Lens Hood

[JayPearson]

I'm in the process of buying a few new lenses. One of them will be the 50mm f/1.8 and the other will most likely be a tele. I've seen hoods for both lenses that i'm looking at. I was just wondering if you need a hood for certain lenses.

 

[Ptyler22]

I have a hood for my 28-135, but when I bought the 50 1.8 I asked if people thought I should get a hood for that, and they said naah, you mostly just need hoods for longer focal lengths. So no I don't think you need one, IMO.

 

[JayPearson]

See thats exactly what i thought. I suppose i will just buy the hood for the tele then.

 

[iflynething]

It should come with it. Hood help reduce lens flare when shooting close to the sun....as in direction wise

~Michael~

 

[tirediron]

If you have a lens, get a hood for it; you don't want it to catch a cold right? Seriously, aside from the optical benefits, they offer good protection for the front element. I have hoods on all of my lenses.

 

[JayPearson]

If you have a lens, get a hood for it; you don't want it to catch a cold right? Seriously, aside from the optical benefits, they offer good protection for the front element. I have hoods on all of my lenses.

So it wouldn't hurt if the 5omm had a hood?

 

[iflynething]

Not really worth it on a 50mm. Optical benefits........from a hood?

~Michael~

 

[stsinner]

Every expert I've read says that they always use hoods, because they can't hurt, but that one shot where light is coming in a window behind their subject and the contrast is off, they'll wish they had one...

 

[*Knowledge*]

I have hoods on all my lenses; truthfully, I don't know any reason why anyone wouldn't utilize hoods.

 

[table1349]

Not really worth it on a 50mm. Optical benefits........from a hood?

~Michael~

Yes, If the front element gets scratched, then the optics are not as good as they could be. A hood provides protection for the lens including the front element. Every lens should have a lens hood and the hood should be used at all times unless there is a particular shot that makes the use of the hood impractical/impossible.

 

[davebmck]

I have clear UV filters on all my lenses for protection. While the hood can provide additional protection for the lens, the main purpose is to prevent reflected light from creating problems like lens glare. This is primarily a problem outdoors, but occasionally can happen indoors. If you plan to use your 50mm indoors, you probably don't need a hood for it.

 

[kundalini]

I was just wondering if you need a hood for certain lenses.

Without reading all the previous replies......... get and use the proper hood for your lens. Period.

I don't use "protective" filters, but always employ the hood.


[EDIT] Okay I just kinda, sorta read the previous replies. The consensus is to use the hood. I have 9 lenses and only two came without a hood. One I could care less about and the other I can and do swap hoods from another lens. Don't be a numbnuts.... get the hood.

 

[RyanMTaylor]

Yeah, I recently took some shots that I really liked, EXCEPT I didn't have a hood and a few really good shots were ruined by lens flare. It's not just for the sun; if you are going to be facing a harsh light at all it'll prevent(or at least lessen) the effect. I see no reason to not use one(now).

 

[anubis404]

Without reading all the previous replies......... get and use the proper hood for your lens. Period.

I don't use "protective" filters, but always employ the hood.


[EDIT] Okay I just kinda, sorta read the previous replies. The consensus is to use the hood. I have 9 lenses and only two came without a hood. One I could care less about and the other I can and do swap hoods from another lens. Don't be a numbnuts.... get the hood.

What will a hood give you that a filter won't?

 

[RyanMTaylor]

Extra protection. I mean it's like 20 bucks for a hood. Sure it's a little bit bigger but it hardly weights anything and you need to worry that much less.

Edit: Personal preference though, I guess.