>>3717033>Are these required in this day and age?It depends on the lens. Pancake Lenses have a small, recessed front element that is well protected and easy to clean.
Just show caution with more expensive lenses that you don't want to replace or repair. A tube-like hood can allow you to rest your camera face down to change lenses.
I was always shooting Astrophotography and left my lens hood at home. My long-exposure shots were turning out with a bright orange hue that washed out the pictures. It turned out to be a street light that was a considerable distance away. A hood would have stopped this.
>Lens coatings are quite good and I can't see any significant difference.Shooting even in the general direction of the sun can throw a lot of light at the lens, resulting in strong lens flare.
Those somewhat expensive optical coatings on your lens CAN be affected by sunscreen (which contains abrasive Zinc powder compounds suspended in penetrating oils). These can damage and lift the baked-on coatings.
I bought a new lens last year and was testing it in the city for a day. I bought a cheaper lens hood that was actually designed for a different lens... just to offer a little protection. I got corralled into a construction zone and a crowd of people pushed me at the wall... which was rough sandstone. The lens hood struck the wall and protected the hood.
I was at a convention a few years ago with the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens and because I was indoors, I chose not to put on a hood. A woman walked past me in the opposite direction and her diamond ring embedded itself into the glass on my filter, leaving a massive gash in it.
The cost of replacing a damaged front element has gone up 500% in recent years. It's always cheaper to protect a lens than to be forced to buy another. Repairing a damaged lens usually results in focus problems (due to descentering).
Lens hoods can take the impact if a lens is dropped. (see image)
