home made lens hood

[perfectpixel]

Hi All,
I'm missing a lens hood (ET-120) for 300mm EF lens. Any ideas of how to replace it? A new one costs $400! seems a bit much for a plastic cylinder!!!

[pierrot]

It's for using it and not for the show, just cut yourself a small length of rain drain PVC pipe ;)

[perfectpixel]

yea, thought about that, but PVC is too heavy I think. Also, there's the problem of locking it on to the lens....

[tim]

Also, there's the problem of locking it on to the lens....

Duct tape ;)

[jaypie77]

Coffee can + duct tape = problem solved.

[Jemmind]

Hi All,
I'm missing a lens hood (ET-120) for 300mm EF lens. Any ideas of how to replace it? A new one costs $400! seems a bit much for a plastic cylinder!!!

At first I thought,
you have GOT to be kidding me.
Surely thats a type-o ---one too many zeros?
The I looked it up. I guess for a FOUR GRAND lens,
$400 just a drop in that hat, as they say?
And I guess with such a speciallized piece of equipment,
no one would make a generic replacement. That sucks!
Julie

[perfectpixel]

At first I thought,
you have GOT to be kidding me.
..... That sucks!
Julie

My thought's exactly!

[Charlie K.]

Depending on the size of the hood in mm you could use one of the screw on rubber hoods. It may not be the perfect length but it would probally only cost around 50 or 60 bucks tops.After looking at the lens it would seem that a model rocket tube and some set screws from your local hobby store would work as well.Just add some black and off-white paint.

[pturton]

Because the hood on my 300 and 400 lenses is not always long enough to knock down flare especially with snow as a background, I made an add-on hood using a yogurt container and velcro tape. Find a container the correct diameter, cut the bottom off, paint it flat black and run a strip of velcro fleece around the inside diameter at the bottom end. This hood should now be a slight press fit over the end of your lens. This can made a temporary cheap fix until you find the proper hood.

Who cares what the tools look like as long as they do the job. After all, the main end is the picture and not how impressive the equipment appears.

[KennyG]

Hmm, do you guys realise that the ET120 hood is for the 300mm 2.8IS? It is made of flock lined CF, not plastic and is about 5" diameter. I'm not defending Canon's pricing, but the lenses come with the hood as standard and you only need a replacement if it gets damaged beyond repair or lost. This is a small production run item with specialised fittings that no third party is likely to even consider making, and if they did it wouldn't be cheap.

Charlie, if you can find a 5" screw on rubber hood, good luck, and just so you are aware there are no threads at the end of the lens anyway.

pturton, are you talking about the same lens? The ET120 hood is more than deep enough for work in snow or low-down side on bright sunlight. Same with the 500 F4IS.

It isn't necessarily what it looks like, the problem with a temporary solution is that you generally need to take the hood off for transportation and that can be a pain.

[pturton]

KennyG,

I guess he needs something bigger than a yogurt container.. Maybe a gallon icecream tub;-) My 300 is only f/4.

But I beg to differ with you regarding its hood's capabilties. The hood is the minimal length necessary for normal use but when shooting close ( 3-5 M ), it is not quite long enough to block bright snow reflections from a greater distance.

"No pain no gain," someone said :)

[KennyG]

Paul, I use a 300 2.8IS and a 500 4.0IS and the hoods are the deepest Canon make at around 6". I have never had a problem of flare under any conditions, not once in all this time, even in snow. The hood should be more than adequate for anything from 8ft upwards.

I just don't know anyone having flare issues with the 300 2.8IS and that is why your comment is so confusing to me. Do you have practical experience of this? I use mine for around 60,000 shots a year and I would have thought that I might have seen it by now.

[pierrot]

I use mine for around 60,000 shots a year and I would have thought that I might have seen it by now.
Yeah, so I guess that a 400$ hood is peanuts for you...
After all, it's just under .007 cent a pic. :mrgreen:

[pturton]

KennyG,
The angle of view of the 300mm lens is about 8.25 degrees. The hood for the 300mm f/4 IS is only ~2.5 inches long. This short hood easily allows light to strike the front element from angles as wide as 50 degrees.

I've been shooting some backlit birds from ground level against a background of snow covered trees and I have found that extending the hood by another 4 inches does help at times.
Under normal conditions, the builtin hood is more than adequate.

[Transit]

Great thread !
you Guys crack me up :lol:

[segasaturn]

How the heck did this thread get revived!?

[Familiaphoto]

How the heck did this thread get revived!?

Seems Transit read it and just loved it enough to revive it.

[darktiger]

Get a cheap $8-10 off ebay....

[Killjoy]

As long as this thread has been revived, you can make your own disposable lens hoods.
http://www.lenshoods.co.uk/
Cut them out, use them, and thow them away.

[20droger]

As long as this thread has been revived, you can make your own disposable lens hoods.
http://www.lenshoods.co.uk/
Cut them out, use them, and thow them away.
You want something more durable? Then go to the site Killjoy recommends (he beat me by a few), print out your paper lens hood, use it as a template to cut one out of semi-stiff plastic, roll and glue it, and voilà! A nice-looking, firm, waterproof lens hood!

Except for the fact that such a hood is pressure-fit, rather than bayonet mount, it offers all the advantages of the original hood for mere pennies.

One note: Unless you make it out of flat black plastic, spray the inside with flat black paint to kill reflections. The outside doesn't matter, so the hood can be any color you wish (and can find plastic stock for): white, red (aka a GIANT red ring!), pink, baby blue, whatever.