How important are lens hoods?
in [Digital Cameras]
|
Prev: Photography exhibit
Next: 26 GP pano
From: Robert Coe on 13 Mar 2010 12:42 On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:35:17 -0500, "Neil Harrington" <never(a)home.com> wrote: : : "Tom Hise" <nc0o(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message : news:nHNmn.415669$FK3.85435(a)en-nntp-06.dc1.easynews.com... : > I'm trying to reduce the volume of camera related stuff that I haul around : > with me when traveling. I use a Nikon D80 with three different lenses : > (30mm f1.4, 18-135mm F3.5, and 70-300mm f4.5). Each lens has a different : > hood to go with it. : > : > My question is, just how important are lens hoods? Would I be likely to : > miss any 'great' shots if I stopped carrying the hoods. : > : > I am not a pro, just an amateur who takes photos for fun, to show friends : > and family and occasionally post on the web. : : Theoretically the lens hood should improve the contrast of pictures (taken : outdoors at least) by excluding a good deal of the non-image-forming light. : Whether you would ever be able to SEE such improvement is somewhat : questionable, unless the sun or other bright light source were in a position : where it would shine directly on the lens surface, and perhaps not even : then. : : Personally I always use a hood -- when possible -- when shooting outdoors, : on the principle that it may help and can't hurt, and also provides some : physical protection for the lens. Since with the Nikkors you mention (I'm : assuming that's what your 70-300 is as well as the 18-135) the hoods easily : reverse on each lens for carrying, they add almost no bulk or weight, so I : can't see any benefit to leaving them home. A good point that I was going to make if you hadn't. All decent lens hoods either collapse or reverse. : Ken Rockwell (www.kenrockwell.com) on the other hand has said he never uses : a lens hood. But he does use his hand to shade the lens, which to me seems : more of a bother than using a hood -- and is probably less effective : besides, unless he paints that hand matte black. Does Rockwell always use a tripod? I wouldn't want to try to hold a full-size digital camera steady with one hand. Bob
From: Alfred Molon on 13 Mar 2010 13:26 I discovered the importance of lens hoods when I was in a cave taking some photos with long exposure times. It was very dark and there was a relatively strong light source from the side (the cave opening). In that situation the lens hood made really a huge difference. -- Alfred Molon ------------------------------ Olympus E-series DSLRs and micro 4/3 forum at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/MyOlympus/ http://myolympus.org/ photo sharing site
From: Neil Harrington on 13 Mar 2010 13:27 "Robert Coe" <bob(a)1776.COM> wrote in message news:dbjnp5dkh5bnp2v0uur9d9ooi3c690s965(a)4ax.com... > On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:35:17 -0500, "Neil Harrington" <never(a)home.com> > wrote: > : > : "Tom Hise" <nc0o(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message > : news:nHNmn.415669$FK3.85435(a)en-nntp-06.dc1.easynews.com... > : > I'm trying to reduce the volume of camera related stuff that I haul > around > : > with me when traveling. I use a Nikon D80 with three different lenses > : > (30mm f1.4, 18-135mm F3.5, and 70-300mm f4.5). Each lens has a > different > : > hood to go with it. > : > > : > My question is, just how important are lens hoods? Would I be likely > to > : > miss any 'great' shots if I stopped carrying the hoods. > : > > : > I am not a pro, just an amateur who takes photos for fun, to show > friends > : > and family and occasionally post on the web. > : > : Theoretically the lens hood should improve the contrast of pictures > (taken > : outdoors at least) by excluding a good deal of the non-image-forming > light. > : Whether you would ever be able to SEE such improvement is somewhat > : questionable, unless the sun or other bright light source were in a > position > : where it would shine directly on the lens surface, and perhaps not even > : then. > : > : Personally I always use a hood -- when possible -- when shooting > outdoors, > : on the principle that it may help and can't hurt, and also provides some > : physical protection for the lens. Since with the Nikkors you mention > (I'm > : assuming that's what your 70-300 is as well as the 18-135) the hoods > easily > : reverse on each lens for carrying, they add almost no bulk or weight, so > I > : can't see any benefit to leaving them home. > > A good point that I was going to make if you hadn't. All decent lens hoods > either collapse or reverse. > > : Ken Rockwell (www.kenrockwell.com) on the other hand has said he never > uses > : a lens hood. But he does use his hand to shade the lens, which to me > seems > : more of a bother than using a hood -- and is probably less effective > : besides, unless he paints that hand matte black. > > Does Rockwell always use a tripod? I wouldn't want to try to hold a > full-size > digital camera steady with one hand. I suppose he might wrap his left hand around the very front of the lens in such a way that it shades the lens and still helps support the camera, though that seems very awkward to me. I've never tried it. I'm sure Rockwell doesn't always use a tripod, no. The photo of him at the front of his site shows him using a Nikon with some monster lens on a monopod, one hand on the camera and the other steadying the lens and monopod. So that leaves him all out of hands and nothing to shade the lens as he says he does. (The image is flipped you'll notice, which gave rise to Rockwell's b.s. story about a "special left-handed Nikon." He is not always absolutely believable, which he admits himself.)
From: tony cooper on 13 Mar 2010 13:36 On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:27:23 -0500, "Neil Harrington" <never(a)home.com> wrote: >I'm sure Rockwell doesn't always use a tripod, no. The photo of him at the >front of his site shows him using a Nikon with some monster lens on a >monopod, one hand on the camera and the other steadying the lens and >monopod. So that leaves him all out of hands and nothing to shade the lens >as he says he does. (The image is flipped you'll notice, which gave rise to >Rockwell's b.s. story about a "special left-handed Nikon." He is not always >absolutely believable, which he admits himself.) > Left-handed camera? I'm left-handed, and I've never felt that the ergonomics of a camera were left- or right-hand favored. The only left-handed device that I own is a circular saw. I've tried left-handed scissors, but I don't find them much of an advantage. -- Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
From: S.G. on 13 Mar 2010 14:11
On 13.3.2010. 15:55, Tom Hise wrote: > I'm trying to reduce the volume of camera related stuff that I haul around > with me when traveling. I use a Nikon D80 with three different lenses > (30mm f1.4, 18-135mm F3.5, and 70-300mm f4.5). Each lens has a different > hood to go with it. > > My question is, just how important are lens hoods? Would I be likely to > miss any 'great' shots if I stopped carrying the hoods. > > I am not a pro, just an amateur who takes photos for fun, to show friends > and family and occasionally post on the web. > > Thanks in advance, > > Tom Hise > It reduces lens flare if you have some strong light coming from the side or in front of the lens. |