Camera Labs

Out of interest how old is this lens? Ie how long has it been on the market.

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Aidan Hill. com
Nikon D7000 | Nikon 70-200MM f/2.8G VR II | Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM | Tokina 11-16mm F2.8| iMac 27" | MacBook Pro 13" | Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Bag |

Hello
Just picked one of these up S/H as new condition in the box.
Didn't get a lens hood with it though so not sure if its been lost or ever had one.
As far as i can make out it should of come with the BH-77A, should i bother going looking for a replacement or not worry too much about it?
Would it cause vignetting anyway at 11mm?
Cheers

Definitely get a lens hood. No it wont cause vignetting because it was designed to be used at the widest focal length. The contrast hoods add is amazing.

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Nikon D5000 and D300 with 12-24mm, 35mm f1.8, 50mm f1.4, 60mm f2.8 Macro, 18-200mm, 17-55mm f2.8 (all Nikon)

Ok sounds like its worth looking for one then.
The original seems a little bit hard to come by and an expensive bit of plastic going by what i have seen so far.
Do you think the 3rd party hoods that use the 77mm thread would be ok?
I've seen the adjustable rubber ones and the petal style hoods like this, a lot more realistic price as well.
So a hood on any lens would give more contrast then? Not thought about that one...

Personally I wouldn't worry about using a lens hood on an ultra wide angle zoom lens like this. While they can prevent unwanted flare from light outside shot getting in, since you're at such a wide angle anyway the difference between unwanted light being in shot and out of shot is tiny. In the rare case where there is a flare source just out of shot, I use my hand as a temporary block.

If you really do want a hood, you do need to watch out for the coverage. Hoods designed for longer focal lengths will most likely cause hard vignetting.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

OK, a bit of a gamble then getting a 3rd party hood.
I think l'll see how i get on with it, there's not much direct sun light here in the UK at the moment...

Are you using a filter on it? I'd get a hood just to stop things from getting near that bulbous front element.

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Graham
Flickr

I was thinking that myself, though i thought a UV filter might make the flares worse.
I might try a cheap hood off Ebay and take a gamble..
Been out with it today for the first time, yet to have a look at what i got.