Can anyone recommend a lens hood for a Nikon AF-S DX VR II 18-55 mm lens?
Can anyone recommend a lens hood for a Nikon AF-S DX VR II 18-55 mm lens?
If I were you, I would use the original from Nikon
Erwin
I would do what I did when virtually no lenses shipped with lens hoods, I used my hand as a shade on those rare occasions that I needed to shoot towards the sun or another bright light source. It's a technique I still use a lot today; I shoot many of my outdoor shots with a polarizer, so can't use a hood.
Here in Switzerland we can buy the Lens Hood HB-69, according to Nikon fitting the said lens.
I do not know whether it is shipped or available "over there"
Your tip to shade with your hand is a sound advice - I use it in situations, when the lens hood is not "long/good" enough.
Erwin
Could be Erwin; I have the older version of that lens (I just noticed that he has the VR II model), and so far as I can tell neither version ships (or shipped in the case the discontinued VR version) with a lens hood here.
Nikon does have the HB-69 listed as an accessory that can be purchased on their website.
Yeah, Nikon seems to be doing this kind of nickle-and-diming lately. When I bought the 18-140 I had to buy the lens hood separately.
Here is a link. I believe this is the lens hood I use with this lens. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...l/prm/alsVwDtl
I suppose it may be more expensive than some other options, such as the one listed on the web page as a cheaper alternative.
However, this one works well for me. It is always on my lens, except for the rare situation where you are using a flash as close range then it can throw an unwanted shadow on the subject. Plus I think it makes the lens look better
Once I lost this lens hood on the trail, (but was able to go back and find it) because for a while I never had put it on the right way. You need to turn it really hard and then it clips, but if you don't know that you may screw it on part way and not know it isn't really on properly.
I don't use Canon OEM hoods for my Canon lenses which did not come with hoods.
Instead, I purchase Chinese Knock Offs which have always done the job quite well at a tiny fraction of the OEM cost. These hoods do the job as well as Canon OEM hoods. Granted the do not have a flocked interior but the flocking is simply a dust catcher.
I always use a lens hood. In fact, when I travel, I carry an extra hood of each type I am using. Many Canon hoods (both OEM and Chinese) tend to fall off quite easily. I have recently followed the lead of news photographers and used gaffer's tape to secure the hood in place. Gaffer's tape advantage is that it doesn't leave residue on the equipment.
I have also replaced all of my Side-Pinch Canon OEM lens caps with Chinese made Center-Pinch caps simply because they are far better. It is much easier to remove and replace a center-pinch cap when you are using a lens hood. Canon has had a wake-up call and is now supplying some hoods as center-pinch.
BTW: When I want to use a CPL filter on my 70-200mm f/4L IS lens, I replace the OEM hood with a generic 67mm screw-in lens hood. I can then turn the filter simply by turning the hood...
I wish that hoods like this Pentax hood were available for Canon lenses. This hood would make using a CPL very easy...
Richard - I've looked at the slotted lens hood and they appear to have one major flaw - the slot that allows you to adjust the polarizer also lets the light that one is trying to block hit the filter / lens, so to a large extent negates the effect of having a lens hood.
When shooting polarizers I primarily use my hand as a shield (which works very well) or in cases where I can't, I'll just pop the proper lens hood onto the lens.
My Pentax hoods have a section at the bottom that slides in and out so you can access a PL filter only when you need to. A neat design and one that limits flare.
Manfred, I believe that the Pentax hood slot opens for adjusting the CPL and closes when you are shooting.
Problem with using a hand to shield the lens, the hand can only cover a portion of the area. Additionally, I like to use two hands to hold the camera.
It seems that some enterprising Chinese manufacturer might make a copy of the Pentax hood (with a slot that will open and close) that would fit some of the more popular Canon and Nikon lenses. I, for one, would purchase a hood like that for some of my Canon glass...
Whoops! I didn't read Robin's comment above...
When I bought my Nikon a decade ago I was shocked that it didn't even have a thread for a hood but I guess the Nikon lens are so good they do not need a hood? But quite contrary to how I was brought up. I stuck a step-up ring to my Nikon but have never used a hood, don't have one, but in addition to hands I look for things like telegraph poles when shooting towards the sun etc. I do such things with my Panasonic cameras too because their petal hood are really a joke but what is the answer short of a bellows hood for a zoom lens? Perhaps they all think that we all obey the instruction to have the sun behind us
Sounds like a good idea, but one that I probably would not need.
When shooting with a polarizer and trying to darken the sky, I am usually not shooting with an extremely wide angle lens and am somewhere close to shooting at a right angle to the sun position, so don't really need a lens hood.
If I am shooting to get rid of glare, generally the sun is not striking the front surface of my lens, so again for the shot the hood is not necessary.
I guess shooting the way I do, the minor inconvenience of having the adjust the polarizer and pop a hood back on occasionally is not too much of an issue, when my hand won't do. I usually shoot landscapes from a tripod, so I do have a free hand.
I searched a lot for cheap lens hood for 18-55 and ended up preparing one with cardboard at home. Only reason was not happy to shell out money on mere plastic piece.