Why I always use a lens hood

Subject: Lens Hoods? Use them always?
Date:    06/28/2000
Author:  Steve 
Origin:  rec.photo.equipment.35mm

I'm curious...do y'all use lens hoods on all your lenses all the time?

I was just reading Susan McCartney's book on travel photography-- she says she NEVER uses them because they "always get in the way"!

Steve

Subject: Re: Lens Hoods? Use them always?
Date:    06/28/2000
Author:  Chieh Cheng 
Origin:  rec.photo.equipment.35mm

I always use my lens hood. One time I took my Tokina 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 II lens out to Laughlin. Then lost the lens hood. A new lens hood cost $40, but I ordered one after I came back.

What I should have done then was to leave the lens on the shelf until the lens hood came. But I was tempted to go out and shoot with that lens. So I took it out to a rocky beach. I had the camera strap around my neck. While climbing the rocks, I dropped the camera accidently. The front of the lens hit the top of the rock before the strap was able to stop its fall completely.

Needless to say, the lens was damaged. If I had the lens hood on at the time, the lens would not have been damaged. It costed $80 for repair, in addition to the $40 for the new hood.

Always use the lens hood.

Subject: Re: Lens Hoods? Use them always?
Date:    06/28/2000
Author:  Karaya 
Origin:  rec.photo.equipment.35mm

The lens cap would have prevented that too. You should always have the lens cap on when you're not shooting and climbing from one position to another between shots counts as not shooting.

Jeff

Subject: Re: Lens Hoods? Use them always?
Date:    06/28/2000
Author:  Chieh Cheng 
Origin:  rec.photo.equipment.35mm

The lens cap would not have help in that situation. Let me clarify, the rock did not hit the lens element. It hit the filter ring. The shock and vibration warped the auto-focus track (forgot what the technical term for that was) and warped the filter ring. A lens cap would not have dampered the shock/vibration enough to save the lens.

Also, I did not put on the lens cap because I did not want to miss any photographic opportunities. I'm sure you probably thought that when I say 'climb' I'm clinging on the side of a huge rock. What I really meant was that I was walking from the top of a rock to another.

Subject: Re: Lens Hoods? Use them always?
Date:    06/29/2000
Author:  Karaya 
Origin:  rec.photo.equipment.35mm

Conceded. I do stuff like that around here too :)

Jeff

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Why I always use a lens hood

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