Lens Hood: Why, When, How

[stitchbug]

hood, always, all the time.
=)

[rediguana]

Originally Posted by save_alkaline

I got some shots while hiking this weekend that weren't as sharp as i liked as the sun was super bright and washed out a lot of detail. Would that type of setting be a good time to use the hood?

A hood is unlikely to directly improve sharpness - that is usually tied to stability of the camera, focal length, shutter speed and quality of the lens. However a lens hood can help with washed out appearances.

[TravisForsyth]

Thanks guys and gals! This thread has helped me in deciding on whether or not I was going to use a lens hood!

[flomaster]

wow I can't imagine using my hand to block the flare there is no way I could keep the camera steady with out ruining a good shot. that being said I have a lens hook on both of my lens 18-135 and 70-300 they NEVER come off and most certainly do NOT get in the way. I guess because I have used my D80 with a hood from day one i am used to it.

-=Jason=-

[smashingthewindow]

The only time I won't use a hood is with a flash, as sometimes it creates a large shadow towards the bottom of the photo. Otherwise they are ridiculously useful for protecting the lens and preventing flare.

[save_alkaline]

Originally Posted by rediguana

A hood is unlikely to directly improve sharpness - that is usually tied to stability of the camera, focal length, shutter speed and quality of the lens. However a lens hood can help with washed out appearances.

i probably am not using 'sharpness' quite as literal as it's meant to be in the photography world, lol. most of the pictures were just very washed out. that's a good descriptive for it. like rocks that were closer up lacked detail because of the brightness they were reflecting and trees further out lacked detail because they too were reflecting.

[rediguana]

Originally Posted by save_alkaline

i probably am not using 'sharpness' quite as literal as it's meant to be in the photography world, lol. most of the pictures were just very washed out. that's a good descriptive for it. like rocks that were closer up lacked detail because of the brightness they were reflecting and trees further out lacked detail because they too were reflecting.

No worries

Note that a hood only protects against light from outside of the frame you are viewing. If you are getting a lot of directly reflected light off rocks in the image, you are probably in need of a circular polariser to reduce the reflected light incident on the lens. A neutral density filter may help too depending on the image.

[fireb0x]

Originally Posted by smashingthewindow

The only time I won't use a hood is with a flash, as sometimes it creates a large shadow towards the bottom of the photo. Otherwise they are ridiculously useful for protecting the lens and preventing flare.

I had this issue also, but I like using the hood. That's what pushed me over the edge to buy a Nikon SB600 Flash. LOL. It should be arriving any day now, then I get to have fun learning how to use an external flash.