500mm f/4 P lens cap

[mattr]

I've read on this forum that the AFS 500mm lens cap will fit the older P lens

but is a fair bit longer.

 

Could anyone comment on how well the AFS lens cap fits the P lens? Is it just as

good as the original or is it a bit of a compromise?

 

Also, do these cap/pouches generally have a hard cover in the base to protect

the lens, or are they just designed as a dust cover?

 

Thanks for your help,

Matt.

[ShunCheung]

Those lens caps are different from the conventional ones. Those "caps" are cylindical with a hard round piece to protect the front element and it is leather to form the side of the cylinder.

 

The 500mm/f4 AF-S has a much longer lens hood than the 500mm/f4 P. Therefore, the cylindical cap for the AF-S is much longer to cover the entire lens hood when it is mounted in reverse.

[mattr]

Thanks Shun. Fast answers around here!

 

That's good to know. I want to be able to carry the lens in a backpack and not worry about anything rubbing on the front element.

 

I guess it would be pretty easy to cinch up the extra "cylindrical" part of the cap to keep the whole thing firmly in place?

[bjørn rørslett]

There is a draw-cord on those caps to this end.

[douglas_greenberg]

The AF-S cap mounted on the P lens is inevitably a bit loose. You can use the drawcord to tighten it up, but it still will seem loose. If you don't need the (somewhat) hard end part an inexpensive and in my opinion very nice solution is the Op-Tech Hood Hat, size XXL. I now use this on my own 500 f4P instead of the substitute Nikon cover I used previously. It fits nice and tightly and the neoprene is actually quite protective. If you are carrying the lens in the field you can be assured that the "cap" won't fall off and get lost while you're carrying the lens rig.

[mark_chappell]

Dunno about the Nikon superteles, but for the Canon equivalents there are some plastic

Corningwear dish covers one can find at Walmart. They snugly fit either the front of the

mounted hood or -- in a slightly smaller size -- the front of the lens with the hood reversed

and stowed. Cheap (about $5-$10, with the nice glass dish), easy, and a lot less klutzy and

bulky than the leather 'lens condoms' provided by the manufacturers.

[ShunCheung]

One concern with using plastic covers as big "lens caps" is the outgas problem. Potentially it could leave some mark on your front element that may be hard to remove.

[mark_chappell]

<I> One concern with using plastic covers as big "lens caps" is the outgas problem.

Potentially it could leave some mark on your front element that may be hard to remove

</i><P>

 

Reference? Citation? Anecdote? I've not heard of this happening, but if there is evidence

that it does I'd like to know. Seems unlikely that a product used for food storage could

'outgas' but I'm no expert on polymer stability.

[ShunCheung]

Mark, I recall some of that discussion the Nature Forum in the 1990's. I just did a Google search and found this thread, for example:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000ORA

 

I have no idea how accurate that information is, but if one is putting a plastic cover in front of an expensive lens, I would at least consider this issue.

[jorge_o.]

Excuse me Douglas, but what about the, not too small, protruding "screw holder" of the hood with the Op-tech tight neoprene cap???