Unusual lens hood on 8.5cm Nikkor for Contax.

[dexdog]

I was scrounging for lens hoods this morning and came across this two-piece hood, the larger piece is 55mm screw-in, while the smaller piece acts as a 55mm to48mm adapter. I got this hood as part of a package with a 'C' marked Nikkor 8.5cm/2. A similar lens hood is depicted on page 121 of Rotoloni's Nikon RF book. I have a similar screw-in hood that came with the 5cm/1.4 Nikkor on my Tower 46/NIcca 5L. Did Nikon not mark early hoods?

 

[NIKON KIU]

Some of them are just marked Japan, some not.
The two part hood is meant to take filters in between.

Kiu

 

[dexdog]

Thanks, Kiu! I found the other one I was thinking about. It is marked TOWER on the hood itself, and came with both 43mm and 48mm adapters marked Japan. Nifty brown leather case included. EDIT: 438PM. The nifty leather case has no markings whatsoever, inside or outside.

 

[NIKON KIU]

I wonder who did the TOWER engraving?
Doesn’t look NK, the typeface is too American?
Probably added by Sears?
Back in the 50s the more common filters were called series filters, as in series I, series II…series IV, these were drop in jobs as compared to today’s filters that screw in to front of the lens.

The 13.5cm chrome shade is more or less the same design.

Kiu

 

[Cascadilla]

I have that same shade that came with my 8.5 cm f/2 in S mount. It has f/stops to f/32 but is definitely chrome over brass given the weight. I have a black one in Contax mount that weighs considerably less.

 

[dexdog]

I wonder who did the TOWER engraving?
Doesn’t look NK, the typeface is too American?
Probably added by Sears?
Back in the 50s the more common filters were called series filters, as in series I, series II…series IV, these were drop in jobs as compared to today’s filters that screw in to front of the lens.

The 13.5cm chrome shade is more or less the same design.

Kiu

Given that Sears was marketing the Tower cameras produced by various Japanese makers, I imagine that Sears contracted with a firm in Japan to produce the TOWER hoods. Just my supposition, of course.

 

[dexdog]

I have that same shade that came with my 8.5 cm f/2 in S mount. It has f/stops to f/32 but is definitely chrome over brass given the weight. I have a black one in Contax mount that weighs considerably less.

The lens in post #1 is likely chromed brass, weighs 475g without any lens caps or filters, stops down to f32. Built like a tank, and although pretty heavy handles well on a Contax II or IIa because it is short and compact. I have a few Contax III and IIIa but rarely used them, I have always thought the light meter of the III series ruined the aesthetic appeal of the camera, and unless the selenium meter has been over-hauled it is just added bulk

 

[wes loder]

Nikon standardized on series seven filters for most of their RF lenses. That changed in the mid-Fifties when it became apparent that the public much preferred screw-in filters. The screw-on hood for the 8.5cm f2 Nikkor came as a kit in a leather case consisting of the adapter ring (48 to series seven), a hood and a filter-holder ring. It took the standard series seven. One used either the hood or the filter-holder ring to hold a series filter in place. These kits have no markings except for the NKT mark on the leather cases.

 

[ZivcoPhoto]

I have one of these hoods with series 7 filter holder, came with my 8.5cm F2 LTM Nikkor, I also use it on my “S” mount 8.5cm or the 8.5cm for Contax - with this hood never had any lens flare.