Finding the right lens hood is almost impossible

[Pete]

Hi, when I visited Moscow last March I managed to get a cheap 70-300 http://www.sigma-photo.com/lenses/le...03&navigator=3. It was cheap because most goods that come into Russia come via the Trans Siberian Railway and it only cost me about 70 British Pounds/3522 Rubles/131 US dollars.
Now the hood in the pic was given to me along with the lens, But! I hate the hood, it looks like a Thermos flask cup or as the mrs said, a plant pot.
Now I have really tried to locate a hood that has got the tulip type ends but about the same size and of course fittings as the plant pot.
I tried eBay but was very dissapointed being that it had threads and the one I want is push and turn.

Can someone please tell me how I can obtain a nice big long tulip hood for this lens please. There must be some somewhere.

Regards
Pete
UK

[Rokcet Scientist]

Originally Posted by Pete

Hi, when I visited Moscow last March I managed to get a cheap 70-300 http://www.sigma-photo.com/lenses/le...03&navigator=3. It was cheap because most goods that come into Russia come via the Trans Siberian Railway and it only cost me about 70 British Pounds/3522 Rubles/131 US dollars.
Now the hood in the pic was given to me along with the lens, But! I hate the hood, it looks like a Thermos flask cup or as the mrs said, a plant pot.
Now I have really tried to locate a hood that has got the tulip type ends but about the same size and of course fittings as the plant pot.
I tried eBay but was very dissapointed being that it had threads and the one I want is push and turn.

Can someone please tell me how I can obtain a nice big long tulip hood for this lens please. There must be some somewhere.

'Tulip' or 'petal' hoods are for relative wide angles. 70mm sure ain't that. You don't need a tulip hood for that lens. In fact it would look slightly ridiculous on it.

[Max@Home]

Hi Pete,

hoods are not made to look good on a lens, but to protect the lens from 'flaring' lights/reflections from the sides.

In your case, you have received the 'exact right' hood, dedicatedly designed and made for your lens, to give it the best protection without introducing light fall off (vignetting) in the corners.

Like W. Smith said, 'petal' or 'tulip' hoods are for wide(r) angled lenses, where the risk of loosing light in the corners is more imminent, and would do your telelens more harm than good.

So, whether or not it looks stupid, the one you have right now is the best one you could get.

More so, if you are shooting a 'cropped' camera body, your 70mm gives you a ~110mm FoV, even more tele, even more reason to stick with the one you have and *not* get a 'petal' one...

...just *my* €0.02 worth...

Kindest regards!

Max@Home

[Pete]

Thanks guys, well I suppose I'll be best off to stick with it. Maybe I could wrap something around the outside to make it look snazzy, I mean a nice thought out job, not something held on with a elastic band.

[aam1234]

You might try putting a sticker of your favorite team/camera/city on it, it could help making it "snazzy"

[Rokcet Scientist]

Originally Posted by Pete

Thanks guys, well I suppose I'll be best off to stick with it. Maybe I could wrap something around the outside to make it look snazzy, I mean a nice thought out job, not something held on with a elastic band.

How about a thin red line/circle around it. Makes it look like a top-of-the-line pro hood . . . (to the un-initiated!).

[Max@Home]

M@H

[Blinky]

You could give this a try...

Printable Lens Hoods

[Rokcet Scientist]

[softfocus]

This is yet another advantage that the 1.X crop factor CCD cameras have over full-frame. My 10D and 20D work quite well with cheap aftermarket lens hoods.