Shorter sturdy hood for 500/f4 IS

[ilia]

<p>After reading this 5yr old post from Gary Luhm:<br>

http://garyluhm.net/handheld-super-telephoto-lens-hood/<br>

I started thinking why am I tolerating the unweildy ET-138 hood, and don't just go and buy a can of nuts at Costco for DIY project ;). Do you know of anyone who makes a sturdy version of the hood that does not add 1ft to the length of the lens? I'm rarely shooting "into the sun", and the main reason for keeping the hood in place is to avoid snow/drizzle/damage to the front element, so 1-2 inches of plastic should work...</p><div></div>

[dcstep]

<p>At least it's light.</p>

[Robin Smith]

<p>Why not leave it off if it annoys you? I suspect it will be fine flare-wise unless in exceptional situations.</p>

[dcstep]

<p>I'd be too afraid of damaging that huge front element if I left mine off. These types of lenses tend to be exposed to lots of twigs, limbs and other potentially harmful stuff as we trudge through the woods with two cameras. Going naked would be risky, IMO.</p>

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>Yes - I shoot without a hood in Thailand - birds in flight...not a problem with flare yet and I am surprised (pleasantly).</p>

[Marcus Ian]

<p>With the knob locked ones, a DIY project is pretty easy. Plus, with a heavy cardboard tube w/ some duct tape, and some bailing wire, such a hood would likely absorb much more damage, without transmitting shocks to the lens/camera (ie, act as a bit of a shock absorber), plus, if it does get damaged, You don't have to replace the the ET-138 (what? about $500? ;) )</p>