FE35 2.8 ZA Lens Hood fail

[VulpineVideo]

After a good year of use I looked down at my camera and found that the hood was damaged and part of it had fallen off (in a park somewhere.)  While flimsy, I do take some responsibility as I have spent the last year putting the camera in and out of my bag.

 

However,

 

Trying to get a replacement for this part is proving very difficult. Sony UK's website passes you on to a company called "EET Europarts" that doesn't, upon searching, seem to yield anything. I eventually found on a forum (complaining about this, apparently not uncommon, problem) that the part is called ALC-SH129 and that these EET people are charging £48.68 plus 20% VAT!!!!

 

....For a flimsy piece of plastic that fits on an expensive lens.

 

I remember having a similar problem with Nikon, back in the old days, and another flimsy piece of plastic. It cost me something like £2.

 

If Sony want to be taken as seriously they should be avoiding making flimsy parts that then cost silly money and are hard to find when they inevitably need to be replaced.

 

Has anyone heard of a lens hood breaking under normal use? Didn't think so.

 

I have purchased generic hood (and cap) .

[Mathias]

Wow, thats annoying...

Mine never broke, touch wood. Actually, the hood is made out of 2 parts, maybe you've just lost one.

 

They are cheap to produce and Sony just HAS to sell one themselves, really.

 

Are you out of warranty? I would contact Sony or your reseller directly and ask for a replacement.

[gavlister]

I've also lost the hood and cap.  The prices are completely exorbitant for a replacement.  

 

What did you buys as a replacement?  I need to get something myself 

[VulpineVideo]

Mathias, Funnily Enough the warranty runs out today. And, yes, it was a part that fell off. Sony UK insist that one uses the formentioned supplier for any after sales service. I see the item on some e-commerce sites for equally ridiculous prices. 

 

It's a shame as the design is, in fact, quite a nice idea.

 

Gavlister, try looking for a hood for the Fuji X-100 (there are compatible ones.) They share the same 49mm thread and their 23mm lens on an APS sensor gives a similar field of view to the FE35 They look quite nice as well.

[OldNoob]

I also kinda wish the lens hood on my SEL50f18 snapped on a but tighter. i suppose thats something i could modify with a pair of needle nose pliers

[JimmyD]

My FE 35mm 2.8 experienced the same or similar problem; normal use no drop or hit involved. The hood itself didn't break, but the ring it fastens on to separated from the lens body forcing a repair. Fortunately it happened at about the 10 month mark so Sony repaired it promptly under warranty. I had (subsequently sold) an A mount Sony/Zeiss 85mm 1.4 on which the focus ring locked up so the lens would not function at all--also at about the 10 month mark. Sony tried and tried to fix this lens and ultimately after 3 months could not, so they gave me a brand new lens.

[VulpineVideo]

Sony sent me an email on the 10th sending me to send the lens for evaluation. I responded asking if I needed to send in the whole lens (which is fine) or just the broken cap. It is now the 14th and they have yet to respond. It's as if they are trying to make it deliberately difficult. Like I said; while clever, the design has a flaw and the cap will not last.

 

The warranty has expired in the meantime.

 

 

I am now using the alternative and will post a photo later.

 

JimmyD, what territory are you in?

[Portrait Painter X]

I feel your pain. The Loxia is made of metal and dents easily - costs $85 plus shipping. Insane, absolutely insane.

[Seeky]

I love this design. It is very small and I leave it on all the time; I think it was meant to use this way since it has the lens info on it. It also takes away the need for a lens cap (which I lost) since it protects the front lens quite nicely.  I've read some reports of people having their lens hood falling apart, but mine is still as good as new after 1.5 years of use. It is common that lens hoods of expensive lenses are also very expensive. They just don't make that many of them.

 

I think you did good by buying a third party lens hood but as far as I know they don't make ones with a similar design. What I do know is that the lens hoods of the Sony 24 f1.8 (ALC-SH114) and 55 f1.8 (ALC-SH131) also fit on the 35 f2.8; however, the latter is a bit big compared to the lens: https://flic.kr/p/wmEeYp

[Reinhold_1]

I got my FE 2.8/35 mm ZA today. (Very small and light). The lens hood, I do not like.

It consists of two parts which can damage sometime. According to the experience of "VulpineVideo" I left the lens hood in the box.

 

Instead I'm using a conventional metal lens hood for 35 mm. In my opinion, it looks much better and my left hand "knows" where the lens stops.

[Golem]

As a rule, I step-up all my lenses by one or two

standard increments ... IOW the 49,52, and 55mm

native filter sizes have been stepped up to 62mm

and the 62 and 67mm are stepped to 72mm. Acoarst

this disallows using OEM hoods ... praise to your

familiar deity on that score.

 

Aside from the lens hood advantage, there is one

other important advantage even if you NEVER use

lens hoods. By using step-up rings you convert

all those miserable plastic filter threads to

aluminum. I use a drop of nail polish to secure

the ring into the plastic threads and consider

the step-up to be semi-permanent ... IOW removable

someday if there's a special reason.

 

There are other advantages as well, polarizers,

stacking two accessories [filter + dioptre, etc],

standardization ... to name a few.

 

 

`

[Dane]

Can we see pics of broken hoods pls? Would help us avoid the same problem.

[i9zero]

I super glued mine back

 

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

[Reinhold_1]

Yesterday I received the matching lens hood fpr the 2,8/35 mm.

Stylistically, it is similar to the hood of the Sony RX1/R.

However, it has no bayonet but a 49 mm screw thread,
consists of Matall and cost € 4.09. See images.

 

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[jaclarkaus]

I bought the fotodiox one from BHPhotoVideo (it's metal)

 

Fits the 35, 55 and the RX1

[walnut186]

Mine broke off the first month I owned it. Didn't send it in as it was the only FE lens I had at the time. I also found it better to not have it because now I use a standard 49mm protect filter and lens cap. Have never had a problem without a hood. It's an amazing little lens. I do not baby my A7's and this little lens has some scars on the exterior works great and keeps on ticking.

[tizeye]

@Rienhold1...When you say "matching" are you referring to OEM lenshood or a lens hood that matches the threads of the camera? My OEM lenshood on the FE 35 2.8 looks nothing like that. It is best described as a "reverse" lenshood with the small opening at the front that when attached to the lens, the lenscap fits on the front of the lenshood. A very unique design keeping everything compact while still functional. The traditional one like you pictured does make sense as a replacement.

 

On a side note, with reference to the other poster noting bound focus, had similar with wife's 16-50 kit lens only it was due to accidental damage (dropped on floor in restroom) and unfortunately showed a physical dent so couldn't claim "just suddenly happened."  While accidental excludes warranty, just FYI in the US, you can buy the extended warranty that includes accidental damage anytime while in the original warranty and it backdates to the original date of purchase. It was far cheaper to do that than having to buy a new lens. In the meantime, my wife was introduced to the wonderful world of prime as she finished the trip with the FE 35 2.8 as the FE 16-35 was 1) a bit bulky on the A6000, and 2) one of my favorite lens on the A7.

[photoworks]

After a good year of use I looked down at my camera and found that the hood was damaged and part of it had fallen off (in a park somewhere.)  While flimsy, I do take some responsibility as I have spent the last year putting the camera in and out of my bag.

 

However,

 

Trying to get a replacement for this part is proving very difficult. Sony UK's website passes you on to a company called "EET Europarts" that doesn't, upon searching, seem to yield anything. I eventually found on a forum (complaining about this, apparently not uncommon, problem) that the part is called ALC-SH129 and that these EET people are charging £48.68 plus 20% VAT!!!!

 

....For a flimsy piece of plastic that fits on an expensive lens.

 

I remember having a similar problem with Nikon, back in the old days, and another flimsy piece of plastic. It cost me something like £2.

 

If Sony want to be taken as seriously they should be avoiding making flimsy parts that then cost silly money and are hard to find when they inevitably need to be replaced.

 

Has anyone heard of a lens hood breaking under normal use? Didn't think so.

 

I have purchased generic hood (and cap) .

Yes

 

I had the same problem, called them in the US at the parts office, $120 for that plastic part infant of the lens, great!

 

I wish at this point the keep it out all together from the lens and give us the lens at a better price

 

 

 

BTW if you ever brake the XLR-K2M hotshoe...  that is $120 dollars too for the part

 

Happy sony, competing with Leica

[reeltime]

FWIW I have seen the Sony FE 35/2.8 lens hood available from Amazon (USA) several times for reasonable prices from several vendors.  Also there is a cool (but expensive) option for a metal 'lieca' style hood available from Photodiox.com  at this link:  

 

https://www.fotodioxpro.com/fotodiox-pro-leica-inspired-designer-dedicated-metal-bayonet-lens-hood-for-sony-sonnar-lenses.html

[VulpineVideo]

Hi all,

 

Apologies for the late, late reply

 

I agree with @Seeky that the design of the hood is great in terms of usability. It is an incredibly efficient use of space. It is however not, clearly, built to last. I also think that  it does not replace a lens cap if you are intending to put it in a bag.

 

And, yes, the don’t make that many of them. This makes the cheap fabrication (and materials) all the more inexcusable. Why it comes in 2 parts with some glue and some rubber is baffling.

 

@Dane I have a attached a picture.

 

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As you can see the glu-ey rubber bit on the left has come off. With it went the front element of the cap. It fell off in the park. A squirrel is perhaps using it as a dining room table for all I know.

 

Sony did eventually reply. They wanted me to send the whole lens in to get a warranty replacement. This just before I was to leave on my summer holiday. Instead, I opted to get this metal one for £3.99:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008RK5HYO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

 

Attached is a pic, but I think it is the same one as @Rheinhold_1 ‘s

 

 

 

Anyway it must be re-iterated that the lens itself is fantastic. Great all round prime. It’s small size means it is perhaps the most unintimidating FF lens out there.