Lens hoods

Brentor

Brentor

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I have them but other than the ones fixed to a lens I never use them. A pro wedding photographer, who liked shooting into the sun, once advised me to always use a hood, but I cannot be bothered and I’m not convinced I am missing out.

Should I change?
 
:plus1: Hoods give a massive amount of protection to a £££ lens. Silly not to use them IMHO.
 
I have them and I use them. Half my lenses (the telephoto ones) don't have UV filters and lens hoods go a long way towards protecting that most vital piece of the lens -- the object glass. I try not to use lens protection as I have paid a small fortune for high quality glass and I have no wish to put a piece of lower quality glass in front of it. Apart from the protection aspect, lens hoods help to prevent flare and I hate flare. Ever driven a car with what you thought was a clean windscreen into the sunlight, then you go under a tree and when the sun is shaded how much easier it is to see? Modern lenses are designed to keep flare to a minimum but why have them struggle when, with the addition of a piece of cheap plastic, you can enhance your images at a stroke? Some people see them as an irritation, some swear by them. Personally, they irritate me but I use them anyway.
 
I too always use them. They give very good protection against possible damage to the front element in the event the lens is dropped or knocked against something. Much cheaper to replace the hood than pay for a lens repair,

Additionally they cut out or significantly reduce lens flare on a sunny day.
 
I was shooting at the South of England show a couple of weeks ago.

My camera and lens (70-200) got knocked off a table and landed on a concrete floor.

The lens hood took most of the impact but without that the lens body almost certainly would have been bent out of shape.
 
I rarely use them as most of the new lenses I have seem to be very good at resisting flare, some lenses can be badly affected but if you like flare then that could be a good thing :D

Hoods can be useful for protection and can help to avoid getting snow and rain on a lens which can ruin a shot.
 
Never really think about it, just attach a hood automatically now.

Do wish that they were all made to be stored on the lens, just so much more convenient
 
Hi, I always use them. They protect, reduce flare, enhance contrast, but they increase size ...
 
Brentor said:
I have them but other than the ones fixed to a lens I never use them. A pro wedding photographer, who liked shooting into the sun, once advised me to always use a hood, but I cannot be bothered and I’m not convinced I am missing out.

Should I change?
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What do you really think?
You already got some advice from an ‘expert’, you chose to ignore it and now you’re asking other ‘experts’ if you were right to do so.

If you want the best way to protect your expensive gear whilst also improving image quality, use a hood.

Alternatively; carry on doing what you’re doing, it hurts no one else.
 
I've posted this before, but this is my lens hood after I tripped and fell in Snowdonia, the impact broke my ankle, the camera (which was in my hand) collied with slate (hard), hood damaged, but lens and camera fine. On this camera (X100F) the hood is metal and vented, but it did its job.

5IytwWGh.jpg
 
Brentor said:
I have them but other than the ones fixed to a lens I never use them. A pro wedding photographer, who liked shooting into the sun, once advised me to always use a hood, but I cannot be bothered and I’m not convinced I am missing out.

Should I change?
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Apart from the physical protection, the lens hood helps keep stray light from the front element which can cause flare. This not just the obviously visible flare but is also evident by a general reduction in contrast. You can test this for yourself if you are a Raw user. Take the same shot with and without the lens hood and you will find that the files size reduces without the lens hood. The situation is most challenging when there is a light source just outside the field of view. Filters have a similar effect and the worst combination is two stacked filters and no lens hood.

Dave
 
I always use a hood and for both of the important reasons mentioned already.

I also think they look plain stupid if they're left on reversed. Although, it can of course help to show you're a newbie and don't really know what you're doing just yet. ;)
 
Also great for ensuring physical/social distancing... How many scalps I've scraped when people get too close at air shows etc. Bit of skin on lens hood is better than scrapes of skin cells on the front objective.
 
Dave Canon said:
Apart from the physical protection, the lens hood helps keep stray light from the front element which can cause flare. This not just the obviously visible flare but is also evident by a general reduction in contrast. You can test this for yourself if you are a Raw user. Take the same shot with and without the lens hood and you will find that the files size reduces without the lens hood. The situation is most challenging when there is a light source just outside the field of view. Filters have a similar effect and the worst combination is two stacked filters and no lens hood.

Dave
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I’m going to experiment now.
 
If I am including sky in the shot, I use a hood. Even if you cannot see any flare, contrast is likely to be reduced without one. For insects and macros, where the lens is pointing down, I don't bother as they get in the way and achieve nothing.

I managed to fall over when using my 80D with a Sigma 150-600 lens attached, complete with lens hood. The lens 'snapped' half way along its length and the hood did nothing to lessen the damage. When I break things I do the job properly and no measly lens hood is going to stop me.
 
For work, always hood.

For traveling and personal stuff, no hood, for space and discrete reason.
 
Thanks for all the replies, it seems I am in the minority.

I could live without the protection, lens flare is not a big problem for me but if a hood improves the contrast I will use them. I will give Dave’s test a go.
 
I tend to use the hood on my zoom lenses, but less so on my standard prime lenses.
 
Brentor said:
Thanks for all the replies, it seems I am in the minority.

I could live without the protection, lens flare is not a big problem for me but if a hood improves the contrast I will use them. I will give Dave’s test a go.
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Why bother testing, leave that to the experts. Meaningful, empirical, experiments are surprisingly difficult to set up.
And from a protection aspect are impossible without real damage.

There is overwhelming evidence that lens hoods help, in contrast, flair and protection.

You can of course ignore that evidence. The only loser would be you.

No one else will know or care.
 
Sky said:
I always use a hood and for both of the important reasons mentioned already.

I also think they look plain stupid if they're left on reversed. Although, it can of course help to show you're a newbie and don't really know what you're doing just yet. ;)
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Unless of course you have been at it long enough to realise that reversed on the lens is the best place to keep them at hand in case they are needed, and protect the lens from rough surfaces the camera/lens may be placed on, without getting in the way :)
 
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Sangoma said:
Unless of course you have been at it long enough to realise that reversed on the lens is the best place to keep them at hand in case they are needed, and protect the lens from rough surfaces the camera/lens may be placed on, without getting in the way :)
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This is very true, it keeps mine from resting on the surface.
 
Brentor said:
I have them but other than the ones fixed to a lens I never use them. A pro wedding photographer, who liked shooting into the sun, once advised me to always use a hood, but I cannot be bothered and I’m not convinced I am missing out.

Should I change?
Click to expand...
I have my camera bags set up to carry my lenses with their lens hoods attached and ready for use. You can still put on the front lens caps with the lens hoods fitted (albeit with a bit of a struggle with some lenses) and I have some caps that fit over the lens hood.

Most of the time, I don't even bother with the front lens caps, as the lens hood protects front element when the lens + lens hood is stored in a space designed to snugly carry it.

I take the lens hood off when doing close ups to avoid hitting the subject and casting shadows from any close up lighting I might be using, and when its very windy when there is a risk of the lens hood catching the wind, it can also, sometimes, be problematic when using filters, but other than that a lens hood is always attached. The multiple benefits of using a lens hood means It's just one of those things you learn to use all the time.

There will be occasions when a lens hood might not be offering any important photographic benefit, but it will always offer some level of protection, and I find it easier to just always use one, rather than spend time thinking about it .
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Why bother testing, leave that to the experts. Meaningful, empirical, experiments are surprisingly difficult to set up.
And from a protection aspect are impossible without real damage.

There is overwhelming evidence that lens hoods help, in contrast, flair and protection.

You can of course ignore that evidence. The only loser would be you.

No one else will know or care.
Click to expand...

Such a thoughtfully worded reply.
 
I use the hood on my 35mm lens. Noticeable flare without and its caught a few bumps that would have been on the front element/barrel if it wasn’t there.
 
I almost always use a lens hood. The only exception is my Bronica PS 110 f4.5 Macro lens. The front element is so far down in the barrel as to make the hood unnecessary for flare prevention. If I use a filter with this lens I would also use a hood to shield the glass surface.
 
David_Mug said:
I almost always use a lens hood. The only exception is my Bronica PS 110 f4.5 Macro lens. The front element is so far down in the barrel as to make the hood unnecessary for flare prevention. If I use a filter with this lens I would also use a hood to shield the glass surface.
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That is the case for many macro lenses with moderate apertures, the lens elements are usually deeply set in the mounts.
Which allows the mounts to have much longer extensions for close focussing.
 
Brentor said:
I have them but other than the ones fixed to a lens I never use them. A pro wedding photographer, who liked shooting into the sun, once advised me to always use a hood, but I cannot be bothered and I’m not convinced I am missing out.

Should I change?
Click to expand...

I agree with the professional photographer's advice, but it's entirely up to you. Perhaps you're not missing out if you don't see any point in using one, or can't be bothered?

FWIW, I always use hoods if the camera/lens can take them. I do have a couple of UV/plain glass filters - the type some people like to keep on the lens all the time - but only fit one if I want to use the camera in very dusty or sandy conditions.
 
Brentor said:
I have them but other than the ones fixed to a lens I never use them. A pro wedding photographer, who liked shooting into the sun, once advised me to always use a hood, but I cannot be bothered and I’m not convinced I am missing out.

Should I change?
Click to expand...
On day you might be lucky enough to come across a top money, once in a lifetime shot. Pity to ruin it because you chose not to use a lens hood.
Perhaps 90% of all shots will be good enough with out a lens hood. Though most will be at least marginally better if you do.

From a protection standpoint Lens hoods should not be stronger than the lens mount. like in car accidents a lot of the protection in serious accidents comes from the crumple effect.
 
Brentor said:
Should I change?
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It's entirely up to you. You have all the information on what you're missing out on plus your own preference. Only you can decide if it's worth it.
 
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