Lens hoods and filters

[3Danes4me]

Hi there! I am brand new to this forum and about a year into photography and loving both I have a long way to go, but I'm trying not to get overwhelmed with all the info, and all that I feel like I still don't know.

Anyways, my question is...I just upgraded my lenses to the canon 24-105 L and the canon 780-200 L f/4...I ordered the hoods with the lenses. I know the purpose of the hood...

But...when do you use your hoods, and when do you take them off?

Also, should I invest in UV filters and polarizing filters? Should I have bought them? Do they make that much of a difference?

When do you use a UV filter vs. a polarizing filter?

TIA!!!!

[RichardTaylor]

All the Canon L lenses I have purchased come with hoods.


I always use them, unless they interfere with lighting a subject (macro)
The only time they come off is when a lens is in a camera bag.

UV filters may degrade an image (causing focussing problems and/or additional flare). They can be used to protect the front element when shooting in inhospitable enviroinments.

Re polarisers - see this.
Polarizing filter (photography) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[inkista]

With my L lenses, they always wear their hoods. In the bag, they wear them reversed, while shooting, they have them on all the time. Even if the hood isn't needed for shade, it can provide physical protection to the front element.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by inkista

With my L lenses, they always wear their hoods. In the bag, they wear them reversed, while shooting, they have them on all the time. Even if the hood isn't needed for shade, it can provide physical protection to the front element.

+1. Everything always has a hood, whether on forwards or backwards.

[Harpo63]

When using a circular polarizer, do you still use the hood? Im understanding that you need to rotate the pol. to get the desired effect, and the hood would make it difficult to rotate?

[Thunder_o_b]

Most things that reflect light will benefit from the use of a CP for the reduction of glare. Your sky shots can also benefit, but in my view the effect is vastly over used.

With most lenses, you will have to adjust the CP with the hood off, and put the hood back on to shoot. Remember that if you move the angle of the camera you will have to re-adjust the CP. Make sure to spend the money and get a good one, the cheep in-house CPs are a wast of time. Also expect somewhere around 2 stops of light loss with its use.

[slh]

Speaking of hoods, whats the diiference between a petal hood and a regular, round hood? I mean I know the physical diiference, why would you choose one over ther other? Should you have both types and why?

[sk66]

Originally Posted by slh

Speaking of hoods, whats the diiference between a petal hood and a regular, round hood? I mean I know the physical diiference, why would you choose one over ther other? Should you have both types and why?

A petal type hood is just "smaller". The notches in the side allow the hood to be smaller in diameter; if you put a petal hood on *sideways* it will cause the sides of the image to vignette. In some sense the petal hood provides a little less "protection" due to the notches, but I haven't really noticed it being a factor (but I also haven't compared a petal hood to a circular on the same lens)

[Elmo]

I used to use a dremel tool to grind a small opening in the side of my lens hoods to allow adjusting the polarizer. Now I am lazy I just stick my finger inside the lens hood. Works for me. And I always have a lens hood on if at all possible and usually a CP.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by slh

Speaking of hoods, whats the diiference between a petal hood and a regular, round hood? I mean I know the physical diiference, why would you choose one over ther other? Should you have both types and why?

It comes down to the focal length of the lens you're putting it on. Essentially, petal hoods are better for wide angle lenses. The "cutouts" are to eliminate corner vignetting that would be caused by a solid hood, and to allow the hood to be useful at all. With extremely wide angle lenses, hoods are kinda sorta useless, because they have to be very shallow not to appear in the frame. With my 8mm circular fisheye lens, even the 1cm-deep collar that holds the lenscap has to be removed before I can shoot with it, otherwise it vignettes.