Lens Hoods? Use them??

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Bolton

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Just curious, how many use hoods regularly?? I do on my large lens' mostly but find the smaller ones to big a cumbersome to pack and carry around. And if I do find a shot where the sun unfavorable, I'll change my angle, find a shadow or use a blocker!! What do you do??
 
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Bolton said:
Just curious, how many use hoods regularly?? I do on my large lens' mostly but find the smaller ones to big a cumbersome to pack and carry around. And if I do find a shot where the sun unfavorable, I'll change my angle, find a shadow or use a blocker!! What do you do??
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I carry lens hoods for the lenses in my kit but I don't always use them. I particularly don't use them if I'll be using a polarizer and often don't use them when working from a tripod unless the sun is at least a bit in front of the camera. On shorter lenses for walk around work I tend to use hoods just for a bit of bump and scratch protection.
 
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I always use them as they give a degree of protection to the front element. They go on the lens reversed when in my bag but once the lens is on the camera the hood is turned out the right way before I do anything else.

It always amuses me to see people walking around taking pictures with the hood on reversed. On several ocassions I have been asked what they are for :)
 
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Yes i use hoods on all my lenses and probably almost never shoot without one -dont ask me why as its just been a habit (whether its good or not) since i started 8months ago ....... i try to be very careful with all my gear and have on occasion bumped the lens and was glad i had the hood on ....


Harry.G
 
I like to use them. I think they offer a bit of protection and keep dirt off the lens a bit. Such as branches that would otherwise rub against the lens if it weren’t there. Take it off for CP filters or other reasons as needed. I’m not a pro
 
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Always use hoods when not using polarizers or filter systems. The protection factor is a major impetus to keep using them. Helps maintain a little more distance and keep pollen and other things off my macro lens when going close.
 
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Like DR, I have them along but use them on a case by case basis. Most of the time they are on my long lenses, although if I don't need them for flare protection and I'm shooting from the car I usually take them off (easier to manage). For landscapes, it depends where the sun is and if I'm using a polarizer. For macros, it depends, again, where the sun is and if I'm shooting a small animal or not (I take them off whenever I can for frogs, lizards, etc. since it puts the end of the lens closer to the subject and that subject is then more likely to run away).
 
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I almost always use lens hoods, mainly for protection. However, I often use shortish metal screw-in hoods, especially when shooting from the car when the long lenshoods can be a nuisance.
 
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My default is to use the hood. I haven’t shot much from the car, and I can definitely see that not using one in that situation can be beneficial. I have not used it at times, as in windy situation, but that is a conscious decision to deviate from my norm.
 
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I always use them, unless as others have said, I have filters attached. They offer more protection and I think, make the camera look way cool!
 
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Another person who always uses a lens hood, sun, rain, wind, makes no difference to me. The loss of micro contrast from not using the hood just isn't worth it in my experience. That and a hood has saved a lens for me before. I once forgot tighten up my ball-head (was shooting low to the ground) with the 24-70mm F2.8G mounted on a D800, and needless to say the camera/lens took a noise dive. The hood took the hit, and the ring that holds the lock tab snapped off, but the lens itself was fine. Buying a new hood was way cheaper than a new 24-70.
 
JANuser said:
Another person who always uses a lens hood, sun, rain, wind, makes no difference to me. The loss of micro contrast from not using the hood just isn't worth it in my experience. That and a hood has saved a lens for me before. I once forgot tighten up my ball-head (was shooting low to the ground) with the 24-70mm F2.8G mounted on a D800, and needless to say the camera/lens took a noise dive. The hood took the hit, and the ring that holds the lock tab snapped off, but the lens itself was fine. Buying a new hood was way cheaper than a new 24-70.
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(y) My then new D850 and Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 G2 nose dived off my desk and the hood broke. Not sure if it saved the lens or camera but it did absorb the shock. I ordered a new hood for peanuts. I was glad I happened to have the hood on inside the house.
 
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Bolton said:
Just curious, how many use hoods regularly?? I do on my large lens' mostly but find the smaller ones to big a cumbersome to pack and carry around. And if I do find a shot where the sun unfavorable, I'll change my angle, find a shadow or use a blocker!! What do you do??
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I am basically using them all the time. They may help in difficult lighting situations, but just as important as that is their support in protecting the lens. I actually started going away from protection filters and I had a couple of situations where I got a bump against the front of the lens. It works really well.
The only exception from that rule is my 200 f4 D Micro. Sometimes the hood is simply getting in the way if I use it in on ground level or kind of having to stick the lens in a gap or a hole. But despite it is to not easy to put it on and off compared with modern lenses (it is a threaded screw-on hood made from metal !) I try to leave it there whenever possible.

With some lenses like e.g. the 24-70 f2.8 G and E there is an additional aspect. As opposed to lenses like the 24-120 f4 where the hood is movingtogether with the front part of your lens, here the moving front tube of the lens is running inside the hood and stays where it is while changing focal length. So in this case the hood is protecting not "only" the front lens, it also protects the moving tube getting a hit from the side of being punched back in the lens body, which both could affect the mechanics of focal length adjustment.
 
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I shoot with mine on all the time, rain or sun CP or no CP, just a habit I have gotten into. I suppose some of the time it's of little use but apart from the high wind situation It doesn't do any harm. You can still adjust the CP via the "window" and bayonet fitting hoods are easy to to remove and replace, it also stops me from losing it!!
 
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jimneotech said:
I had the misfortune to drop my D800 off of a counter. Of course it landed lens (28-70mm) down. Fortunately the lens hood cracked while taking most of the impact. After purchasing a new hood, good as new so I'm a great proponent of lens hoods to protrct the lens.
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I'd gladly sacrifice a lens hood any day as well...
 
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Here's a link to a video of a D500 with lens and lens hood and which very nicely illustrates the build quality of the D500 and the protection capabilities of a lens hood:

Apologies to those who have already seen the video....
 
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