Genuine Canon or Aftermarket Lens Hood? (eBay)

[jaysen]

I'm looking for a lens hood for my recently acquired 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens - I think I know the answer to my question; Why skimp on a $40 piece of equipment that will protect a $600 investment.

But my question is, is there really a difference ? eBay has so many hoods (EW-83E) for $10-15. Can there really be that big of a difference in quality...?

Please don't slap me for the dumb question. I tried searching but couldn't find a direct answer.

[itsryanftw]

The genuine Canon hoods have that velvet (?) material lining on the inside, while the eBay hoods are plastic, both inside and outside.

I purchased an eBay hood for my 70-200 2.8 is so that I could put the hood right up on the chain link fence (without guilt) when shooting my daughter play softball. I noticed that the eBay hood fit really snug (not as buttery as a Canon one), but it wore down over time and fits much easier.

The lining on the Canon hoods help anchor dust that could potentially fly onto your lens.

As far as the quality, plastic is plastic. The eBay one is fine and dandy. Since the 10-22 is a nice lens, if I were in your shoes, I'd just get the Canon one so that it's more attractive down the road if I wanted to sell it.

[Scottes]

I agree on all points.

[_aravena]

In this case, the whole skimping doesn't apply. As said, plastic is plastic. As for the dust...never heard of that but if you got a filter, no worries. Wipe it off later.

[Scottes]

_aravena's comment made me re-read itsryanftw's post.

The flocking inside good hoods isn't designed to catch dust - that's just a side benefit. What the flocking does is reduce light bounce. Plastic is shiny, so *some* light will reflect off the inside of the hood - and bounce right onto the lens at a weird angle. This will cause a loss of contrast, and possibly - in extreme situations - noticeable flare.

The black, soft flocking is extremely good at reducing reflection.

The "good" plastic hoods, like my Sigma lenses have had - are "notched" or "stair-stepped" on the inside. Most of the light reflected off the hood will be directed away from the lens.

The el cheapo lens hoods are solid, smooth plastic on the inside. Of the three styles mentioned, these do the least - nothing, really - to stop light bouncing onto the lens.


Once again, you get what you pay for. Just like the differences between simple glass filters on up MRC multi-coated filters. Each step of improvement - however slight it may be - improves the lighting situation for your photo. And each improvement costs money.

[itsryanftw]

^^Good info on the flocking and anti-reflection!

[jaysen]

That's all I needed :) I ended up paying $32 from Amazon...

Thanks everyone.

[phidailo]

thanks for the advice....was going to get an el cheapo hood. Canon hood is still way overpriced!

[wgsquallx2002]

I just had an idea. We can buy flocking kits to apply flock onto the insides of an ebay purchased camera hoods. With lens hoods like the EW-83J, we'll still end up saving $.

[bohdank]

I had a third party hood for my 10-22. It was ribbed inside. It fit perfectly. Very solid.

In hindsight, the hood for that lens is just a big plate and offers virtually no protection from wayward hands and shielding from the sun.

I quickly stopped using it and also saved a LOT of space in my bag due to it's diameter which meant it didn't fit easily. The 10-22 is not prone to flare so the only good reason for a hood is for protection and the hood for that lens offers almost none.

I also almost never put the hood on my 17-40.

[L_F_L]

Many of the eBay ones come with lining as well. I had a $7 EW-83J from eBay that came with it.

FWIW, older Canon hoods didn't have these (e.g, older ET-83 for 70-200). Many sold on Amazon are just same exact ones on eBay.

[hollis_f]

I quickly stopped using it and also saved a LOT of space in my bag due to it's diameter which meant it didn't fit easily. The 10-22 is not prone to flare so the only good reason for a hood is for protection and the hood for that lens offers almost none.

Yes, I was quite suprised at just how bulky the hood made the 10-22 seem. Now it stays at home. I do use it for shooting stars (helps keep stray light away), and I will put it on if using the 10-22 at home (just in case I drop the camera, it would protect against a face-on impact with concrete).

[dan0103]

I bought an ebay hood for my 18-200 IS. It came with the velvet inside and works great until this day. There are some cheapies on there as well that don't come with it. But I would not hesitate to buy another one. Canon or not, the are great way to protect your front lens element.

[RPCrowe]

My eBay hood for my 17-55mm f/2.8L IS lens is flocked and fits perfectly. I bought a spare because the hood could always be knocked off despite its good fit.

I refused to pay the exorbitant price Canon charges for an OEM hood which IMO should be supplied with the lens anyway.

By the way, I changed all of my lens caps to eBay models. The eBay lens caps are not only a LOT less expensive than the Canon OEM models, they are, IMO, better. The eBay caps are center-pinch while the OEM hoods are edge-pinch. Center pinch caps are a lot easier to remove and replace when your lens has a hood attached.

[msowsun]

Not all Canon OEM hoods are flocked on the inside. Some of the older ones have no flocking. For example an ET-65 (or ET-65 II?) will not have flocking while the ET-65 III will.

Most "Ebay" hoods do not have the flocking. I did get one "ebay" ES-71 for the EF 50mm 1.4 that did have the flocking, but I have also seen other "ebay" ES-71's that don't.

[Cyclop]

It would be a nice gesture for Canon corp to include a designated hood with their "entire" lens line up instead of as an expensive accessory...

[maximus96]

how about just lightly sand the inside of the ebay hood to reduce the light bounce?

[Supa Lao]

I bought a pearstone hood from BH for my 28-135. It doesn't have the felt like material on the inside, but it's a flat black. So it's not as shiny on the inside as it is on the outside.

[HyperYagami]

It would be a nice gesture for Canon corp to include a designated hood with their "entire" lens line up instead of as an expensive accessory...

well the hood isn't "free". so they'll just markup the price and say "free hood", it's moot.