Lens shades and leaving it open

[jett]

How do you guys use your folders, do you:
-Leave it open while shooting?
-Leave it closed and open it when you are just about to take an exposure? And if so, do you use a hood?

Personally with my Retina IIIc I never use a hood because I find it too cumbersome and almost self-defeating. I only keep the Retina because it has a unique fit in my camera repertoire.

I ask because I sometimes want a 120 folder (classic or modern) and wonder how useful it would be because I'm so accustomed to using hoods and rigid lenses/cameras. I feel that leaving it open is unsafe and attaching a hood every time I open and close it too cumbersome.

 

[Godfrey]

The Bessa III cannot be closed with filter or lens hood fitted. To make it easy to open and shoot, I bought two of the snap-on Voigtländer lens hoods. One of them has an orange filter fitted (my most used filter), the other has no filter.

So when I'm walking, I close the camera to keep it protected. When I'm shooting, I don't close it between shots, and I fit the lens hood that has the filter or not depending upon what I'm after.

The other advantage to fitting filters to the lens hood is that they're a smaller, less expensive size (40.5mm vs 58mm). The downside is that the hoods are not cheap.

G

 

[oftheherd]

I have both 35mm and 120 folders and use them on occasion. I have never looked for a hood or filter for any of them. Perhaps I should, but I find I can usually shade the lens with a hand or hat when I think it necessary.

 

[farlymac]

It kind of depends on the situation, how I carry the camera. If I'm walking along looking for things to shoot, then usually I'll just leave the camera open. If I'm going from location to location, then I'll close the camera between shots.

I agree with you about the Retina hood being sort of a pain, but Kodak made a nice case that it bayonets into, along with slots for three filters, so you could have a total of four with you (one on the lens). But they have to be the Kodak "32" size filters, or they won't fit the slots.

Having a hood on the lens can be a preference thing, but some older, non-coated ones really do need protection from flare. And don't forget the reflections off those chrome filter rings. A lot of the older camera don't even have filter rings, so you use push-on hoods and filters, usually in a Series adapter. Easy on, easy off.

PF

 

[jnoir]

I use almost exclusively folders. The only one that I have found so far capable of being closed with a filter attached to the lens is my Super Ikonta 532/16 MkII (original Zeiss yellow filter). I guess it may be the case for other models from the same family.

I rarely use a lens shade except when dealing with uncoated lenses, and even then it is not something I'm really stressed about unless shooting against direct sunlight. I have several leather cases that attach to the straps of cameras' ERC (similar to the one mentioned for the Retina by PF in the post above) making it easier to have a compact package when walking the city with a single camera. If I travel I usually carry two or three cameras with a dedicated bag, so accessories go scattered everywhere they fit in. When walking with a camera and unless I am snapshooting in the streets, I have it closed and protected and only prepare it when I am ready to take the picture (initial composition decided, light measured, etc) but YMMV.

About filters, I have at least yellow and red for almost every camera I own. The ones that get most use, such as the Makina IIIR or the Rolleiflex, have a complete set of filters, close-up lenses, shades, etc. Most classic folders that I use accept either 30 or 32mm filters (with the odd 40.5 or 37 or 28.5 or... but I guess you get the idea) so no real need to have a heapful of filters. I have about 3 or 4 of each.

 

[V-12]

I generally work like Godfrey, leave it open while shooting and slip the hood off and fold it up when I'm not. But it simply depends on the size of your camera bag really, leave it open with the hood on all day inside the bag, a folder will still be the lightest medium format camera you can get.