Use it, or remove it (enclosure components)?

[Paco II]

I'm so newbie with underwater photography, I'm not even sure this is the right place to ask this, but here I go:

Just picked up my first ever camera enclosure. It has a remove LCD hood. In what scenarios should this hood be left on, and in what scenarios should it be removed?

Also, why is the lens caps attached (via strap)? Should that be removed entirely before starting a dive, or does one in fact leave that on, and during the dive removes it and puts it back on?

Thanks for the assistance!

 

[Larry C]

The hood should be used on bright sunny days, so you can see the LCD screen at shallower depths. If you leave the lens cap hanging on that stupid string, it will float in front of your port and ruin your best shots. Take it off and use it topside, just don't let your camera hang and drag on the reef (which you shouldn't do anyway).

 

[Paco II]

Larry, thanks so much for the reply. I know these must seem like silly questions, but I figure better look silly here on SB than getting terrible shots