ordering 50/1.4 tomorrow ... quick help please

i am buying this lens tomorrow and was wondering if the lens hood is necessary ( all my lenses came with hoods but alas not a non-L)

Thanks

Mike

Contrast with this lens is pretty good anyway I find. Add to that that the front element is fairly well inset, then you would think that the hood wouldn't make any dfference.

But I've shot with and without the hood and with is better, even where flare isn't an issue.

I would suggest you do get the hood if the above was too subtle

Cheers

Ian

i have the 1.8 and like he said, the lens is so far "in" the body its self that i dont think i've ever had an issue with the lens...i still use my hood when i feel i may need it though 8)

Hood is a good protection measure when you don't use any filters. And most of the time it helps getting better contrast and less flare as well.

I recently got the 50mm 1.4, did not get the hood and have to admit that in very bright day, I wish I had it on my lens. if you can get it get it, you'll not regret it.
and the lens is juast great, enjoy the DOF
regards
khalid

I respectfully disagree. The front element of the 50/1.4 floats (unlike the 100/2 for example). A good bonk against a table and you're talking major repair. I speak from experience. I always keep the rigid hood on mine now.

Another nice thing about the hood is I never have to mess with a lens cap.

You can get a rubber screw-in hood at almost any camera store for under $10US. Cheap insurance!

A lens hood is critical if you want to control flare problems. Unfortunately the
size of the hoods that are designed for the 50 f1.4, and virtually all lenses, are
way too short. I suspect that this is because they wouldn't look cool enough, if
they were long enough.

If you are really serious about controlling flare then a bellows lens shade is a
much better tool. You expand the bellows until you are just on this side of
vignetteing and then you stop and your flare will be as controlled as it can be.

I use the light weight Lee bellows lens hood. I have a Lindahl hood as well and I
use it with my medium format Mamiya lenses, but I think that its weight would
damage the Canon lenses.

I should add that there are times when a bellows lens shade is not feasible to use
and then the dedicated hood is better than nothing, so by all means buy one.

A rubber hood is good for more many lenses, but Canon's hood is better for the 50/1.4 because it attaches to the lens body instead of the filter ring which floats with the front element--meaning that a rubber hood wouldn't protect against a head-on collision.