Hoods - what were they thinking?

[sanmich]

Am I the only one to be really put off by some of Leica's lenses just due to the size of their hoods?

I'm thinking:
Summilux 35 asph pre-FLE
28mm Summicron, and older elmarits

I see these lenses, and the hood alone is a GAS antidote....

 

[jordan.dickinson]

Yes, I don't like the big bulky plastic ones as they made for the 21mm 2.8 Elmarit-M ASPH which hug the outside of the lens. I don't mind the plastic variations on the 35mm Summicrons ver.IV and ASPH though. Not sure why, but I actually like the little square hoods on those versions. I recently bought a 21mm Super Elmar with the screw in hood, and this really seems to be one of the best options. It's streamlined, metal, and really doesn't make the lens much bigger.

 

[jaapv]

Plenty of sleeker solutions on the Internet. Have a look at the Heavystar site.

 

[sanmich]

Plenty of sleeker solutions on the Internet. Have a look at the Heavystar site.

Sometimes that's not that easy. for instance, their hood for wides blocks the corners on a 28mm

 

[furcafe]

I actually like the hood for the 'lux ASPH pre-FLE. Not the smallest or best-looking, but it was a sturdy, breech mount, unlike the crappy clip-on for the 28 'cron ASPH (that 1 I agree was horrible).

For simplicity sake I now use the hard-to-find 12466 on both the 35 'lux ASPH pre-FLE & the 28 'cron ASPH.

Am I the only one to be really put off by some of Leica's lenses just due to the size of their hoods?

I'm thinking:
Summilux 35 asph pre-FLE
28mm Summicron, and older elmarits

I see these lenses, and the hood alone is a GAS antidote....

 

[jaapv]

Sometimes that's not that easy. for instance, their hood for wides blocks the corners on a 28mm

I use one on an Elmarit 28 version3 and no vignetting.

 

[benmacphoto]

A solution I found for the 35mm Summilux pre ASPH lens hood is to use a 35mm Summicron version IV lens hood.
Hood 12524.
It's much smaller and I feel blocks stray light better than the original hood.

 

[Huss]

Eh ya all got nuttin' to complain about! You should see the stock hood on my Nikkor 28-105 zoom. It makes it look like I'm taking snaps with a trombone..

 

[noisycheese]

You can have a small cool looking lens hood - or you can have a big, dorky looking one that actually does some good. You can't have both. Not unless you get two lens hoods, that is.

Personally speaking, I'm glad that Leica designs their 28mm and 35mm lens hoods with maximum effectiveness in mind. I have never understood why some people get themselves so butt-chafed over such a trivial matter.

When using the Leica hood on a 28 or 35, move the camera around to see what is in the blind spot, recompose and shoot. This procedure is really not that big of a deal IMHO...

 

[Dante_Stella]

Am I the only one to be really put off by some of Leica's lenses just due to the size of their hoods?

I'm thinking:
Summilux 35 asph pre-FLE
28mm Summicron, and older elmarits

I see these lenses, and the hood alone is a GAS antidote....

I've used a 35/1.4 pre-FLE for 13 years, and I've never actually used the hood. Mine seems to be pretty flare-proof.

Dante

 

[Thud]

The hoods aren't a fashion statement they are functional. If your an optical engineer design a better one that works.

 

[BillBingham2]

The hoods aren't a fashion statement they are functional. If your an optical engineer design a better one that works.

The hood on my old Nikkor 85/1.8 is almost as big as the lens itself. Never failed me, got used to it, never had a good enough reason to take it off (other than cleaning the lens every ten or so years).

I have to agree that function trumps (read not Donald) looks. It was fun trying to find caps that went over the hood at different stores. The cap for my old 200/3 Series 1 was a yellow cap from a Hershey Chocolate Syrup can, works great with Nikon 72mm filters.

 

[uhoh7]

Sometimes that's not that easy. for instance, their hood for wides blocks the corners on a 28mm

There are many options for 28 cron. If hood keeps you from getting one (and now they are a steal), you just don't want one.


Untitled by unoh7, on Flickr

I can always find a hood. But there is only one 28 cron. Today:

Upper course by US Alpine Championships, on Flickr

 

[farlymac]

My only problem with OEM hoods is finding them. Then finding the money to pay for them. You'd think they were gold plated the price some of them get asked for.


That's some ski photo, uhoh7. Makes you feel like you're standing right there on the hill.

PF

 

[segedi]

The new 35 Summarit f/2.4 has a nice hood. Metal, compact and totally functional. Also like the built in hood on the 50 Summilux.

I'll often out the lenses in the bag without front caps with aUV filter and hood as protection. Faster lens changes and I never forget to remove the cap!