Lens Hood Preferences

[smoke665]

Have used collapsible rubber screw mounts for years but I need to replace some. Other then the choice between petal or solid what are the recommendations and why?

 

[BananaRepublic]

Petal hoods look better. I don't know if there is much of a science to it really as you can read the something about certain hoods preventing vignetting on certain lens types and then read the complete opposite of that somewhere else

 

[fmw]

My favorites are the least expensive ones that won't vignette. Their design is immaterial to me.

 

[nerwin]

Ken Rockwell said this once: "I've never unwrapped mine. Hoods are an obsolete throwback to simpler times."

Apparently the petal shaped hoods takes account in the finale image's shape and aspect ratio. This allows the lens hood to block stray light with the longer portions of the lens hood, while allowing more light into the corners of the image through the shorter portions of the hood, thereby reducing the amount of mechanical vignetting in the final image.

A lot of science goes into lens hoods more than what people think.

Lens hood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[robbins.photo]

I prefer the plastic petal shaped hoods myself. Never was a fan of any of the screw on types, they just seem like a hassle to put on and remove. With the plastic petal I can very easily twist it and lock it into position, and when I'm done unlock, flip it around, lock again for storage with the lens. No muss, n0 fuss. Makes it a lot easier using filters, as I don't have to unscrew the lens hood, put on a filter, screw the lens hood back on, etc.

I also like the idea that the hood is solid, in case goodness forbid I ever do drop a lens. I never have.. knock on wood.. but it's a nice sense of security.

 

[SnappingShark]

I prefer whatever comes with my lens. They mostly come with hoods these days and they wouldn't pair them that way otherwise.

That said, they do give generic straps.

I like the idea of rubber hoods but they seem to get dirtier easier and this may cause some more dust on the lens and / or instability in strong winds in my opinion.

 

[smoke665]

I also like the idea that the hood is solid, in case goodness forbid I ever do drop a lens. I never have.. knock on wood.. but it's a nice sense of security.

Never dropped a lens my entire life until last week. Despite it seeming like everything happened in slow motion, I couldn't catch it. Fortunately it landed on thick carpeting, and doesn't seem any worse for wear. On the snap on plastic kind, if they say it's 55MM is that the lens filter diameter, or the "outside" diameter of the lens?

 

[SnappingShark]

It's the filter ring size of the lens.

 

[robbins.photo]

I also like the idea that the hood is solid, in case goodness forbid I ever do drop a lens. I never have.. knock on wood.. but it's a nice sense of security.

Never dropped a lens my entire life until last week. Despite it seeming like everything happened in slow motion, I couldn't catch it. Fortunately it landed on thick carpeting, and doesn't seem any worse for wear. On the snap on plastic kind, if they say it's 55MM is that the lens filter diameter, or the "outside" diameter of the lens?

For the snap on type they are usually specific to a particular lens. The screw on type are based on filter size. It is possible to get a replacement for a snap on type but you usually have to do a bit of research to find the right hood

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk

 

[table1349]

Lens hoods should fulfill multiple functions. Two of the most important are shading the lens from unwanted light and protecting the lens. Rubber collapsable lens hoods are a unitasker since they offer not lens protection. Me I use the OEM designated hoods. Petal hoods are generally designed for wide focal lengths and round for long focal lengths.