Flexible hood for 500mm f/4 lens - Make your own

[Craig Markham]

I've made my own neoprene covers for my tripod, Wimberley head and 500mm for $25 in materials. In the process, I found that the 3mm material is stiff enough itself to serve as a flexible lens hood that retracts and fits protectively around the 500mm when stowed (the rigid Canon hood is about an inch wider than the depth of the LowePro Vertex 300 pack and pushes against the contents of the computer pocket). The hood stretches tightly around the front of the lens and tapers slightly wider toward the front opening to avoid vignetting. The hood is flexible enough that a heavy wind may be a problem. The hood weighs 2 oz, compared to 10 oz for the Canon carbon fiber hood.

Here's a composite photo of the setup on tripod, the detached hood, and my typical pack layout with lens hood retracted (I use a Don Zeck lens cap).

file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Craig/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg

[Dave Hassell]

That sure is a lot cheaper than the commercial ones available.
Where did you manage to buy the neoprene from? I have been trying to buy some for a long while but without any luck.

[Maxis Gamez]

Looks very cool. Where did you get the material from?

[Jim Poor]

Where, and details on how would be awesome.

[LeeOtsubo]

Here's (http://www.foamorder.com/neoprene.html) a source for neoprene. Now, we just need instructions.

[Craig Markham]

I ordered the materials from Seattle Fabrics.com. Here's the info from my invoice:

Qnty--------------------Item Description ------------------------Price
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 N 2 or 3 FT Neoprene by the Linear Foot $15.00/ft = $45.00
(3 MM, Autumn Gold Camo)

1 MCNSC (0.2) Seal Cement by Aquaseal (Clear) $4.75

Sub Total: $49.75
Taxes: $0.00
Ground Shipping: $10.20
Total: $59.95

3' X 45" was plenty of material for these projects. I made the items primarily for protection of equipment, but the nylon camo outside and black inside was a bonus. The black is good for killing reflected light inside the flexible hood. The nylon is slippery. If you find that to be a problem some swatches of grippy rubber mesh used under table place mats will give added traction -- just roll back the edge of your neoprene equipment cover and slip in a piece of the tacky material.

I haven't given specific dimensions because it is basically a matter of laying out the fabric on the equipment, or tape measuring your specific piece. I'll give general directions below for materials handling, and you can adapt this to practically any field equipment you own if you're good with your hands. This is incredibly easy material to work with. A large paper cutter is handy for making nice even cuts, taking care not to stretch the fabric in the process. Scissors are OK, but be careful not to stretch or distort material while measuring or marking cut lines.

The Aquaseal neoprene cement is a contact cement and works like a charm, grips like an alligator: apply a thin layer to the edges to be joined, allow to dry to touch, then carefully join the edges. Be sure to push the edges together right the first time -- you'll never get them apart once they touch! Lay a piece of waxed paper under the seam area to prevent unwanted adhesions and to protect your equipment surface from wet cement.

Making wraps for your tripod legs is a breeze -- probably a good first project for the uninitiated. Measure the circumference of a leg (c'mon, the tripod's, not yours!). Reduce that circumferential measurement by about 5% for a stretch fit around the leg. This is not rocket science -- if you need a tighter fit, just take off a bit more (but be sure you still have enough stretch to surround the equipment piece). Measure the length of the leg segment to be covered, and cut the resulting long rectangular strips, one for each leg. Apply cement to each long edge, allow to dry to touch. Lay the prepared neoprene rectangle along the tripod leg, and with your thumbs knead/stretch the glued edges together around the leg. Avoid stretching the material lengthwise during this process so that the edges will come out even.

For large wraps, like those for the 500mm lens, I measured the circumference of each segment to be covered, then subtracted about 5% to ensure a tight stretch fit. For the lens hood cover, I cut the length of the piece an extra inch longer so it overlaps the lens body a little. You can always trim off the excess. For Canon's hood tightening knob, I just cut a small slit . To make a window for the lens control panel on the lens body, I carefully cut the rectangle, bit by bit, out of the neoprene band after installation. Cutting simple rectangles for each piece works fine -- no need to taper, since the stretchiness of the neoprene gives a good final fit on the tapering lens components. It's probably best to join the smaller bands in front of the lens bracket right on the lens body, rather than trying to stretch it over the bracket afterwards. Hold the lens between your knees and stretch and knead the glued edges together.

Constructing the neoprene flexible lens hood was pretty straightforward:
1. Measure the circumference of the front end of your lens and reduce that dimension by 5.5% (you'll want it to stretch fairly tight where it fits around the lens).
2. Measure the circumference of your existing hard lens hood, but do not reduce this measurement.
3. Now measure the length of your existing lens hood and add 2" to that measurement.
4. Lay out these dimensions on the neoprene fabric (I use a sharp piece of chalk or a thin bar of soap to mark my cut lines). The layout will be a symmetrical trapezoid /_\ with:
- the wider base = the circumference of your existing lens hood,
- the height = the length of your lens hood + 2", and
- the narrower upper side = the lens circumference described above.

Technically, the upper and lower sides should be arcs, but it's not worth the futzing since the curvature for the slight taper is fairly negligible and can be trimmed after assembly if it really bothers you.

5. Cut out the piece and apply cement to the two side edges of the trapezoid. Allow to dry.
6. On a backing of waxed paper, press the cemented edges together firmly, taking care not to stretch the material lengthwise.
7. You now have a flexible lens hood. The front edge will be a little pointy at the seam because of the taper, and you can trim it to form an even circle if you wish.
8. Stretch the narrow end of the hood over the front of your lens and you're in business. If the hood opening is is not perfectly round, simply push/pull the hood where it grips the lens until the front becomes circular. The hood can be retracted over the lens for easy stowage and added lens protection. I don't recommend long-term folded-up storage for the hood, since that may create a persistent crimp in the material. A circular piece of heavy-gauge (#10) copper wire with black PVC insulation can serve as a stiffener inside the front of the lens hood, if needed. I haven't tried using velcro tabs to attach it, but that's an idea. Would take some futzing.

I liked my 500mm "Flexihood" so much, that I immediately turned around and made one for my 70-200mm f/2.8. Took less than 1/2 hour to make. Canon's hard plastic hood is fine, except it takes up more usable stowage space in my pack.

The Wimberley head cover was a more complex affair. If you, or someone you know, is good at sewing, they can be a big help with this project. I didn't even try to take measurements. I made strips of approximate suitable dimensions with generous allowances, and snipped, clipped, glued and trimmed until it worked. Do not remove the control knobs on the Wimberley head, unless you're looking for trouble -- this can compromise seals and retainers, drop internal washers, and generally ruin your day. Now I know. Just work around them. You will have to do some wet cement applications with the partially assembled neoprene attached to the Wimberley. Be sure to protect the head from wet cement by inserting waxed paper between your work and the head. Be careful to avoid accidental adhesions. The curved section of the Wimberley head requires several darts (narrow triangular pieces clipped out of the neoprene piece to accommodate the curve without rumpling. This is where the skills of your sewing expert can help -- you'll actually be gluing, not sewing, but they know how to do darts. The darting slits will involve more on-equipment gluing, and attendant risks of getting cement where it doesn't belong. With this stretchy material you may get by with non-darted construction and a little rumpling. I liked the smoother finish I got using the darts.

Well now you know why I didn't give more info until requested. If you have more time than money, these projects will put you well on your way to saving enough for your next new lens, flash, tripod, or ....

All the best,
Craig

[Jim Poor]

Wow, thanks. It just so happens that I have two seamstresses in the family begging us to let them sew something when they visit.

[Maxis Gamez]

Awesome. Excellent information.

Thank you.

[Chris Ober]

Thanks for a good write-up. I need to find some neoprene in something other than camo :)

[Craig Markham]

Seattle Fabrics offers the 3mm neoprene fabric in a variety of colors (the color is actually the laminate of stretchy nylon that sandwiches the neoprene layer). Check their web site for more info.