[Leica] Summitar Lens Hood

[Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net>]

At 05:11 PM 02/18/2001 -0800, "Fred Dickinson" 
<Fred.Dickinson@btinternet.com> asks:

>Does anyone know of an alternative lens hood for a Summitar 50mm lens. I am
>using a barn door type at present, but find it rather large and heavy, but
>there is no filter thread on my lens, so I can't use a conventional hood.

Fred:  My solution was to scrounge photo stores' used bins for a Series VI 
slip-on hood/filter holder that would fit on the lens.  Very cheap, works 
just fine, and you don't have to pay billions of dollars competing with 
collectors.  When I used a IIIf as my main camera, I used two Series VI 
hoods of different diameters for a Summitar and two other lenses. It also 
meant that I only needed one set of filters I could use on all the 
lenses.  And only two (deep breath) UV f*lt*rs.

Downsides:  Taking the hood on and off the lens may eventually leave some 
slight bright marks on the end of the barrel.  Usually the aluminum slip-on 
hood doesn't badly mess up the hard chrome plating on most of the older 
lenses.  If your lens is in collector condition, this may not be the way to 
go.  If you actually take pictures with the lens, who cares?  Also, using a 
cheap aftermarket accessory detracts slightly from the snob appeal of using 
the Leica.  If you actually take pictures with it, who cares?

The barn-door shade probably provides a little better shading, because it's 
been optimized for the most shading without vignetting on the 
Summitar.  The Series VI hoods seem to be set for a 35mm lens or 
thereabouts.  For most pictures, this won't matter.  If you are shooting 
with the sun just out of the frame, use the barn door shade.

Also, beware of some of the older Series VI filters you can get used--some 
of them are uncoated, thick, and not very good.  I don' t know if  Series 
VI stuff is available new any more.  Any camera store that's been around 
for several decades probably has a few kicking around in the "used" and 
"bargain" accessories bins.

NOTICE:  The preceding post takes no universal position, pro or con, on the 
use of UV f*lt*rs.  Using them on my old LTM lenses seemed a good idea, 
since the coating on these lenses is said to be softer than on modern 
lenses.  Protecting them and therefore needing to clean them much less 
often seems to have paid off.  My old lenses do not have the "light 
cleaning marks" often noted on a Certain Auction Site We Shall Not Mention, 
so I must have done something right.

- --Peter Klein
Greasy-fingered in Seattle