Okay guys and gals, here is the thing. I was looking around the web for some hoods for my lens and asked the wife what she thought of them. She took some Photography courses while in college and she told me that they were not indeed a necessity and that non of her professors used them. We had a little argument since I told her about the benefits of unwanted light flares and preservation of contrast in the pictures.

I browsed the site but could not find some kind of a before and after pic examples to see how hoods helped and show her.

What you think, are they truly a necessity or not? I was planning on getting some of those retractable rubber hoods, one for each lens, They don't seem to be pricey at least over at ebay.