Lenshoods: Forgive me for I sin...all the time

[Eric Woodbury]

First off, I believe that a lenshood or shade or matbox or French flag should be used most of the time. Even when the sun is not at the edge of my image, I know that the contrast of the image would improve if I were to use a lenshade. I own a nice Lee bellow adjustable shade, but don't like to spend the time to fiddle with it. Sometimes I stick my hand or darkslide out there to shade the lens. In the past 30 years I have taken so many pictures of my darkslides....

Now, I'm designing a new 4x5 camera to suit all my needs and I'd like to incorporate some easy means of lens shading. So, what do you all use or not use? What is the best system? Is there such a system? Compendium shades? Please help.

[Vaughn]

I have just used my hat or darkslide -- not the optimal way, but no means! Now, having the sunlight hitting the lens is not a good thing, but from what I understand what can be almost as bad is a foggy/overcast days. The diffuse light hits the lens from all directions. And we have a lot of foggy/overcast days here on the left-wet coast!

But I need to correct my ways...I like nice crisp contrast. So I will see what others say with interest!

Vaughn

[BradS]

I love to use the Ebony clippy thingy...but really do not like to carry it. when I carry it , I almost always use it.

Otherwise, I try to shade the lens with a handheld darkslide or by strategically placing my body or hand so that the lens is in the shade at the moment of exposure.

Sometimes, I'll use one of those cheapie screw on rubber lens hoods - which I always seem to have in the bag.

[BarryS]

I have a motley collection of circular filters and lens hoods--and it drives me crazy with LF. I think the ultimate system is a compendium shade with 2 or 3 filter slots. I have a matte box with french flags for my video camera and it's so much easier than trying to deal with lens-specific hoods and filters.

[bvstaples]

I always have a lens hood on, and with my LF I use a compendium. I like it because I can adjust it so that I get maximum shading with a given lens. And being 6" square I can get a lot of "hoodage." For instance, with my 210mm the hood is probably extended about 3" from the front edge of the lens. It sits in almost complete darkness.

I use to get occasional flares on my images, and checked for both internal and external causes. Internally I had a sharp edge against the back frame where the flat black paint had worn off, which might have caused flaring internally. I repainted it. I also added the compendium hood, which blocks any light not directly entering the lens from the appropriate cone. Flaring has gone away.

My dos centavos...


Brian

[Rodney Polden]

It seems to me that effective shading of the front element of the lens is often the cheapest way to turn a good lens into a great lens, uncoated into multi-coated and so on. A lot of studio experience, where light has to be closely controlled, convinced me the extra time taken to fit a compendium or similar was worth it. The Cambo compendium hood is pretty usable - I'm adapting one to fit on my other LF cameras also. The difference in the image once flare is removed is really marked.

Another handy device is the "Sun Shield" (Mamiya's name for it) that I use on my RB-67's. They are sometimes available on ebay for not too much, and they have enough adjustments to be easily workable in LF applications. Being a compression fit to the outside of the lens barrel, they still allow screw-in filters and a lenshood too, when desired.

[Eric Woodbury]

Rodney, I believe a 'sun shield' is called a french flag in the movie biz. Thanks for the tip on where to get one.

All, I'm noticing that my lenses, from 58 to 360mm, are all about the same length and all in Copal 0 or 1 shutters. Therefore, a compendium shade may work best, altho I may have to make one to my liking to hold 75mm gel filters in cardboard frames.

I should have mentioned at the start that this is for field work, not studio.

Thanks for all the tips.

[Eugene van der Merwe]

http://web.mac.com/razeichner/iWeb/RAZP%20large%20pix/Shade%20pg%201.html

This type of gadget has worked really well for me, mine is mounted onto the front of a lee filter holder. It's easily adjustable and so far I have not photographed it...

[GPS]

First off, I believe that a lenshood or shade or matbox or French flag should be used most of the time. Even when the sun is not at the edge of my image, I know that the contrast of the image would improve if I were to use a lenshade. I own a nice Lee bellow adjustable shade, but don't like to spend the time to fiddle with it. Sometimes I stick my hand or darkslide out there to shade the lens. In the past 30 years I have taken so many pictures of my darkslides....

Now, I'm designing a new 4x5 camera to suit all my needs and I'd like to incorporate some easy means of lens shading. So, what do you all use or not use? What is the best system? Is there such a system? Compendium shades? Please help.

If you're really serious about using a lens shade on all of your lenses then the best way is to have a specific lens shade made for the specific lens. You cannot buy them but you can build them yourself. I have made lens shades for all my lenses on all my film formats. Their dimensions are calculated for high efficiency for each of these lens/format combinations. To put them on the lens is a question of seconds. Sure, they take some space in the bag but they're very light too...
If you're interested I can help you to get the right dimension for your lens and format but you would need to build them yourself.

[amoebahyda]

If you're really serious about using a lens shade on all of your lenses then the best way is to have a specific lens shade made for the specific lens. You cannot buy them but you can build them yourself. I have made lens shades for all my lenses on all my film formats. Their dimensions are calculated for high efficiency for each of these lens/format combinations. To put them on the lens is a question of seconds. Sure, they take some space in the bag but they're very light too...
If you're interested I can help you to get the right dimension for your lens and format but you would need to build them yourself.

Yes, this is good for plain shot, however, may have vignette problem if you want to tilt or shift.

I use the following two types of lens shade and after composition/focusing then use the 4 empty corners of the ground glass to make sure there is no vignette at all four corners while having the maximum extension of the shade at all four corners for maximum efficiency.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm100/amoebahydra/Photo%20Equipment/Linhoflensshade.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm100/amoebahydra/Photo%20Equipment/Cokinlensshade.jpg

[GPS]

Yes, this is good for plain shot, however, may have vignette problem if you want to tilt or shift.

I use the following two types of lens shade and after composition/focusing then use the 4 empty corners of the ground glass to make sure there is no vignette at all four corners while having the maximum extension of the shade at all four corners for maximum efficiency.


Of course, a lens hood calculated tightly for a given lens/film format would vignette if used for a lens shifted or tilted. On the other hand, a lens hood that is made for a shifted lens is much less efficient when the lens is used with no shift. It is the typical "you cannot have a cake and eat it" situation.

The lens shades on your pictures are far from having "maximum efficiency", for many reasons. In fact, there isn't anything like "maximum efficiency" for a lens shade. One could always make a lens hood more efficient if made longer and with the appropriate opening dimension adjustment.
However, a "universal" lens hood, adjustable in both its length and the opening's dimension would be an unwieldy monster that would be both heavier, more cumbersome and slower in use (see the OP problems) than a specific lens shade for a specific lens/film format combination.

[Renato Tonelli]

I have been searching for a lens shade with a dual rotating 4x4 or larger filter holder to allow the use of a polarizing filter and a grad ND filter. I have such a beast for my Arri 16SR3 motion picture camera but it is too heavy for my 4x5's.

[Steve Gledhill]

This link is to an earlier lens shade discussion which might help ...
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=13055
It's got me thinking as to whether my casual wafting of the dark slide is sufficient.
Worthwhile topic.