Lens hoods

[Melvin J Bramley]

Using older cameras such as a Mamiya 6 folder and the like, just how much difference or importance is the use of a lens hood/shade?

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Using older cameras such as a Mamiya 6 folder and the like, just how much difference or importance is the use of a lens hood/shade?

lens hoods are of special importance with those older cameras because they typically had inferior coatings on their lenses.

 

[xkaes]

Just make sure you get the right hood. Too long, you'll have the corners cut off. Too wide, you'll be wasting your time, effort and money.

 

[Sanug]

With rangefinders I do not like it at all when the lens hood covers a part of the viewfinder. That's why I do not use a lens hood, although especially the Jupiter-9 is very sensitive to stray light.

With my SLR, I use lens hoods most of the time.

 

[Paul Howell]

I use lens hoods with my Retina IIIC, Big, it is the lens hood that came with the camera,(a box set my aunts bought me in 1966.) and I a 48mm hood that fits my Canon III QL 1,7, I only use when shooting into the light, it does clip a small corner.

 

[loccdor]

Coatings and number of lens elements being equal, you can get away with not having a lens hood more if the lens tends is recessed into its housing, because that is functioning as something of a hood to begin with. But folders tend to not have a lot of recess in the lens design.

My 50s Kodak Retina for example flares quite easily, and if the sun is above my frame I try to shoot in portrait orientation spun 180 degrees where the lens door of the camera is shading the lens.

If the lens has any haze due to aging, or lots of fine scratches, it's going to flare more intensely.

 

[Dali]

With rangefinders I do not like it at all when the lens hood covers a part of the viewfinder. That's why I do not use a lens hood, although especially the Jupiter-9 is very sensitive to stray light.

With my SLR, I use lens hoods most of the time.

It makes a lot of sense. People complain that SLR view is less than 100% but blocking their rangefinder view with intrusive lenses / hoods is OK. Go figures…

 

[George Collier]

If you use a tripod, you can use your hand (or hat) to shade the lens while releasing the shutter. With a cable release if possible. I do it all the time with my Rollei's.

 

[darinwc]

lens hoods are of special importance with those older cameras because they typically had inferior coatings on their lenses.

+1.