Camera Parts

Thanks for visiting our site!
Lens Hood
Checkout Ebay Auctions For The Cheapest Prices

Check out Amazon:

Account limit of 2000 requests per hour exceeded.

Here are some more information for Lens Hood:

You must have seen the flower like contraption fixed in front of many telephoto lenses. Sometimes, u find them on normal lenses also; what do they do ? If you have had the chance to see a professional movie camera at work, you would have seen a device like an elephants ear fixed to the front of the camera; these are called matte boxes.

Lens Hoods

The basic purpose of these devices are to prevent glare and lens flares. Now, coming to lens hoods, again, there are different variants. The basic variant is similar to a lamp shade; these are used on lens that work in higher parts of the tele zoom region; because the angle of vision is narrow at these regions, they wont cause vignetting by blocking the field of view of the lens . Now a days, we have lenses that can range from wide to telephoto regions. When using such a lens, we cant use the normal lens hoods because, they will cause vignetting by coming in the field of view of the lens.

Design Considerations

This problem is solved by using specially designed lens hoods that are designed by taking into consideration the vertical and horizontal angle of vision separately. Usually, the horizontal angle of vision is greater than the vertical and sunlight coming from the vertical angle. This prompts for a design that is more like a petal or a flower. The hood for each lens needs to be designed by taking into consideration the angles of that lens to prevent vignetting. Lens hood also serve the purpose of protecting the lens from physical damage. Some lens hoods for prosumer camera models have the provision of fixing filters or teleconverters on them. In the world of macro photography, shorter lens hoods are available that have rings of LEDs fixed to them that enable proper lighting of the subject at close ranges. These hoods are extremely versatile and provide a better degree of freedom for the photographer. They sometimes have the battery packs etc integrated on them; this can some time make the camera a bit more front heavy affecting stability.

Matte Box

These are used mainly in the video segments than in the stills segment because, they give the ability to adjust the length of the fins. The fins are called French Flags and the ability to adjust the french flags give them a higher degree of freedom and flexibility. They are used in still photography also but less prominently and are mostly limited to controlled environments like a studio; this is mainly because of the big size of the matte box. They also serve the purpose of providing a place to fix glass or plastic filters. Matte boxes are used more in the video segment because, they are mostly shot in controlled environments. Matte boxes are sometimes made by the photographer himself to suite his needs. There are companies manufacturing them also and mostly, they are not camera or lens dependent because, they have adjustable components.

A hybrid of the two was developed that gave adjustable petals on a lens hood but, they did not do too well and have gone off the market now.

So when buying a lens for your DSLR, it is recommended that you buy its lens hood also because, it does give you an advantage when shooting in direct sunlight. It will give you better contrast and your pictures will look more vibrant when you use lens hoods because, it prevents angular sunlight from falling on your lens's front elements. The photo given below should explain better.

To view the full articles with pictures, Visit the Link:
http://www.randomequations.com/2008/11/02/lens-hoods/

Shereena Vysakh is a Pro Photography Hobbiest Blogging at RandomEquations

Why I use Sigma Macro Lens

In my profession as a photographer, I rely on the materials I have, the camera and the lens. Currently I am using Nikon D80 and the lens I have is Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC Macro HSM which I am really fond of.

I want to discuss about this lens in particular and why I liked this so much. Sigma 18-50 mm has a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, complete with minimum distance of 20cm (7.9") and a maximum magnification of 1:3, making it ideal for close-up photography. It is specifically designed to suit the characteristics of a digital SLR camera which provides a high level of optical performance.

And because it is F2.8 this lens can take fast photography meaning it can be used for sports and any fast moving objects, also this eliminates blur from photos. The design is incorporate with both glass-mold and hybrid aspherical lens technology by which offers superior peripheral brightness, extreme high image quality as well as a compact and lightweight construction. Special Low Dispersion (SLD) and Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD) glass elements provided with excellent correction of color aberrations.

Another feature it provides is the super multi-layer coating that reduces flare and ghosting which is a common problem with digital cameras. A high quality image is assured throughout the entire zoom range. Also an inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation making the lens particularly suitable for using the petal-type lens hood (supplied) plus circular polarizing filters.

The sigma macro lens is as useful as you can get, it can help you in your professional aspiration as a photographer. There might be a comparison with other camera lenses but I can proudly agree upon that the sigma macro lens is one of the best camera lenses I have ever used.

About the Author

John Christian Smith is a writer and a freelance photographer. John Christian Smith also writes for the http:// sigma-macro-lens.com and http:// nikon-macro-lens.com

Is it practical to use a lens hood and a polarizing filter at the same time?

I know I'd be unable to rotate the filter, but would that have any significant consequences in my pictures?

Yes it is practical and it is not redundant as they are both designed to achieve very different effects.

A lens hood prevents extraneous light from striking the lens and causing lens flare. A polarizer filters out non-polarized light to achieve specific effects. (Darker skies, less reflections in glass, being able to see deeper into water, and more saturated colors.)

You can read more about polarizers here:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/polarizers.shtml

I use both a polarizer and lens hood often. The only bump in the road may be if you have a circular polarizer lens hood that don't work well together. Occasionally with a non-thread mount lens hood (one that comes with the lens) there is no room for your fingers to rotate the polarizer while the hood is mounted. The solution is to dial the polarizer to the desired amount BEFORE you mount the lens hood. Voila!

More Photos
It’s not necessary to travel far to improve one’s nature photography skills. Great subjects may be as near as the backyard garden. Here are a few tips for making the most of your time, camera gear and budget.

Thanks for visiting!