Hood Questions

It seems most people here recommend using a lens hood. I have never used one for functional reasons-- and rather use a filter for "protection."

My stupid newbie questions: for Canon lenses, can/should the lens cap be used while the hood is on and the camera is not in use? Can the camera generally be easily transported with the hood on (or is the hood usually removed each time?

What I am getting at--- does a hood serve as an inconvenience?

I've never thought of the hood as an inconvenience and they stay on my lenses all the time except one that needs to be removed to fit in the bag.
Yes, keep using your lens caps if only to keep the dust off which a hood won't help with.
Hoods are mostly for blocking stray light.

When not in use I flip the hood on backwards and put the cap on.

I do the same as gary. The hood is the best protection against flare and haze you can get.

I also reverse my hoods and put the cap on when putting the camera in a bag or transporting 'non-ready', and I'll put on the cap and leave the hood extended if I'm carrying it with the strap with the body out.

I tend to avoid filters and use hoods for protection , as they don't increase the risk of flare and ghosting like filters. I only use filters in extreme situations.

One thing is that Canon has not yet released a center-pinch lens cap which makes putting them on and off inside a hood more difficult. Tamron and Nikon have these caps, and I think Sigma may have a version as well. You should look at buying one of those.

Different things for different purposes. It's all about which suits you best.

I travel extremely light and generally don't have room for a lens hood. Yet I don't use filters. So I leave the cap on until I know I'm going to be actively shooting. Been in some extremely crowded situations as well as shooting in mist/rain. Never had any problems.

Not using a cap, even when using a hood, will result in dust accumulation eventually.

If I were to choose between the two, I would pick a cap every time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by deckcadet

I also reverse my hoods and put the cap on when putting the camera in a bag or transporting 'non-ready', and I'll put on the cap and leave the hood extended if I'm carrying it with the strap with the body out.

I tend to avoid filters and use hoods for protection , as they don't increase the risk of flare and ghosting like filters. I only use filters in extreme situations.

One thing is that Canon has not yet released a center-pinch lens cap which makes putting them on and off inside a hood more difficult. Tamron and Nikon have these caps, and I think Sigma may have a version as well. You should look at buying one of those.

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I second reversing the hood. It makes it really easy to fit in a photography backpack and you can stick the lens cap on easily. If you are shooting, don't stick the lens cap on, you might miss a shot. I disagree with deckadet about the filters though. A good multicoated UV filter doesn't noticeably ghost and it provides good protection.