does anyone know where i can get a lenscap for this lens? uk or europe preferred. i know of stephen gandy's solution, even have the metal shade, but a m6 with this lens fits in every pocket, so i hardly use the shade. at the moment i use one of these 47mm slip-over caps by Kaiser, but it doesn't sit very secure, though it provides pretty good protection. is there any place where they sell the original minolta one?

-- stefan randlkofer (geesbert@yahoo.com), February 18, 2002

Answers

Minolta 40.5mm lens caps are easy to find in Japan. I know that may not help you, but at least you know they still make one, so maybe it is possible to order from a Minolta dealer. I found them easily - new, not old stock - at a large camera store in a medium size city, and I use them for my Konica 50mm f2 lens, which takes the same size. The Konica lens has a slip on cap which goes on the outside of the lens, so maybe this would be about the right size too for your lens, but maybe not since the Konica has a built-in shade. Hope this can help you.

-- Masatoshi Yamamoto (masa@nifty.co.jp), February 18, 2002.

The cap for one of Minolta's recent APS cameras happens to be 40.5 in size, says "Minolta" on it, and fits the CLE lenses perfectly. I will see if I still have the package that lists the part number for you.

-- Steve Rosenblum (stevierose@yahoo.com), February 18, 2002.

Did you check the KEH (www.keh.com) to see if they have any caps in their used section?

Also check this site: http://www.cameraquest.com/cle.htm About 3/4 of the way down, there is info about replacement lense shade and cap combo.

Also check his for sale section under leica and he may have 40.5 caps.

Hope that helps... I have never done business with cameraquest, but the site has always attracted me for the wealth of info.

-- (garylhuie@netscape.net), February 18, 2002.

The part number for the Minolta 40.5 mm front lens cap (which works on my CLE lenses) is: LF-141. I would suggest that you call Minolta and see if they have any of these. As I recall they were inexpensive. A quick internet search reveals that they are selling for 5 pounds at this site in the UK.

-- Steve Rosenblum (stevierose@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.

Well, the html link thing didn't work for some reason, but the URL is: her e The LF-141 40.5 cap is now marketed for one of the Vectis lenses but nonetheless works perfectly on the CLE lenses and even says "Minolta" on the front!

-- Steve Rosenblum (stevierose@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.