Some Do And Some Don't

Some will and some won't. Some did and some didn't.

And you know, they all should have...

Here's a selection of photographers at the York Medieval Fayre. Some were dressed in period clothes and some were dressed in clothes that had no punctuation marks at all. It did not matter - what was interesting was the selection of cameras that they had chosen to use. The photos by no means show all the people on the ground with a camera, but they do form an interesting list.

If I counted myself, stalking them, I came up with:
1 Fujifilm
3 Nikons
2 Canons
3 Olympuses
1 Leica

and...

any number of cell phones.

The percentages there do not concern me, though I must say that I was pleased to see the number of real cameras vs the number of telephones. What did attract my attention were the number of enthusiasts and professionals who were sensible and used lens hoods. There was enough sun to need them, and the results that people achieved would have been dependant in some instances on the simple little ring of metal or plastic.

At one time a lens hood was a fixed thing - or at least was screwed into the front of the lens with a fine little filter thred and people either left it on or left it off...but rarely paused in action to laboriously match the screw thread entry and gently screw it on. The hoods were cumbersome and, like as not, would be rolling around in the camera bag when needed instead of on the lens.

This changed when most of the camera makers machined bayonet fittings on the front rings of their lenses and provided lens hoods that could be reversed back onto the barrel of the lens when being transported. A quarter twist and a bump lock then mounted the hood. The action was easy - getting people to follow it was hard.

If they could see the difference it would make in combatting glaring sun, it would have been different - but people failed to look at the digital screen results carefully enough. It pointed out two things: either they needed to have a lenshood permanently mounted or they needed a Hoodman Hood Loupe to be able to make any real judgement of what they had just taken.

Those who saw me with the little Fujifilm X-T10 and the equally tiny 27mm f:2.8 lens may think that I am being a hypocrite - there was no lens hood on it. I am still looking for one that fits that 39mm filter thread - rest assured that if I can find one of the old folding rubber ones, it will stay on there permanently. As it is, I made do by adopting the old expedient of turning my back to the sun and shielding the little lens with my body. Not perfect, but the best at the time.

Shady Business In The Leica Cabinet...

Standing in the shop one day idly throwing gravel at the staff to while away the time, I found myself bemused while looking in the Leica cabinet.

Of course everything in there was pristine - Leica insist upon this standard of presentation in their shop displays and frankly, for the price asked for the equipment, this is fair enough. You could hardly expect the latest SL or Monochrom cameras to be piled up in end-of-aisle wire baskets. But what struck me was the variety of lens hoods hat Leica put on their cameras.

Now some other equally reputable manufacturers have designed their lenses in different focal lengths to have the same front diameter and bayonet lock, and as a consequence have found that that several lenses could share the same lens hood. Of course, the extremes of focal length and aperture mean that there are especial ones for some lenses. But when they can double up. they do.

Two big makers of DSLR cameras make a large variety of their own glass, but have dedicated lens hoods for each one. The sales staff bless the manufacturers who pack a hood in the same box as the lens - it makes it so much easier to supply than trying to find two separate packages...particularly if the factory has not bothered to state WHICH lens hood is needed on the box...

Leica sometimes package the thing you need in the box, sometimes compel you to buy it separately, and sometimes fasten it onto the lens permanently. This last variety is the most useful - you never lose it and you can deploy it without searching around in a camera bag for it. Look at the lens hood for the 90mm Summicron M retracted and extended - good design.

The wide angle hoods with their characteristic cutout on the northwest corner are that way to allow you to see through them when mounted on an M-series body with optical finder. Even here you can see a variation with a front baffle plate.

The most surprising of the modern hoods is the one fitted to the Vario-Elmarit SL 24-90 lens. They've gone for the most shading possible in the centre section while having to open out for the edges. If there were to be a front lens hood hat, it would be best made of neoprene to accommodate such an odd shape.

 Equally odd, though this is a shape made by other makers such as Fujifilm, is the square snout fitted onto the Summilux 28 of the Leica Q. I admire it, and find it effective - I use the same shape on the Fujinon 35 and 18mm lenses - but have discovered that it is finicky to cap off out in the field - and a shape that is difficult to attach a front cap to in any case. The rubber hood hats from Op/Tec are by far the best solution to this.

Last but not least is the dear old squeeze-the-childproof-buttons of the classic Macro Elmar lens hood. These were common in the Leica hoods of the 60's and 70's and apart from the weight of the thing, were probably one of the best designs ever made. You could uncap, reverse, attach, and juggle these things in the dark or hanging off the side of a dreadnought with ease.

For all sales information or general know how please come in and see our freindly staff .

The Boxer Rebellion - Or 55 Days And No Peeking

Well, you wanted to know what the manufacturers were doing with the packaging...well so do we...

It's not that bad. Nearly all the products that hit the shop are well-boxed. With the exception of some of the cruder cast-iron and bamboo studio lights and computer-controlled milling machines, nearly everything has been put into attractive boxes. The manufacturers all realise that the visual appeal of the box is part of their sales pitch,

Thus we have seen the use of recognisable colouring for Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Olympus. Gold-and-black, red-and-white, orange, and blue-and-white. You can see 'em on the warehouse shelf and know what you are seeing. You still need to read the endplate carefully to see what is in the box , but several of the makers have added a photo or graphic of the contest to aid you. And they are honest enough not to put parsley and garnishes on the lenses - there is no "serving suggestion" note under the image.

Fujifilm uses black boxes but thankfully marks each one with big grey letters and numbers to identify the contents. Sigma and Zeiss use white boxes and have to be more specific with the end plates to let us know what's inside. All good as long as the lettering is big enough. To their credit, the new Sigma boxes are easier to read than the old ones.

Olympus stepped sideways a little with the packaging of some of their mirror-less OM-D system cameras and lenses - they opted for black as well. We have to be careful shelving that they do not get confused with other black boxes. Elegant enough, but you need good lighting to see what you've got.

Big stuff - printers and monitors and backdrop rolls are always in brown cardboard cartons. Kudos to the design teams who clearly label the things on more than one face - stacking boxes sometimes means that you need to see what is in without having to remove and revolve - any time you do this there is muscle and trouble involved.

One final note for the box designers: We applaud you putting the clear markings on the outside of boxes - telling us what is inside and listing the contents is a very good idea - some clients are desperate to have a box that has never been opened and sealing it with vital information inside is fatal.

Put the serial number on the outside.

Tell us the filter size for the lens, the proper lens hood for the lens -if you do not provide one inside the box, and the proper battery for the camera in case the client wants to purchase a spare one.

Now, in the next packaging column, we look inside - to see who are good people and who are bad people. And you will be surprised...

Uncle Dick

Did You Get A Lens Hood With It?

You did? Good. Is it on the lens? Good.

You did but it is still in the box? Well, have you noticed how some of your pictures are somewhat washed out? And there are light streaks every now and then? And blobs of light appear? Guess where this is going...

Oh, don't get me wrong. 1970's hippie films would be nothing without their light flares and psychedelic spots. Indeed what would the 70's have been without spotty flairs...?

But losing your image to plain old leaked light when you needn't is foolish. Never mind those who look at you funny if your lens hood is half the length of the lens itself - it is there for a purpose. Hide the front element of your good lens down the end of a dark little tunnel and it will stay fresh...

Note to those people who purchase lenses from certain manufacturers - some don't provide a hood in the box. They sell a hood in another box. Don't ask me why. Did they include one in every box like the first lot do, then everyone would have one and we would all be saturated and colourful.

In any case, get a hood.

Lens Hood Envy

I was a little taken aback when a client asked for a lens hood recently. It was a good idea, of course, as it would shield the lens from stray light and tree branches. But the lady was most indignant when I showed her the one that was recommended by her camera's manufacturer. It was the straight barrel variety, and she had seen petal-shaped ones on her friend's camera. She wanted the petal shape.

It took a little demonstrating with her lens to show her that the front part of her lens rotates when it focuses. That means that the hood does as well...and if she were to attach a petal-shaped hood to it there would be various degrees of vignetting and light cutoff as she focused the lens. It is only with the lenses that do not rotate that you can use the petal-shapes.

In the end she accepted the manufacturer's recommendation...but I can't help thinking she was disappointed that she didn't get to use the pretty one.