Originally posted by aleonx3 Being a Pentaxian, you asked... most Canikon owners think it is normal as none of their kit lens come with lens hood; sadly Pentax started skipping the lens hood with the L version. I have seen people holding a 5D and L glass without lens hood in bright sunny day and they weren't even aware of flare problems.
Lens hood is not only good for control flares like that, but also provide a bit of protection for the front element of the lens; getting the habit of using lens hood is a good thing.
So true on the lens hood. I swear by them. Due to my stupidity, I set what has to be a Pentaxian Walt Disney World record in that I dropped my Kx with 15 mm limited within 24 min of entering the park!! What a great way to start the family trip!! I just kept saying to myself -"Don't let the kids see me cry. Don't let the kids see me cry...)
Luckily my hood was extended and the camera landed smack down on the pavement on the extended hood, bounced and flipped on to the eyepiece and came to a rest. There was only a small chip on the back of the camera. There is not a single lens barrel,filter ring or front element scratch. The lens works great. The lens hood...well I bent the S#&t out of it. Fortunately, I was able to bend it back into shape and file the rough edge down and cover the exposed metal with a marker.
I can't imagine what the damage would of been if the impact were directly on the filter ring with a 'UV protector' in place.
Just a word to the wise... Hoods all the time!!