Ultimate Lens Hood (ULH) launched back in 2018 with a unique product that blocked reflections any time you took photos or videos through glass. This made it extremely useful for capturing images inside aquariums, outside a plane, or outside the tall windows on the top floors of high-rises, allowing you to take images as if the glass wasn’t even there. They’ve since made numerous versions of that original design. Their latest, the ULHpro, is the smallest one they’ve created to date.
Like previous versions, the new accessory can be used by simply putting it around your mirrorless camera’s lens, then pressing it against the glass once securely worn around the lens, so it’s a straightforward affair. Unlike them, this one comes with suction cups designed to attach securely to glass surfaces, allowing you to set it up without having to hold the hood against the glass the entire time.
The ULHpro is billed as “the most significant update to the lineup yet” and they’re not lying. For one, it’s both lighter and smaller than previous versions, making it even easier to take to your shoots. Like other accessories in the line, it’s made using flexible silicone, allowing it to stretch to fit different lens sizes. According to the outfit, it can fit lenses from around 55mm in diameter to those exceeding 100mm. In case you want to try it with other lenses that doesn’t fit in that range, they also say that it should fit any lenses that can accept a filter thread that’s 52mm or bigger.
Once secured onto a lens, it acts as a miniature hood that blocks out all light from the sides to eliminate glare and reflections once it’s attached to the window. That’s right, unlike previous versions where you had to hold the hood against the glass to ensure it stayed in place, the new version comes with built-in suction cups that sticks to the glass. This eliminates the need to hold the hood at any point while it’s touching the glass, effectively freeing up one hand to do other things.
Aside from the ULHpro, the outfit is also introducing a variety of lens hoods to round out your collection. For instance, they have specifically for smartphones called ULHmobile, which consists of a hood with a clip that should be compatible with any modern smartphone. It features a 40mm opening to ensure compatibility even with future phone models and a flexible clip that can stretch for those times you’re using a thick phone case.
They also have the ULHaction, which is a hood designed to work with action cameras. According to ULH, it should fit the GoPro Hero 7 and newer models, as well as all DJI Osmo Action models, along with other similarly-sized action cams. In this case, though, the hood doesn’t just wear over the lens, instead having a flexible silicone construction that fits over the entire action cam body.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the ULHpro. Pledges start at $34. If you want all three, you can get them in a bundle for a $55 pledge.
