The lens hood is a highly valued accessory because it helps reduce the flares produced by the sun or other bright light sources. The only problem is that not only do they shade your lens, but they create a shade in your wallet as well.
For those of us on a budget, Lenshoods.co.uk offers FREE lens hoods, with a variety of manufacturers and lens sizes available. Most of the popular optics and brands are all covered, and you can request the site to create one for you if it’s not listed. The photo above is a sample of the diagram for an A4 Petal hood for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II.
How does it work? You simply download the PDF file, print the diagram, cut and assemble the lens hood and connect it to your camera. You might want to print it on rigid material such as cardboard, and you may also want to secure it with some tape. Nevertheless, you get a lens hood that is portable, and best of all, free. It might not be the real thing, but it’s both nifty and thrifty.
For DSLRs and 35mm SLRs, visit Lenshoods.co.uk
For DSLRs with 1.5x and 1.6x crop sensors, go to Lenshoods.net