[8540tomg]

I’m a big fan of the sliding hood as well and lens hoods in general. The sliding hoods never get lost or fall off and are always there when you need them. They provide some degree of protection for the front element of the lens and help cut down flare. I have fifteen lenses in my collection and eight of the fifteen have built-in sliding hoods. Older Pentax lenses with hoods of this type are lined with felt pads so they don’t scratch the lens barrel as they slide in and out. Over time the felt in some of the older lenses wears down and the fit can get a bit loose. The hood still works but can move around a little more than you might like. My collection of lenses with sliding hoods include:

SMC M 400/5.6
SMC K 300/4
SMC K 200/2.5
SMC M 200/4
SMC DA 70/2.4 limited – this particular hood is a bit sloppy and doesn’t always stay in place.
SMC M 150/3.5
SMC M 75~150/4 zoom
SMC M 80~200/4.5 zoom

The rest of my collection all have snap-on hoods or don’t require a hood:

SMC K 24/2.8
SMC M 29/2.8
SMC M 35/2
SMC M 50/1.4
SMC M 50/4 macro – no hood needed as the front element is deeply recessed
SMC A 100/2.8 macro - no hood needed as the front element is deeply recessed

DA* 16~50/2.8 zoom

I went to the trouble/expense to get original Pentax lens hoods for all my older lenses that didn’t have a built--in hood. They are typically of the clip-on type and are prone to falling off if they get knocked about. Storage can be an issue with these clip-on hoods as most won’t fit in the original lens case. In addition, they take up a lot of room in your camera bag.

You can still find original Pentax hoods for your older Pentax lenses. As I recall I got most of mine from KEH camera and one or two from EBAY. If there was an advantage to having an original hood I wanted it. Original Pentax hoods can get a bit pricey but at least you know you have a hood designed to work specifically with your lens. It can take a while to track down the original hoods but that’s just part of the fun.

Tom G

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Last edited by 8540tomg; 07-11-2011 at 08:32 AM.

[djc737]

I can't fit my 49mm B&W "thin" CPL on my DA 15mm because of the hood. I don't know if another brand of filter would work but I doubt it. The 15mm has better contrast than my 16-45, but the 16-45 takes a filter, at which point the zoom becomes the more contrasty lens.

I actually have a regular B+W CPL and it fits my DA 15mm fine and does not cause any vignetting. I was origially thinking of getting a thin version but had this from my 77mm and found it worked.

[twitch]

Funny but the tests I have seen rate the Cokin filters at the bottom of the heap for light transmission, quality, etc. I was considering trying them until I read several reviews comparing types of filters and those kept getting rated very poorly from a technical perspective.

Cokin are meant to be terrible due to severe colour casts, but the Lee filters are meant to be superb. Lee is used by pro photographers so can't be too bad. I think I'll get the Lee system for the grad ND and use it with my DA12-24, and leave (non-grad) NDs & CPL for my DA15.

I can't fit my 49mm B&W "thin" CPL on my DA 15mm because of the hood. I don't know if another brand of filter would work but I doubt it. The 15mm has better contrast than my 16-45, but the 16-45 takes a filter, at which point the zoom becomes the more contrasty lens.

Maybe it's something about the "thin" filter. I have a few 49mm B+W filters and don't have any trouble using them on my DA15.

[TOUGEFC]

I have normal hoya 49 filters and they are fine to use with the Da15's slidding hood.