The bayonet mount ALC-SH157 Lens Hood for FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens from Sony is used to block stray light from entering the lens and causing lens flare. It also protects the lens from accidental impact in case the lens is dropped or slammed against a wall, and it serves as a replacement if the original that came with the lens is lost.
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Just to add a vote to the "works as it should" side. My original lens hood suffered damage to its threads from a drop and my efforts to to get the now-cross-threaded lens hood off. I could put it back on after removal using a hair dryer to soften the material enough to get it off using considerable force but because of the damage to the threads it wouldn't stay put reliably. The new one, straight out of the box, fits perfectly and locks on like the original lens hood did before the drop.
I use a lens hood almost all the time; for the Sony 200-600 my primary reason is to protect the end of the lens, secondary to mitigating any flare which I rarely encounter. In spite of the fact that it was pretty hart to mount either forward or backward, and did fall off a number of times, the hood that came with got a lots of opportunities to protect the end of the lens that finally cost it its life. It fell off one last time because a stretch of the inner plastic ring broke off. I have to say, this replacement hood mounted relatively easily and gave out a nice firm CLICK when secured. So I suspect whether this hood is a good one for your lens or not may depend on when and where it was made (this replacement hood says Made in Philippines quite prominently, whereas the original one had no such proclamation on it). Please wish my new hood a long and effective life!