Originally posted by kiwao Thanks for the replies.
I have a hood which is screw on hard plastic but the problem is that it is incredibly fiddly fitting the lens cap. Do you know of another kind?
Of cap? Yes.
Priorities. You can cover a hood with a stocking if you have to: a lens cap won't help your images.
Quote: " Take off the UV filter and add a hood."
Yes you guessed right but if I remove it isn't there a danger of scratching the lens???
A nice deep hood that's always on there makes it harder than you might think for anything but a windy day at the beach to put harm anywhere near your lens. Really.
I like to use neoprene 'hood hats' for my odder-shaped hoods like that, but honestly, my 50 usually rides face-down in a bag with nothing but hood on there.
UV filters can be like plastic covers on your couch: unless you intend to sell the thing, you'll want to start living there, sooner or later.
There are exceptions, in my book, generally lenses that are particularly vulnerable, namely wides, may get one.
You'd probably be surprised how rarely I clean lenses that live in nice deep hoods. My 50 is used about every day, has rarely even had a hood hat on, and I've cleaned it maybe once or twice in the year I've had it. Condtions vary, of course, but for perspective: you're more likely to scratch your lens, even, by fussing with caps than by just leaving the hood on there. Not that you can't keep a UV on things, (you can put the hood on that, too, if you'd like) but you needn't be stressed about it.
And, as Peter mentioned, yes, you can use a tighter hood on a APS-C sensor than usual. This is desirable, in fact, if you don't intend to use that lens for film.