Leica X Vario Lens Hood

[Einst_Stein]

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I had a Leica X Vario lens hood (metal) for a very short period of time.  I removed it since I added a protective filter. There is a little dark corner with the combination of the (B+W) filter and the hood. Keeping only one of the two would be very clear. Apparently the blocking is the mounting ring, not the size of the front opening. 

I decided to keep the filter to keep it smaller.  I have been very happy since then. 

Recently I like to use XV with M (to take the position of my stolen MATE). It reminds me I had a bad flare problem of MATE V1 but I have never encountered the same issue. I wonder if the hood is ever needed for XV (to avoid flare).

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[TMorita]

I haven't had a problem with lens flare on the XV without a lens hood.

Toshi

 

[wda]

On 11/3/2020 at 1:12 AM, Einst_Stein said:

I had a Leica X Vario lens hood (metal) for a very short period of time.  I removed it since I added a protective filter. There is a little dark corner with the combination of the (B+W) filter and the hood. Keeping only one of the two would be very clear. Apparently the blocking is the mounting ring, not the size of the front opening. 

I decided to keep the filter to keep it smaller.  I have been very happy since then. 

Recently I like to use XV with M (to take the position of my stolen MATE). It reminds me I had a bad flare problem of MATE V1 but I have never encountered the same issue. I wonder if the hood is ever needed for XV (to avoid flare).

The lens hood serves several purposes which is why  I would never dispense with it.

[Einst_Stein]

20 hours ago, wda said:

The lens hood serves several purposes which is why  I would never dispense with it.

Which hood would you recommend？

[wda]

I have only used the one supplied with the camera and have found it perfectly acceptable. Its slightly protruding rim actually enhances my hand-hold.

[pop]

It vignettes quite visibly at the shortest focal length. When stopped down the corners will become nearly black. Otherwise the hood is quite convenient to use with the XV.

[wda]

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25 minutes ago, pop said:

It vignettes quite visibly at the shortest focal length. When stopped down the corners will become nearly black. Otherwise the hood is quite convenient to use with the XV.

I was surprised to read this assessment. So I checked over 200 pictures, retained from this year's photography, all taken at the widest zoom setting of 18 mm, and cannot find one example where vignetting is visible. Perhaps Lightroom makes a correction when images are imported. I do not care how it happens; my results are consistently pleasing. It is a truly super lens, if slow by some people's standards. Although taking second place nowadays, my XV is in use every week of the year, mainly because of its fine ergonomics and ease of operation.

 

[pop]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb wda:

It is a truly super lens, if slow by some people's standards. Although taking second place nowadays, my XV is in use every week of the year, mainly because of its fine ergonomics and ease of operation.

I agree. I found it a fine successor to the Digilux 2 with an even better lens. I found out about the vignetting only after I had sold the camera to a friend who doesn't know the first thing about  photography. He cranked up the sensitivity which caused the camera to stop down quite more than I had ever done. There is absolutely no vignetting in my own pictures.

[Einst_Stein]

10 hours ago, wda said:

I was surprised to read this assessment. So I checked over 200 pictures, retained from this year's photography, all taken at the widest zoom setting of 18 mm, and cannot find one example where vignetting is visible. Perhaps Lightroom makes a correction when images are imported. I do not care how it happens; my results are consistently pleasing. It is a truly super lens, if slow by some people's standards. Although taking second place nowadays, my XV is in use every week of the year, mainly because of its fine ergonomics and ease of operation.

 

I found when the hood causes vignettes, it will automatically crop the picture to remove the corners. The hood you are talking about starts vignettes at roughly at 30mm (eq). 

[Sho-Bud]

My main problem: the hood casts a shadow when using the built-in flash.

[wda]

So, remove the hood, temporarily. Or use off-camera flash which will give better results. Or, as I do, use off-camera flash purely for fill-flash purposes when the problem doesn't arise with longer focal-length settings . For still-life, I use a tripod, low ISO,  and brief time exposures. I regard inbuilt flash as a poor compromise. Now with the Digilux 2, you had a bounce flash position, which worked well in small rooms. The XV flash is less versatile. 

[leiceria]

I have no problems with vignettes when using the built-in-flash. But I use the lenshood LH-XV from JJC and not the Leica one. Perhaps this may be the difference.

Gruß

leiceria

[Einst_Stein]

After removing the hood for a month, I am now very comfortable without it.

I still have a 43 to 49mm step-up ring, just in case I want a polarizer.