Cut in lens hood to adjust polarizer

Have been thinking about placing an access hole in my lens hood to allow me to easily adjust my polarizer. Has anyone tried this and if so can they report out good results?

Would that not defeat one of the purposes of the lens hood and allow stray light to enter through the lens? In manual I use the * button for focusing so I do this first then set the CP filter and then set my exposure.

I am picturing a opening large enough for the tip of your finger to rotate your polarizer and the hole would need to be blocked... possibly by your hand or even a piece of tape or Velcro.

I want to start using my polarizer more and it is kinda a pain reaching in through the hood when you are taking a bunch of shots where you are not constantly focusing on one area of light. I end up with too many finger smudges when I reach in to the polarizer with the hood on. I can try to keep my fingers cleaner : ) I am tempted to try something with my hood ... these things are costly if you mess one up.

I use a polarizer with my 17-40 and hood all day long. No need for a hole luckily since it's a small hood.

Get a screw in hood and put it on the end of your polarizer...ebay has 'em CHEAP.

I don't think you need the hood while using a polarizer.

Win

You can still get flare with a polarizing filter.

pcDigiMan wrote in post #2225102
I am picturing a opening large enough for the tip of your finger to rotate your polarizer and the hole would need to be blocked... possibly by your hand or even a piece of tape or Velcro.

I want to start using my polarizer more and it is kinda a pain reaching in through the hood when you are taking a bunch of shots where you are not constantly focusing on one area of light. I end up with too many finger smudges when I reach in to the polarizer with the hood on. I can try to keep my fingers cleaner : ) I am tempted to try something with my hood ... these things are costly if you mess one up.

I see what you mean. Maybe then the best place would be on the underneath side.

I use a CPL with the 70-200mm and 24-70mm regularly and it IS a pain in the butt to move the CPL, but it's possible. Just pay attention so you don't reach in and touch the filter/front element - something I do from time to time. D'ohhh.

If your lens can easily use a rubber hood - that's the best solution. Great examples include the 35/50mm primes. Attach the CPL, then the hood. To adjust, turn the whole hood/CPL combo! Wonderful.

If you REALLY wanted to cut a slot in the hood you'd have to know where and how long it needs to be and pick up one of those CPLs that has a little handle that can fit through the slot. Use a Dremel tool with a narrow grinding stone or rotary file to make the slot. Too gimmicky and too much room for error, IMO.

I recall a few years back a poster on one of the Canon forums (FM?) did this using a Dremel tool. He posted pictures of the end product and it actually looked pretty good. At the time he was pleased with how it worked and didn't have any problems with stray light. An opening on the underside would make the most sense since this is the least likely source of stray light - that is until you change the camera's orientation from landscape to portrait.

Thanks for the feedback. Think I will try one of those rubber screw on hoods from e-bay.

pcDigiMan wrote in post #2226366
Thanks for the feedback. Think I will try one of those rubber screw on hoods from e-bay.

What lens are you planning to put this on? Not all lenses lend themselves to rubber lens hoods - zooms can be problematic especially.

I've thought of the same thing myself. A small hole,or notch, on the underside of the hood would allow you to turn the cpl, and shouldn't have any effect with regards to flare.

Double Negative wrote in post #2226418
What lens are you planning to put this on? Not all lenses lend themselves to rubber lens hoods - zooms can be problematic especially.

Want to use it on my 70-200 2.8L and my 24-70 2.8L. Do you have any experience with these?

pcDigiMan wrote in post #2226743
Want to use it on my 70-200 2.8L and my 24-70 2.8L. Do you have any experience with these?

You can probably get away with it on the 70-200mm, but on the 24-70mm because of the hood design it doesn't work well, IIRC. The problem is vignetting at the wide end and not being nearly long enough on the tele end.

I still have the 77mm hood and I can check again for you before you make the plunge. I know I don't use it, preferring the Canon hoods.

But for those certain shots with a CPL it could be an option and certainly better than no hood. These really work best on primes... Though there are some hoods out there with three positions. If that hood were a 72mm, I'd use it on my 35mm f/1.4L for sure.

I think it was Sigma that made a hood for one of their lenses with a polarizer slot already cut out. Making one yourself isnt out of the question.