Lens Hood

[crowl31]

Do you always shoot with a lens hood?

Does it matter if your indoors or outdoors? Flash or no flash?

 

[Big Mike]

I usually shoot with a lens hood, except on my 10-22mm...because that lens hood is huge (wide) and doesn't block much light.

I like lens hoods because they protect the lens from light but also from bumps or drops etc. When indoors, you usually don't have to worry about stray light affecting your photos...but the protection aspect is still nice. Flash or no flash, it shouldn't matter...as long as your hood isn't too big and your flash isn't too close to the lens...in that case, the hood might block some of the light from the flash.

 

[K_Pugh]

I'm not usually fussed about using a hood indoors as Mike says, stray light is less of a worry.. but it can still happen. I tend to use my hoods all other times though, also very handy to keep the rain off the glass, too (which was handy for me last week).

 

[K8-90]

Sorry to intrude... But how about when you are using a polarizing filter, where you need to rotate/adjust it?

 

[Syndac]

I always use a lens hood unless I'm working with a polarizer. My main reason is that it helps protect the lens. I find I have to clean it less often as well (smudges, etc).

 

[Big Mike]

Sorry to intrude... But how about when you are using a polarizing filter, where you need to rotate/adjust it?

I can reach into the hood to adjust a polarizer, on most of my lenses....except for the hood on a telephoto lens...but I usually don't use a polarizer on a telephoto lens anyway. If I did, I'd probably take off the hood and then just use my hand or something to block the sunlight from the front of the lens.

 

[icassell]

Sorry to intrude... But how about when you are using a polarizing filter, where you need to rotate/adjust it?

This is a pain. My teles have deep hoods and my fingers don't reach ... I DO use the CP with those lenses, so I usually wind up taking the hoods off. I was tpld that there is a hood you can get that screws into the front of the filter (so you spin them together), but I haven't gone looking yet.

 

[Big Mike]

I have some generic hoods that screw into the filter threads, so it's easy to rotate the filter...but they are generic, so they don't match the lens and will vignette on some of them. Probably not on a telephoto though.

 

[ksmattfish]

I always use a lens hood except with a few compact cameras I own that don't have hoods. I decided to make it a habit long ago, and now it's just part of the way I handle my gear. I don't even think about it; the hoods just go on when the lens cap is removed. If I'm using a pol the hood goes on and off quite a bit. It seems easy to deal with to me.

 

[Josh66]

I don't remember ever using one indoors. I try to use them whenever possible (don't have one for some lenses) outside - during daylight hours only though, I don't remember ever using one at night either...

I've never had a photo ruined because I didn't have a hood, but I guess it's best to play it safe.