Lens Hood Question

[donnab2005]

Ok, I hope this is not a silly question. I have the Nikon D50 and I love this camera. I recently bought a new lens to take to WDW in a couple of weeks. Someone told me to consider buying a lens hood and a UV filter for the lens. So I have two questions, what is the difference in a UV filter and a Polarized filter and which one would you recommend. The last question is can you tell me what would I need a lens hood for? What purpose to the lens hoods serve and will I benefit from it at WDW. I hope some of the photo experts on here can help me out with some info. Thanks and I am looking forward to your answers.

 

[robertchance]

don't worry about the lens hood, not having one will not hurt your pics, they are sometimes used by professionals to help keep stray lite from a pic,,,, when i got into the hobby 40 years ago , i was told by older members of a photoclub i joined that using a UV filter is a good thing cause it keeps your lenses clean and scratch free,,, if any dirt gets on the filter, you clean it off and if the filter gets scratched, you toss it and buy a new one,, if your lens gets scratched, you basically have lost your lens. I will not give you a primer on polarized filters, but if you google on them, you will get all the technical answers you want,,,, it just occured to me that if you go to the kodak web site, they will probably give you more info on this issue then you really want so try there also

 

[robertchance]

filter info

http://www.jr.com/Templates/Guides/lens+filters.tem?JRSource=nsa&nsa=1

 

[Magix]

Definitely get the UV filter, just as a protection for your lens glass. It doesn't change your photos much (like a polarized filter might) and it pays for itself a milllion times over. I've had to replace my UV filters a couple times because of scratches and pitting and have been very thankful it wasn't my lens glass that needed to be replaced.

A lens hood is a good idea if you intend to take lots of photos outdoors. I constantly shoot in the sun and the hood keeps me from getting too many sun spots in the photos (although sometimes it's at an angle where even the lens hood, plus my hand extended out beyond it, won't help).

 

[ducklite]

Never use a lens hood when shooting flash.

I use a lens hood when shooting concerts to eliminate any stray lighting I don't want in my photo. I also use it outside at times.

As other have said, all my lenses has UV filters to keep them scratch free. I use HOYA brand. I just replaced one after having a shoe hit my lens at Sno-Core last week. It was far better to replace a $23 filter than a $1600 lens.

I have a polarizer for one of my lenses only because I shoot a concert every year that at 5:00pm the sun hits behind the stage at just the right angle to mess up my photo's. I only bought one for the one lens, I'll probably buy a second for another before the end of April.

Anne

 

[mhutchinson]

Someone told me to consider buying a lens hood and a UV filter for the lens. So I have two questions, what is the difference in a UV filter and a Polarized filter and which one would you recommend. The last question is can you tell me what would I need a lens hood for?

The UV filter will cut down on the slight haze you will see in your outdoor shots. These are most effective at higher elevations and will also give a little more depth to the skies at lower levels as well. People mostly use them to protect the front element from being scratched. Alternatively you could also use a 'Sky 1A' filter which will act very similar to the UV, but give the sky just a little more definition and blue color. Many 'pros' don't use these as they feel they reduce the clarity of the lens, they may also cause a redefined relection that gets captured when light hits the front of the lens and relects of the back side of the filter (thus the need for multi-coating). It is all personal preference as to whether you like them or not. Personally I use one 80% of the time.

The polarized filter (and you want a circular type polarized) is like your camera is wearing sunglasses. Blues and greens will be more pronounced. It will also reduce UV and cut down on relections and glare. So the next time when you are in Epcot at Japan and take a photo of the fish pond, you will see the fish and not the relections of the sky and trees behind the pond. These will also help clear up images on the other side of plate glass windows and inside of cars, as well as relections off of large bodies of water. But good ones are expensive.

The lens hood is used to help reduce flare from around the outside of the lens. The best way to put this is that it will function in a similar way to your eyes when you shield them with your hands from direct sun light, but still seeing ahead (e.g. at the beach, parade, game, etc). They create a slight tube effect and allow you to see further with more clarity). They offer a little protection to the end of the lens, but that will mostly depend on the type of hood you have on the it and how it is 'bumped'.

Hope this helps.

Mike