Compendium lens shade a bust?

[michael_veit]

This weekend I shot with my new compendium lens shade for the first

time and the results were a total disaster. I used the shade on those

shots where the camera was pointed closely in the direction of the

light source, extending the bellows of the shade until I could see

that the front element of the lens was thrown into shadow. Every

single one of those negatives were massively fogged by flare and I'm

convinced the shade actually "funneled" the light into the lens, or

rather, that all the ridges of the shade's bellows threw off

highlights that reflected into the lens. Is this possible? If so,

what is the point of using this silly thing?

[capocheny]

Hi Michael,

<p>

You didn't specify which kind of compendium shade you used...was it the Linhof bag

bellows?

<p>

I've used this particular model on my Master Technika and haven't had the experience

you've just had.

<p>

However, that being said, I prefer to use the foldable versions for my studio shooting.

I usually look at the lens element to see whether there is any light falling onto the

surface and, if there is, I'll adjust the shade until the light disappears. I've not had any

problems similar to yours in my experience.

<p>

As for your comment, "the shade actually "funneled" the light into the lens, or rather,

that all the ridges of the shade's bellows threw off highlights that reflected into the

lens..."

<p>

I'm assuming that the inside of the shade is flat black in color rather than a bright

white or silver. Black "usually" absorbs light rather than reflect it. So, I can't see this

as being the cause of your problem.

<p>

Hope that helps.

[mark_blackman1]

Michael,

for your shade to "actually funneled the light into the lens", would require it to have an extremely strong gravitational field. I rather suspect that you wouldn't have noticed this funneling, as your body would have been ripped into atomic particles by the tidal affects generated within it.

[philip_sweeney]

Take a look at how much light the shade is collecting, often times shading the lens with a card or darkslide (I do with my 8 x 10) is more effective. Direct light sources are always a problem. I would imagine you saw alot of light falling onto the shade.

[michael_veit]

Philip,

 

You are correct that an appreciable amount of light was falling on the inside pleats of the shade's bellows, which, although black, are of some kind of synthetic material that has a definite sheen to it. I've shot in those situations before and there's no question a darkslide would have given me much better results. But sometimes there's a fine line between shading the lens and cutting off the edge of a shot, and I'd hoped the compendium would help in that. Live and learn, I guess. I just find it strange that the shade actually made the problem worse. I mean, we're not talking moderate flair, we're talking massive blowing out of the shot.

 

Live and learn, I guess. As Mark pointed out, there's worse fates I narrowly escaped than a few blown set ups.

[ed_pierce2]

I would suspect that the fogging was due to something else, and try it again. Could have fogged during loading the film, could have a bad film holder...etc, etc. Shoot a neg with the shade and one without of the same shot.

 

I've used the folding compendiums a lot and never had this kind of problem. Although I avoid them if possible simply because they slow me down, they really do help when there's a lot of light coming from more than one direction.

[michael_veit]

Ed,

 

Thanks. Poor technique have made me quite the expert at spotting fogging due to its various causes, and I would swear none of them are at play here. However, the particular shots are easy to replicate and I'll definitely do some systematic testing. It wouldn't be the first time I'd totally misused a new piece of equipment.

[struan_gray]

Is is possible that the weight of the compendium is pulling the

lensboard or standard forward and compromising one of the

light seals? You can generate some fairly large torques if the

compendium is any distance in front of the standard.

[kevin_kolosky]

I use a cardboard box with the top and bottom cut out. works great and the cost is unbeatable.

[david_mark]

Michael,

 

I hesitate to suggest something this obvious, but . . . Was the light source in question the sun, and, if so, did you perhaps wait too long before getting off the shot, so that an edge of direct sunlightlight might have crept back onto the lens?

 

If not, I cannot imagine how you got the problem you describe. I have a compendium shade for my Canham DLC, I have taken a number of photos where the shade was extended just far enough to keep direct sunlight off the front element, and I have never had anything like the problem you describe.

 

It is hard for me to believe that any light source that would not melt you and the camera could be bright enough to induce severe flare solely through light bounced off the pleats of the bellows.

 

Did you check the ground glass after you extended the compendium shade, and if so was there any hint of the flare problem you saw in the negatives?

 

Please let us know what the results of your retests are.

 

David

[michael_veit]

David,

 

It's a real mystery to me. Struan's suggestion of the shade somehow pulling away the lensboard from a perfect seal had occured to me, but the shade attaches to the top of my front Shen-Hao standard, and there's simply no contact with the lens itself.

 

I haven't done testing yet, but so far can say the following:

 

-- only those shots (3) using the compendium were severly flaired/fogged

 

-- the effect was the same using two different lenses (110mm &180mm)

 

-- Direct sunshine wasn't even required to induce flair: One shot was a very long exposure of a dark corner with the shade blocking off out-of-frame diffused (but much brighter) light from an open window.

 

I will do some testing within the next week or so and post the results.

 

Oh yes, I did NOT notice any flair in the GG, however one shot was too dark to see much of anything, and the others were taken from cramped quarters which didn't allow me to get an adequate view beyond a quick louping (yes, I shoot in some very strange conditions).