Does the lens hood for the EFS 18-55 do anything?

[dphoto]

Hello,

This is probably a stupid question, but does the lens hood for the EFS 18-55 (EW-60C) actually do anything? The reason I ask is that I was about to add one to an order when I saw a picture and noticed that it looks only 1/2" deep. OK, maybe more like an inch, but that thing doesn't look like it could block anything. I assume it's so shallow for the 18mm portion of the lens?

Anyhow, just curious if anyone had any thoughts or experience on the matter. :D

Thanks!
-Deva

[DocFrankenstein]

Considering that the converter costs as much as the lens itself, I would not bother.

[dphoto]

LOL. Well, it doesn't quite cost *that* much. And it's not so much for protection of the lens... actually, it's not at all for protection of the lens. It's for (hopefully) better protection against lens flare. Anyone know if it does this well? It just seems too shallow to work. But if it does work, that would be great.

Thanks,
-Deva

[Perfect_10]

It does actually do something at the widest end .. not so sure about the other. I've used shallow hoods on wide angle primes and they do help .. they also offer some protection to the filter/lens-end against light taps and scrapes. Canon ones are pricey tho ..

[drisley]

I ALWAYS use lens hoods for any protection it offers, both from flare and from damage to the element.
However, for the kit lens, I would recommend one of the cheapo rubber lens hoods. They DO work, as I was out shooting at nite and the hood helped remove a pesky flare that came from just out the frame.

[dphoto]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the input. If I use a cheapo rubber lens hood, do I have to worry that it won't be the right size and will get in the way of my wide angle shots? Has anyone else used a generic hood for the kits lens? If so, would you mind sharing the name? :D

Thanks!
-Deva

[DocFrankenstein]

I could've gotten a hood for around 2-3 bucks a few days ago. If it's too large, you can always cut it. :twisted:

[Paul_O]

dphoto,
I recently purchased a king 58mm lens hood for my kit lens from my local store but further details can be found at http://shop.centre.net.au/index.html?cat=00063U0006Q00007LH0007LM&it=prod

I didn't choose the wide angle one as it appeared to be too wide and this one works fine. Please note these are Australian dollar prices and based upon other pricing I've seen I'd expect them to be less than half the price in US$. They're fairly neat in that they can be retracted and serve as a better focussing ring on the lens.

Hope this helps

Paul