galleryg
Newbie
Long time reader first post... My name is Gene and I am a retired wedding photographer from coastal Washington. I have alwas shot Hassy/Rollei and contax SLR's, but I finally took the plunge and got myself my 1st RF, a Contax IIa w/ f1.5 50mm, which I am quickly learning to love.
My question is I am finding much conflicting info as to which is the proper lens hood for the f1.5 I don't want to make the purchase twice so I seek some board wisdom and recommendations. I have found a Zeiss Ikon S40.5 screw in sonnenblende that seems to fit the bill, but looks kinda large which concerns me if it will block or interfere the RF windows or viewfinder. Can anyone chime in? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks...
My question is I am finding much conflicting info as to which is the proper lens hood for the f1.5 I don't want to make the purchase twice so I seek some board wisdom and recommendations. I have found a Zeiss Ikon S40.5 screw in sonnenblende that seems to fit the bill, but looks kinda large which concerns me if it will block or interfere the RF windows or viewfinder. Can anyone chime in? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks...
Attachments
mothertrucker
Well-known
Hey Gene. You could try a Voigtlander 310/41 40.5mm hood. There are a few on eBay. I have one of these on mine and it looks good and fits well.
markjwyatt
Well-known
I have the iia with the f2 Opton Sonnar, and do not have a lens hood. I have not had any significant issues with flare. I guess the coating is good enough. Probably would be good to have one in any case.
Greyscale
Veteran
Zeiss Ikon 1119 S 40.5 is the original hood, and yes, it does block a corner of the viewfinder. Any modern vented 40.5mm hood will work if you do not care about originality.
Richard G
Veteran
Welcome Gene. When ever I want a dose of reality I look at the Wedding Forum on photo.net. Awe-inspiring. No second chances for you guys. I just saw a blurry 1964 bride and groom coming out of the church shot. The couple really like it and it was taken by a dear friend. The offical photographer hadn’t closed the back of his camera properly for that crucial roll....
anindyo
Member
For 50/1.5 opton, hood isnt mandatory for flare reduction. I use a filter ring for front lens protection.
For 50/1.5 jena, I found that a generic vented hood with a 52 mm filter ring (with the glass removed) attached in front works best for improving contrast. I also have a vintage 40.5mm rubber hood (made in w.germany), but it looks ugly, distracting on viewfinder, and perform worse.
For 50/1.5 jena, I found that a generic vented hood with a 52 mm filter ring (with the glass removed) attached in front works best for improving contrast. I also have a vintage 40.5mm rubber hood (made in w.germany), but it looks ugly, distracting on viewfinder, and perform worse.
jcb4718
Well-known
+1 for the Voigtlander 310/41 40.5mm hood. It's more compact than the Zeiss but even so it does not vignette even with a 40.5mm filter fitted as well. It looks good.
Cascadilla
Well-known
+1 for a generic 40.5 vented hood. They are readily available on eBay for under $10. The Zeiss one does block enough of the viewfinder to be annoying. If you get a different focal length lens you will need an accessory finder, and the Zeiss multifocal finders mounted in the accessory shoes will be high enough so that you could use any hood you want without interfering with that finder. The Zeiss 440 has a 50 mm finder along with ones for 21, 35, 85 and 135 lenses with parallax correction and diopter adjustment.
galleryg
Newbie
Thanks everyone for making me feel welcome! I ordered a Zeiss 135 Sonnar for portraiture ( I like that focal length better than the 85) and a Voigtlander 25 as a placeholder until I an afford a biogon/distagon to take its place. The Voigtlanders are good but a bit soft without some shimming work to account for the difference in the Nikon based mount. I already have the Leitz 135 and 50 mm finders for framing and the Voigtlander comes with its own, so no issues there. I have my eye on a Zeiss 440 at usedphoto.com , but it is for focal length 25-135???? Is that unusual or a option?
Yep you are right about the wedding gigs. Pure pressure cooker. In over 20 years I would say only 5% of the wedding I did were pleasant affairs. The rest always seemed like someone was angry and or not happy with the day or proceedings. So glad I am done with that. But in the end it put my kid through College and feed/housed us. It hard to find gigs that pay you for the art you love.
In the end I think I will opt for the Voigtlander instead of the Zeiss Ikon hood due to price non intrusion of focusing space. Thanks again all for your input! This won't be the last of me..
Yep you are right about the wedding gigs. Pure pressure cooker. In over 20 years I would say only 5% of the wedding I did were pleasant affairs. The rest always seemed like someone was angry and or not happy with the day or proceedings. So glad I am done with that. But in the end it put my kid through College and feed/housed us. It hard to find gigs that pay you for the art you love.
In the end I think I will opt for the Voigtlander instead of the Zeiss Ikon hood due to price non intrusion of focusing space. Thanks again all for your input! This won't be the last of me..
Philip Whiteman
Well-known
Beware el cheapo generic vented hoods: I have found one or two that I have bought act more like thread cutters! I'd recommend a second-hand Hoya or better still Walz 40.5 vented hood - both these classic designs are beautifully made and won't take the paint or chrome off the lens filter thread
Mark C
Well-known
I'll have to check out the Zeiss hood mentioned. I have no problem with my 50/2 Sonnars, but have yet to find a hood that does not vignette with my f1.5's at longer distances. I've got several hoods and even tried just the single part of series adapters. My lenses are 1930's Carl Zeiss.
David Hughes
David Hughes
Photax also made one, they turn up here and there, from time to time...
Regards, David
Cascadilla
Well-known
There were two versions of the 440 finder--one with 21 as the widest and the other with 25. The one with the 21 came from Stuttgart, the one with the 25 came from post war Jena. The 21 mm Biogon is a lot more common and cheaper than the 25 mm Topogon, so you might want to bear that in mind when you buy a finder.