Re: [Leica] Tips for Hoods

[abpeking <abpeking@public.bta.net.cn>]

Eric and Harrison,

I appreciate your comments and whilst I know - and have stated - that 
there are work-arounds for the odd filter sizes that Leica seems intent 
on perpetuating I feel that as somebody who actually needs to use 
filters on these lenses when called for (as opposed to somebody who 
neither needs nor wants them) my complaints are valid: no other company 
I am aware of has adopted the 60mm filter size (to say nothing of the 
weird series 5.5, 6, 7, 8 etc filters) and Leica, which is forever 
touting its professionalism and suitability for - nay supremacy in - 
color photography produces no color correction filters whatever in this 
size (nor any other these days for that matter). This seems to be an 
anomaly at least and for me an irritation. To be fair recent M lenses 
have veered towards common filter sizes - such as the 55mm 21 and 24 
asphs (whose hoods don't fit when non-Leica filters are fitted I have 
heard), and 46mm (common for camcorders anyway) for 28, 35/1.4, 50/1.4, 
90/2.8. But the change from 58mm on the original 50/1 and 75/1.4 to 
60mm on subsequent versions seems perverse - or worse it might suggest 
they found the original design vignetted too much and they never tested 
thoroughly before putting it on the market (as has been suggested for 
the early change from 49mm to 60mm for the 21/2.8 - a fairly whopping 
jump for a company committed to keeping filter sizes as small as 
feasible...)

Now I hear what you say Eric about the M's unsuitability for colour 
corrected photography and yes it is nicest when shooting available 
light bw or even colour negative and not having such obstructions to 
deal with but just as Leica management say that the Ms are not really 
suited to flash photography (I heartily disagree on this too!) I think 
this is just another example of saying everything is fine when it is 
not and could and should be a whole lot better. For years people would 
say that M photography and meters were incompatible (a very small 
minority still do), likewise Leica SLRs and teleconverters, zooms, 
autoexposure, autorewind (due to static) etc etc but time and time 
again these people have had to throw away their excuses for Leica 
adopting technology years or even decades later than their 
current/erstwhile competitors. Leica and plastic used to be thought 
forever incompatible but Leitz was in fact one of the first lensmakers 
to use plastic inner barrels (such as in the 50/2R and 35/2M) to the 
dismay of purists - and I might add not a few repair people who used to 
be in awe of Leitz craftsmanship. 

Having moaned on like this you may wonder why I bother using Leicas (I 
have 6 Ms/8 lenses curently): the answer is mainly because the lenses, 
in combination with the accurate RFs, produce beautiful images and I 
shoot mostly on colour transparency despite the design shortcomings. I 
have considered for many years usng R series cameras but in this part 
of the world (China) service is non-existent for them and even in Hong 
Kong it is simply not adequate: I would need at least two of everything 
plus I always found the Rs had a distracting color cast in the finder 
(until the R8). 

Moves are afoot to improve matters in the service area with a new major 
service centre in Hong Kong mooted(third biggest after Solms and New 
Jersey). In the meantime I just want to air my impressions and 
hopefully hear of solutions (thanks for your help there Harrison!). By 
the way I think the British filter system you mentioned is probably 
Hi-Tech: excellent resin squares with some unique CC/grad combos 
besides the usual array. Lee, which is my main system, is great and the 
freestanding bellows hood is very nice plus they are one of the very 
few companies that makes truly neutral grey grads.

On a more positive note I want to give my vocal support for Tom 
Abrahamsson's rapidwinders - I have three of them and find they enable 
me to shoot in situations I previously stuck with motorised SLRs as 
well as enjoying them for their solidity (metal as opposed to the M 
winder plastic) and elegant form. I have a chrome one on a converted M3 
which looks great and works better. Strongly recommended!



Photojournalist
Shanghai, China