bellows vs fixed lens hoods for Contax 645AF

[james_kerner]

I'm about to purchase the Contax 645AF along with 45/2.8, 80/2.8, and

140/2.8. I am also planning to get the fixed lens hoods that go

along, but I noticed that a bellows hood is available for all lenses

greater than 45. I do plan on using a fair amount of back and

sidelighting, so should I get the bellows instead for the larger

focal length lenses, or will the others be sufficient? When is it a

good idea to get the bellows?

 

Also, I've read that polarizing filters on wide-angle lenses create a

signficant vignette risk when a hood is used. How can I avoid/know

when that might happen? Is there a way to tell before the shot is

made?

Thanks,

 

Jim Kerner

[tda]

As an alternaive have a look at the Lee self supporting bellows hood. There are a couple of versions, one that fits onto their filter holder, and one that comes with an integral holder (either 1 or 2 slots) for 100mm square filters.

 

It can be used in conjunction with their wide angle adapters, or if you need really wide their is a wide angle hood availiable as well.

 

I believe Cokin have also released a similar product recently.

 

The advantage is you can still use the hood when you fit square filters, have only one hood to carry and get a filter set up as well.

 

I use it with a series of cheaper step up rings to match the adapter for when I use hi-tech 85mm ND grads with adapter frames (because they were cheaper !)

[mike_rott2]

Bellow hoods are bulky, great for studio/tripod work. If you are walking around with the camera over your shoulder, they would tend to get in the way and hang up on stuff. They are also good when stacking filters to prevent vignetting. Kind of depends on your type of photography. If I were you, I would stick with the regular fixed hoods and only get the bellows if you find a real need for it.

To check for vignetting. Screw on the filter and hood, set the lens to its smallest aperture, press the DOF preview button and look through the camera at a bright light source. If the corners go dark, then you have vignetting. If you don't have a 100% viewfinder then you might miss a slight amount of vignetting using this method.

[ted_roberts]

Jim:Unless there has been an additional bellows made since I bought my C645 last year..the bellows for the C645 is an auto bellows for close-up photography and is installed between the body of the camera and the lens for a wide range of uses from close-up and enlargement photography to slide reproduction. It can only be used in the MF mode and cost about $1900.00. A pro shade like Hasselblad has is always a sure was to keep unwanted light out. I have the lenses you are purchasing and with the lens shades have had no problems..also you shouldn't have a problem with vinetting with the 45mm if you have the correct filter for it. Good luck with your new camera..if you have any further questions feel free to contac me.Ted

[william_carter1]

(1) I always found the regular hoods to be adequate -- no need for a bellows hood.

 

(2) I never noticed any vignetting w. the 45mm+polarizer+hood, either thru the viewfinder or on the negs. I used hoya then B+W regular (non-slim, non-wide) polarizers w. no problems.

 

(3) Get the 120mm instead of the 140mm. Trust me. I had the 140mm then sold it to get the 120mm later. If I needed a longer AF lens for portraits, I would have gotten the 210mm. (moot now, since I sold the system a couple of months ago). There are several threads on photo.net re: 120mm v. 140mm -- run a search to see the almost universal view to get the 120mm instead of the 140mm.

[ShunCheung]

I have the 80mm/f2.8 and 45mm/f2.8, both with Contax lens hoods. I also have a Contax 72mm polarizer for those lenses. The problem is that with the hood on either lens, it is quite difficult to put any filter one or take it off. It is also a bit difficult to rotate the polarizer with the hood on. Frequently, I have to remove the hood first before putting on the filter. It is a bit of a pain.

 

A lot of people are recommending the 120mm macro. However, keep in mind that it is an MF lens and is an f4 max aperture. IMO, it is pretty difficult to focus manually and get the yellow/green focus confirmatioin dot on to confirm focus. Sometimes the confirmation dot keeps on blinking on and off; it is quite frustrating. If you do get the 120mm, you might want to get the split-image focusing screen as well. The 140mm is an AF lens and works quite well.

 

The 120mm is a macro. It takes two full turns of the focusing ring to get it down to 1:1 and the front of the lens extends pretty far out, making it almost twice as long. Clearly it is impractical to make an AF motor to drive a lens is such a fashion; that was probably why Zeiss makes it a manual focus, plus you don't need AF for macro work.

[ulrich_ploedereder]

I'm using the 45/2.8, 80/2.0, 140/2.8 and the 210/4.0 with the bellows lens hood. I still have the fixed lens hoods, but I don't like to carry four different pieces with me all the time. The bellows lens hood is very compact and I like it. When shooting with the 210 I use a self-made mask in front of the bellows to improve the protection against the sidelight and frontlight.

 

Uli

[rayn]

The Lee filter system is nice, but I found it difficult to get quality filters for it. Most filters are plastic. There are some glass ones made, but nothing to compare to a glass B+W MRC screw-in filter. It's the MRC that really makes these filters stand out, along with the Schott glass...

 

IMO, using one of these filters with a dedicated bayonet lens hood is about as good as it gets for optical quality and protection from flare, dust, rain, and accidental bumps to the front of the lens. The nice thing about the dedicated lens hoods is that each one is optimized for that lens. You don't have to mess with adjusting a bellows hood. Of course, if you have a lot of lenses with different filter threads, the Lee system makes more sense. But if you only have 3 lenses and at least two of them take the same size filter, I'd go for screw-in B+W MRC filters and dedicated lens hoods. My .02