Hood or No Hood?

[drewbarb]

A photographer I used to work for would say "a lens isn't complete without a hood". I use them most of the time, but I'm not catholic about it.

In certain light and with certain lenses I know it won't be an issue, so I might not bother- and as someone mentioned above, sometimes a little flare can be nice. Whatever.

 

[philipp.leser]

I use hoods for my SLR lenses which are big anyway, but only if they come with the lens.

For my RF gear I only have the included "hood" for the CV21, which I use. I use the Nokton 40mm without a hood and haven't had any problems so far. Because of that I'm reluctant to spend 70 Euros for a hood, which is already 1/4 of the price of the lens.

Regards,
Philipp

 

[Sonny Boy Havidson]

If I can find one for each lens I have, these all would be so equiped. But it is sometimes hard to do with rangefinders.

 

[DougFord]

hood/no hood

contax t3 - no hood
ricoh gr1v - no hood
cle with summi 40mm - hood
cle with rokkor 28mm - no hood
cle with zeiss 35mm 2.8 - no hood

 

[kbg32]

Don't care about flare, but a hood protects the front of the lens from a hard knock if that ever happens...

 

[dof]

I always use a hood. then again I always use a filter and value the extra security against flare even on the less flare-prone lenses I own. And besides, they look cool.

 

[Larky]

I use a hood because it looks god. 🙂 No other reason other than it ca also work as a stand when I changing lenses.

 

[wray]

Flare is mine enemy! So just chalk me down as just another hoodie on the street!!

 

[newspaperguy]

Always a hood.... never a filter unless there is a specific reason for it.

 

[thomasw_]

Depends on the lens. I rarely use the hood with the 28/2.0, but ALWAYS with the 35/2.0.

Exactly. It depends on the lighting conditions, too. One thing I always put on my lenses is a UV filter so as to avoid rubs or marks on the glass.

 

[Pablito]

I had the exact same conversation with my wife when my son was born.

I hope you found common ground.

 

[back alley]

always use a hood

but would prefer not to

i like to keep the package small

 

[back alley]

Depends on the lens. I rarely use the hood with the 28/2.0, but ALWAYS with the 35/2.0.

i'm curious...why?

 

[Chris101]

I had the exact same conversation with my wife when my son was born.

I hope you found common ground.

always use a hood

but would prefer not to

i like to keep the package small

I don't know. The juxtaposition of these posts just doesn't sound right.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I almost always use a hood. Why not, after all? As others have said, it offers mechanical protection/rain protection/etc. as well as increasing contrast and reducing the risk of flare spots. And a well-designed hood ain't that bulky: look at the new 21 and 24 Summiluxes.

Tashi delek,

R.

 

[Chris101]

I'm glad to see that I had not voted on this poll, and I still haven't.

Previously I believed that flare was the thief of contrast, the hider of detail, that any extraneous light hitting my lens was a bad thing. And if you are looking to maximize the faithful rendition of the scene with the photograph, then it certainly is! I have a hood that fits on nearly every one of my lenses - I even have a compendium lens shade for the maximum hoodiness!

Lately however, I have been appreciating flare. Especially when the light hits only part of the lens, and the photograph has huge swirls that were never a part of the original scene. So not I use hoods less often. And I have a fine collection of older uncoated filters that amplify the flare effect many fold. So my vote would be Yes, and No.

By the way, I still use hoods on some lenses/cameras. Like my Leica for example. I have a 35mm Ultron for it. You know the one with the concave front element. I find that, without the hood, on that camera, my fingers end up all over the lens. While I like flare, I am not too fond of smudges. The standard 12585 slotted hood fits on it and is a fine finger-stop.

 

[Bill58]

I ALWAYS be in the 'hood. But no UV filter.

 

[literiter]

Nearly always a hood. If I want flare, I take the hood off. If I want a filter, I try to use it with a hood.

 

[thinkfloyd]

Always with a hood. I actually keep it on without lens cap in my bag. Grab and shoot. For protection. I'd rather have a hood than a filter...

 

[hiromu]

If it comes with the lens, I do use it. But if it doesn't, then I don't buy one.