[rover]

Although they aren't the best to get on and off, I like the way the round vented slip on hoods work on the Summicrons. There are a couple versions, but they all work on all Summicrons. Mine is the plastic one, 12538 I think.

http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/overview/listm.html

 

[peter_n]

If you want to go 3rd party try eBay hood maker heavystar. He makes both vented and regular hoods of high quality.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Flare on a Summicron??? Oh, it's a '70s Summicron; I have no experience with those. The Leitz vented hood is excellent (it's also a bit pricey, between $30 and $70, used). I have a tabbed Summicron, mid-80s I think, and it is super-resistant to flare. I never feel the need to have a hood on for that lens; it's a beauty that way.

I would check for other sources of flare in your lens: smudges in the front, even in the rear element; is it scratched? Or maybe that's how this lens is; like I said, I have no experience with that version.

 

[iMacfan]

Thanks everyone for the replies. This does bring up another question: Does anyone know if my 'cron should be flare prone?

Thanks,

David

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

I have a 12538 vented hood, with cap, in Like New condition, if you're interested.

Sorry, can't answer your question about flare succeptibility. I've always used a(nother) 12538 on a 50DR, and haven't seen any flare. Haven't tried to use the lens without the shade....

 

[Paul Connet]

Thanks everyone for the replies. This does bring up another question: Does anyone know if my 'cron should be flare prone?

Thanks,

David

Hi David, I think the general answer is yes. All versions of the Sumicron 50 before the last optical version, are prone to flare. The latest optical design, (both the tabbed version and the built-in hood versions), are said to be very flare resistant.

Some say that the 70's version gets its flare from reflections in the lens body behind the last element. I constructed a black baffle made of poster paper to sit behind the last element and tacked it in with contact cement. The baffle has a cutout matching the film gate dimensions and pretty much eliminates any bouncing light from that area. My lens still will flare with bright light hitting the front element and no hood will stop that IMO.

Get a hood, but don't expect it to solve all flare problems.

regards, Paul C.

 

[ray_g]

I would tend to agree with Gabriel on this one. The 69-79 Summicron is a modern design, said to be optically identical to the current version. The coating is also supposed to be vastly improved over the flare-prone earlier versions (collapsible, rigid/DR).

That being said, I use a 12585 on my rigid and collapsible crons. Leica hoods tend to be expensive. Before I got a good deal on one, I used a generic rubber B+W Hood. It is $15.50 from B&H, and worked just as well.

 

[Paul Connet]

I would tend to agree with Gabriel on this one. The 69-79 Summicron is a modern design, said to be optically identical to the current version. The coating is also supposed to be vastly improved over the flare-prone earlier versions (collapsible, rigid/DR).

Nope, the 60-79 version, (code 11817) is the version between the rigid/DR and the current optical version which started in 79, (tabbed version 11819) and continued to the present with the built-in hood version, code11826 that came out in 1994.

Regards, Paul C.

 

[ray_g]

Yes, Paul, I agree. I suppose by "said to be optically identical" I was referring to any discernible difference in the images produced, according to people who have actually owned both (not me 😉). As you know, opinions on this are varied, as in this thread:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=005K6l