Hood or no hood?

aleonx3 · 11-09-2010, 02:03 PM

The hood is more useful than the filter.. except if you are out on a windy day when the front element of the glass would get damaged from debris or sand. As for indoor shots, use the hood to block stray lights but I don't use any filter.

TaoMaas · 11-09-2010, 03:21 PM

Originally posted by woonona_butch

I've just purchased a second hand Pentax FA 50mm 1:1.4 off EBay, should I acquire a hood for this lens also??

Yes, it's always good to have a hood on a lens. Even though Pentax lenses are pretty good about controlling lens flare, anytime light strikes the front element of your lens, you lose a little contrast. Think about when you're trying to look at something and the sun is in your face. It's often very hard to see. But if you shade your eyes with your hand, it makes a huge difference. It's the same thing with lenses. The more you shade the front of the lens, the better it can "see".

GerryL · 11-09-2010, 03:38 PM

Hood.
Even Robin has one..

Ratmagiclady · 11-09-2010, 07:24 PM

Originally posted by woonona_butch

Thanks for your input everyone. I have already purchased a new bag (Lowepro Slingshot 200). Yes "PABLOM" it happens with every lens!!
My first thread on this (or any forum) and I've got more info than what I have gotten in 12 months of belonging to a camera club. I'd given up taken the K100 out at night because of the yellow tinge produced on my images - never thought of removing the filter!!!. Just following on with the question of hoods - I've just purchased a second hand Pentax FA 50mm 1:1.4 off EBay, should I acquire a hood for this lens also??

Ah, my favorite Pentax lens for digital. Yep, hood there, too.

It sounds like the accident caused your AF motor to lose the ability to disengage, hence no MF, (I actually don't know much about what the mechanism looks like, but they could likely repair/replace that while it's in.)

The 'yellow tinge at night' may be a white balance issue rather than the filter, but I agree with the others, a filter's no help at night.

For your 50mm, you should be able to put a deep enough hood on there that you needn't worry about a UV filter for protection. I mostly don't use UV's unless it's actually lousy conditions out: blowing sand, salt spray, flying mud, inquisitive dog noses and toddler-fingers, that sort of thing.

Or if the front element's particularly vulnerable, or if I intend to trade up said lens. (People do like to see a pristine front element.) Nothing wrong with keeping a UV on there in general until you're confident with your camera-handling and all. You'll learn. As you can see, no one's calling them a must-have, especially with a hood on there.

tibbitts · 11-10-2010, 07:35 PM

I'd replace the hood, unless maybe it's one of the filter-thread hoods like some pentax (and other) lenses have. I'm a fan of dedicated hood mounting, and wish every lens had that feature.

Paul

**Kerrowdown** · 11-11-2010, 05:27 AM

Hoods always, uv filters never.

**NaClH2O** · 11-11-2010, 05:40 AM

Originally posted by woonona_butch

Thanks for your input everyone. I have already purchased a new bag (Lowepro Slingshot 200). Yes "PABLOM" it happens with every lens!!
My first thread on this (or any forum) and I've got more info than what I have gotten in 12 months of belonging to a camera club. I'd given up taken the K100 out at night because of the yellow tinge produced on my images - never thought of removing the filter!!!. Just following on with the question of hoods - I've just purchased a second hand Pentax FA 50mm 1:1.4 off EBay, should I acquire a hood for this lens also??

Hi Woonona-butch, welcome! And yes, get a hood for that lens also. I have hoods on all my lenses, eithe the bayonet style that can be stored backwards on the lens when you aren't using it or the rubber style that collapse into a ring around the lens. That way the hood is always on the lens, they don't take up a lot of space, and most importantly, they are always there, you don't have to fiddle with finding them in your bag, or any of that stuff. I'm a firm believer in keeping things as close to 'ready to shoot' as possible

NaCl(a hood can be your best friend)H2O

**Rondec** · 11-11-2010, 05:45 AM

There are a few lenses out there that are super resistant to flare, like the DA 15, but in general a hood will really cut down on flare issues. The FA 50 tends to struggle with flare a fair amount in my experience and does benefit from a hood. Zoom lenses in general have more difficulty with flare, because there are more elements for light to pass through and therefore they really benefit from hoods.

As someone else mentioned, take filters off at night. They just add one extra layer of glass for light to pass through and you'll see weird reflections/ flares in your image. In addition, they slow auto focus down sometimes.

GeneV · 11-11-2010, 06:30 AM

Originally posted by Rondec

There are a few lenses out there that are super resistant to flare, like the DA 15, but in general a hood will really cut down on flare issues. The FA 50 tends to struggle with flare a fair amount in my experience and does benefit from a hood. Zoom lenses in general have more difficulty with flare, because there are more elements for light to pass through and therefore they really benefit from hoods.

As someone else mentioned, take filters off at night. They just add one extra layer of glass for light to pass through and you'll see weird reflections/ flares in your image. In addition, they slow auto focus down sometimes.

The DA 15 Ltd. has a built-in hood, which is a big plus with the Ltd series and would be nice on every lens. I'd agree that a hood is a very good thing to have and well worth replacing (especially on complex zooms like the one in question), but I will confess I find myself without far one more often than I'd like. Large diameter petal hoods for wide angle zooms have a way of getting snagged in the bag and staying there or getting broken and staying at home. It's not something I am happy about, but it is reality. It is one of the many reasons I use more DA Ltd primes than zooms, and why one of my favorite zooms for outdoors is an old M75-150. The latter is sharp as a tack, built like a tank and has a built-in hood.

Where the one zoom stays on the camera all the time, keeping the hood on is a no-brainer.

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11-09-2010, 02:03 PM	#16
aleonx3 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Brampton, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,996	The hood is more useful than the filter.. except if you are out on a windy day when the front element of the glass would get damaged from debris or sand. As for indoor shots, use the hood to block stray lights but I don't use any filter.

11-09-2010, 03:21 PM	#17
TaoMaas Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,574	Originally posted by woonona_butch I've just purchased a second hand Pentax FA 50mm 1:1.4 off EBay, should I acquire a hood for this lens also?? Yes, it's always good to have a hood on a lens. Even though Pentax lenses are pretty good about controlling lens flare, anytime light strikes the front element of your lens, you lose a little contrast. Think about when you're trying to look at something and the sun is in your face. It's often very hard to see. But if you shade your eyes with your hand, it makes a huge difference. It's the same thing with lenses. The more you shade the front of the lens, the better it can "see".

11-09-2010, 03:38 PM	#18
GerryL Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: CA Posts: 2,731	Hood. Even Robin has one..

11-09-2010, 07:24 PM	#19
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Originally posted by woonona_butch Thanks for your input everyone. I have already purchased a new bag (Lowepro Slingshot 200). Yes "PABLOM" it happens with every lens!! My first thread on this (or any forum) and I've got more info than what I have gotten in 12 months of belonging to a camera club. I'd given up taken the K100 out at night because of the yellow tinge produced on my images - never thought of removing the filter!!!. Just following on with the question of hoods - I've just purchased a second hand Pentax FA 50mm 1:1.4 off EBay, should I acquire a hood for this lens also?? Ah, my favorite Pentax lens for digital. Yep, hood there, too. It sounds like the accident caused your AF motor to lose the ability to disengage, hence no MF, (I actually don't know much about what the mechanism looks like, but they could likely repair/replace that while it's in.) The 'yellow tinge at night' may be a white balance issue rather than the filter, but I agree with the others, a filter's no help at night. For your 50mm, you should be able to put a deep enough hood on there that you needn't worry about a UV filter for protection. I mostly don't use UV's unless it's actually lousy conditions out: blowing sand, salt spray, flying mud, inquisitive dog noses and toddler-fingers, that sort of thing. Or if the front element's particularly vulnerable, or if I intend to trade up said lens. (People do like to see a pristine front element.) Nothing wrong with keeping a UV on there in general until you're confident with your camera-handling and all. You'll learn. As you can see, no one's calling them a must-have, especially with a hood on there.

11-10-2010, 07:35 PM	#20
tibbitts Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Oklahoma USA Posts: 2,193	I'd replace the hood, unless maybe it's one of the filter-thread hoods like some pentax (and other) lenses have. I'm a fan of dedicated hood mounting, and wish every lens had that feature. Paul

11-11-2010, 05:27 AM	#21
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,819	Hoods always, uv filters never.

11-11-2010, 05:40 AM	#22
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	Originally posted by woonona_butch Thanks for your input everyone. I have already purchased a new bag (Lowepro Slingshot 200). Yes "PABLOM" it happens with every lens!! My first thread on this (or any forum) and I've got more info than what I have gotten in 12 months of belonging to a camera club. I'd given up taken the K100 out at night because of the yellow tinge produced on my images - never thought of removing the filter!!!. Just following on with the question of hoods - I've just purchased a second hand Pentax FA 50mm 1:1.4 off EBay, should I acquire a hood for this lens also?? Hi Woonona-butch, welcome! And yes, get a hood for that lens also. I have hoods on all my lenses, eithe the bayonet style that can be stored backwards on the lens when you aren't using it or the rubber style that collapse into a ring around the lens. That way the hood is always on the lens, they don't take up a lot of space, and most importantly, they are always there, you don't have to fiddle with finding them in your bag, or any of that stuff. I'm a firm believer in keeping things as close to 'ready to shoot' as possible NaCl(a hood can be your best friend)H2O

11-11-2010, 05:45 AM	#23
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,653	There are a few lenses out there that are super resistant to flare, like the DA 15, but in general a hood will really cut down on flare issues. The FA 50 tends to struggle with flare a fair amount in my experience and does benefit from a hood. Zoom lenses in general have more difficulty with flare, because there are more elements for light to pass through and therefore they really benefit from hoods. As someone else mentioned, take filters off at night. They just add one extra layer of glass for light to pass through and you'll see weird reflections/ flares in your image. In addition, they slow auto focus down sometimes.

11-11-2010, 06:30 AM	#24
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Originally posted by Rondec There are a few lenses out there that are super resistant to flare, like the DA 15, but in general a hood will really cut down on flare issues. The FA 50 tends to struggle with flare a fair amount in my experience and does benefit from a hood. Zoom lenses in general have more difficulty with flare, because there are more elements for light to pass through and therefore they really benefit from hoods. As someone else mentioned, take filters off at night. They just add one extra layer of glass for light to pass through and you'll see weird reflections/ flares in your image. In addition, they slow auto focus down sometimes. The DA 15 Ltd. has a built-in hood, which is a big plus with the Ltd series and would be nice on every lens. I'd agree that a hood is a very good thing to have and well worth replacing (especially on complex zooms like the one in question), but I will confess I find myself without far one more often than I'd like. Large diameter petal hoods for wide angle zooms have a way of getting snagged in the bag and staying there or getting broken and staying at home. It's not something I am happy about, but it is reality. It is one of the many reasons I use more DA Ltd primes than zooms, and why one of my favorite zooms for outdoors is an old M75-150. The latter is sharp as a tack, built like a tank and has a built-in hood. Where the one zoom stays on the camera all the time, keeping the hood on is a no-brainer.