Lens hoods for large format lenses

film_man · Sep 18, 2020

I've been thinking of hoods for my large format lenses and am not sure what is the right way to go about it. In particular I have a Nikon 90/4.5S and a 180/5.6 that I use on 4x5 and could do with some protection when in the rain.

I am not sure if I need to get one of those compendium expanding hoods or if I can just get a "normal" and a "wide" screw on threaded hood for them. Would the normal hoods interfere with movements or is the coverage there anyway? Obviously the difference is that I can get metal screw on hoods for nothing whereas a compendium hood is a bit more of a bother to find plus is going to be a lot bigger to carry.

What do people use for lens shading?

juan · Sep 18, 2020

That’s why you remove the dark slide from the film holder- to shade the lens. Simply hold the dark slide where it shades the lens during exposure. You can hold it far enough from the lens to avoid vignetting.

B.S.Kumar · Sep 18, 2020

A fixed lens hood will certainly interfere with movements. If it doesn't it is not effective, because it is too wide. The best system is the Sinar bellows with the adjustable sliding mask II. Toyo and Wista compendium hoods are also good for their cameras.

Kumar.

neilt3 · Sep 18, 2020

Have a look at one of these ;
https://www.srb-photographic.co.uk/p-size-bellows-lens-hood---black-11227-p.asp

It slits into a Cokin P size holder and can be used whilst using filters . Extends for longer lenses , leave more flattened for wides and do on .
I had one for years using it on 135,120 & 5x4 .
You can get one that fits the Cokin Z-pro filters from Speedgraphic .
https://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/lens...ee_cokin_zpro_hitech_100_nisi_v6/29309_p.html

They fold flat and all you need is the holder and filter adapters for your lenses .
But if you use slot in filters , you already have all this .

unityofsaints · Sep 18, 2020

I've had no complaints with my Lee wide angle bellows.

film_man · Sep 18, 2020

juan said:
That’s why you remove the dark slide from the film holder- to shade the lens. Simply hold the dark slide where it shades the lens during exposure. You can hold it far enough from the lens to avoid vignetting.

I thought of this but I don't trust myself enough to not end up with lovely photos of the darkslide

film_man · Sep 18, 2020

Thank you all for the suggestions, I will look into all of them.

B.S.Kumar · Sep 18, 2020

neilt3 said:
Have a look at one of these ;
https://www.srb-photographic.co.uk/p-size-bellows-lens-hood---black-11227-p.asp

It slits into a Cokin P size holder and can be used whilst using filters . Extends for longer lenses , leave more flattened for wides and do on .
I had one for years using it on 135,120 & 5x4 .
You can get one that fits the Cokin Z-pro filters from Speedgraphic .
https://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/lens...ee_cokin_zpro_hitech_100_nisi_v6/29309_p.html

They fold flat and all you need is the holder and filter adapters for your lenses .
But if you use slot in filters , you already have all this .

Both these hoods are good, but how would they be adjusted when movements are used?

Kumar

ic-racer · Sep 18, 2020

I find it very easy to detect if a lens shade interferes when I peek through the clipped corners of the ground glass.

Alan9940 · Sep 18, 2020

I use the dark slide or my hat to shade the lens. In 40 years of LF photography, I've never noticed any issue in my negatives.

Alan Gales · Sep 18, 2020

Dark slide as mentioned above.
Ya gotta put it somewhere. Might as well shade the lens with it!

Doremus Scudder · Sep 18, 2020

In the field, I prefer to use the old Voss spring-clip filter holder, which has adjustable barn doors. It's not as good as a compendium, since two sides are open, but it's small and adjustable. Here's a link to one on the 'Bay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Voss-Profe...684009?hash=item3fe8345769:g:2ZsAAOSwG-dfTVSZ

Best,

Doremus

neilt3 · Sep 18, 2020

B.S.Kumar said:
Both these hoods are good, but how would they be adjusted when movements are used?

Kumar

If it's getting in the way , it just needs collapsing back down a bit .

Alan Edward Klein · Sep 18, 2020

I must be missing something. Why would movements cause a problem? If the compendium shade is attached to the front of a lens, and you let's say tilt the lens down, well, the shade moves down too. If it didn't block the lens before moving the lens, how does it block it afterwards?

neilt3 · Sep 18, 2020

I've never noticed it causing any effect at all .
If it was right to start with , it was right for the shot after applying tilt or shift .
That said I apply only a small amount of tilt , and the amount off shift I've used tends not to be too great .

reddesert · Sep 18, 2020

The OP is in London and mentioned using the shade to keep the rain off. It's true that a normal screw in hood that is wide enough to stay out of the field of view is not ideal for shooting near the sun or bright lights, but it might help the OP's problem of keeping drizzle off the front element.

neilt3 · Sep 18, 2020

An umbrella would keep it off the camera as well as the lens .
I've used my hat placed on the camera and overhanging the lens to keep the rain off , it's a broad rimmed hat so it does that well .

grat · Sep 18, 2020

I'd be more worried about the mechanical shutter than the lens itself.

Get a clamp for your tripod, and mount a brolly on it-- cover you, and the camera.

https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Umbrella-Bracket-Photography-Accessory/dp/B07LGLZRNW

Steve O'Nions (also a Uk photographer) uses one (specifics at 4:10):

ic-racer · Sep 18, 2020

Alan Edward Klein said:
I must be missing something. Why would movements cause a problem? If the compendium shade is attached to the front of a lens, and you let's say tilt the lens down, well, the shade moves down too. If it didn't block the lens before moving the lens, how does it block it afterwards?

If you have a 90mm lens with an 90 degree view, the shade for an 90 degree view does not shade much. So usually the shade is based on the angle of view of the film format. So if you use any movements, the compendium needs to be adjusted to suit. As mentioned, looking out the clipped corners lets one see where the compendium is interfering.

reddesert · Sep 18, 2020

Alan Edward Klein said:
I must be missing something. Why would movements cause a problem? If the compendium shade is attached to the front of a lens, and you let's say tilt the lens down, well, the shade moves down too. If it didn't block the lens before moving the lens, how does it block it afterwards?

If you tilt the front standard, but the position of the lens is still on the camera axis, then the field of view doesn't move down. Tilting the lens doesn't change the field of view, it just changes where the plane of sharp focus is within that angle of view. So it can lower the hood into the field of view.

If you apply rise or shift, the field of view changes, and that can also bring the hood into the field of view. Whether these are real issues depends on how much movement you apply and how tight of a hood you need. As usual, wide angles and shooting towards the sun are harder.

Alan Edward Klein · Sep 19, 2020

reddesert said:
If you tilt the front standard, but the position of the lens is still on the camera axis, then the field of view doesn't move down. Tilting the lens doesn't change the field of view, it just changes where the plane of sharp focus is within that angle of view. So it can lower the hood into the field of view.

If you apply rise or shift, the field of view changes, and that can also bring the hood into the field of view. Whether these are real issues depends on how much movement you apply and how tight of a hood you need. As usual, wide angles and shooting towards the sun are harder.

It's not clear to me. If the hood is attached to the lens, and you apply rise or shift, the hood moves equally as far as well as the lens. How can the hood block the view and cause vignetting after the move if it didn't block it before the move to cause vignetting? It not different that changing the the whole angle of the camera by tilting the camera or aiming it in another direction. The hood moves equally.

Alan Edward Klein · Sep 19, 2020

ic-racer said:
If you have a 90mm lens with an 90 degree view, the shade for an 90 degree view does not shade much. So usually the shade is based on the angle of view of the film format. So if you use any movements, the compendium needs to be adjusted to suit. As mentioned, looking out the clipped corners lets one see where the compendium is interfering.

View attachment 255291

Is that shade attached to the lens or independently mounted?

Andrew Kleinfeld · Sep 19, 2020

A Stetson hat works very well.

neilt3 · Sep 19, 2020

Alan Edward Klein said:
Is that shade attached to the lens or independently mounted?

The shades are fastened to the filter thread of the lens .

reddesert · Sep 19, 2020

Alan Edward Klein said:
It's not clear to me. If the hood is attached to the lens, and you apply rise or shift, the hood moves equally as far as well as the lens. How can the hood block the view and cause vignetting after the move if it didn't block it before the move to cause vignetting? It not different that changing the the whole angle of the camera by tilting the camera or aiming it in another direction. The hood moves equally.

Applying rise is different from tilting the camera upward. I could draw a picture, but I suggest you try it. Rig up a shade or lens hood (even a piece of cardboard will do) so it is just above the field of view with the camera zeroed. Now apply front rise. The field of view moves up (that's the point of front rise) and now the shade will be poking into the field of view.

Lens hoods for large format lenses

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