I see a lot of people out and about using nice cameras who do not use a lens hood on the front end of an attached lens. Why should you use a lens hood?
Using a lens hood can help stop lens flare from showing up on your photos. The hood helps stop light entering the lens from the sides causing lens flare. A lens hood can help with the color and contrast of your photos by stopping light from coming into the lens from the side of the lens. Try taking a photo on a sunny day with the sun at at your side and you may see notice the image is washed out. Using a lens hood can help stop that from happening. Also a lens hood can help protect the face of the lens from finger prints and can help prevent a more serious issue like the lens getting scratched.
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