So for a while I kept it together with gaffer tape, but today I decided to give a shot to a more permanent repair.
So, put some superglue in/on the crack (I found that a toothpick was a nice disposable tool for this), then added a hooping(*) made from three zip ties, also superglued in place.
Cut the excess ties with a soldering iron, and behold the finished product:
Loving the battered look
(*) must be a nod to my wine-growing and barrel-making ancestors
I usually don’t shoot with a lens hood, never have. I just took the hood off of my new voigtlander 15mm lens and it required a small screw driver. I did not like that, and this is the one lens that probably needs it.
I find that they are a better protection against shocks than filters, so I keep them on. A big hood like this also protects against sand, spray, insects… because the lens is fairly recessed.
Optically, I have seen some difference (better contrast with the hood).
Fewer parasitic reflections. When I use this thing it is very often in challenging lighting conditions (back lighting, or reflections on surf, so plenty of occasions for parasitic light to show up).
My Sigma lens came with 2 lens hoods, one for FF (full-frame) and the other for APS-C. I used the FF one since it’s the only one that can be reverse-mounted onto the lens to save space, but I need to try the smaller one and see how much it helps me, since I also struggled with lens flare when shooting backlit scenes.
But let’s be honest, lens hoods are mostly there to make the camera look more professional
I own a Tokina 11-20 2.8. Shooting without a lens hood would be pootographic suicide. It’s a nice lens, but it reacts on light from the side like a vampire on garlic.
You could be right! I soaked up the dogma: use the lens hood or all of your pictures will be ruined by flare!. OK, OK… I confess: I never really experimented to see if that is actually true!
And now I feel naked without a lens hood. And embarrassed if seen using the lens with hood reversed. 'Cos that’s how one recognises the unprofessionals. Right?
