What Are Lens Hoods?

Identification

• Lens hoods are conical shaped accessories that attach to the end of a lens. These hard plastic lens hoods typical come in two shapes: tubed or petal. Though most of these lens hoods screw into the end of a lens, some lens hoods attach with the use of clips.

Purpose

• A lens hood's main purpose is to shade the camera lens from excess light. Excess light may deteriorate the quality of the final photograph by lowering contrast, giving the picture a washed-out appearance. In some cases, excess light may cause sunspots or lens flares, artifacts that may be distracting in the final image. Telltale signs of lens flares are discolored shapes and streaks of light.

Advantages

• Lens hoods enable you to produce pictures with good contrast and vibrant colors. Your lens hood may also protect your camera lens from physical damage such as dents and scratches. You can think of your lens as a raincoat, protecting the lens from weather-related problems such as rain, snow and dust.

Availability

• Some new camera lenses come with a compatible lens hood. If you're purchasing a used or refurbished lens, check with the seller to see if the hood comes with the package. You can purchase replacement lens hoods from retailers such as Adorama, Ritz Camera and Amazon.com. The prices of lens hoods vary from $10 to $70, depending on the size, quality and type.

Tips

• You don't need lens hoods in dark areas where there's a complete absence of light. The hoods are also unnecessary when using a flash. Using a lens hood in these conditions may cause shadows to appear on the photograph. Another tip, if you're using a digital camera with a LCD screen, check the screen to ensure that the hood is not causing vignetting, darkening around the corners of the picture. Vignetting mostly occurs with longer lens hoods. In some cases, your lens hood may not be adequate to block excess light. Remedy this by using dark paper. Place the paper on the side of the lens nearest to the light source.