Exotic wood lens cap prototypes - please respond to the poll

[svarzaru]

I'm looking to see what would be the interest level in exotic wood (replacement) lens caps. These are a couple of examples. The caps on the stereo camera are made out of Cocobolo wood and the larger one from Padauk. Other woods would also be available.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wOEOTETg9EY/S-lLWoy4yPI/AAAAAAAAAtY/n9zWoBuFKYU/s400/DSCF6693-revere.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wOEOTETg9EY/S-lLSsMZOxI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/7RsoezBhvzE/s400/DSCF6711_cr.jpg

[IanG]

Prefer the leather(ette) covered Schneider caps :D

Ian

[evan clarke]

I like snap caps and have all but my largest lenses stepped to 77mm so I can use the same filters...Evan Clarke

[Steven Tribe]

I think these look OK - The wood should match with the lens board! But I prefer the original or self-made cardboard type with velvet insert and very thin leather on the outside. You get quite a lot of leeway as regards a secure fit.

[Daniel_Buck]

Would depend on the price. I've got a few lenses (fairly large lenses) that I could use some lens caps for.

[eddie]

these are great!

the "no" crowd is crazy to put it nicely!

please send me the price and the estimated delivery and i will buy as many as i can afford. felt lined would be my only request. i need some real big ones....like 5-6 and 7 inch diameters...as well as "regular" sizes.

thanks

eddie

[Michael Jones]

these are great!

eddie

They are nice. Assuming they are felt lined, I may be interested. Price estimates?

You are competing against a couple different price points: about $30 for paper and leatherette caps as Stephen describes or $75 for custom machined Delrin for 67mm or so.

Good luck.

Mike

[Lachlan 717]

Any chance that you can show the underside and also a shot in profile?

These look somewhat deep/bulky in the photos that you have attached. Mind you, they also look fantastic on the Brass lens!!

Thanks.

[Ron McElroy]

I voted maybe. It all depends on price. They are beautiful.

[BarryS]

These are nice. Velvet, guys--not felt! Velvet lined would be great. I'd love to buy a set for some of my big brass lenses.

[svarzaru]

OK then, I will work on the design, test a few woods and get back to you all with more pictures. I'll make some samples from small sizes to larger ones. I also have to come up with some pricing. Thank you for the feedback.

[rdenney]

Please make sure that whatever you use to finish the wood (and the woods you choose, or the glue you use to attach the textile to the inside) do not gas off in ways that will damage the glass or coat it with fuzz. And if you use a textile to line the cap, using something that doesn't provide a home for fungus would be nice, too.

I once made a deer-skin arm rest for a raw brass tuba. It looks so good that I've had MANY requests from people to reproduce it. But eventually I had to remove it, because the chemicals that had been used to tan the hide attacked the brass, causing what was becoming a serious corrosion problem. Hence, my warning--damaging chemicals lurk in unexpected places and brass-barrel lenses in particular are chemically fragile.

Rick "who might be interested depending on price and confidence concerning the above issues" Denney

[svarzaru]

Rick, good info thank you. The prototype caps are not finished with anything, they are just polished wood and I was planning on only using woods that polish well without chemicals. These prototypes are not lined, I will be looking into various options for a liner. I will look into anti-fungal treatments as well.


Please make sure that whatever you use to finish the wood (and the woods you choose, or the glue you use to attach the textile to the inside) do not gas off in ways that will damage the glass or coat it with fuzz. And if you use a textile to line the cap, using something that doesn't provide a home for fungus would be nice, too.

[goamules]

I would also be interested if the price was right, and the fit is right of course! I would buy several if they could compete with my source who makes them for $40. I'm not worried about outgassing, but would worry about dropping one and cracking it. Perhaps you could make a brass knob on the front like some of the old ones had. And you could drill an eyelet in the knob to thread a lanyard. And you could.....oh, sorry.

[Flea77]

Interesting idea, and as long as it matched the lens board I might be willing to give them a shot.

Allan

[sergiob]

They are beautiful. Hopefully they are not being made from the last remaining tropical forests:eek: . Instead of exotic, I would prefer "sustainable".:)

[Mark Sampson]

History tells me that my lenscaps are consumables, like cable releases; as pretty as your prototypes are, I wouldn't buy any, only because they would be left lying on the ground somewhere before long. Good idea though!

[Jim Fitzgerald]

These are very nice. As a woodworker and camera builder I make my own. Made one recently for the Walnut barreled 14" Commercial Ektar. I thought it appropriate.

Jim

[Drew Wiley]

Handsome, but from a practical standpoint I too would be cautious about what kind
of finish is involved due to the potential of outgassing, and even of the risk of
certain natural resins outgassing in the heat if the caps are not finished with anything. Not a hypothetical problem at all, but an inherent characteristic of many tropical (and other) woods. Merely polishing the wood does not mitigate this.

[northcarolinajack]

I'm looking to see what would be the interest level in exotic wood (replacement) lens caps. These are a couple of examples. The caps on the stereo camera are made out of Cocobolo wood and the larger one from Padauk. Other woods would also be available.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wOEOTETg9EY/S-lLWoy4yPI/AAAAAAAAAtY/n9zWoBuFKYU/s400/DSCF6693-revere.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wOEOTETg9EY/S-lLSsMZOxI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/7RsoezBhvzE/s400/DSCF6711_cr.jpg

Would have interest, keep me posted.

Jack

[Michael Kadillak]

They have obvious aesthetic appeal but wood holds moisture and it does not take much to get sucked into lens elements under the right conditions. Ditto for wood finishes or other applied coatings. The best cap for a lens is hard plastic that cannot bend to protect its surfaces and is a stable material. I spent some time with a professional lens technician last weekend that advised that I acquire desiccant when working in humid climates to combat the issues with humidity. I left him a marvelous 203mm Ektar that was suffering the effects of hazing initiated from some moisture that got into the lens elements. Just something to consider.

[akvamakc]

If anyone either interested in watching my LJ. http://akvamakc.livejournal.com/1764.html Lens Cover is made of leather, base - plywood and hardboard.

[Leigh]

I wouldn't buy anything made out of "exotic" wood.

- Leigh

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I make my own out of Walnut.

[burnt0013]

I would be interested in these caps for my large format lenses provided the prices are not too riduculous. Infact please send me more information.

[false_Aesthetic]

Damn dude.

I want em but I have a feeling they'd end up where all my other lens caps end up... sitting on a rock at the top of a mountain or in a random countryside brothel with all the other missing lens caps.

[Michael Cienfuegos]

I think lens caps were made to be lost. The more expensive the cap, the easier it is to lose. :(

[buggz]

These look nice, I would possibly purchase one, or more, depending on the price, and the issue earlier.

[E. von Hoegh]

I make my own out of Walnut.

I make my own out of very thin cardboard, leather, and velvet. The wood is beautiful, but too expensive and bulky.

[MonkeyBrain]

I wouldn't buy anything made out of "exotic" wood.

- Leigh


Agreed.

And pretty amazed that only 2 people before me in a 3-page thread feel the same. If that even approximately reflects the percentage of the population who are concerned with sustainability, then no wonder the world is so ******.

EDIT: Still, even if this doesnt seem to be a very popular point of view, the OP might consider adding the option to vote "No, I don't agree with unchecked consumption of the earth's resources and wouldnt buy a product that contributes to further depletion of equatorial forests", or something along these lines...

[Bob Salomon]

OK, aside from scratching the metal if they are not lined what about:
Cracking over time?
Exapnsion and contracting with temperature, humidity?
Critters that may be attracted to the cellulose or other materials?

And, as others pointed out. Outgassing?

Lenses have been made for a very long time but while I have seen lots of metal, plastic, leather caps I can't remember ever seeing one made from wood. Why is that?

[taulen]

And considering the OP havent posted in this thread since early 2010 I guess this never happened ?

[ataim]

I think lens caps were made to be lost. The more expensive the cap, the easier it is to lose. :(

Kindof like sun glasses. The value of the item is directly related to how easly they are lost. ie cheap glass' I keep for years, expensive ones, only a few month.

[Racer X 69]

And considering the OP havent posted in this thread since early 2010 I guess this never happened ?

Guess not. And the OP has been MIA for about 18 months or so, and the links in his signature are broken.

Go figure.