I love sliding hoods...

djc737 · 07-09-2011, 04:24 PM - **2 Likes**

Having owned an number of primes and zoom from quite a few brands and most high end BTW, you get very used to the reversible hood. It even starts to become second nature to very carefully reach in and try to rotate the CPL without getting fingerprints all over it with hood attached. Never actually seems to work and so each shoot ends with the filter cleaning to remove the crime scene evidence.
Now I am pretty much in the Pentax camp with all DA and FA primes. I have read quite often the complaint that it is often necessary to slide the hood back to get to the CPL and what a pain that is to do. I find it very liberating. Slide the hood back adjust the CPL sans fingerprints and slide it forward again. Fast, elegant and so unlike nearly every other lens out there. I am just happier and happier with my decision to go with Pentax. Just though I would share that with you.

Dave

v5planet · 07-09-2011, 05:11 PM

I too love the retractable hood design of many Pentax prime lenses. My DA15, 35 and FA77 all have it. I wish more lenses did!

kwetiaw · 07-09-2011, 06:25 PM

i love them too. my pentax 135mm f3.5 has the sliding hood.

adr1an · 07-09-2011, 06:30 PM

The "Samsung" Branded Schneider 18-55 Kit Lens I have has a cool feature.. the bottom 'petal' of the flower hood has a removable panel, sort of like a battery-door cover. Removing this gives a nice little finger hole to rotate CPL's... (And unless your standing on snow, shouldn't defeat the purpose of the Hood)

Is this standard on the Pentax branded 18-55? if so, why not just do that for all their hoods ? (I note all my Tamrons and Sigmas lack such a cool feature....)

Docrwm · 07-09-2011, 06:30 PM

I have several older lenses (M135, M200, M80-200) that have them and they are easy, never get lost, are the perfect length, and they are less of a pain in the camera bag too!

audiobomber · 07-09-2011, 06:46 PM

Originally posted by adr1an

The "Samsung" Branded Schneider 18-55 Kit Lens I have has a cool feature.. the bottom 'petal' of the flower hood has a removable panel, sort of like a battery-door cover. Removing this gives a nice little finger hole to rotate CPL's... (And unless your standing on snow, shouldn't defeat the purpose of the Hood)

Is this standard on the Pentax branded 18-55? if so, why not just do that for all their hoods ? (I note all my Tamrons and Sigmas lack such a cool feature....)

Yes, the little port is standard on the 18-55, 16-45, 18-250, 55-300 etc. I like this feature a great deal. I like rubber collapsible hoods too. The CPL mounts in the hood, just pop the hood back, make your adjustment, pop it forward. I find retractable hoods convenient for storage, but sometimes I notice after I've been shooting a while that I forgot to extend it.

djc737 · 07-09-2011, 07:34 PM

Originally posted by audiobomber

Yes, the little port is standard on the 18-55, 16-45, 18-250, 55-300 etc. I like this feature a great deal. I like rubber collapsible hoods too. The CPL mounts in the hood, just pop the hood back, make your adjustment, pop it forward. I find retractable hoods convenient for storage, but sometimes I notice after I've been shooting a while that I forgot to extend it.

With my FA 31mm, I found the hood just too small for the lens's own good. I added a 58mm B+W on a filter ring with the glass punched out so the hood would fit. On the end of that, I added the collapsible hood. The neat part is that the CPL is rotated by the hood. Saves having to collapse it all all except for storage.

TOUGEFC · 07-10-2011, 03:43 AM

Yes sliding hoods are the best thing since sliced bread!

RioRico · 07-10-2011, 08:47 AM

Of my ~215 lenses I find just 6 with sliding hoods, and one is fairly minimal. Tak-B135/2.5; SMC-M135/3.5; M42 Jupiter-21M 200/4; PKM Toyo 200/4.5; M42 Alpa-Chinon 300/5.6; M42 Sears-Tokina 55-135/3.5 (minimal). Some are tight, some are loose, some are a bother. Note that these are all longer lenses. I rather prefer shorter lenses with deep front insets so adding a hood is unnecessary.

Docrwm · 07-10-2011, 08:59 AM

Originally posted by RioRico

Of my ~215 lenses I find just 6 with sliding hoods, and one is fairly minimal. Tak-B135/2.5; SMC-M135/3.5; M42 Jupiter-21M 200/4; PKM Toyo 200/4.5; M42 Alpa-Chinon 300/5.6; M42 Sears-Tokina 55-135/3.5 (minimal). Some are tight, some are loose, some are a bother. Note that these are all longer lenses. I rather prefer shorter lenses with deep front insets so adding a hood is unnecessary.

Odd that so few of your lenses have sliding hoods. I have 3 with only

17 lenses owned.

RioRico · 07-10-2011, 06:17 PM

Originally posted by Docrwm

Odd that so few of your lenses have sliding hoods. I have 3 with only

17 lenses owned.

We can fix that. Which of yours don't you need?

twitch · 07-10-2011, 06:33 PM

I love sliding hoods too.

There is one issue with them though which is they don't play nice with Lee/Cokin filter systems. They are fine with the round filters though. Still it's something to consider if you ever want to use Grad ND's in particular.

audiobomber · 07-11-2011, 03:40 AM

Originally posted by twitch

I love sliding hoods too.

There is one issue with them though which is they don't play nice with Lee/Cokin filter systems. They are fine with the round filters though. Still it's something to consider if you ever want to use Grad ND's in particular.

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.

Docrwm · 07-11-2011, 08:09 AM

Originally posted by RioRico

We can fix that. Which of yours don't you need?

Need? Interesting question, particularly coming from a man with 200+ lenses who ought to know the answer to that question

Docrwm · 07-11-2011, 08:11 AM

Originally posted by twitch

I love sliding hoods too.

There is one issue with them though which is they don't play nice with Lee/Cokin filter systems. They are fine with the round filters though. Still it's something to consider if you ever want to use Grad ND's in particular.

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.

07-09-2011, 04:24 PM - 2 Likes	#1
djc737 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: South jersey outside of Philly Posts: 281	I love sliding hoods... Having owned an number of primes and zoom from quite a few brands and most high end BTW, you get very used to the reversible hood. It even starts to become second nature to very carefully reach in and try to rotate the CPL without getting fingerprints all over it with hood attached. Never actually seems to work and so each shoot ends with the filter cleaning to remove the crime scene evidence. Now I am pretty much in the Pentax camp with all DA and FA primes. I have read quite often the complaint that it is often necessary to slide the hood back to get to the CPL and what a pain that is to do. I find it very liberating. Slide the hood back adjust the CPL sans fingerprints and slide it forward again. Fast, elegant and so unlike nearly every other lens out there. I am just happier and happier with my decision to go with Pentax. Just though I would share that with you. Dave

07-09-2011, 06:46 PM	#6
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by adr1an The "Samsung" Branded Schneider 18-55 Kit Lens I have has a cool feature.. the bottom 'petal' of the flower hood has a removable panel, sort of like a battery-door cover. Removing this gives a nice little finger hole to rotate CPL's... (And unless your standing on snow, shouldn't defeat the purpose of the Hood) Is this standard on the Pentax branded 18-55? if so, why not just do that for all their hoods ? (I note all my Tamrons and Sigmas lack such a cool feature....) Yes, the little port is standard on the 18-55, 16-45, 18-250, 55-300 etc. I like this feature a great deal. I like rubber collapsible hoods too. The CPL mounts in the hood, just pop the hood back, make your adjustment, pop it forward. I find retractable hoods convenient for storage, but sometimes I notice after I've been shooting a while that I forgot to extend it. Last edited by audiobomber; 07-09-2011 at 07:01 PM.

07-09-2011, 07:34 PM	#7
djc737 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: South jersey outside of Philly Posts: 281 Original Poster	Collapsible hood Originally posted by audiobomber Yes, the little port is standard on the 18-55, 16-45, 18-250, 55-300 etc. I like this feature a great deal. I like rubber collapsible hoods too. The CPL mounts in the hood, just pop the hood back, make your adjustment, pop it forward. I find retractable hoods convenient for storage, but sometimes I notice after I've been shooting a while that I forgot to extend it. With my FA 31mm, I found the hood just too small for the lens's own good. I added a 58mm B+W on a filter ring with the glass punched out so the hood would fit. On the end of that, I added the collapsible hood. The neat part is that the CPL is rotated by the hood. Saves having to collapse it all all except for storage.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Oops, I moved the sliding thing with plus and minus behind the eyecup... What is it?	Student	Pentax DSLR Discussion	14	02-21-2011 02:52 PM
Pentax K-x: something inside sliding when tipping the camera 90 degree up-right?	yuwlyuwl	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	15	01-16-2011 12:38 AM
Sliding Wii	Tex351	Post Your Photos!	3	05-30-2008 07:31 PM
Pentax 18-250 lens sliding	ctt	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	10	12-11-2007 01:18 PM
something sliding within my new k10d	mrsnoogle	Pentax DSLR Discussion	11	08-08-2007 12:35 PM

07-09-2011, 05:11 PM	#2
v5planet Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Seattle Photos: Albums Posts: 1,915	I too love the retractable hood design of many Pentax prime lenses. My DA15, 35 and FA77 all have it. I wish more lenses did!

07-09-2011, 06:25 PM	#3
kwetiaw Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 174	i love them too. my pentax 135mm f3.5 has the sliding hood.

07-09-2011, 06:30 PM	#4
adr1an Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Canberra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 739	The "Samsung" Branded Schneider 18-55 Kit Lens I have has a cool feature.. the bottom 'petal' of the flower hood has a removable panel, sort of like a battery-door cover. Removing this gives a nice little finger hole to rotate CPL's... (And unless your standing on snow, shouldn't defeat the purpose of the Hood) Is this standard on the Pentax branded 18-55? if so, why not just do that for all their hoods ? (I note all my Tamrons and Sigmas lack such a cool feature....)

07-09-2011, 06:30 PM	#5
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	I have several older lenses (M135, M200, M80-200) that have them and they are easy, never get lost, are the perfect length, and they are less of a pain in the camera bag too!

07-10-2011, 03:43 AM	#8
TOUGEFC Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,561	Yes sliding hoods are the best thing since sliced bread!

07-10-2011, 08:47 AM	#9
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Of my ~215 lenses I find just 6 with sliding hoods, and one is fairly minimal. Tak-B135/2.5; SMC-M135/3.5; M42 Jupiter-21M 200/4; PKM Toyo 200/4.5; M42 Alpa-Chinon 300/5.6; M42 Sears-Tokina 55-135/3.5 (minimal). Some are tight, some are loose, some are a bother. Note that these are all longer lenses. I rather prefer shorter lenses with deep front insets so adding a hood is unnecessary.

07-10-2011, 08:59 AM	#10
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Originally posted by RioRico Of my ~215 lenses I find just 6 with sliding hoods, and one is fairly minimal. Tak-B135/2.5; SMC-M135/3.5; M42 Jupiter-21M 200/4; PKM Toyo 200/4.5; M42 Alpa-Chinon 300/5.6; M42 Sears-Tokina 55-135/3.5 (minimal). Some are tight, some are loose, some are a bother. Note that these are all longer lenses. I rather prefer shorter lenses with deep front insets so adding a hood is unnecessary. Odd that so few of your lenses have sliding hoods. I have 3 with only 17 lenses owned.

07-10-2011, 06:17 PM	#11
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Originally posted by Docrwm Odd that so few of your lenses have sliding hoods. I have 3 with only 17 lenses owned. We can fix that. Which of yours don't you need?

07-10-2011, 06:33 PM	#12
twitch Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4,571	I love sliding hoods too. There is one issue with them though which is they don't play nice with Lee/Cokin filter systems. They are fine with the round filters though. Still it's something to consider if you ever want to use Grad ND's in particular.

07-11-2011, 03:40 AM	#13
audiobomber Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sudbury, Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 6,806	Originally posted by twitch I love sliding hoods too. There is one issue with them though which is they don't play nice with Lee/Cokin filter systems. They are fine with the round filters though. Still it's something to consider if you ever want to use Grad ND's in particular. 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.

07-11-2011, 08:09 AM	#14
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Originally posted by RioRico We can fix that. Which of yours don't you need? Need? Interesting question, particularly coming from a man with 200+ lenses who ought to know the answer to that question

07-11-2011, 08:11 AM	#15
Docrwm Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,285	Originally posted by twitch I love sliding hoods too. There is one issue with them though which is they don't play nice with Lee/Cokin filter systems. They are fine with the round filters though. Still it's something to consider if you ever want to use Grad ND's in particular. 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.