Lens hoods

We are currently working on a review of a superb digital camera, the Olympus PEN E-P3 with the Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens combination.  

When we opened the box we noticed that there is no lens hood Included. This is a problem with really compact lenses for several reasons so we looked for solutions. All of the 37mm diameter lens hoods we have on hand caused vignetting at 14mm. So we went to Amazon.com and ordered an EzFoto 37mm Silver Wide Metal Lens Hood. It’s designed for 14mm wide angle lenses and only cost $9.29 with free shipping!

It came a couple of days later by UPS and it was perfect. The outside metal color perfectly matched the lens color and look while the inside was a light absorbing black. It didn’t have a lens cap but we had a 58mm Olympus brand lens cap on hand that fit perfectly.

It’s a mystery to me why companies don’t provide a lens shade with an $800 plus camera/lens combo. If a company like EzFoto can sell one for under $10 and turn a profit then why can’t Olympus just throw one in the box?