 BetterPhoto Member |
Lens Hoods Are lens hoods necessary, and do they work? Thank you!
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doug Nelson |
Better to have it and not need it. Under some lighting conditions, it won't matter, but in some situations, it may make all the difference. For light from above, or from an angle to the front of you, you need the hood (shade). It's also a good habit to have one on for protection of the lens. Have you ever seen video photogs at news events without a hood? Their hoods are rectangular because they do the job of shading better. Zoom lenses are hard to shade, so the hoods for these are, at best, a compromise, allowing shading at wide and narrow angles of coverage. It's better, I think, to use a hood.
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Ariel Lepor |
Often, if (sun)light hits the lens, any dirt on the lens will be highlighted. Ghosting and other stuff from the light can also occur. A lens hood, in many situations, blocks the sunlight from the lens yet doesn't interfere with the field of view. It is a good investment if you shoot outdoors. They are not always necessary. If the light is behind you or if you are in a controlled situation, it is probably not needed. Even if there is light hitting a clean lens, you probably won't notice much of a horrible problem. Lens hoods aren't expensive, so, like Doug said, might as well get one.
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Christopher A. Vedros |
The Sigma EX lenses that I use 90% of the time come with hard plastic lens hoods. Sigma calls it a "perfect hood". It is petal shaped, to maximize the shading without vignetting at the corners. I use them whenever I use the lenses. A couple weeks ago, I was at the zoo with the family. There is a huge oak tree that all the kids climb when they pass it. While helping my daughter down, my 70-200mm f/2.8 fell out of my camera bag and landed hood-down on a large root. The hood cracked, but protected the $800 lens. A little super glue, and the hood was good as new. Chris Vedros www.cavphotos.com
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Ariel Lepor |
You mean, it was good enough to use. I'm sure you would rather have a new one. ;)
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Christopher A. Vedros |
No, unless you look really close, you can't tell it was cracked at all.
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Ariel Lepor |
Was there a special glue for plastic?
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Christopher A. Vedros |
Nothing special, just Super Glue, available at drugstores, hardware stores, etc. I like the Super Glue Gel, because it stays where you put it and doesn't drip.
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- Virginia Ross Contact Virginia Ross Virginia Ross's Gallery |
I had the very same thing happen to me, Chris, with a one-day-old digital wide-angle lens. I dropped mine in the street, with camera attached. Both were saved by the plastic lens hood, which bore the brunt of the impact. I superglued mine back together, also.
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Christopher A. Vedros |
Ooh, I bet your heart skipped a beat on that one! Glad to hear the camera and lens were okay. Chris A. Vedros
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- Virginia Ross Contact Virginia Ross Virginia Ross's Gallery |
Yup. I forgot I had the camera on my lap when exiting my car; down it all went, smack onto the pavement. I had to let some time go by before I allowed myself to first, turn the camera on to see if it still worked, and then to look through the lens & check that out. A close shave, as they say....
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Paul S. Fleming |
Fred, I shoot with a D-70 with several different lenses. I have found that if I use the flash on the camera, (When I forget my SB-600) I get shadows at the bottom of my images with either the petal hood or a rubber one. This might be something you should be aware of. I also dropped my camera and the petal hood saved the day...and my lens and camera. Happy shooting. "ps"
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