Written by Sanne
Edited on
23 August 2022
·
12:35
What is a lens hood and why should you choose one?
A lens hood is considered an indispensable camera accessory. Especially at the time of year when it's most often sunny. But what exactly is a lens hood? And what can you do with it? You'll find the answers to these questions in this article.
What is a lens hood?
As the name suggests, at lens hood protects your lens against the sun. With a lens hood, your lens is protected against ight from a certain angle. This can be light other than sunlight, for example a lamp. You screw a lens hood onto the lens of your camera manually.
When do I choose a lens hood?
With a lens hood, you can prevent lens flare from forming in the image. Lens flare is a kind of internal reflection that forms because lens elements reflect light towards each other. This creates circles, stripes, or a kind of glow in the image. A lens hood helps to counteract this effect. In addition, less light in the lens usually ensures better overall image quality as well. And at the same time, a lens hood protects your camera against bumps.
Which types of lens hoods exist?
The first type is the round lens hood. Since a photo is square, this isn't the most effective shape because it lets some light through around the edges. A lens hood with notches works better. The shape ensures that the light doesn't affect the corners of the image either. This lens hood does this without blocking the image. Note: if you your lens hood is too long, you'll get darkened edges in your image.
Article by Sanne
Camera Expert.
