lens hoods

[jbl]

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I'm sure this has to be in a FAQ somewhere, but I'm lost :-). I've got a 21mm Elmarit-M and I'm kind of wondering if people typically use the lens hoods on it? I also have a 35mm Summicron which I removed the hood from a while ago because the lens is just so wonderfully small without it.

 

I suppose I'm wondering if anyone has tested with and with the hood to see if it makes much of a difference.

 

Thanks!

 

-jbl

[Bo_Lorentzen]

JBL,

 

YES, the lens hood is important, basically the point is to reduce the amount of light which hit the lens, so the only light the lens processes is the light you are interested in. the result is better contrast, because there are less random light to be scattered into the shadow details.

 

In studio photography we tend to use large hoods to keep the lens in as much shade/darkness as possible, preventing any stray light from hitting the lens. you see the big bellows on studio set-ups and naturally also on movie cameras, we don't struggle with these monsters for no good reason. ha ha. the hoods on 35mm cameras are a compromise between keeping the camera portable and protecting the lens. the square Leica hoods are very good, the round tulip SLR hoods are not as effective.

 

That said, you are right, the small compact lens with no hood is wonderful also. and I frequently use lenses this way for the same reason. soooo....

[wizard]

In many situations you will find that there is no noticeable difference in the result, hood or no hood. The worst situations are those where strong light is likely to hit your lens obliquely from the front. In those situations I'd strongly recommend to use a hood.

 

Andy