Having been repelled by both the price and size of the "official" Olympus lens hood for their (superb) new 75mm 1.8 lens, I stopped at B&H today, picked up a (58mm) B&W rubber hood, and am delighted with it.
First, it cost $18.95 (vs. $74.95). It is fully collapsable, and therefore adds only a few mm's of length when not in use (i.e no reason to take it off). So...lighter, much cheaper, and more convenient.
The only potential downsides that I can imagine are: soft (aside from the plastic ring), so not as protective of the lens; not as long or narrow as the Oly hood, so perhaps not as effective at preventing flare under some conditions; won't be as aesthetically pleasing to some eyes.
On balance, I couldn't be happier, and thought that as this terrific new lens begins to arrive here in the U.S., some might find this mini-review to be of use.
The SKU number for this hood at B&H is BWLHR58
First, it cost $18.95 (vs. $74.95). It is fully collapsable, and therefore adds only a few mm's of length when not in use (i.e no reason to take it off). So...lighter, much cheaper, and more convenient.
The only potential downsides that I can imagine are: soft (aside from the plastic ring), so not as protective of the lens; not as long or narrow as the Oly hood, so perhaps not as effective at preventing flare under some conditions; won't be as aesthetically pleasing to some eyes.
On balance, I couldn't be happier, and thought that as this terrific new lens begins to arrive here in the U.S., some might find this mini-review to be of use.
The SKU number for this hood at B&H is BWLHR58