SK Grimes Lens Caps

[Ben Chase]

I had a chance to peek around on the SKGrimes website and noticed they make some pretty hefty lens caps out of hard plastic.

Does anyone have these bad boys, or does it seem a little silly to "pimp out" your lenscaps?

Ben

[Ralph Barker]

Although I don't have any, they've been discussed here a few times in the past. Those who bought them seem to be quite pleased with the extra protection their robustness provides.

[Brian Ellis]

I used to own one. It was an excellent cap. I don't now remember which lens I bought it for or even why I bought it as opposed to just getting a normal cap but whatever the reason I wasn't disappointed despite the steep price.

[vinny]

I just found these: Cheap alternativehttp://www.photofilter.com/hoods.htm#Lens%20Caps

[Jon Wilson]

I have a set which came with my 360mm APO-Nikkor Lens which Steve Grimes installed in a Betax #4 shutter. These caps are the strongest lens caps I have every used. If you have high quality glass which you do not want scratched, then these caps are worth the money for they will not compress with normal applied pressure or flex so as to contact the glass; they fit like a glove.

[Ron Marshall]

Grimes made a few for me, the smaller ones were $25 and the larger, 70mm, were $35. They fit perfectly and are very rigid.

I was hesitant to spend the money but happy I did. A couple of close calls with the stock caps convinced me I needed to upgrade.

[Dan Fromm]

When Steve remounted a 38/4.5 Biogon in Copal 0 for me he gave me front and rear caps for the lens. The cells are in short barrels, both have glass protruding well beyond the ends of the barrel. The caps fit perfectly, stay on, and are shaped to protect the glass.

The only thing I've seem remotely like them are the screw-in caps that came with my 260/10 Nikkor-Q (= Process Nikkor).

Ben, if you have a lens with protruding front or rear elements, an SKG cap isn't "pimping," it is a necessity.

[Frank Petronio]

Some of the current lenses have really thin caps and very close, bulbous lens elements, especially the Rodenstock wide angles...

[Diane Maher]

I bought some for my Kodak 203 mm Ektar mostly because it didn't have any lens caps and it's a really odd size.

[Arne Croell]

I bought some for my Kodak 203 mm Ektar mostly because it didn't have any lens caps and it's a really odd size.

I did the same as Diane for a 203 Ektar, and got some as well for a Zeiss Jena Biometar years later. Great fit, very well made and no comparison to the standard stuff. No risk that it will ever touch the glass.

[George Stewart]

I have some and they are the best!

However, I would not get some just to have them. If you need replacements then they are the only way to go.

[Frank Petronio]

Screw-in flat metal lenscaps offer just as much protection and are much less expensive, altough the SK Grimes stuff is the best.

[Michael Kadillak]

If you could find the screw in metal lens caps that would be great. But considering the tremendous variety of lenses out there and the fact that the Grimes caps are a custom fit, they fill a very necessary void and I am very thankful for them. I have them on most of the lens that I shoot particularly those optics with protruding elements. I bet that I have at least eight sets of them and am having two more made for an Artar and a Dagor as we speak. Relatively chep insurance IMO.

Cheers!

[Ben Chase]

Well, since I plan on having SK Grimes mount my 90mm Rodenstock to the blank Linhof board I have, I figured it would make sense to just have the caps made while I was having that other work done. $35 for lens caps are expensive, but a shattered/chipped front or rear element is a tad more expensive to replace :)

[Walter Calahan]

I don't have their plastic caps, but I do own two metal caps they make for the Cooke XVa lens. Excellent quality. Glad I own them.

[Mark Stahlke]

I have SK Grimes lens caps on a Schneider SS XL 150. I recommend them highly. The original Schneider caps were so flimsy that I didn't consider taking the lens out into the field until I replaced the caps. The SK Grimes caps were expensive but so was the lens.

[bobc]

Yeah, similar to Mark, I didn't take my 14mm or 800mm lenses (for 35mm) out until I had these quality lens caps made. I bought the 800mm and it cme without a cap and the cheesy bag/cover that Nikon provides for the 14mm was hard to put on without bumping the glass.

Expensive, you bet! I think I paid $80 for the 800mm cap!

[Ben Chase]

Good lord - for the Grandagon-N 90mm 4.5 I just got it's gonna be $70 for the front and rear caps together. Those caps BETTER be top notch - hell I should get my name engraved on them for that much coin.

[jshanesy]

Good lord - for the Grandagon-N 90mm 4.5 I just got it's gonna be $70 for the front and rear caps together. Those caps BETTER be top notch - hell I should get my name engraved on them for that much coin.

A uniquely wonderful product which you just can't get anywhere else. They made me a cap for my 19" Goerz Red Dot Artar. I balked at the price when I paid it, but after having used the cap for 5 years now I can honestly say that it was well worth the price.

[Frank Petronio]

I wonder if they make little stick-on elastic cord lens cap keepers? They would be really cute.

[tim atherton]

I wonder if they make little stick-on elastic cord lens cap keepers? They would be really cute.

sure - milled down from a solid 1m/3 block of high imact plastic resin - only $39.95 each

[Ben Chase]

sure - milled down from a solid 1m/3 block of high imact plastic resin - only $39.95 each

LOL - nice.

I just know I'm going to get ridiculed for spending that much $$$ on plastic caps. But - if I knew about them when I was shooting 6x7, then I'd probably have purchased them at that time.

[jshanesy]

I wonder if they make little stick-on elastic cord lens cap keepers? They would be really cute.

They don't as they're totally unnecessary due to the superb fit of the caps themselves.

You can laugh all you want to but doing so won't diminish either the quality of the caps or the gratitude I feel toward Steve (R.I.P.) for having engineered them. Old lenses almost never have caps when you buy them and when they do they don't fit because they're usually leather which has stretched over the years, just like shoes do.

The inner bore of Grimes' caps have a nearly infinitesimally small taper which insures that the cap will continue to grip the lens even as the plastic expands over the years. The original leather rear cap on my Artar is always falling off despite the many Velcro shims which the previous owner glued to the inside. The front Grimes cap, however, fits as snug as ever.

Grimes' lens caps are expensive. But what isn't when it comes to LF photography? The cost of a cap is certainly a pittance when it comes to the price of the lens which it helps to protect.

[D. Bryant]

They don't as they're totally unnecessary due to the superb fit of the caps themselves.

You can laugh all you want to but doing so won't diminish either the quality of the caps or the gratitude I feel toward Steve (R.I.P.) for having engineered them. Old lenses almost never have caps when you buy them and when they do they don't fit because they're usually leather which has stretched over the years, just like shoes do.

The inner bore of Grimes' caps have a nearly infinitesimally small taper which insures that the cap will continue to grip the lens even as the plastic expands over the years. The original leather rear cap on my Artar is always falling off despite the many Velcro shims which the previous owner glued to the inside. The front Grimes cap, however, fits as snug as ever.

Grimes' lens caps are expensive. But what isn't when it comes to LF photography? The cost of a cap is certainly a pittance when it comes to the price of the lens which it helps to protect.

My experience with all of the Grimes products I've purchased has been A number one. Their products and services can be a little pricey but their fabrications are quite well made and durable. One shouldn't expect to purchase a Caddie for the price of a Toyota.

My 2 cents,

Don Bryant

[tim atherton]

My experience with all of the Grimes products I've purchased has been A number one. Their products and services can be a little pricey but their fabrications are quite well made and durable. One shouldn't expect to purchase a Caddie for the price of a Toyota.

My 2 cents,

Don Bryant

Ha - why on earth would you want to? I certainly hope Grimes is making products to Toyota standards

[Ben Chase]

Ha - why on earth would you want to? I certainly hope Grimes is making products to Toyota standards

I would hope the same thing! Unfortunately, I can't wait the 3 weeks they are quoting me for turnaround time. That's just too long.