[Leica] 35/1.4 ASPH hood

[Frank Dernie <FrankDernie@compuserve.com>]

"Hoyen ~simontart~"  wrote

"the accessory hood's cutout near the viewfinder lets in the sun and othe=
r
sources of light"

My 35 f1.4 is the old aspherical not the latest ASPHbut no way I look can=

mine possibly allow light through the hood's viewfinder aperture in such =
a
way as to impinge on the lens, so could not possibly allow flare. How cou=
ld
the new one be different? I have always liked Leica WA hoods because they=

make them the correct shape and properly baffled to avoid any possibility=

of reflection. They are the only company who make and supply a properly
designed hood, all other manufacturers produce circular hoods, which simp=
ly
can not be optimum, or a cutaway corner circular hood which is better but=

really only cheaper to make than a proper one. Most makers also charge
extra for their hoods. One of the main reason for the quality of Leica
images is their rejection of stray light IMO. The first thing I learned a=
s
a teenager starting in photography was NEVER use a lens without a hood. I=

still do not.
 As an aside one of the few shortcomings of the Contax G2, which I bought=

as a p&s for flash and end up only using for about 2 films per year, is
that the 21mm can not be used with a hood atall because it would block of=
f
the "rangefinder" windows. Sadly therefore the lens most likely to need
shading does not even have one available!

Cheers Frank