> >For those of you who own the 50/1.4, have you found >the NEED to use/purchase the accessory hood?
I have the 50/1.4 and love it. It really is both my "prime" lens as well as my "normal" lens for everyday use. I estimate I take about 95% of my shots with it. The rest I take with my 24/2.8. I'm also buying a 100/2.8 Macro, so you can say that I like my lenses prime. That being said, hoods are essential. They've protected my lenses numerous times from dings that would have scratched or damaged the unit. Once on a winter shoot in Maine, I slipped in an ice field (2" thick ice on rocks, very dangerous) and my entire rig went smashing down. The 50/1.4 attached to my EOS-3 hit the ice, but it hit a glancing blow off the hood, which dissipated most of the energy. Not a scratch anywhere and the lens works just great. That's what has sold me on the pro class bodies and lenses. I think the 50/1.4 hood is particularly well designed because it attaches to the solid lens body and not to the moving part of the glass. That means shocks to the hood go through body and not through the focusing gears. Smart design. Not all the hoods are like this. I rarely take shots without the hood, but you can really see the glare reduction when you put it on. Interestingly, EF lenses sold in Japan come with the hood (and carrying bag) as standard items. Perhaps Canon Japan and Japanese consumers are smarter than we are? Karen Nakamura * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
