Can lens accessories be used interchangeably?

Question

I have noticed that filters seem to be brand agnostic, i.e., they can be used with any lens as long as the diameter matches. Is this true for other lens accessories like hoods and lens caps as well? For ex., can a Nikon hood be used on a Canon lens with a matching diameter? I understand that the focal length range would govern the extent of vignetting, but will the hood fit?

The reason behind my question is that first party accessories are not always available, and was wondering whether they could be substituted.

Answer 1

In general hoods are not interchangeable, the mounting mechanism is more complex than a screw thread. There are probably examples of hoods that can be shared but this is the exception rather than the rule. You can buy generic rubber hoods which are designed to fit on most lenses.

The same is true of tripod collars, unless you're lucky.

There is a large amount of interchangeability with lens caps, as these are usually mounted with sprung loaded clips onto the filter threads. Sometimes foreign / generic caps won't fit quite as well as the manufacturer's.

Finally lens cases/bags can be mixed provided they are roughly the correct size.

Answer 2

There are third party hoods available. Generally, these screw onto the filter thread of the lens, making them mountable on any lens with that filter size. Whether or not the hood will vignette depends on the angle of view of the lens.

Usually, I use the manufacturer's hood, but there are exceptions. For example, I use a Pentax domed hood on my Fuji X100. It is less bulky and more protective than the Fuji version.

I've never used a hood from this site, but you could create your own hood based on the templates here:

http://www.lenshoods.co.uk/

Answer 3

the original hoods mostly use bayonet mount which it different for particular brands. There are two ways:

1) buy generic hood with screw mount (like a filter) - mostly the cheapest solution, but has also disadvantages - slower removing, problem with changing filters etc.

2) buy third party one - for example - I needed hood for my Pentax 18-55 kit lens - original is called Pentax PH-RBA. It is relatively expensive (for a piece of plastic), but I found a third party solution on Ebay - now only for 5 USD - this has the same type of mount as the original one.

So it should not be a big problem to find similar one for your camera. :-)