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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Aquatech Soft Lens Hoods ... anyone?
Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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| | | Posted: 9:38 PM on 08.22.10 |
->> ...so is anyone using the Aquatech Soft Lens Hoods?
I am considering them and while I love the Aquatech rain coats for my gear, I am bit skeptical about a soft lens hood that claims you can stand a lens up on it. |
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Samuel Lewis, Photographer
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Miami | FL | USA | Posted: 7:28 AM on 08.23.10 |
->> You might also look at this thread:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=35821
I've been using the hoods with a 400/2.8 and 600/4 for over a year now, and have been generally happy with them. While they were designed to be sufficiently rigid to permit you to stand the lens on the hood, I've never considered that safe and so I don't do it.
The hoods are great for travel. I've found that they fit quite nicely into the Airport Security bag when wrapped around the rear (thin part) of the lens. This approach also seems to add a little extra padding for the lens, which no longer needs as wide a space in the bag as it would with the rigid hood (regardless of whether the rigid hood is mounted, reversed to the front or placed over the rear of the lens).
There are only two drawbacks that I've encountered.
First, using the hoods with the ThinkTank Hydrophobia rain gear can be something of a trick, since that rain gear stabilizes itself by effectively clamping down on the hood. While using the same rain gear with the rigid hood is easier, it is still workable with the soft hood.
Second, the internal plastic pieces that help the hood keep its shape seem to become increasingly brittle over time with exposure to varying temperatures (I've used them primarily in South Florida). The result is that those pieces become brittle and snap, with the hood not being as nicely shaped as it was with the pieces in tact. Even with those pieces broken, the hood still functions, which is really all that matters. |
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Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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| | | Posted: 10:27 AM on 08.23.10 |
->> Bert
I had checked the message boards, but searched for Lens Hood not "softhood" and missed it. I hadn't searched the stories.
Thanks for the link. |
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Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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| | | Posted: 10:28 AM on 08.23.10 |
->> Sam
Thanks for the in-depth review the Aquatech lens hood. Good to know you can't really stand the lens up on the hood, and also good to know it is tricky to use with the raincoat and that the stays can become brittle.
Thanks again! |
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Brett Groehler, Photographer
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Duluth | MN | USA | Posted: 5:30 PM on 08.23.10 |
| ->> I like mine. Not as rigid as the Nikon one which went to crap a couple of years ago. |
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Samuel Lewis, Photographer
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Miami | FL | USA | Posted: 10:28 PM on 08.23.10 |
->> To be fair, you can do it (e.g., stand the lens on the hood). But given the repair cost if the lens tips over, it's just not worth the risk. I don't find even the standard, rigid hood, to be sufficiently stable to stand it up for any length of time.
The other advantage the soft hood has over the rigid hood is the weight. The soft hood is considerably lighter than the rigid hood. This may throw the balance off somewhat, but it can also make carrying big glass all day in the heat somewhat more tolerable.
If you have any other questions, let me know. |
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David G. McIntyre, Photographer
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Beijing | . | CHINA | Posted: 12:33 AM on 08.24.10 |
->> I have used them just over a year now, and like them. A little awkward at first to get used to using them, but in the end very good.
I used them even at the Vancouver Olympics, and they worked great.
I have them for my 300mm and my 400mm. |
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Terry Wherry, Photographer, Assistant
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Orchard Park | NY | USA | Posted: 9:12 AM on 08.25.10 |
->> I have read all the reviews and comments and order one for my 400mm 2.8 IS lens.
I should get it today. I'll let you know what I think. I also ordered the Don Zeck lens cap to save on the weight.
Hopefully the combination of the two will save me travel space and weight. |
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