First of all, I think if you spend this kind of money for the lens, it should some with a lens hood. I guess I'll never understand why Canon is so stingy in this regard.The hood works as described, exterior plastic does scratch easily (like all Canon lens hoods) and, as another reviewer pointed out, you have to remove the lens cap before putting on the lens hood. Also, I wish there were a way to use the hood in conjunction with the MR-14EX ringlight flash, but it's one or the other.When I first got the lens, I tried to do without the hood, but was losing some contrast and getting some interference from other light sources, the hood fixed that.