i'm to the point where i think i need a lens shade, and i would hope that i can get away with just one adjustable one, but maybe that is too much to ask. my len ses run from series VI to VIII and one about the size of a small coffee cup.

i notice that a lot of med and large format shades are square. i wonder if that is provide the optimal shading. i've seen some that look like bellows, but the o ne i was looking at was square, and 8*10 and 4*5 of course is rectangle. maybe i ought to find a retangle then? i could make one that is bellows type, but what rules do i follow to get optimal shading without problems? i think the dagor i'v e got is 70 degrees.

i'm often shooting in sage brush in deep canyons and on hills, many of the shots which appeal to me have a degree of back-light or low slanting light. it always seems to be in the lens. if i could get a big enough, long enough, lens shade o f the right shape, i think i could bring home the image. Also, it occurs to me t hat a good lens shade may aid contrast even in moderate bright situations, and i notice that modern lenses seem to have a kind of shade looking thing on the rea r element which raises the question: would an internal lens shade help. I also w onder if those corrigations in shades like bellows somehow help to break up eniv atable reflection off the front element even in low light situations. any sugges tions?

thanks, david