In my experience, youre better off with the Sigma LH780-06 Lens Hood despite the price. I've tried many generic ones like the Fotasy 72mm Tulip Lens Hood and they just dont stay on during a wedding.

• Sigma original: locks perfectly but might vignette at 18mm with thick VNDs.
• Generic petals: way cheaper but feel like junk. Ngl, just zoom to 20mm if the corners get dark.

Adding my two cents here since youre on a tight deadline... if youre worried about the vignetting at 18mm with that VND, you might want to consider a screw-in wide angle hood instead of the bayonet style. The Sigma LH780-06 Lens Hood is bulky and can clip into the frame if your filter stack is thick. I would suggest looking at the Sensei 72mm Wide-Angle Metal Lens Hood because it sits on the filter threads and usually has a lower profile that clears the corners better. Just be careful with generic plastic ones. If they dont click in perfectly, they rotate and you get black chunks in your corners without realizing it. If you want a cheaper replica that actually fits tight, the Vello LH-780-06 Dedicated Lens Hood is usually better than random brands. Make sure to test it at 18mm before the wedding starts... Phoenix sun is no joke and flares will mess up your shots.

Ive spent years fighting glare in the desert, so be careful with those tulip shapes. If you want to avoid vignetting, I would suggest looking at the Vello 72mm Collapsible Rubber Lens Hood. In my experience, the three-position design is a lifesaver when youre stacking a VND. Just make sure to check your corners at 18mm; Ive missed that before and it ruined some shots. Its way cheaper than the Sigma one too.

Saw this earlier but finally getting around to responding. Like someone mentioned, the official Sigma hood is really the only one that feels secure on the lens, but unfortunately, it is just not designed to handle a VND stack at 18mm. I have had issues with dark corners for years with this combo and it is honestly a huge letdown for such a sharp lens. Instead of just a different hood, you might want to look into using a step-up ring to a larger filter size, like 77mm or 82mm, and then using a wider hood meant for those larger diameters. This usually clears the frame better than any standard 72mm solution. However, you need to be very careful with this setup:

• Stacking rings and larger filters can make the front of the lens quite heavy, which puts a lot of strain on the zoom and focus barrels during a long day.
• Most generic wide hoods lack the proper internal flocking or matte finish, so you might actually get more glare from internal reflections in that Phoenix sun.
• If the mounting isn't perfectly flush, you will get uneven vignetting that only shows up on one side of the frame, which is easy to miss on a small monitor. It is really disappointing that there is not a more elegant solution for this specific lens. Honestly, if you go with a non-standard setup, just be prepared for it to feel a bit more cumbersome than the original. Just watch those corners and be wary of any light leaks hitting the sensor from the side.

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