Why use a hood on a Leica lens?

[a911s]

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Thanks Dirk, I get this quite often with the 90mm AA, sometimes in unexpected circumstances.  The sun can be above or behind, but if the background is strongly lit in comparison to the subject it is quite common.  I do not know if it would be significantly better with a larger hood (I am using the built-in one) or without a filter. Probably should experiment.

 

The 90mm AA flares with a filter - try removing it.

 

I use small aftermarket hoods on most of my Leica M lenses - for protection more than anything.

[Echo63]

I use hoods, for both mechanical and photonic protection.

 

My 50 summarit has a cheap ebay screw in hood - conveniently it is threaded 52mm, so i have blanked off the vents with cinefoil and gaffa tape, to use it with filters (and a lenscap) too

 

90mm rokkor has the original rubber hood.

 

My work Canon lenses all have hoods. They get reversed for storage in the bag, extended when the lenses come out of the bag.

[NB23]

No lens hood will negate contre-jour effects

[michaelwj]

No lens hood will negate contre-jour effects

The lens cap works a treat in those situations - completely eliminates and contre-jour effect

[pippy]

No lens hood will negate contre-jour effects

 

Nor is that their purpose.

 

Pip.

[NB23]

Nor is that their purpose.

 

Pip.

I was responding to a contrejour photograph with some veil in it.

[pippy]

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Ah. OK.

 

Depending on one's specific and personal interpretation of the term 'contre-jour' a hood will have different degrees of success.

 

Some hold that the true definition must include only those images where the principle light source would be visible within the image area were it (the PLS) not blocked from view by an element within that same image area. Others merely require the camera to be pointing (and I quote) "more or less in the direction of the principal light source" to qualify as being considered contre-jour.

 

In the first example the use of a hood, it goes without saying, is impossible. In the second example a hood could make all the difference in the world.

 

It would be useful to know to which image you were responding, NB23.

 

Pip.