Use of lens hood (100-400 mm IS lens)

[Craig Thayer]

A fellow birder/photographer has told me to always use the lens hood with my 100-400mm lens. I have tended to use it only on sunny days and leave it off in cloudy/low light situations. Any commentary on this topic would be appreciated.

[a.dancy]

I do a lot of urban birding in Manchester. Sun comes rarely , but I often have the hood off so that I can hide my lens. However I use the hood as often as possible. Apart from anything else it is added protection for your glass and you can still get stray light on a cloudy day.

[Overread]

I tend to have hoods fitted to my lenses all the time I use them if I can (macro sometimes it comes off if I am using additinal gear and its working distance gets smaller). Firstly it helps with stray light and second (and most importantly) it helps prevents many knocks and scrapes occuring to the front element - either indoors, outdoors, in the street or in the woods - there are loads of things you can bump your lens against and I would far rather a scuffed up hood than a scuffed up/cracked lens!

[Macswede]

I use mine all the time too. I'm far too clumsy to trust myself with an unprotected lens. :-) I've also heard that filters lower the picture quality.

[lmans66]

I've decided to always use mine....on the 300 it just slides out so why not use it. For all the same reasons as suggested above, again, it must makes sense.

[Nikon Kid]

At all times, Lens hoods always on.

[IanF]

Always on for me as well - mostly to stop flare as the front element is very close to the end of the lens. For carriage I just reverse the lens hood.

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

And another - always on

[JohnZ]

I don`t have a choice !

[dandy]

A slightly shorter lens hood would be useful with the 100-400, I often carry it around with the hood reversed, but it's difficult to loosen the zoom off with it this way round, leading to the occasional missed shot.

[shoshone]

My rule is hood on always....all filters in the cupboard....better results all round and I shoot safe ;)

[Vectis Birder]

My 70-200 f4 L has a huge lens hood. It's so big you can put it on your head and do a Tommy Cooper impression. Just like that.

It doesn't fit in my camera bag so it tends to stay at home.

[Overread]

But can't you reverse fit the hood on your f4 (its certainly possible on the larger 2.8) then you can store the hood on the lens in your bag like that - turning it round when you take the lens out to shoot.

[Roy C]

But can't you reverse fit the hood on your f4 (its certainly possible on the larger 2.8) then you can store the hood on the lens in your bag like that - turning it round when you take the lens out to shoot.
I reverse the hood on my 70-200/4 for carrying purposes as you say, adds nothing to the length and very little to the diameter.

[Vectis Birder]

I tried and I couldn't make it fit. I'll give it another go though, I'm just off out in a minute to do some photography. |=)|

Edit: it fits. It was me being a bit thick.

[Lisa W]

Mine used to be hood off and filters on, then a thread on here a couple of years ago on filters and some experimentation on my part made me realize I normally get better photos (all being relevant of course) and away the filters went. Hoods now on to protect the front.

[RJL2005]

Another vote for. I use lens hoods from 10mm all the way to 500mm (700mm with the 1.4IIx).

[cab1024]

Last evening I was in the back yard with taking photos in the fog, without the lens hood. My 22-month old daughter decided to go for a walk, and I decided it was best to follow her. On the short walk the sun came out. I felt naked. No. I felt like I was in the car without my seat belt on.

Suddenly I was over-aware of where the sun was, the angle it was hitting the front of my lens. I simply felt unsettled. Eventually I had to pick her up and carry her home so I could get my lens hood. And then we took a proper walk, with her in the stroller, down to the lagoon so I could battle the grass-and-twig bokeh monsters.

[RJL2005]

so I could battle the grass-and-twig bokeh monsters.

:-O Good luck!