I had an interesting discussion with MrsFaceless on a recent trip. We were heading across to the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky so were in the car for a few hours. The topic of conversation turned to lens hoods. For the most part our lens hoods are with us but, for at least one specific reason you’ll see below, get less than full usage. So if you are wondering “what’s the point of a lens hood?”, read on.
What Is A Lens Hood For?
Almost all of our lenses came with lens hoods – in fact it’s probably only fisheye lenses that don’t, along with some where the hood is part of the lens body itself. They must be there for a reason, right? But then why are they detachable? This was the tenet of the (foreboding) discussion and what could be done instead of a lens hood.
So, What Do Lens Hoods Do?
- Eliminating stray light
Lens hoods successfully remove most stray light, ensuring that the light entering the lens is from what you are aiming your camera at, not a tangential light source or reflection. Think of them like a visor, or blinkers on a race horse, to focus on the subject at hand. This improves both contrast and quality making your images clearer. Without a lens hood, you may suffer from lens flare. Whilst this can sometimes be an intended for creative purposes, it is mostly not….so should not be in the shot. A lens hood can help to remedy that situation.
- Physical protection of the lens
I can attest to this it and has saved me having to replace a lens…or two. As the lens hood it at the front of the camera and extends out from the lens it is right in the firing line should you fall, trip or drop your camera. In fact, on our trip MrsFaceless did just that….trip. Luckily, without a lens hood, it was just the circular polarizer that bit the dust. Phew…
When To Use A Lens Hood
In theory….always. But especially when there is bright light. If the sun has any direct line of sight to the front of the lens then there will be lens flares and poor contrast which the lens hood can help to block. That bright light could also be from other spurious sources – a street light or car at night, for example. These will also cast unwanted light onto your lens.
Read: Composing A Pictoral Symphony
Types Of Lens Hood
The lens manufacturers spend a pretty penny on making the lens hood the best it can be. Unless you have a specific use case go with the lens hood that comes with the lens. If you do lose or break it you can generally get a new lens hood to replace it.
How To Attach A Lens Hood
The lens hood will almost certainly just twist and click on – use the marks on the lens hood to line it up and boom, done. For storage i take the lens hood off and turn it around so it covers the body of the lens…..just don’t try photographing this way as it will likely block buttons and/or focus rings.
The Exception To The ‘Always’ Rule
Invariably, like us, you will end up with a plethora of different diameter lenses.What we didn’t want to do was buy filters for each diameter lens. Our lenses are mostly 77mm or 82mm diameter. Our decision was to buy the filter system for an 82mm diameter lens and then use a step up ring on the 77mm diameter lenses so that they too were now 82mm….and everything is pretty much interchangeable.
Obviously, the lens hoods no longer fit on the 77mm lens due to the step up ring. Yes we could take it off, store it and then faff about putting it back on each time, but having lost a couple, mysteriously transported to another dimention via the black hole that seems to exist in MrsFaceless’ camera bag, we went with the option to keep the step up rings on the lens. And be very careful.
The Workaround
My filter system is the square/rectangle type. That also negates the use of a lens hood. In this scenario i tend to have a hat with me and i look for direct light hitting the filter/front of the lens. Invariably, my camera is on a tripod, with a timer delay, so this gives me the chance to stand to the side of the tripod, press the shutter and then use my hat/hand/microfiber cloth or whatever, to block the direct sunlight/light. You can achieve the same result but get further away using a remote shutter or if your phone is connected to the camera.
Conclusion
YMMV. We use lens hoods except where we don’t because our setup precludes their usage. But they have saved our lenses from damage, except where the circular polarizer sacrificed itself. Talking of which, i need to go order another CPL now for MrsFaceless…..