Lens hoods and filters do you or don’t you? If so why?

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SsSsSsSsSnake

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Prompted by Jimmyjamjojo’s reply in a thread got me wandering on members here and what are their thoughts on the threads question.
Thanks for contributing.
 
Lens Hood - Occasionally and location dependant.
If I'm out hiking and I was to drop the camera, I'd rather the lens hood took the damage.
Also, the lens hood cuts down the chance of lens flare and sea spray at coastal locations.
My lens hoods don't fit when using filters.

Filters - I rarely use ND Grads these days except for perhaps coastal sunrise shots.
I have a set of ND filters, +3,+6 and +10 stop.
I have gone off the really long shutter speed milky water shots so the 10 stop is my least used.
The 6 stop has a built in polarizer which can be handy but a polarizer on its own is more useful for the times when I want to cut through glare but I don't want/need a long shutter speed.
The 3 stop is a filter that I didn't think I'd use much but its turned out to be my most used filter of the set for flowing water.
 
Lens hoods - yes if there is one for the lens. And I put them on the right way round, so they work. Have never understood having them stored on a lens, which often makes it tricky to hold the jens, and blocks access to focus or zoom
Filters - no
 
Lens hood - Always, 99.9% of my photography is outdoors but the habit is so ingrained that the hood is on when I'm photographing my orchids indoors.
In fact all my lenses keep their hoods on even when in bags and in their cupboard, except the RF 200-800 which wont fit in my bag with its hood on.
I don't understand why Canon doesn't design all it's L lenses like the 300mm f/4 IS L with a built in/on hood (well, I do, but even so...) and by "on" I do mean the right way on.
Filters - never
 
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I always use a lens hood, I've even bought them for my non L series lenses (because Canon doesn't seem to think you need them). I do store the hoods the wrong way round on the lens, just so they'll fit in my camera bags, but I wouldn't use them like that.
Filters, I use a CPL and a 6 stop nd.
 
I only use a hood when I think I'll need it. Night skies, if it's a bit drizzly/water in the air, or if the camera is around my body on a strap.

I do usually use a mist/cinebloom filter though most of the time. Which obviously I'll switch out if I want to use a CPL/ND. I don't use 'UV' protection filters.
 
Lens hoods all the time.

Decent quality protective filters very rarely and only in pretty extreme conditions. Couple of the prime tele's don't have a thread for protective filter attachment, fortunately they have quite long lens hoods.
 
Pound Coin said:
Lens hoods - yes if there is one for the lens. And I put them on the right way round, so they work. Have never understood having them stored on a lens, which often makes it tricky to hold the jens, and blocks access to focus or zoom
Filters - no
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Agreed, but sometimes (often) the supplied lens hood needs to be replaced with something less convenient but more effective

 
Lens hoods, sometimes according to circumstances.

Filters, for effect only i.e. CPL, ND.

One reason I don't use a lens hood is that it makes the outfit huge and bulky with the 50 f1.2, but I do use it where protection would likely be needed.
 
Always use lens hood to protect the lens, especially when out in the countryside with large lens. All (except 600mm F4) have NC filters since I scratched a lens in a 'kissing gate' incident !
 
I always use lens hoods (even indoors). It's become a habit just to put them on, and saved me a couple of times, dinking against various things when out and about.

Filters for fx as and when :)
 
Lens hoods always for protection and flare avoidance.

Filters for digital - very rarely; just Lee Filters ND & CPL. For effects, I use Lightroom or PS.

Filters for film - yes. UV & polarising for colour if needed and red or yellow (very rarely green) for B&W.
 
I use lens hoods and UV / protection filters most of the time, more because I tend to walk around with one lens on the body and another stuffed in a jacket pocket. Both help protect my lenses from my sloppy behaviour and knocks against objects as I walk around, In the past when I used full frame DSLRs and larger lenses I would carry a camera bag and cosset my camera gear so rarely used protection filters. These days I like to travel light except on t shirt and shorts days when I will carry a small Billingham bag.
 
Lens hoods more or less always,

When working, I have the lens caps off, and rely on the lens hoods to stop the front element rubbing or knocking on things inside or outside of the camera bag.

The same applies if I'm carrying a lens in my jacket pocket. Rear lens cap fitted but I rely on the lens hood to protect the front element.

As there aren't any downsides (usually) and it's always going to be useful to protect against flare, raindrops, damage and accidentally sticking a greasy or mucky finger on the front element , I automatically put one on. Exceptions are when it's very windy and the lens hood can catch the wind, or extreme close ups where the lens hood can stop some light reaching the subject.

Protective filters, I tend to only use in poor weather, so I'm cleaning rain etc from the filter, rather than the front element of the lens,

Some lenses, that I know I'm most likely to use in poor weather often end up with a protective filter (usually B+W ones) fitted all the time, and I only take it off when I feel I should be pushing maximum performance or think it's increasing the risk of flare. None of my "high quality" primes (Zeiss MIlvus and Nikon PCE lenses) have filters, but my 300mm and 24-120 lenses tend to have them on almost permanently. Not a carefully thought out strategy, just the way it's ended up, because of the way I mostly use the different lenses.
 
I always use both. I had two lens saved by having a filter on them, in both case the filter was smashed and the lens front element was fine, and I've had two friends who have had lens take a dive, again both filters had a bang but the len front element survived.
It's personal taste, but for me it's a filter.
 
Lens hood always.
Filter, high quality protection filter,usually, saves cleaning the lens which over time damages the front surface.
Only other filter is a polariser as can not produce the effect any other way.
 
Another one for lens hood always. As @Pound Coin said, if they’re on the wrong way round they get in the way.

I use polarising filters occasionally, and I have some NDs for when I fancy doing some long exposure stuff. I don’t bother with UV filters at all, and I have one black mist filter which I’ve only used once; I want to try it for some night stuff but I haven’t had the right opportunity yet.
 
Lens hood always above about 70mm focal length. Not only for protection - sometimes it provides a handy point to support the lens.

Filters - 6/10/16 stoppers - pretty much everything else you can simulate in conjunction with the above by dropping the ISO by 3 stops. Reverse grad for sunrises/sunsets. Polariser for water.
 
Hoods, pretty much always. Filters, only a CPL (if I've remembered to pack it/them!)
 
Hoods 100%, filter for protection as necessary. I lost my cpl filter a while back and haven't replaced it.
 
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Lens hood always. Occasionally use UV/Protection with colour film to protect lens in adverse conditions. Coloured filters with B&W frequently. 720nm IR filter for IR shots on Ilford SFX.
 
I use lens hoods based on the rather use and not need being better than needing and not using idea.

Over a period of time I went off Nd grads preferring to do bracketing and use lightroom to blend exposures, but starting to me back to filters. Feels like a bit too often the blending doesn't work so well.
 
Sorry, should have included the "Why"s.

Hoods for protection against physical knocks and light hitting the front element (which causes flare.)
Filters, a CPL is pretty much the only filter (or screen for the pedants!) that's pretty much impossible to replicate in PP. I used to use several filter types back in film days but not in these digital times!
 
A question I asked a few years ago, as hoods don't half take up some room in a bag. I was in 2 minds back then but not anymore.

A recent outing down the river proved their worth. I fell, was heading head first down the banking and instinctively put my hands out in front of me, one of which was carrying my R7 with my 100 f2.8L attached. The hood was fitted but folded back on itself, so covering the lens almost fully. I held onto my camera as I fell but it hit the ground, still in my hand. The lens hood got a bit battered but the lens and camera escaped any damage. The hood is bugging me now, I will have to get a new one. It's still in one piece and attaches to the camera OK but it's bit beat up, it definately did save my lens though.

I had been using hoods almost 100% of the time anyway but this rammed it home to me.

I never use protective filters and suchlike though, the hood(s) seem to do the job. (y)
 
Lens hood always, unless:
a) the lens is not supplied with one
b) I am using my filters (the exception being when I have circular filters and lens hoods with cut-outs.

Another advantage of the lens hood, especially on the large telezooms or fast primes - SOCIAL DISTANCING - I don't like people and the lens hood is useful to tell people they are too close to me at events like airshows.

I always used to use UV or skylights, until I discovered that to get good ones of a large diameter and good quality would be costly. All I use now are B&W circular filters (polariser and 10xND) and Lee grads and polariser, big and super stoppers. The one I use most is the B&W circular polariser.
 
mark2002 said:
Lens hood always on if only for front glass protection, really cant understand those that walk about outdoors with hood turned wrong way around
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My bold ^^^^ That is a pet hate of mine, so far I have resisted walking up to total strangers and putting their lens hoods the right way round.
 
mark2002 said:
Lens hood always on if only for front glass protection, really cant understand those that walk about outdoors with hood turned wrong way around
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+1000

It's like they probably wear everything inside out or what?!


I will have a good UV for protection outdoors or a a cpl If absolutely necessary, otherwise a blanket ban on anything ancient, plastic, or non-uniform. Those of you still using them you know what I'm referring to
 
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