Looking for bellows lens shade - need recommendations!

[mortensen]

Hi

I use a Chamonix 45N-1 and lenses ranging from 90-210.
I've had shots ruined by flare (despite MC lenses). I don't want that!

Is there a (relatively) cheap bellows lens shade out there, that accommodate a Chamonix 45N-1 well? Wise people, tell me your advice

thanks,
lars

[David Hedley]

Have you tried the Lee Filters holder & lense shade? Not cheap, but it does the job well.

[Robert A. Zeichner]

Here's an article I wrote describing a shade you can make that does a very effective job. http://web.mac.com/razeichner/RAZP_l...hade_pg_1.html

[Mark Woods]

I believe there's a photo of AA with a clip on shade that is home made. The clip is a spring heavy duty paper clip and the shade is luan (even cardboard) painted black. He clipped it on the top, or sides of the front rise as needed. Very cheap and effective. No style points if that's what you're interested in. ;-)

[mortensen]

Thanks for the article, Robert - sexy little thing
are you thinking about one of these, Mark?
http://robertwhite.co.uk/product.asp...1203&PT_ID=309
... cause I do have a wiggly worm and matte carbon fiber plate... but I would really like a bellows version. Might have to throw some dollars, though.

thanks again, all of you

[Mark Woods]

You could adapt the Sinar bellows. They're pretty sexy and expensive. ;-) It's what I use with the Sinar, but not with the Deardorff, although I'm sorting that out.

[Leonard Metcalf]

I just hold my hand or the dark slide insert up and shade the lens. Very cheap, quick to implement and easy to use. It also has the added bonus of giving me something else to do while I am counting down my exposure.

[archer]

Dear mortensen;
Why not make your own? I made mine from an old enlarger bellows and a filter ring that fit my largest lens and use step up rings on all my lenses for use with the bellows. It screws into the filter threads on the lens and the tapered black wood dowels fit into holes in the front and back plates which are made from 1/8in mahogany plywood door skins to which the bellows is glued and the step ring is epoxied. The hood collapses to 3/4in with no extension, for use with 90mm and extends to 5in for 355mm lens. It is extremely light and allows access to all the lens functions.
Denise Libby

[Darren H]

All of these ideas here could work for you depending on how much work you want to do, or money you want to spend, or what you want to carry.

I bought the official Arca compendium shade for my Arca-Swiss and found that when I used Singh-Ray ND grads (which I use a lot) I could not use the compendium. So over time I found I even stopped carrying it since that was one less thing to pack and I was not using it since it did not work all the time. I just try to shade the lens with my hat now.

Although the Lee filter hood does look interesting.

Hope that helps and good luck!

[Frank Petronio]

If the shade isn't adjustable to flow with the camera movements, you might as well use any old screw in shade like a small format camera. Once you have it long enough to be effective, it will vignette when you use movements. That's why the studio cameras have flexible shades that you can angle and twist to follow the front standard's movements with the lens. The correct way to use the Sinar (Toyo, Arca, etc.) shade is to mount it to the front standard so it mimics the moves and then you adjust the front and mask everything you can right up to the live image area. That's why they want to sell you masking kits (although black tape does the same thing). Think of those sexy rectangular Leica shades, they mask the lens to suit the 3:2 film format.

As far as I can tell, the Lee doesn't bend like that. It's really meant for movie cameras and the like. But if you like it and want a lighter, more compact version then simply tape three $100 bills around the front of your camera ;-)

Myself, I use cheap wide-angle metal eBay screw-in shades with my normal lenses. They only provides minimal flare protection but they do protect the lens when I drop it (shade dings before the lens) and they keeps fingers, raindrops, and dust from touching the lens quite so readily. Then I block the dominate light with my body or card or something when I am shooting, often using my hand or darkslide to be specific. If I have carefully set up a lit shot then I will use a Gobo (a card taped or on a flex arm) to shield the lens.

Stand in dead center in front of the lens and see what light is reflecting off the front -- you want to eliminate that, without vignetting of course. Keep it cheap and simple. Remember that out-of-doors, the wind will blow your fancy pants contraptions away.