Why do we need a lens hood?
Many amateurs and professional photographers use lens hoods on lenses, but not every amateur understands: what is the purpose of the lens hood. It is the blends and their purpose that this article is devoted to.
What is the lens hood
The lens hood is an additional adaptation to the lens, in some cases the lens hood is part of the lens rim, and inner blends are also found.
This accessory is usually attached to the frontpart of the lens, like a filter, on a specially designed thread. Most of the blends are made of plastic, but you can find metal or rubber blends. Often the lens hood has two positions on the lens: working and transport. In the transport position, the lens hood is usually attached to the lens so that the lens is framed by it, which provides additional protection during transportation, and the camera easily fits into a bag or backpack.
Blends are:
- conical shape
- pyramidal shape
- cylindrical shape
- petal shape
It is worth remembering that there is no universal lens hood onAll lenses, shape and length of the lens hood will depend on the design of your lens. In addition, the blend differs in diameter (depends on the diameter of the attachment of the lens hood to the lens).
Manufacturers specially develop a blend under each lens, for correct cutting off of superfluous light, and that the hood did not get to a shot.
The petal hood is indispensable ifYou have an ultra-wide-angle and wide-angle lens, the shape of the lens hood is chosen so as to reduce the possible vignetting and hooding of the lens. For zoom lenses, the cone or cylindrical shape is more suitable.
Sufficiently convenient is a sliding hood, however, its price is not very pleasant.
Lens functions
- The main function of the lens hood is to protect the frame fromunnecessary streams of light, that is, the lens hood prevents the appearance of glare in the frame and its exposure, and, accordingly, preserves the contrast of the image. The lens hood will be indispensable when shooting in conditions with complex lighting, and will save your picture from the side (upper and lower) light.
- In addition to the main function, the lens hood can protect the lens from mechanical damage, drops from splashing, rain on the lens or lens filter.
To better understand why a lens hood is needed forlens, you can remember how we put our hand to our eyes, trying to look at something, when the sun shines in our eyes. Often, and photographers, not having a blend, use this method of cutting off excess light, and try to block the lens from the sun by hand. But why torment, when for a long time such an accessory as a blend has been thought up?
We found: why do I need a lens hood, but do I have to use it all the time? Using a lens hood in normal ambient light conditions can lead to vignetting (darkening of the image corners). In addition, if you shoot with the built-in flash, then part of the frame will also be darkened, since the blend will cut off part of the light. You can solve this problem using an external flash.
However, if you are going to shoot in a sunnyday, in a stadium with bright spotlights, in the presence of a large number of mirrors, and in other conditions with bright lighting and the possibility of glare, pale, you just need.
Now you know if you need a lens hood, and what is the use of it. I wish you successful shots.
