Silly question, but here goes:

What is the difference between the rounded older style hood as opposed to the clumsier (and less elegant looking) squared off hood?

Does the new design work better, cheaper to make, or what?

I've seem some photos of the 35 "Lux ASPH with the older round hood, and some with the new version. Overstock of old hoods being used up first?

The new version looks clunky and "off" somehow to me...Maybe it works better?

Thanks, Leica experts!

-- Steve Hoffman (shoffman2@socal.rr.con), December 30, 2001

Answers

It is certainly news to me that Leica makes a round hood for the 35/1.4 Asph! Was there a LTM version with a round hood? I know they used the 12504 hood with the LTM 35/2. Is the hood the inverted vented cone design? Do you have a link to a picture of a Asph with a round hood?

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), December 30, 2001.

John,

You know, I could be wrong and was thinking of the Summicron ASPH. I know that they have both types of hoods because I've seen pictures of the Black Paint version (for example) on Ebay that has the round hood:

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1315554089

But (of course), I can't find one example to show you of the ASPH 'Lux with a rounded hood at the moment.

I might have dreamed it, but also, some goofball might have been trying to pull a fast one on Ebay as well. I'll keep looking.

At any rate, are the newer style hoods better?

Thanks!

-- Steve Hoffman (shoffman2@socal.rr.con), December 30, 2001.

Steve: The molded plastic square hood is probably cheaper to make than the extensively machined vented round Leica hoods - but more expensive than the simpler bayonet/screw-in round hoods for Nikon, Canon, etc.

In theory the square hood should do a better job of shading then a circular hood, since it can "crop" extraneous light much closer to the edge of the frame without starting to vignette the corners. The round hood will have "gaps" in its protection along the straight sides of the picture.

Personally I find the 35mm 'cron square hood to be much LESS "clumsy" because it's so compact, but the round hoods DO have a more elegant retro look.

Query re: your Ebay link - do all black-paint lenses have red engraved numbers, or was someone just creative with a paint stick on yellow numbers?

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), December 30, 2001.

Andy,

Thanks for the info.

Yeah, all the recent Leica Black Paint lenses have the numbers in red....

-- Steve Hoffman (shoffman2@socal.rr.con), December 30, 2001.

If I'm not mistaken Leica supplied all of the special edition lenses they brought out a few years back in LTM mount with round hoods. Because LTM lenses don't always mount in exactly the same position (varies from lens to body, wear on heavier used lenses) the square couldn't be guaranteed to mount properly. I do know that you can buy these hoods seperately, so it would be possible to see one on an M if the user liked the round hood better.

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), December 30, 2001.

Bob,

Did they offer the 35/1.4 Asph in LTM? I do not think so but I cannot remember for sure.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), December 30, 2001.

Some square hoods are less likely to intrude into the viewfinder than round ones - this will of course depend on your viewfinder mag (eg 58, 72, 85 or other) and the lens. Some round hoods (like the 35 Summilux) have cut throughs for the same purpose.

-- David Killick (dalex@inet.net.nz), December 30, 2001.

John - yes they offered the 35 and 50 Summicron and 35 and 50 Summilux. In case your interested I think Werner at Kinderman has one 35 'lux left over that he wants to sell badly (cheaply!?)..........

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), December 31, 2001.

Thanks for the info Bob but I already have a M mount 35/1.4A and am not that interested in getting involved in the LTM stuff. However I do like the 12585 hood on my 50/2 and it would be nice to have a similar one on my 35/1.4A. I will poke around, see if the LTM hood will fit on the M mount lens and if it can be ordered separately.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), December 31, 2001.

I think the simplest solution is the double filter ring trick. Minimal extra profile and works perfectly well.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), December 31, 2001.

"In theory the square hood should do a better job of shading then a circular hood, since it can "crop" extraneous light much closer to the edge of the frame without starting to vignette the corners. The round hood will have "gaps" in its protection along the straight sides of the picture. "

I'd just add that if you mount two filter rings inside the 35/1.4 asph rectangular hood, they come up pretty flush with the long edge of the hood, which would suggest that the filter rings actually give _better_ flare protection than the square hood.

-- rob (rob@robertappleby.com), December 31, 2001.