Best lens hoods for Leica 35mm and 50mm?

Question

I’m trying to settle on a couple of solid lens hood options for my Leica 35mm and 50mm setup, and I’m getting a bit lost in the mix of OEM hoods, vented metal hoods, rubber fold-downs, and the “vintage-style” options. I shoot mostly street and travel, often in bright daylight with a lot of side light (think sun bouncing off cars/windows), and I’ve noticed I’m more prone to flare than I’d like—especially when I’m trying to keep contrast up in backlit scenes.

Right now I’m using a basic screw-in hood that came with a filter, and it works… kind of. But it feels a little bulky, and I’m not sure it’s actually the right depth for these focal lengths. I also want something that won’t block too much of the viewfinder on an M body (that hood-in-the-corner shadow drives me nuts). Another detail: I keep a UV or clear filter on most of the time for daily carry, so compatibility with filters and not getting stuck/cross-threaded matters.

For the 35mm, I’m torn between a vented hood for size and finder visibility vs. a deeper hood that might control flare better. For the 50mm, I’m wondering if it’s worth going a bit deeper since finder blockage is usually less annoying. I’m also curious if people feel the Leica-branded hoods are genuinely better (fit/finish/optical performance) or if there are third-party hoods that are just as effective for less money.

What hoods have you actually found work best on Leica 35mm and 50mm lenses in real-world shooting—especially for flare control without making the viewfinder experience miserable?

Florian Bell · Accepted Answer

For ur use, I’d do Voigtländer LH-6 39mm vented metal lens hood on the 35 (less finder block, still solid flare cut) and a deeper Voigtländer LH-4 39mm metal lens hood on the 50; both play nice with 39mm filters and dont bind as easily.

LaserCat2024 · Answer

For your situation, i’d basically treat this as 2 separate problems: flare control vs. finder sanity. Been there… that hood-shadow in the M finder is like a tiny permanent smudge lol.

Here’s what’s worked for me over a few years of street/travel (mostly daylight, lots of side light):

- **35mm: vented rectangle hood (most days)**
Option A: Leica Lens Hood 12504 for 35mm Summicron-M ASPH (or whatever the OEM is for your exact 35). Pros: best fit, bayonet is solid, less likely to cross-thread since you’re not constantly screwing stuff on/off. Cons: price, and some OEMs still block a corner.
Option B: a good third-party *vented* metal hood in the right size (E39/E46 etc). Pros: smaller, less finder blockage. Cons: can be a little less effective for flare vs deeper.

- **50mm: go deeper, it’s worth it**
A deeper round hood like Leica Lens Hood 12585 for 50mm Summicron-M (again, depends on your lens) helps more than i expected with that “sun bouncing off cars/windows” contrast loss. Finder blockage is way less annoying at 50.

- **Rubber fold-downs:** ngl i stopped using them. They’re fine, but they catch on jackets/bags and end up half-folded when you need them most… i mean, at least for me.

Also: if you’re always running a UV/clear, i’d lean bayonet OEM where possible, and keep one filter brand/size to avoid stuck threads.

What exact 35 and 50 are you on (Summicron vs Summilux, thread size)? That changes the “best” hood a lot. cheers

RinDut · Answer

> "treat this as 2 separate problems: flare control vs. finder sanity"

TL;DR from this thread: 35mm = keep it vented/compact so the M finder stays usable, 50mm = you can go deeper since blockage is less annoying and flare control gains are real. That split is honestly the way.

Before you spend more tho… two quick Qs so we dont guess wrong: 1) which exact 35/50 lenses are we talking (modern ASPH vs older pre-ASPH matters a LOT for flare/hood depth)? 2) what’s your filter size + budget range (like “under $50 each” vs “I’ll pay for nice machining”)?

Also, tbh a good hood + ditching cheap UV glass fixes more “flare” than people expect. cheers