Every photographer has struggled with lighting at some point in time, especially beginner photographers. While daylight brings bright skies and golden hours, some of our favorite shooting conditions, stray rays of sunlight can present a unique challenge to photographers. Maybe you’ve seen it before in a picture you’ve taken yourself! The washed-out look and streak of light across the photo are easily recognizable as the light reflects off the glass of your lens.
A petal lens hood, sometimes called a tulip lens hood, is easily recognizable by its numerous curved edges. When a petal lens hood is mounted on your camera, the petals should appear longer at the top, bottom, and sides of the lens. The purpose of the petal lens hood is to avoid flare while still allowing for optimal lighting conditions. Petal lens hoods are especially useful when shooting with a wide-angle lens, as they’re able to block out light from the four corners of the camera without appearing in your images.
Cylindrical or round lens hoods usually appear only slightly wider than the camera lens's diameter. This type of camera lens hood is great at blocking out stray light and improving image contrast. Round camera lens hoods are also great to use in inclement weather conditions, as they help keep debris and moisture off the camera lens. Shop our selection of cylindrical and petal lens hoods online at Tuttle Cameras. For lens hood advice and help finding a lens hood for your camera please reach out to our team of experts!
Unfortunately, camera lens hoods are not universal. You won’t be able to unscrew your lens hood from a Canon camera and put it on a Sony per se. Before shopping for a camera lens hood, ensure that you’ve done your research to make sure it’ll fit on your specific camera!
