Started by petra_n, 27 Jan 2026. 8 replies, 260 views
Gear in this topic: XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR
Honest question. Most people I see in the city have the hood reversed on the lens the whole day, which does nothing. I don't use one on the 27mm because then it is not a pancake any more. Who actually uses theirs properly, and does it change anything you can see in the photo?
Always on, the right way round. Cheaper than a front element.
reversed on the lens is how I carry it and then I forget to flip it round, so yes I am the problem
On the 24-70 f/4 it's always on. Shooting into low winter sun in the Peak it makes a visible difference to contrast, more so with a filter on the front. On the 40mm I can't be bothered... cheers
the little vented metal hood on the 23 is half the reason i bought it tbh. looks cool. does it do anything? no idea. i have never once shot into the sun on purpose so probably not
f8andbethere said:looks cool. does it do anything? no idea
This is the honest answer I was looking for.
Dust and the odd cholla spine. Out here the hood has saved my front element more than once brushing past a cactus on a trail. Optically it matters most with the big zooms pointed toward the sun at sunset. Petra, on a pancake I'd skip it too.
I lose roughly one hood a year. Somewhere in London there is a pile of Sony hoods and I want them back
Rain shield, proper. In Edinburgh the hood is what keeps the drops off the front element for the first ten minutes. After that nothing helps, but those ten minutes count... the petal one on my 8-25 is useless for it mind, too short. I keep a cloth tucked in my glove and hope for the best. Most of my Scottish landscape shots have at least one drop on them somewhere if you look closely enough, so I just call it character now