"Bruce Murphy" <pack-news@rattus.net> wrote in message news:m2ispzm6oj.fsf@fruitbat.rattus.net...

> "David Ruether" <rpn1@no-junk.cornell.edu> writes:

> > "Joseph Kewfi" <Joe_Kewfi@NOSPAMiol.ie> wrote in message news:bf2ab4$d1r$1@dorito.esatclear.ie...

> > > I have the HR-2 hood for my 50mm Nikkor. What I want to know is, do Nikon

> > > make a steel hood for the F1.4 AFD lens ?

> > You would not want it - it would be too heavy (and would increase wear

> > on the focus mechanism), and if hit, would survive at the expense of the

> > lens... Nikon makes MANY aluminum shades (both screw in and snap-on,

> > and several work well with the 50mm f1.4). BTW, if shooting in bad weather,

> > I will often use step-up rings and large, wide, deep shades made for longer

> > lenses on my short lenses... (I make sure they do not vignette by checking

> > the corners of the near 100% coverage F3 VF with the lens stopped down

> > all the way using the DOF preview).

> Interesting. You don't feel a lens is more likely to vignette when it's

> wide open?

(I knew that would come up again...;-)

No. As the lens is stopped down (focused to infinity with most, but

to closest-focus with some zooms), DOF brings external obstructions

more into apparent focus, showing a fairly "hard" corner-cutting at

the smallest stop unless the lens FL is long. With wide stops, the

argument can be made that the too-small shade will affect wide stops

more, but in practice lens internal obstructions predominate, leaving

the shade obstruction in the "shadow" of the lens' own internal

obstructions. This can be checked by aiming the lens wide-open at

a uniform light area and placing a finger at the edge of the shade

where it would affect the corner if moved inward. If the shade does

not cut into the image at the smallest stop (viewed with a 100%

coverage VF), there will likely be no effect from moving the finger

tip very slightly inside the shade edge at the frame corners...

'Course, there may be exceptions...;-)

--

David Ruether

d_ruether@hotmail.com

http://www.David-Ruether-Photography.com

Hey, take a gander at www.visitithaca.com, too...!