Are Phottix lens hoods any good?

[Surge]

Has anyone tried Phottix lens hoods?

I'm looking at the Phottix EW-73B for a Canon 18-135mm lens http://www.phottix.com/en/ew-73b.html which costs R99 and appears to clip on the outside of the lens just like Canon's lens hood.
I just can't see how Canon can charge R350 to R400 for such a small piece of plastic.

[Johann van Staden]

I'm not qualified to offer a direct answer to your question, but you may find the following reading material of value -

http://toothwalker.org/optics/lenshood.html

[Roberto]

You may also want to consider investigating in rubber collapsible lens hoods.

[Peter Veitch]

Any lens hood is better than none provided it does not obscure the image you are taking. Let me explain my point of view .. it is a mechanical first line of defense against front element damage and will certainly permit a better image than a cheap filter which may cost 3x what your cheap lens hood does. Just make sure that it has some form of non-reflective lining on it's inner surface which the Canon will have.

[Henk Coetzee]

Has anyone tried Phottix lens hoods?

I'm looking at the Phottix EW-73B for a Canon 18-135mm lens http://www.phottix.com/en/ew-73b.html which costs R99 and appears to clip on the outside of the lens just like Canon's lens hood.
I just can't see how Canon can charge R350 to R400 for such a small piece of plastic.

Easy. Canon are just following a trend in the market, although other manufacturers give you a hood (however crappily built) with the lens. Also, feel lucky that you can actually get a hood out of Canon. I need to replace one of these and apart from the price, nobody who sells them wants to actually sell you one.

If the Phottix is a direct replacement for the Canon, go for it. If you need to pay a lot for courier fees, buy a spare.

IMNSHO the collapsible rubber hoods are the worst option. They don't provide much protection and get in the way. You may want to look at the cheap metal hoods on ebay. I have one on one of my lenses and will probably order a few more for some other lenses which don't have hoods.

[Surge]

I'm not qualified to offer a direct answer to your question, but you may find the following reading material of value -

http://toothwalker.org/optics/lenshood.html

Very informative reading. Thanks!

[Amanda Watson]

I used a Phottix lens hood and it can be a pain on zoom lenses when you're not zoomed out. I then bought Hoya rubber hoods and use them instead.