Anyone familiar with Hoodman (http://www.hoodmanusa.com/) or Screen-Shade LCD hoods (http://www.screen-shade.com)? Or any others for that matter?

Thanks.

Dennis Vogel

I use a hoodman on several cameras. I like it and so do the directors.

I use this inexpensive Petrol hood on my PDX-10 (which was included as a bonus by Sony). They also make models for other size screens http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=273027&is=REG. It's a big help and actually allows you to use the LCD outside on a sunny day.

Boyd, thanks.

What's the two-piece design? I can't make out from the picture at B&H what's what. It just looks like one-piece.

The unit looks like solid plastic but another site mentioned it was part cloth. Can you briefly describe it's composition?

Many thanks.

Dennis Vogel

Funny, I couldn't figure it out myself when it arrived! It was a Sony promotion where you sent in a coupon from the camera and they sent the hood. But no instructions, and it was a flat piece of plastic, a nylon thing and a strap. It was like an origami project - I ended up searching the net for photos just to figure out how it went together!

Anyway, it is part hard and soft. There's piece of black ABS plastic that you fold, which forms the outermost hood itself. Then there's a nylon thing with buckles and pieces of plastic inside that velcro's to the hood. The nylon thing has elastic straps to wrap around the LCD screen.

I wouldn't want to take it apart again because I probably couldn't figure out the folding of the nylon part without a photo. It's a very clever design, but for $20 don't expect a miracle either. The link I gave was for the 3.5" model; they also make a 2" hood.

Boyd makes a good point about the petrol hood: it doesn't fold up for easy storage as the Hoodman does. I have both hoods, but my choice is the Hoodman.

Hmm, sounds like foldability is a desirable trait. That's what caught my eye on the Screen-Shade hood. It looks like a bellows from a view camera, albeit much smaller. It appears that it would fold down easily for storage. It doesn't appear anyone here has used one so I'm going on what it looks like on their web site.

Good luck.

Dennis Vogel

I made my own by cutting a trial shape from cardboard. After several iterations (ie mistakes) I used this as a pattern to cut out the final product from a black plastic folder (that I bought at the local newsagent for a couple of dollars). I used Gaffer tape along the joins (to let it fold flat) and held it onto the camera LCD with a couple of rubber bands.

A bit 'Heath Robinson' but it works!

The Screen-Shade people told me that the largest camcorder hood they make is 3". It would cover a portion of the 3.5" diagonal LCD on my Pana PV DV-953 so I'm going to consider Hoodman most likely.

Dennis