Lens Hood: Why, When, How

[Jim Bryant]

They are not only good to keep sun flare off the lens, but also protects the filter and front element when you bump the lens into things.

[amberlynn]

Thank you all for your input. And I'm pretty well sold. I'll start using my hood.
But not for "keeping up appearances" reasons. I don't believe I'm good enough yet to try to separate myself from Joe Schmoe. I AM Joe Schmoe, but we all gotta start somewhere.
When I surpass Joe, my pictures will speak for themselves.

[dcclark]

Originally Posted by sybren

I disagree with David. Lens hoods block light that hits your lens but isn't part of your photo. When you use a lens hood, your colours are more pure, your blacks become blacker. I always shoot with a lens hood, as there is virtually no downside to using one. The only thing is that there is a bit of plastic or metal protruding from the front of your lens - big deal if that's going to give you better photos.

That light that hits your lens but isn't part of the photo can cause flare and ghosts -- an important part of the hood. You're right about the color quality, to a certain extent.

However, as I mentioned, hoods can add bulk (length) to your setup, which may be an issue, and keeping them on "backwards" may interfere with your controls. Of course, my needs are different from yours -- I highly value portability and convenience, for taking my camera anywhere without a bag. If you're shooting with a bag or a pack full of lenses, you probably don't worry as much about the added bulk of a hood.

Those are the reasons that I don't bother with mine -- as well as the fact that, for most situations in which a lens will flare, the hood isn't enough anyhow. Most modern lenses are good on their own at avoiding most flare (through multicoating, mainly) -- if the light is bad enough to actually cause flare, a hood may not cover the right areas anyhow. I usually need a hand far out and to the side.

[freybear3]

I just got my first lens hood the other day. I can honestly say i can tell a difference in the quality of photos. It also has saved my lens from being broke!

Well worth the investment! I never pictured myself ever using one. But i got a new lens and it came with one. The lady at the photo store explained to me what it was used for and all the advantages it gave. So i was really happy to get one.

[WooD]

I keep, and use them on all my lens.

[inkista]

For me it depends. The longer the lens is, the deeper and more useful a hood becomes. The wider the lens is, the shallower the hood has to be not to impinge on the frame, and at a certain point, it becomes relatively useless for shade. I use hoods on all my lenses that have them, but the petal hood on my 24-105 is only about an inch to an inch and a half deep and less protective and shades the front element far less than the four-inch solid hood on my 135, or the built-in hood on my 400.

But on my 8mm circular fisheye? No point. The lens comes with a >1cm deep collar so you can put a lens cap on it (the front element is convex). If I leave the collar on the lens, roughly a third of the frame is vignetted:

with collar:


without


So the fisheye is always naked when I shoot.

[rediguana]

I use hoods as much as I can. Tend not to on UWA, but I do on everything else from about 24/35mm and longer. Only tend to reverse the hood for storage, if I'm shooting without a hood, it will be off and in the bag. I'll also not use the hoods under some situations where I want a smaller looking lens - e.g. urban photography.

[dimitrz]

One aspect which went unanswered here is " when should one be using the hood"

1) Does it makes sense to use it during the Golden Hour ?
2) Should a Hood be used when the sun is directly overhead or at a 90 degree angle ?
3) Should a hood be used with a CPF filter ?
4) Is there any particular position the petals of the hood should be kept in since we have two large and two small petals ?

[fletch]

Originally Posted by dimitrz

One aspect which went unanswered here is " when should one be using the hood"

1) Does it makes sense to use it during the Golden Hour ?
2) Should a Hood be used when the sun is directly overhead or at a 90 degree angle ?
3) Should a hood be used with a CPF filter ?
4) Is there any particular position the petals of the hood should be kept in since we have two large and two small petals ?

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes if it will fit.
3. Yes - Large petals at top and bottom small at the sides (if you are shooting in landscape). Most hoods have a bayonet type fitting that means you can't mount it any other way.

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by fletch

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes if it will fit.
3. Yes - Large petals at top and bottom small at the sides (if you are shooting in landscape). Most hoods have a bayonet type fitting that means you can't mount it any other way.

Also 3) if hood isn't the petal-type you may need to cut a square hole with a dremel tool to allow a finger to rotate the polarizer. Ken