Why I Use a Lens Hood (A Story with a Happy Ending)

Very happy ending. Be sure to have a nice memorial service for the hood.

I have basically the same story...

I was carrying my 70-200mm f/4L IS on a 40D camera at an airshow when I tripped and fell on the concrete. I had back problems which were recently corrected by surgery and before surgery; I could fall over the white line on the street.

Anyway, my lens hood hit first and was toast. However, my lens came through without a blemish. I was using a round, eBay, screw in hood which cost me about six or seven bucks. I never thought of a souvenier picture of the broken lens hood. I should have shot one. That seven dollar purchase saved me a lens worth over a thousand bucks.

Additionally it has (I am sure) helped out on myriad images by preventing flare.

BTW: I like the round screw-in hood because, it is smaller and I can fit my 30D or 40D into a Tamrac Zoom-19 Holster Case with the hood screwed on. I carry a second camera with a 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens around my neck with the camera and 70-200mm in the Tamrac case at my left hip. I have a hand strap attached to that camera and can get the unit out and ready to shoot quicker than I can describe doing it.

The round, screw-in hood doesn't vignette (at least on a 1.6x camera) and it facilitates the use of a CPL because, you screw the filter onto the lens and the hood onto the front element of the filter. Simply turn the hood and you are turning the filter and adjusting the polarization.

DDCSD wrote in post #7980027
Very happy ending. Be sure to have a nice memorial service for the hood.

Indeed. It made the ultimate sacrifice! "But for a 70-200 F4 IS L a lens hood might dare to die..."

Thank goodness for that!

Given I work in a zoo, the other reason I like lens hoods is because of children; they generally have the spacial awareness of hyperactive zombies on a caffeine rush, and I constantly have them charging into me and my cameras; given over my shoulder my cameras are at their head level, I would much rather they rush into a bit of plastic (a hood) than risk damaging any of my kit with their heads

Glad to hear it still works fine. You can tell that the front of the lens took some hit, just good to hear that it still focuses in and out fine.

Wow, man... That would of really stung otherwise.

There you go, this is exactly why I personally promote having a lens hood on all of my lenses. Flare reduction/protection of lens, cheap insurance for expensive lenses! Glad to hear that you did not suffer any damage to your lens.

That's a good reason to have a hood on... so, is that a Tamron lens cap on an L lens ?

Any lens cap is better than Canon. Amazing that Canon is never giving in to a pinch cap design.

Yup, I have them on all of my lenses! The center pinch design makes a huge difference, especially with the hood on.

Center Pinch VS Canon Side Pinch - Center WINS

adam8080 wrote in post #7983749
Yup, I have them on all of my lenses! The center pinch design makes a huge difference, especially with the hood on.

When I purchased my 300mm f/4L IS lens used from a friend; it was in pristine shape except that the clasp on the Canon side-pinch lens cap was not working correctly.

I decided to replace the Canon OEM cap with a center pinch model from eBay. In fact, I replaced ALL of my Canon caps with eBay center-pinch caps for just about the price of the single OEM cap for the 300mm.

Center pinch caps are a LOT easier to put on and off, especially if the lens is wearing a hood. The eBay models are built just fine and, if anyone cares, my center-pinch caps have the Canon Logo on the front.

I also like OPTECH Hood Hats and have these for several of my lenses...