ZI lens caps - you better not drop them

[ZeissFan]

It doesn't take hours for a lens to focus its rays to a point and burn a hole in a cloth shutter. I believe it's more like minutes -- and just a couple at that. The proximity of the cloth shutter to the film plane makes it very simple for the sun to quickly do its work.

Take your lens out on a sunny day and focus it on a dry leaf and see how long it takes to burn a hole in it. Now, the shutter is slightly forward of that, so it would take a bit longer, but not that much longer.

I don't believe this is urban photographic legend, as there are plenty of stories out there of this happening to unaware photographers.

The overall design of the Zeiss lens cap is mostly fine. The ridges on it, however, should be horizontal and not vertical. That would provide friction for your fingertips. As it is, your fingers tend to slide off the vertical ridges, especially with a lens shade attached, making it very difficult to get a firm grip. That part is poorly designed.

I have had plastic tensioned caps arrive broken. But they were only lens caps, so no big deal. Just buy another.

 

[Trius]

When I had an M3, I had purchased it used and the shutter curtain had been repaired to fix a hole burned by a lens. It wasn't a prett repair, but it worked OK.

 

[SDK]

If you are going to have the cap off and decide to set the camera down during the day, set the lens to minimum focus and stop it down, but most importantly don't face the camera toward the sun. If you are walking around you are unlikely to have the camera aimed at the sun long enough to burn a hole.

I have yet to successfully light a leaf on fire with a RF lens, I did try with a Summicron 35mm once without success, but it was winter and the leaf was brown not black.

 

[Jason Sprenger]

I purchased a ZM 50/2 Planar recently and found the cap wanting. The basic design of the cap is clever but the implementation is lacking.

The cap doesn't grip well. Giving a clockwise turn once it's down can tighten it up as the cap rides the filter thread but even that's no guarantee.

However, an inexpensive after market cap snaps on tightly on the first try and seems to be made from less brittle plastic to boot.

 

[Tony Rose]

Zeiss 43mm and 46mm caps to sell.........

Zeiss 43mm and 46mm caps to sell.........

Monday or Tuesday of next week we will have extra Zeiss 43mm and 46mm caps to sell. The caps are part of the warranty so if they fail you get a new one within the first year.

TR🙂

 

[jano]

The caps are much,much easier to take on and off when you've got a filter on the lens with the hood attached... 🙂

 

[Athena]

I feel as if I've wandered into the party at the reception next to the one I was invited to and find I am amongst a bunch of foppish folk!

Last month I bought a Hassy 503CW and needed a 62mm lens cap. I bought one "off the rack" for $4.99!

It has no logo on the front - inside it says: "Made in China" 🙂

 

[John Robertson]

When Francis Shultz tested the ZI in the British B/W magazine, the only bad criticism she had of the camera was------you guessed, the lens caps. Perhaps ZI were trying to be too clever here, the KISS principle works every time.

KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid!

 

[Huck Finn]

When Francis Shultz tested the ZI in the British B/W magazine, the only bad criticism she had of the camera was------you guessed, the lens caps. Perhaps ZI were trying to be too clever here, the KISS principle works every time.

KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid!

Whew! . . . and I was afraid she was actually going to find something wrong with the lens. 😀

 

[Grober]

A simple, aluminum, screw-in lens cap will solve your problem here. I put the Zeiss cap in the box the lens came in and happily use the screw-in cap. The Zeiss one is a poor design.

-g

 

[willie_901]

A simple, aluminum, screw-in lens cap will solve your problem here. I put the Zeiss cap in the box the lens came in and happily use the screw-in cap. The Zeiss one is a poor design.

-g

It is poor, but what do you do about cappung the lenes when the hood is installed?

 

[RML]

It's the same design of cap that I can buy for a few dollars in my local store. If I ever loose it, I'll replace it with one of those cheap ones.