Which hood would better protect a lens in a fall: 1. Thick metal that will deform plastically only in a long fall? 2. Thin metal that you can easily flex with your fingers, and so will deform plastically even in a shallow fall? 3. Thick plastic that you can flex with your fingers but can't deform plastically?
I've just received a Vivitar Wide Angle 58mm Hood, made of thick metal. I've mounted it on my Vivitar Series One 28/1.9PK lens, replacing an Adorama sheet metal hood, which is almost exactly the same shape and size but perhaps 2mm deeper. Now I'm nervous that in a shallow 1-meter fall, the Vivitar hood may not bend to absorb the energy, where the Adorama hood would have. With the Vivitar, I fear, all the energy will be translated to the lens. I have simnilar concerns about the thick metal Nikon HN-20 hood that I've mounted on my Vivitar 135/2.3PK lens to replace a rigid plastic hood. The rigid plastic hood flexed; the Nikon is inflexible; like the Vivitar hood, it is probably too thick to bend in a small fall. Another question: Are the lens filter threads less likely to be damaged if I keep a filter in-between the lens and the hood? Finally, would it make sense to unthread the hood just a wee bit to encourage it to rotate in a fall? Lest any of you write, "Are you planning to drop your lens?" or "The best protection is to be careful," one never plans to drop a lens. I sometimes hand the camera to another person and ask them to take a photo of me, but I always place the neckstrap around their head before letting go. Nonetheless, accidents (like knocked-over tripods) do happen. In summary, for maximum protection in a fall: 1. Thick metal, thin metal, or rigid plastic? 2. Fully threaded on, or slightly loose? 3. Filter between lens and hood, or not? [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
