Best photography accessory I've ever purchased. Have one for both my 600 tc and 180-400 tc.
Zemlin Lens Cap...
- Thread starter maxxus46
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hef19898
Well-known member
Heck, Zemlin wants 62 USD for a simple 77 mm lens cap! OEM ones go for 40 something Euro from Nikon Germany, which includes VAT. On Amazon.de you find them for around 4-5 Euro per cap... What are those made of, gold? Farry magic preventing them getting lost?
tigger4t
Active member
For UK members I can recommend the StellarUK lens caps - I have just purchased one for my Z 800mm f6.3 on eBay and it's a very well fitted and constructed cap. They have Nikon, Canon, Sigma and Olympus lens caps.
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RikWriter
Well-known member
I have a Zemlin cap for my Sony 300GM. It's tough and works good, but it's a little stiff putting it on.
Well, it’s quite worth it to me. Perhaps it’s my old fumbly fingers, but I cannot reliably get a cap on a lens quickly, especially if I’m not looking. There have been numerous occasions when I was certain that I had put a regular Nikon cap on with no issue, only to open my bag hours later to find the cap lying at the bottom of my bag. The Zemlin caps go on and stay on with no fuss. I am on a quest to replace the originals as I have the extra dough. I am completely satisfied with the purchases.
Just an FYI. Got my 112 mm Zemlin lens cap the other day. It fits nicely on the Nikon and Nisi lens hoods for the Z 14-24 that hold 112 mm filters (which hoods also fit some other Nikon lenses as noted in my prior post) and also on the round 112 mm filters.
I did not like the fit over lens cap Nikon made for the Nikon version of the filter holding lens hood for the Z 14-24. The Zemlin pinch cap looks better to me although I haven’t used it in the field yet.
maxxus46
Well-known member
Received my Zemlin V2 95mm lens cap for my 600pf, and it's excellent. Quality item, made with precision . Very easy to put on and stays put. The spring mechanism used is stronger than the OEM cap and grabs onto the lens threads more aggressively, leaving me with confidence that the cap won't easily get bumped and fall off in my bag. Highly recommended... Oh, anyone know what the included candy is about? Whoever packed the item for shipping included some candy 
nice touch
nice touch
Yes, Zemlin costs more for higher quality. If you are offended by the price, please purchase the 4 Euro caps.
Karl Zemlin (who is a member of our BCG Forum) is a one-man shop (updated: he has a few people helping him these days), a craftsman offering superior products to the photographic community. He does an amazing job of creating hoods, caps and eyepieces for broad ranges of Nikon lenses (and other makes), still produces them in his garage, and ships them to his customers with candy in the box as a way of saying "thank you". Many of us here are Karl's customers, and are very pleased with his products, which deliver higher quality and better performance than OEM or cheaply made 3rd party alternatives.
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Sir, Smarties require no explanation, they stand on their own excellence.Received my Zemlin V2 95mm lens cap for my 600pf, and it's excellent. Quality item, made with precision . Very easy to put on and stays put. The spring mechanism used is stronger than the OEM cap and grabs onto the lens threads more aggressively, leaving me with confidence that the cap won't easily get bumped and fall off in my bag. Highly recommended... Oh, anyone know what the included candy is about? Whoever packed the item for shipping included some candy
I bought a used 800pf that came with a Zemlin cap and short hood. Both are excellent quality and far better than the pleather cowl to pull over the lens and the stock hood.
hef19898
Well-known member
Good for him to have a loyal customer base. I know from first hand how hard it is to get a small business of the ground, let alone sustain it. I am very happy for him that he succeeded at both.
I am also acutely aware of the cost, and as a result price, differences between artisanal, low volume and industrial mass production, comes with the trade. Actualy, I do have some artisanal pieces I use regularly. I have them because I wanted them, not because I needed them. And supporting small businesses is a good thing in general.
While I get lens caps for large exotics, where OEMs seemingly cannot be bothered anymore with providing good onrs, and even lens hoods for size and so, generic lens caps are not something that falls in the need or want categories enough to spend almost 10x. Especially since those lens caps have a tendency to get lost over time.
hef19898
Well-known member
Forget the manhole, what about the lens beneath it? Focal length, apperture? 
zemlin
Well-known member
Can't tell for sure without seeing the back of the cap, but it looks like another knockoff of my first cap design.
zemlin
Well-known member
When I first started making lens caps I saw no reason for me to make small caps that already exist and are readily available for cheap. However, when I started making hoods for the smaller lenses that use standard caps, customers kept asking me for a Zemlin cap to fit their lens. My old cap design couldn't be adapted to smaller lenses so it wasn't an option. This spring I redesigned my lens caps to improve build quality, resolve some assembly issues, and make them better looking. I also made the design more scalable so I could fit smaller lenses with standard filter threads.
I worked hard to make the best lens cap I can produce. A more precise fit than standard caps, stronger spring force, and since they don't actuate from the outside they are a lot more secure - less likely to come off in a camera bag or when carrying a camera around where it might get bumped.
Yes, they are expensive, but they take just as long for me to assemble and package as my big caps. A little less machine time and material, but still hand worked, assembled, and packaged. I make them from engineering-grade polymers and use multiple materials to ensure durability and optimal material properties for the different areas of the caps.
When I released the design I fully expected at least a few folks to buy them and send them back, but that hasn't happened. Orders for those caps continue to grow as the word gets out and so far I've received only 5 star reviews for them. Granted, it's 16 reviews from 5 customers, but they are very happy with them.
What's the difference between a Rolex and a Timex, and Leica and a Lumix, or a Mazda and a Mercedes? Some folks are willing to pay more for the higher quality products. They aren't for everyone. Maybe I'm making the Rolex of lens caps?
You’re not making the Rolex of lens caps. With Rolex, you’re paying for the beautiful workmanship, hand fit, and charisma of the various models. Many electronic watches can keep better time.
Your caps look good and everything, but for a lot of us, they simply work better than the originals at their job, protecting the lens, which perforce requires that they actually stay on the end of the lens.
Your caps look good and everything, but for a lot of us, they simply work better than the originals at their job, protecting the lens, which perforce requires that they actually stay on the end of the lens.
zemlin
Well-known member
Thank you, Karl, for commenting. I like the description of why your small lens caps are more secure than OEM or cheap 3rd party options.
A better fitting (and more secure) cap is also less likely to fall off while photographing the wilderness - providing an environmental benefit. I recall 35 years ago losing a Nikon lens cap in the Merced River at Yosemite, and I'll bet it is still there, along with more than a few others keeping it company. If in a small way, your products help reduce plastic waste in our wilderness through fewer lens caps popping off, that adds to the value equation.
A better fitting (and more secure) cap is also less likely to fall off while photographing the wilderness - providing an environmental benefit. I recall 35 years ago losing a Nikon lens cap in the Merced River at Yosemite, and I'll bet it is still there, along with more than a few others keeping it company. If in a small way, your products help reduce plastic waste in our wilderness through fewer lens caps popping off, that adds to the value equation.
maxxus46
Well-known member
Received my lens cap for the 600pf.. it's perfect. Add another 5 Star rating from me. Oh, thanks for the candy!
When I first started making lens caps I saw no reason for me to make small caps that already exist and are readily available for cheap. However, when I started making hoods for the smaller lenses that use standard caps, customers kept asking me for a Zemlin cap to fit their lens. My old cap design couldn't be adapted to smaller lenses so it wasn't an option. This spring I redesigned my lens caps to improve build quality, resolve some assembly issues, and make them better looking. I also made the design more scalable so I could fit smaller lenses with standard filter threads.
I worked hard to make the best lens cap I can produce. A more precise fit than standard caps, stronger spring force, and since they don't actuate from the outside they are a lot more secure - less likely to come off in a camera bag or when carrying a camera around where it might get bumped.
Yes, they are expensive, but they take just as long for me to assemble and package as my big caps. A little less machine time and material, but still hand worked, assembled, and packaged. I make them from engineering-grade polymers and use multiple materials to ensure durability and optimal material properties for the different areas of the caps.
When I released the design I fully expected at least a few folks to buy them and send them back, but that hasn't happened. Orders for those caps continue to grow as the word gets out and so far I've received only 5 star reviews for them. Granted, it's 16 reviews from 5 customers, but they are very happy with them.
What's the difference between a Rolex and a Timex, and Leica and a Lumix, or a Mazda and a Mercedes? Some folks are willing to pay more for the higher quality products. They aren't for everyone. Maybe I'm making the Rolex of lens caps?
Zemplin cap arrived yesterday (along with my favourire lollies haha) for the Z 400 f2.8 TC.
As many others have said, fit is pefect, sturdy construction, and cant see how it could impact the front glass if mounted properly.
As many others have said, fit is pefect, sturdy construction, and cant see how it could impact the front glass if mounted properly.
arbitrage
Well-known member
I'd certainly spend the money to buy a Zemlin short hood for a 400TC or 600TC or similar. I'd also spend the money to buy a cap for one of those big lenses which only ship with a stupid soft cap thing.
I don't see the point of spending money on a cap for a lens like 400/4.5 or 600PF etc that already ship with a decent pinch cap. I hadn't read about the issues reported at the beginning of this thread. I'm surprised Nikon would design a cap that can be pushed in enough to contact the front element.
I don't see the point of spending money on a cap for a lens like 400/4.5 or 600PF etc that already ship with a decent pinch cap. I hadn't read about the issues reported at the beginning of this thread. I'm surprised Nikon would design a cap that can be pushed in enough to contact the front element.
