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by Blck-shouldered Kite on Tue Apr 14, 2015 5:59 am
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If you are out there reading this Nikon....I have a suggestion:

Why not come out with a neutral gray barrel color option for your supertelephoto lenses?

IMO, white reflects is more light-reflective than I want.   And very conspicuous.    

Neutral gray seems like a good choice if you want something other than black. 
 
Let me put it this way:  If given the choice, I believe I would choose neutral gray over black or white in my upcoming Nikon 500 or 600 F lens.

Just food for thought.  I think it would look snazzy.  What do you all think?

Robert King
 

by SantaFeJoe on Tue Apr 14, 2015 7:48 am
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Nikon has offered gray colored lenses in the past, but they must not be popular or many people would be demanding that color. One commenter said kiddingly that they were made to inconspicuously blend in with our hair, if we still have some!

Joe
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by Steven Major on Tue Apr 14, 2015 8:01 am
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Any other lens shade color will make the lens MORE conspicuous because the contrast (difference) between the lens and shade will increase. If the situation becomes critical...many shades of gray spray paint are available at wallmart for $ 8.
There are also LensCoat cameo lens condoms that appear to also provide some degree of protection.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Tue Apr 14, 2015 8:16 am
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I'm thinking this LensCoat product might be perfect for you ;)
http://www.lenscoat.com/images/5002pi.jpg
 

by DChan on Tue Apr 14, 2015 8:33 am
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Blck-shouldered Kite wrote:If you are out there reading this Nikon....I have a suggestion:

Why not come out with a neutral gray barrel color option for your supertelephoto lenses?

IMO, white reflects is more light-reflective than I want.   And very conspicuous.    

Neutral gray seems like a good choice if you want something other than black. 
 
Let me put it this way:  If given the choice, I believe I would choose neutral gray over black or white in my upcoming Nikon 500 or 600 F lens.

Just food for thought.  I think it would look snazzy.  What do you all think?

Robert King
Not important.
 

by pleverington on Tue Apr 14, 2015 9:46 am
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E.J. Peiker wrote:I'm thinking this LensCoat product might be perfect for you ;)
http://www.lenscoat.com/images/5002pi.jpg
hilarious!!
Paul Leverington
"A great image is one that is created, not one that is made"
 

by Robert on Tue Apr 14, 2015 10:03 am
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E.J. Peiker wrote:I'm thinking this LensCoat product might be perfect for you ;)
http://www.lenscoat.com/images/5002pi.jpg

That's about as funny as the neon yellow wetsuit I saw a tourist wearing in Hawaii. :lol:
Come to think of it, I also saw a woman wearing a bright pink wetsuit as well! Bling-bling!
 

by Mike in O on Tue Apr 14, 2015 10:26 am
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Interesting topic...Minolta started making their super teles white at the dawn of auto focus. Canon followed suit with their dirty white (since changed to Sony white). Sony meanwhile wanted to differentiate and started painting their super teles gray (1st generation 70/400 and the prototype 500) which was met with less than favorable response. People don't like change...Nikon won't be changing the black heat adsorbing color anytime soon.
 

by Mark Picard on Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:27 am
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Mike in O wrote:.Nikon won't be changing the black heat adsorbing color anytime soon.
Atmospheric shimmer and heat distortion got that beat by a mile! :)
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by DChan on Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:49 am
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Mike in O wrote:Interesting topic...Minolta started making their super teles white at the dawn of auto focus.  Canon followed suit with their dirty white (since changed to Sony white).  Sony meanwhile wanted to differentiate and started painting their super teles gray (1st generation 70/400 and the prototype 500) which was met with less than favorable response.  People don't like change...Nikon won't be changing the black heat adsorbing color anytime soon.

Some of the Olympus m4/3 lenses are silver gray in color. Then they started making the black versions. Feel free to guess why.

I have those silver-gray ones, too. But if I'm doing street photos, I'd rather have the black versions. So, perhaps it's not because Nikon doesn't want to change after all?

BTW, I know a guy who shoots with a Canon-looking-yellowish-white Nikon 500.

As for Sony, a guy I know told me he didn't like that Sony gray either. If it's gonna be a light color, he prefers the Olympus silver-gray one.
 

by bartley123 on Tue Apr 14, 2015 2:09 pm
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Just a guestimate but I'd estimate 4 out of 5 big whites I've seen are peeking out from a cover of lenscoat in various colors, mostly camouflage.
Don Cooper
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by E.J. Peiker on Tue Apr 14, 2015 3:29 pm
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The original reason for the white lenses was because Fluorite glass is not temperature stable. By making the lenses white, the internals of the lenses stay cooler. Since then this type of glass has improved and now it's more of a branding statement than anything else.
 

by Gary Irwin on Tue Apr 14, 2015 4:39 pm
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bartley123 wrote:Just a guestimate but I'd estimate 4 out of 5 big whites I've seen are peeking out from a cover of lenscoat in various colors, mostly camouflage.
Very likely. But as much as I love Canon glass, I don't like their white lenses even though I also have lenscoats on mine. Black is so much less obtrusive.
Gary Likes Nature.
 

by Mike in O on Tue Apr 14, 2015 5:44 pm
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Correct me if I am wrong EJ but fluorite glass is stable but actual fluorite ground crustal is extremely unstable in temp changes.
 

by E.J. Peiker on Tue Apr 14, 2015 6:45 pm
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Fluorite glas changes it's optical properties as the temps go up much faster than non-fluorite glass, at least the older versions of it.
 

by kiwijohn on Thu Apr 16, 2015 7:20 am
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Make your own neoprene lens coats out of 3mm wetsuit material and tube of glue.
Wide range of colours available including white, and it gives AWESOME scratch protection when you use branches and stone walls for lens support in the field!
This will maximise your resale value when the time comes.
Use second hand wet suits available for bargain prices, but wash & dry them well first as salt is not good in contact with a magnesium alloy lens body!
Personalise them with your own camo pattern using acrylic model paints.
Also acts as thermal barrier in the hot sun to keep your fluorites happy.
What more could you ask for?

John Sibley, NZ
 

by Blck-shouldered Kite on Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:27 pm
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............"scratch protection when you use branches and stone walls for lens support in the field!
This will maximise your resale value when the time comes."

Ain't it the truth; i.e. in the excitement of the moment one would be more likely to set the barrel on the nearest object and see the scratches later.


Last edited by Blck-shouldered Kite on Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 

by Blck-shouldered Kite on Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:32 pm
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E.J. Peiker wrote:I'm thinking this LensCoat product might be perfect for you ;)
http://www.lenscoat.com/images/5002pi.jpg

:lol:

Don't listen to them Nikon.....battleship gray would sell. :)
 

by ChrisRoss on Mon Apr 20, 2015 11:28 pm
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Mike in O wrote:Correct me if I am wrong EJ but fluorite glass is stable but actual fluorite ground crustal is extremely unstable in temp changes.

Technically fluorite is not a glass, which implies an amorphous compound.  Amorphous is another way of saying non-crystalline.   Fluorite as used in lenses is a single artificially grown crystal cut to shape.  I don't believe there are any Fluorite glasses as such in use for optics only fluorite crystal.  Most ED glass uses lanthanum and other elements.  But yes fluorite is fragile, doesn't like thermal shock or moisture and is normally installed in between other glass elements to protect it. 
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