It’s not necessary to use lens hood all the time but there are some benefits of using it. Lets discuss what are the benefits of using it and then you can decide whether you want to use it or not.
Benefits of using lens hood
First thing is it helps to remove stray light from different source. It prevents light from hitting the front lens elements from sides which will reduce contrast and create flare caused by excess light. Generally pictures taken using lens hood are much clear with rich colors, balanced contrast and deeper saturation.
Second purpose of using lens hood is to protect your lens. You pay couple hundred dollars to thousands of dollars for your favorite lens and you might want to protect it against any accidental physical damage or scratch on the front elements of lens. Lots of people and I also use it all the time to protect my Nikkor 18-200mm VR II lens. Good quality lens hood are made of strong and good quality plastic which can prevent your lens from accidental scratch or damage. It doesn’t cost a lot. You can buy lens hood from $10 to $100 depending upon quality and I believe average price is $30. So why not spend that much money to protect your several hundred or thousand dollars lens?
When not to use lens hood?
Personally I found extra shadow in photographs when I use lens hood in dark area and shooting with built-in flash. I think it’s probably because the height of the flash is not much and hood might get in the way and cause a strange shadow.
Some photographers don’t like to use lens hood when they are using polorizer. But I use UV filter and hood all the time together and I am very happy with it so far.
If you want to discuss further on this topic or any other topics, you can also join our discussion forum where you can signup for free as a member and post your own questions, reply to other's, share your pictures and communicate with other fellow members. Want to register? Please click here.
About UM3$H
Is a petal hood superior to the round one ? and why ?
I think it’s always topic of discussion. But let me clear as much as I can. If you use with wide angle lens, petal is good which is short. And if you want to use with telephoto zoom lens, round works good. Most of the photographers think petal hood blocks much light and shade image around the corners effectively and creates more rectangular image than rounded hood.
I use petal hood all the time with my 18-200mm VR lens. It works great.