Question about hoods,

thoff

I guess this is a stupid question but do you find yourself shooting at night with your lens hood on? For example at a HS football game that the lighting is not that great would you leave the hood on or remove it?
Thank you in advance,
Tom

kisi

i don't think it would make much of a difference in terms of the overall lighting. but if you leave it on and you are shooting into, say, stadium lights, it could get rid of flare from that. i tend to leave it on unless i'm trying for flare.

thoff

Thanks
That is what I was thinking but was not sure. I would think that with the stadium lights being low and around the field that you would have more of a chance at flare. Thanks for the response,
Tom

"It is what you learn after you know it all that really counts"

kisi wrote:

i don't think it would make much of a difference in terms of the overall lighting. but if you leave it on and you are shooting into, say, stadium lights, it could get rid of flare from that. i tend to leave it on unless i'm trying for flare.

sirsloop

Hoods offer protection for you front element from "x"... keeps stuff off your glass regardless of the time of day.

Richard

I always use a hood. Aside from preventing flare, it protects the lens from collision damage. It does increase the time to switch lenses a tiny bit, but that's a small price to pay.

Regards,

thoff

rsinmadrid wrote:

I always use a hood. Aside from preventing flare, it protects the lens from collision damage. It does increase the time to switch lenses a tiny bit, but that's a small price to pay.

Regards,

Never really thought about that. The hood is on.
Thanks everyone.
Tom

jcdill

rsinmadrid wrote:

I always use a hood. Aside from preventing flare, it protects the lens from collision damage. It does increase the time to switch lenses a tiny bit, but that's a small price to pay.

Regards,

I find it DECREASES the time it takes to change lenses because I don't need to put a lens cap on the lens when I'm removing it. I can just put it "hood side down" in my camera bag and the hood keeps the front element (lens or filter) from touching the bottom of the camera bag.

I use a lens hood at all times unless there's a specific reason to remove it such as macro work that is so close to the lens that the hood interferes with the subject. Other than that, I know of no downside to using the hood at all times.

jc

claudermilk

Another full-time hood user. I have them on, even when indoors shooting my dance performances. Both from habit (a good one to have), and allows worry-free lens swaps in the dark.

z_28

I'm big hood user, but hoods I use are somewhat different !
Original ones stay in boxes without any regrets.
For every configuration possible (if possible for both Canon, Nikon)
I use/used heavy rubber collapsible original 6x7, 645 Mamiya hoods.
With step-up rings or straight.
They are really good made, great for every task use
and give perfect lens protection -
not only as light cutter, as "tripod" point or solid soft bumper too

Strongly recommended

hgernhardtjr

Still another full-time lens hood user, either original OR rubber, depending on lens and/or replacement costs!

jonh68

At night, I don't use a hood. I am not sure if it makes a difference or not, but I would think a hood lets in less light. I will use a hood during the day. It probably doesn't really matter unless you are trying to minimise flare.

In regards to protection, I use a UV filter. A hood can still damage a lens as it can get bumped and twisted, putting torque on the eyepiece. Of course, that kind of force would damage anyway, but a hood does add some length to the lens so it would make it more prone to something like that happening. It's like using seat belts. For 95% of the time, it's better wear a seatbelt, but you will always hear of cases where the driver wasn't wearing a belt and was thrown from the car saving their life. Using a hood will protect, but there will be few cases where it would hurt.

ziggy53

jonh68 wrote:

...I would think a hood lets in less light. ...

A hood restricts "stray" light, that is to say, light that is not used to form the image. Stray light tends to reduce contrast in the least form and can create flare and streaks in the stronger forms.

jonh68

ziggy53 wrote:

A hood restricts "stray" light, that is to say, light that is not used to form the image. Stray light tends to reduce contrast in the least form and can create flare and streaks in the stronger forms.

swintonphoto

rsinmadrid wrote:

I always use a hood. Aside from preventing flare, it protects the lens from collision damage. It does increase the time to switch lenses a tiny bit, but that's a small price to pay.

Ditto.

thoff

WOW! So many things I did not think about!
Thank you all.
Tom

wxwax

FWIW, during the Boston playoff baseball game last night, a shooter in the pit didn't bother with the hood on what looked like his 300 f2.8.

Antonio Correia

Lens hoods are made to be used.
Always.
All the time.
In every circunstances.

jdryan3

wxwax wrote:

FWIW, during the Boston playoff baseball game last night, a shooter in the pit didn't bother with the hood on what looked like his 300 f2.8.

And one tonite doesn't have a raincoat on his 400 f/2.8