28mm f/2.8 ASPH Lens hood

[H. Mark Weidman]

I am embarrassed to admit I dropped a practically brand new Leica 28mm f/2.8 ASPH lens, from waist height onto a concrete walkway. I assume all, well almost all, responsibility for the drop, just my second one is over thirty years of professional shooting. The reason for this post is that I partly attribute the dropped lens to the fact that the lens hood does not stay firmly on the lens, it pops off way too easily. I was changing lenses and mistakenly held the 28mm by the shade, rather than by the lens body. Has anyone else noticed this problem with the loose 28mm lens shade? I noticed the flaw when I first bought the lens, and though I had made a mental note to handle with care, I still dropped the lens. Bye-the-way, the lens took the brunt of the impact on the rear mounting flange, which was slightly bent. A careful test indicates the lens is still optically almost perfect, which is a testament to the Leica build quality. I plan to have the flange replaced shortly. I have considered using a drop or two of epoxy to cement the shade to the lens, but not having the option to easily remove the shade would make it difficult to clean the lens. Suggestions and comments are welcome! Mark Weidman

 

[250swb]

Yes you shouldn't hold the lens by the lens hood to take it off because it can start to loosen the small screws that hold the front ring on as well. A lesson learned the hard way, especially as you had already noticed the 'flaw' before you even did it.

Steve

 

[Bob]

This is one reason why I use screw-in metal shades available from folks like heavystar on ebay.
-bob

 

[H. Mark Weidman]

Bob - I never heard of "Heavystar" and will search the web for them. Do you know if they make screw in shades specific to the Leica M lenses? The Leica 21mm lens I have does have a Leica screw in shade and it is a much better design. Mark W.

 

[Double Negative]

Yikes! Thankfully it sounds like minor damage.

One of the first things I did with mine was replace the hood with a screw-in version and new cap to go with. The stock hood is no doubt very effective as a shade, but it's huge and all too fiddly.

 

[H. Mark Weidman]

Interesting, I checked the Leica web site and could not identify a screw in shade for this lens (28mm f/2.8 ASPH Elmarit). Any chance you have a Leica part number?

 

[Armanius]

Sounded painful! Is the 28 Elmarit's shade the same as the one that everyone complains about on the 35/50 Summarits?

 

[Double Negative]

Interesting, I checked the Leica web site and could not identify a screw in shade for this lens (28mm f/2.8 ASPH Elmarit). Any chance you have a Leica part number?

Ahh, sorry - it's a generic, third-party 46mm metal shade from the 'bay. It's angled and is vented. To go with it I ordered a similar generic 55mm pinch-cap. I tried a genuine Leica cap to make it look more "legit" but it had a rather large overhang. C'est la vie.

You can also use other Leica hoods with it; for example the older Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH (pre-FLE) hood.

There is another hood that's metal and scalloped that works also (the part number escapes me at the moment) but it's a bit rare and expensive ($300+).

I like my solution better... <$10-15.

 

[wattsy]

Yes you shouldn't hold the lens by the lens hood to take it off because it can start to loosen the small screws that hold the front ring on as well.

I think it's the 28 Summicron that is susceptible to the front ring loosening. I haven't read of similar problems with the Elmarit though holding the lens hood to remove any lens obviously isn't good practice.

 

[H. Mark Weidman]

In a weak attempt to defend my clumsiness I have to say unless you have juggled this 28mm f/2.8 lens with another Leica M lens and the M9-P body (while changing lenses) you cannot understand how SMALL the 28mm lens actually is. I think the shade is almost as large as the lens itself, perhaps larger, and it is definitely larger across the long dimension. That makes it a bit difficult to make sure one is grabbing the lens by the lens body itself, and not the shade. If I put the lens & shade into my camera bag lens shade up, the shade always comes off unless I make a concentrated effort to reach down through the foam lining and grab the lens body. If I store it in the bag lens body up and pull it out by the lens body, the shade is always left behind in the bag. Once I get the lens back from Leica repair I am very likely to epoxy the two pieces together. Mark W.

 

[Bob]

I have bought many a lens hood from this seller
New Metal Telephoto 95mm Screw-in Lens Hood Tele items in Heavy2stars Photo Gear store on eBay!
-bob

 

[H. Mark Weidman]

Thanks for the link Bob, I sent them an email asking if they had a screw in hood for the 28mm lens. Mark

 

[Double Negative]

Ahh yes, Heavystar. He's got the goods and a good seller. I got my hood elsewhere only because I was going for "cheaper than dirt."

 

[H. Mark Weidman]

Received the metal screw in shade from Heavystar. Now I have to wait for my 28mm lens to come back from Leica service - they quoted me $395 and have to get the part (rear lens flange/mount) from Germany. Mark Weidman

 

[gogopix]

I think it's the 28 Summicron that is susceptible to the front ring loosening. I haven't read of similar problems with the Elmarit though holding the lens hood to remove any lens obviously isn't good practice.

I can verify that the 28 summicron may have had a bad batch of hoods at some point. Mine was loose, and I sent back. leica not only replaced the hood, the did a CLA and recertified the lens!

Regards
Victor

PS: No, I didn't drop it! I'm just fussy (anal? ) about camera stuff.

 

[H. Mark Weidman]

Thanks for the info Victor, I appreciate it. I already signed off on the Leica repairs, but after I get all the gear back (M9P and four lenses) I may write a letter to someone higher up at Leica in Germany. Two months ago I spent almost $17k on the gear, and right now it is sitting on a repair workbench in NJ waiting for parts from Germany. It cost me $200 just to ship & insure the gear to Leica service.

 

[MCTuomey]

Just picked up one of Heavystar's 39mm "wide angle" screw-in hood & pinch cap for my Elmarit-M 28 ASPH. Much more secure than the OEM spring-loaded hood. Even though I have the lens up for sale, I'll feel better including the screw-in hood with the lens if it sells to keep it safe in any buyer's hands. If it doesn't sell and I decide to use it, then I'll stick with the screw-in hood for my own use.

 

[H. Mark Weidman]

I received my Leica gear back from the repair shop and immediately tested the Heavystar 39mm screw in lens hood on my 28mm Elmarit. It vignettes in the corners, at all apertures. Heavystar was accommodating and I have returned it for a refund, less shipping costs. I was disappointed that the lens shade vignettes, because it certainly is far far more secure than the original Leica snap-in hood. Leica service dept. did somehow manage to "tighten" the fit of the hood to the lens, but it is still too precarious for me to trust. I am still seriously considering a small drop of epoxy, or perhaps LockTite. Mark Weidman

 

[H. Mark Weidman]

Good news, problem solved! I stumbled upon DAG Camera Parts ( DAG Camera Parts ) - on a couple forums. Don G. at DAG sold me a metal 39mm screw in lens shade for my 28mm Elmarit. He machined the front of the shade down just enough so the lens would not vignette. He had a 28mm lens so could test the shade before shipping. Great service at a very fair price. Highly recommended!

Mark Weidman

 

[MCTuomey]

Could have done the same with the screw-in heavystar hood, no? (Assuming a grinding tool is handy.)