FA*28-70mm hood dilemma and solution

dgaies · 08-19-2010, 05:08 PM - **1 Like**

So I recently purchased a FA*28-70 that didn't come with the stock hood. I looked around in the hopes of buying one, but my prospects seem slim at best. Normally at this point I would just buy a screw-in rubber hood, but I wasn't crazy about doing that in this situation. On the FA*28-70, the front element rotates and extends while zooming/focusing. The idea of a large rotating, extending hood wasn't very appealing. I was also to some extent concerned about the added weight and possible additional stress on the AF motor (probably not a huge concern, but something I thought about).

So with that in mind I looked around for a hood that might work. The only real option I could come up with is the hood that's made for the DA*200 and DA*300. Unfortunatly even though I owned both lenses at one point, I had since sold them so I didn't have the hood to try out. I wasn't sure if the mounts were the same, or if the hood would be too long. However, when I saw that BHphoto had them for $20 I figured I had to give it a shot. So I ordered one (though he forum sponser link of course) and it showed up on my porch today.

So I unpacked the hood, kept my fingers crossed that the hood bayonets would match up and that the hood wouldn't be too long for the FA*28-70 (on an APS-C sensor). Well, much to my surprise everything seemed to work great. The hood mounts easily and securely. It even mounts in reverse for storage. As far as can tell, there isn't any vignetting at 28mm (FWIW, the hood won't work for film; you can see dark corners in the viewfinder of a film body). Plus, as an extra bonus, despite it not being the original matching silver hood, I think it actually looks pretty decent mounted on the lens

Anyway, I just thought I would let anyone else who might be in a similar situation know that this is a pretty decent alternative to the stock hood if you can't find an original, or if you just want a little extra protection on an APS-C sensor at a fairly low cost.

Below is a picture of the hood mounted on the lens. I also threw in a small, scaled picture of the hood compared to the stock hood so you could see the approximate size difference.

FYI, I used the stock picture from the lens review section to paste in and do the comparison. I hope that's not an issue (copyright-wise), but if it is, please let me know and I will take it down immediately.

Last edited by dgaies; 08-20-2010 at 08:18 AM. Reason: correction

Adam · 08-19-2010, 06:05 PM

Looks pretty funny, but hey, at least you've got a hood now! And yes, it's perfectly fine to use our lens review photos here within the forum.

BTW- the sad thing is that these hoods were available new from B&H just a couple of years ago! I ordered one in 2008, I believe, and it arrived some time in late 2009.

dgaies · 08-19-2010, 06:22 PM

Originally posted by Adam

Looks pretty funny, but hey, at least you've got a hood now! And yes, it's perfectly fine to use our lens review photos here within the forum.

BTW- the sad thing is that these hoods were available new from B&H just a couple of years ago! I ordered one in 2008, I believe, and it arrived some time in late 2009.

I do recall reading that thread about your one year wait for the hood. Although it wouldn't have mattered much to me back in 2008; I only had a couple lenses, didn't know what the term LBA meant, and thought it would be crazy to spend more than a couple hundred dollars on a single lens. Amazing what a little time quality spent on here will do to a person

FWIW, it actually looks even funnier with the hood reversed as it covers almost the entire lens, right down to the aperture ring. But it's solid, provides great protection and was only $20 so I really can't complain

dgaies · 08-19-2010, 08:08 PM

Originally posted by dgaies

FWIW, it actually looks even funnier with the hood reversed as it covers almost the entire lens, right down to the aperture ring.

Here's a picture with the hood reversed.

kathyk · 08-19-2010, 08:15 PM

Looks good, and that was a great idea. When I had the 2870/2.8 I usually just left the hood on all the time since it was still easy to take the cap on/off. Might not be the case with the longer and slimmer hood on there.

The IQ is wonderful for this lens, isn't it?

BTW $20 is a good price, why does Pentax price so much of their stuff so over the top, like their soft cases and some of the Ltd hoods?

**Ron Boggs** · 08-19-2010, 08:17 PM

Cool! Since the FA*80-200/2.8 uses the same stock hood as the 28-70, I'm guessing this would translate to that longer lens as well. Since that one isn't as wide, isn't likely to vignette either.

dgaies · 08-19-2010, 08:26 PM

Originally posted by kathyk

Looks good, and that was a great idea. When I had the 2870/2.8 I usually just left the hood on all the time since it was still easy to take the cap on/off. Might not be the case with the longer and slimmer hood on there.

Thanks, I'm actually very happy with how it turned out. When I ordered it earlier this week, I figured there was very little chance it would work.

There's actually enough room for your fingers inside the hood to get the cap on and off. It's easier with a center-pinch type cap, but even the side-pinch caps can go on and off without removing the hood (just tried it).

Originally posted by kathyk

The IQ is wonderful for this lens, isn't it?

I hope so

I actually haven't had too much time to play around with it yet to see it's full potential, IQ-wise, but some quick test shots I took looked pretty nice. Hopefully this weekend I'll get a chance to take it out and really put it through its paces.

Originally posted by kathyk

BTW $20 is a good price, why does Pentax price so much of their stuff so over the top, like their soft cases and some of the Ltd hoods?

Yeah, $20 is a steal considering how much some Pentax accessories go for (other hoods included). I actually happen to remember that they had it for $20 from when I almost had to buy a replacement hood when I owned the DA*300

At the same time I also picked up a used S80-160 soft case for $12 (no additional shipping). It fit the lens perfectly w/o the hood. I guess I need to keep an eye out for a well priced S100-140 (or something similar) for this particular lens/hood combo.

Last edited by dgaies; 08-19-2010 at 08:33 PM. Reason: added comment about cap removal with the hood on

dgaies · 08-19-2010, 08:30 PM

Originally posted by Ron Boggs

Cool! Since the FA*80-200/2.8 uses the same stock hood as the 28-70, I'm guessing this would translate to that longer lens as well. Since that one isn't as wide, isn't likely to vignette either.

I would certainly think that it would be fine with the FA*80-200 on a crop sensor DSLR. I'd be less certain if it would vignette mounted to an FA*80-200 on a film SLR.

If anyone has an extra FA*80-200 they want to send me, I'll be glad to check

pcarfan · 08-22-2010, 02:11 PM

Dgais,

Thank you for taking the time to post this. The FA* 80-200 which shares the same hood could definitely use a longer hood. I will order this hood and try.

Thanks.

dgaies · 08-22-2010, 02:35 PM

Originally posted by pcarfan

Dgais,

Thank you for taking the time to post this. The FA* 80-200 which shares the same hood could definitely use a longer hood. I will order this hood and try.

Thanks.

You're welcome. I have a feeling it would be a good match for the FA* 80-200, certainly on a APS-c sensor.

Regarding the Tamron 28-75 vs FA*28-70 comparison, I didn't get a chance to do that (or much of anything) this weekend. Hopefully I'll find have some time to compare them next weekend

pcarfan · 08-22-2010, 04:07 PM

Originally posted by dgaies

You're welcome. I have a feeling it would be a good match for the FA* 80-200, certainly on a APS-c sensor.

Regarding the Tamron 28-75 vs FA*28-70 comparison, I didn't get a chance to do that (or much of anything) this weekend. Hopefully I'll find have some time to compare them next weekend

Cool...did you see my comparison I had posted a few months ago?

dgaies · 08-22-2010, 04:19 PM

Originally posted by pcarfan

Cool...did you see my comparison I had posted a few months ago?

I did see it and actually read it twice; once back when you originally posted it and again before I bought it. To be honest, after reading it I almost didn't bother picking up the FA*28-70 after seeing some of your results at 70mm. Looking at how I use the Tamron, a large percentage of my shots are at the long end, often wide open. So obviously one of my concerns is now the lens, and in particular this copy, performs at the long end at f/2.8 and f/4.

My initial impressions so far are good. It's certainly heavier than the Tamron, but not that much larger. The giant hood I stuck on the end doesn't help with size, but it provides a great deal of protection (from both flare and physical damage). I'm sure I'm a little biased, but I think it actually looks quite good with the hood on, especially mounted to the K7.

Having never used an FA* lens, or any other lens with power zoom, it did take me a few minutes to figure out how to zoom it manually. I knew there had to be a way, but it didn't initially occur to me that the ring moved the same way the focus ring does. That did give me a chance to try the power zoom out, which was interesting, but a bit nosier than I expected.

pcarfan · 08-22-2010, 05:24 PM

The power zoom in the 28-70 is a little noisy, the 80-200 is silent. I think the black lens hood looks just fine in your pictures.

I like the FA* 28-70 more than what the 'test' had implied, it's got incredible contrast and is amazing for family portraits....I like it very much. I should take it out for spin (alwyas choose my limteds in those situations).

dgaies · 08-22-2010, 06:08 PM

Originally posted by pcarfan

The power zoom in the 28-70 is a little noisy, the 80-200 is silent. I think the black lens hood looks just fine in your pictures.

I like the FA* 28-70 more than what the 'test' had implied, it's got incredible contrast and is amazing for family portraits....I like it very much. I should take it out for spin (alwyas choose my limteds in those situations).

Interesting that the 80-200 power zoom is silent. Speaking of the 80-200, I actually thought about trying one back when my LBA was at its peak on insanity (and when you had yours on sale back in June). But since I already had the 50-135 and 60-250, it seemed [beyond] excessive.

I took some quick test shots after I last posted just to satisfy my curiosity. It matched up with your results. Sharpness at 70mm is certainly not this lens' strongest attribute. At f/2.8 the Tamron is quite a bit sharper. Even at f/4 the Tamron still has the edge. Of course for those who don't own the Tamron, keep in mind that it's one of the sharpest zooms out there.

Test-shot sharpness at 70mm aside, the lens does have excellent IQ; the colors, contrast and bokeh are top-notch. Even the lack of razor sharpness at 70mm ends up making for nice portraits at 70mm. I am certainly looking forward to putting the lens through it's paces in the next week or two.

legacyb4 · 06-01-2011, 06:27 AM

Congrats on yet ANOTHER awesome lens to add to your collection!

Originally posted by dgaies

So I recently purchased a FA*28-70 that didn't come with the stock hood.

08-19-2010, 05:08 PM - 1 Like	#1
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917	*FA28-70mm hood dilemma and solution** So I recently purchased a FA28-70 that didn't come with the stock hood. I looked around in the hopes of buying one, but my prospects seem slim at best. Normally at this point I would just buy a screw-in rubber hood, but I wasn't crazy about doing that in this situation. On the FA28-70, the front element rotates and extends while zooming/focusing. The idea of a large rotating, extending hood wasn't very appealing. I was also to some extent concerned about the added weight and possible additional stress on the AF motor (probably not a huge concern, but something I thought about). So with that in mind I looked around for a hood that might work. The only real option I could come up with is the hood that's made for the DA200 and DA300. Unfortunatly even though I owned both lenses at one point, I had since sold them so I didn't have the hood to try out. I wasn't sure if the mounts were the same, or if the hood would be too long. However, when I saw that BHphoto had them for $20 I figured I had to give it a shot. So I ordered one (though he forum sponser link of course) and it showed up on my porch today. So I unpacked the hood, kept my fingers crossed that the hood bayonets would match up and that the hood wouldn't be too long for the FA28-70 (on an APS-C sensor). Well, much to my surprise everything seemed to work great. The hood mounts easily and securely. It even mounts in reverse for storage. As far as can tell, there isn't any vignetting at 28mm (FWIW, the hood won't work for film; you can see dark corners in the viewfinder of a film body). Plus, as an extra bonus, despite it not being the original matching silver hood, I think it actually looks pretty decent mounted on the lens Anyway, I just thought I would let anyone else who might be in a similar situation know that this is a pretty decent alternative to the stock hood if you can't find an original, or if you just want a little extra protection on an APS-C sensor at a fairly low cost. Below is a picture of the hood mounted on the lens. I also threw in a small, scaled picture of the hood compared to the stock hood so you could see the approximate size difference. FYI, I used the stock picture from the lens review section to paste in and do the comparison. I hope that's not an issue (copyright-wise), but if it is, please let me know and I will take it down immediately. Last edited by dgaies; 08-20-2010 at 08:18 AM. Reason: correction*

08-19-2010, 06:05 PM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	Looks pretty funny, but hey, at least you've got a hood now! And yes, it's perfectly fine to use our lens review photos here within the forum. BTW- the sad thing is that these hoods were available new from B&H just a couple of years ago! I ordered one in 2008, I believe, and it arrived some time in late 2009. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

08-19-2010, 08:08 PM	#4
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917 Original Poster	picture with the hood reversed Originally posted by dgaies FWIW, it actually looks even funnier with the hood reversed as it covers almost the entire lens, right down to the aperture ring. Here's a picture with the hood reversed.

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08-19-2010, 06:22 PM	#3
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917 Original Poster	Originally posted by Adam Looks pretty funny, but hey, at least you've got a hood now! And yes, it's perfectly fine to use our lens review photos here within the forum. BTW- the sad thing is that these hoods were available new from B&H just a couple of years ago! I ordered one in 2008, I believe, and it arrived some time in late 2009. I do recall reading that thread about your one year wait for the hood. Although it wouldn't have mattered much to me back in 2008; I only had a couple lenses, didn't know what the term LBA meant, and thought it would be crazy to spend more than a couple hundred dollars on a single lens. Amazing what a little time quality spent on here will do to a person FWIW, it actually looks even funnier with the hood reversed as it covers almost the entire lens, right down to the aperture ring. But it's solid, provides great protection and was only $20 so I really can't complain

08-19-2010, 08:15 PM	#5
kathyk Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Michigan/USA Posts: 173	Looks good, and that was a great idea. When I had the 2870/2.8 I usually just left the hood on all the time since it was still easy to take the cap on/off. Might not be the case with the longer and slimmer hood on there. The IQ is wonderful for this lens, isn't it? BTW $20 is a good price, why does Pentax price so much of their stuff so over the top, like their soft cases and some of the Ltd hoods?

08-19-2010, 08:17 PM	#6
Ron Boggs Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: MT Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,349	Cool! Since the FA*80-200/2.8 uses the same stock hood as the 28-70, I'm guessing this would translate to that longer lens as well. Since that one isn't as wide, isn't likely to vignette either.

08-19-2010, 08:26 PM	#7
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917 Original Poster	Originally posted by kathyk Looks good, and that was a great idea. When I had the 2870/2.8 I usually just left the hood on all the time since it was still easy to take the cap on/off. Might not be the case with the longer and slimmer hood on there. Thanks, I'm actually very happy with how it turned out. When I ordered it earlier this week, I figured there was very little chance it would work. There's actually enough room for your fingers inside the hood to get the cap on and off. It's easier with a center-pinch type cap, but even the side-pinch caps can go on and off without removing the hood (just tried it). Originally posted by kathyk The IQ is wonderful for this lens, isn't it? I hope so I actually haven't had too much time to play around with it yet to see it's full potential, IQ-wise, but some quick test shots I took looked pretty nice. Hopefully this weekend I'll get a chance to take it out and really put it through its paces. Originally posted by kathyk BTW $20 is a good price, why does Pentax price so much of their stuff so over the top, like their soft cases and some of the Ltd hoods? Yeah, $20 is a steal considering how much some Pentax accessories go for (other hoods included). I actually happen to remember that they had it for $20 from when I almost had to buy a replacement hood when I owned the DA300 At the same time I also picked up a used S80-160 soft case for $12 (no additional shipping). It fit the lens perfectly w/o the hood. I guess I need to keep an eye out for a well priced S100-140 (or something similar) for this particular lens/hood combo. Last edited by dgaies; 08-19-2010 at 08:33 PM. Reason: added comment about cap removal with the hood on*

08-19-2010, 08:30 PM	#8
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ron Boggs Cool! Since the FA80-200/2.8 uses the same stock hood as the 28-70, I'm guessing this would translate to that longer lens as well. Since that one isn't as wide, isn't likely to vignette either. I would certainly think that it would be fine with the FA80-200 on a crop sensor DSLR. I'd be less certain if it would vignette mounted to an FA80-200 on a film SLR. If anyone has an extra FA80-200 they want to send me, I'll be glad to check

08-22-2010, 02:11 PM	#9
pcarfan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Dayton, Ohio Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,978	Dgais, Thank you for taking the time to post this. The FA* 80-200 which shares the same hood could definitely use a longer hood. I will order this hood and try. Thanks.

08-22-2010, 02:35 PM	#10
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917 Original Poster	Originally posted by pcarfan Dgais, Thank you for taking the time to post this. The FA* 80-200 which shares the same hood could definitely use a longer hood. I will order this hood and try. Thanks. You're welcome. I have a feeling it would be a good match for the FA* 80-200, certainly on a APS-c sensor. Regarding the Tamron 28-75 vs FA*28-70 comparison, I didn't get a chance to do that (or much of anything) this weekend. Hopefully I'll find have some time to compare them next weekend

08-22-2010, 04:07 PM	#11
pcarfan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Dayton, Ohio Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,978	Originally posted by dgaies You're welcome. I have a feeling it would be a good match for the FA* 80-200, certainly on a APS-c sensor. Regarding the Tamron 28-75 vs FA*28-70 comparison, I didn't get a chance to do that (or much of anything) this weekend. Hopefully I'll find have some time to compare them next weekend Cool...did you see my comparison I had posted a few months ago?

08-22-2010, 04:19 PM	#12
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917 Original Poster	Originally posted by pcarfan Cool...did you see my comparison I had posted a few months ago? I did see it and actually read it twice; once back when you originally posted it and again before I bought it. To be honest, after reading it I almost didn't bother picking up the FA28-70 after seeing some of your results at 70mm. Looking at how I use the Tamron, a large percentage of my shots are at the long end, often wide open. So obviously one of my concerns is now the lens, and in particular this copy, performs at the long end at f/2.8 and f/4. My initial impressions so far are good. It's certainly heavier than the Tamron, but not that much larger. The giant hood I stuck on the end doesn't help with size, but it provides a great deal of protection (from both flare and physical damage). I'm sure I'm a little biased, but I think it actually looks quite good with the hood on, especially mounted to the K7. Having never used an FA lens, or any other lens with power zoom, it did take me a few minutes to figure out how to zoom it manually. I knew there had to be a way, but it didn't initially occur to me that the ring moved the same way the focus ring does. That did give me a chance to try the power zoom out, which was interesting, but a bit nosier than I expected.

08-22-2010, 05:24 PM	#13
pcarfan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Dayton, Ohio Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,978	The power zoom in the 28-70 is a little noisy, the 80-200 is silent. I think the black lens hood looks just fine in your pictures. I like the FA* 28-70 more than what the 'test' had implied, it's got incredible contrast and is amazing for family portraits....I like it very much. I should take it out for spin (alwyas choose my limteds in those situations).

08-22-2010, 06:08 PM	#14
dgaies Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Maryland / Washington DC Posts: 3,917 Original Poster	Originally posted by pcarfan The power zoom in the 28-70 is a little noisy, the 80-200 is silent. I think the black lens hood looks just fine in your pictures. I like the FA* 28-70 more than what the 'test' had implied, it's got incredible contrast and is amazing for family portraits....I like it very much. I should take it out for spin (alwyas choose my limteds in those situations). Interesting that the 80-200 power zoom is silent. Speaking of the 80-200, I actually thought about trying one back when my LBA was at its peak on insanity (and when you had yours on sale back in June). But since I already had the 50-135 and 60-250, it seemed [beyond] excessive. I took some quick test shots after I last posted just to satisfy my curiosity. It matched up with your results. Sharpness at 70mm is certainly not this lens' strongest attribute. At f/2.8 the Tamron is quite a bit sharper. Even at f/4 the Tamron still has the edge. Of course for those who don't own the Tamron, keep in mind that it's one of the sharpest zooms out there. Test-shot sharpness at 70mm aside, the lens does have excellent IQ; the colors, contrast and bokeh are top-notch. Even the lack of razor sharpness at 70mm ends up making for nice portraits at 70mm. I am certainly looking forward to putting the lens through it's paces in the next week or two.

06-01-2011, 06:27 AM	#15
legacyb4 Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tri-Cities, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,784	Congrats on yet ANOTHER awesome lens to add to your collection! Originally posted by dgaies So I recently purchased a FA*28-70 that didn't come with the stock hood.