How long should the lens hood be on a 135mm lens?

[hotflamincheeto]

what range of lengths should I look for? is 35mm okay?

 

[Dennis-B]

You can use a lens hood on a 135mm lens which is for a shorter focal length (e.g. 50mm) lens. However, the lens hood may not be narrow enough to be effective in blocking extraneous light on the 135mm lens.

Using a lens hood for a 200mm lens on a 135mm lens can cause vignetting on the lens, since the 200mm lens has a narrower field of view.

The above are general guidelines. Nikon used to make lens hoods which would work for the 105mm-135mm lenses. The only way to know for sure is to test the various combinations.

 

[btaylor]

Assuming this 135mm lens is on a 35mm slr? You can check the corners on the viewfinder for vignetting. Tougher on a rangefinder, in that case use the manufacturers recommended size hood.

 

[mshchem]

Assuming this 135mm lens is on a 35mm slr? You can check the corners on the viewfinder for vignetting. Tougher on a rangefinder, in that case use the manufacturers recommended size hood.

This is a good point. I have a Nikkor 135 DC for 35mm. It's a collapsible built in hood. Being that is a straight hood, not flared out like most rubber hoods it only sticks out about an inch, this is a f 2 lens with 72mm filters. IIRC my 135mm AI Nikkor with 52mm filters the built in hood was a bit longer.

 

[AgX]

The only way to know for sure is to test the various combinations.

Roll a tube from black cardboard of the diameter of the respective lens. By shoving it forward you can see on a SLR when it starts vignetting.

Of course better would be a rectangular shade.

 

[MattKing]

Be sure to do the test with the aperture at both the largest and smallest openings.

 

[hotflamincheeto]

So there are no universal values, I just have to try and see for myself? a pity...

 

[Dennis-B]

So there are no universal values, I just have to try and see for myself? a pity...

That's how we all learned.

 

[AgX]

Be sure to do the test with the aperture at both the largest and smallest openings.

I guess your idea was that one might overlook the vignetting at largest aperture and at smaller see a sharp image of the hood.

Well, then the smallest aperture may have cut off already any ray that is affected by the hood. One then better check at all apertures.

 

[John Koehrer]

I'm looking at a 135/3.5 pentax lens with original hood and the hood measures 1 3/4" It can also be used with the 150/4.

 

[MattKing]

So there are no universal values, I just have to try and see for myself? a pity...

Yes - at least partially because it will vary with the construction of the lens.
If you dive deep into lens design and construction you will learn that the issue of vignetting depends on the interaction between where the nodal points in the lens are, where and what the various lens elements that make up the lens are, and how the existing lens structure is put together.
As an example, a 135mm lens that employs strong telephoto design (thus making it physically quite short) will probably need a different hood than a 135mm lens that is closer to being a non-telephoto lens of actual 135mm length.
If the lens is one that the manufacturer has specified a particular lens hood for, and you can obtain the dimensions (length and sizes of the front and back "throats") then perhaps you can measure potential replacements and consider their resulting suitability.
Good luck with your quest.

 

[hotflamincheeto]

Thanks for the reply, Matt! The lens is CZJ Triotar 135/4 and there's no dedicated hood as far as I'm concerned.
The lens is rather small, it's thin and quite short (filter size 40.5mm, 130mm of length). In that case I should opt for a shorter hood, right?

 

[RalphLambrecht]

what range of lengths should I look for? is 35mm okay?

one could calculate the max length from the viewing angle of the lens extended from the optical center of the length. However, it's the middle of the night and I'm too lazy to do so right now.

 

[MattKing]

Thanks for the reply, Matt! The lens is CZJ Triotar 135/4 and there's no dedicated hood as far as I'm concerned.
The lens is rather small, it's thin and quite short (filter size 40.5mm, 130mm of length). In that case I should opt for a shorter hood, right?

A hood that is deeper will provide you with more benefit than one that is shallower/shorter.
But one that is too deep will vignette.
It is always a balancing act.
By the way, one needs to test both for closer and farther subjects, because the angle changes slightly with subject distance.
And also by the way (and just as general advice), if you had referenced the particular lens in your thread title and initial post, you would have increased the chances of someone replying who has direct experience with that specific lens.

 

[hotflamincheeto]

Before posting here I had no idea that the lens hood length changes from lens to lens even if they're the same focal length.

 

[MattKing]

Before posting here I had no idea that the lens hood length changes from lens to lens even if they're the same focal length.

Understood, and I hope that we have been at least a little bit of help.
It is worthwhile to persevere, because a good lens hood can really help.

 

[AgX]

And a bad lens hood is still better than no hood...


However some manufacturers gave their lenses built-in telescopic shades, or gave them an oversized barrel (eg M42 CZJ Tessars).

 

[Mick Fagan]

Some time ago we were presented with a dilemma for someone who picked up a 100mm or 105mm 35mm camera lens; it too had the 40.5mm thread size.

Eventually we decided on getting the cheapest metal screw hood and ordered something like this. Which at 2 Euro posted world wide, shouldn't break your bank account.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/40-5mm-...157982?hash=item2f3052399e:g:AwcAAOSw8bdc0jhu

Actually we bought two hoods as we weren't sure whether or not we may be fiddling with it. In the end we needed to fiddle with it by reducing it by 2mm, which was achieved by placing fine emery paper on a sheet of glass and rubbing it down to the required length. Then some black paint and it worked like a charm and is still in use as far as I know.

I would suggest your possible hood length could be around 18 - 20mm from the end of the lens, maybe a tiny bit more. I worked this out as my Nikon 135mm lens with a built in lens hood, is approximately 18.5mm from the end of the lens to the tip of the lens hood. My Nikon lens is an f/2.8 and it may need a shorter lens hood than your f/4 lens.

Mick.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

there you go.