BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Photo Equipment Tips & Tricks

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Care About Your Equipment?

I was at a Renaissance Fair yesterday and couldn't believe the people with expensive camera equipment hung over their shoulders and no lens caps on while walking through the crowd. Is this what everyone does? My lens cap goes back on the second I'm done. Maybe it's just me.

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August 13, 2006

Everett Forester

Darren,
Keep doing that. No matter what kind of camera you have, it's only as good as the lens. Dust and scraches will not help a photo !

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August 13, 2006

Bob Cammarata

My equipment stays packed away until I'm ready to shoot. On rare occasions, I'll sling a camera body with one of my favorite lenses over my shoulder on a strap if conditions warrant rapid deployment. Even then, the cap stays on and I instinctively cup my hand over the front of the lens when walking through thickets or heavy brush. It pays to be careful... Good glass doesn't come cheap.

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August 13, 2006

Bob Chance

In this day and age, I find more and more people who don't know the value of something. It's a disposable world full of expensive electronics that are here today, history tomorrow. Most people who know anything about photography know that it's the lens that makes the picture, not the camera.
My lens cap is always on, unless I'm shooting. Makes for some embarrasing moments when I go to shoot something only to look through a black viewfinder because I forgot to first take the cap off. But I would much rather be embarrassed then to have something smash against the front of my lens. And like Bob C. stated, good glass isn't cheap.
My zoom is a $1500 piece of glass and I'll admit, that while I'm shooting with it, the lens cap is replaced by the lens hood, which offers good enough protection from most anything. And again, like Bob C., I'll always cover the front of the lens if going through areas of dense brush or what-have-you.
It amazes me too, the number of people who own expensive camera bodies, and then put a cheap third party lens on it. I ran into a guy last year with the Canon 1d mark IIN? The high speed model that shoots 8 fps, coupled with some cheap little zoom, ?-300mm that was smaller than my 17-85mm. I would much rather spend the money on quality lens than a fast camera or one with more bells and whistles.

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August 13, 2006

Samuel Smith

lens hood no lens cap.i do that.

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August 13, 2006

- Gregory LaGrange

BetterPhoto Member

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This day and age has nothing to do with it. You're looking at tourist/snap shooters.
And it's relative to who and the situation. A working journalist will very likely keep a couple a cameras straped with caps off of both lenses. So it's not neccessarily something that has to do with somebody who's serious or not.

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August 13, 2006

Rebecca A. Steed

I was at a renaissance fair on the 12th too Darren. I was at Angelbachtal in Germany. If you were at that one, it's a small world.

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August 14, 2006

Christopher A. Vedros

My Sigma lenses came with rigid lens hoods. They do a good job of protecting the front element from bumps and I use them all the time, even when shooting indoors. But since the hoods are rather deep, it's very difficult to get the lens cap on or off with my short stubby fingers when the hood is in place. So when I take my camera out of the bag (or switch lenses), the cap goes in the bag, and the hood goes in place and stays that way until I put the camera or lens away. And I don't use any cheap glass filters to protect my lenses.
Chris A. Vedros
www.cavphotos.com

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August 14, 2006

Brendan Knell

Sadly, I've been guilty of this... I've been getting better about it though. Lately I've been trying to always keep a lens hood on it.

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August 14, 2006

- Darren J. Gilcher

BetterPhoto Member

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I guess I could see the lens hoods adding some protection. And no Becky, it was in Sterling, New York. But I sure would have liked to be at the one in Germany.

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August 14, 2006

Craig m. Zacarelli

I believe as long as the conditions are OK, you can leave the cap off and not worry.. I have been doing this for a few years with no problems, I find when I take off the cap and put it in my pocket, I get more dust on the lens after putting the cap back on than walking around with it off. but, in rain or on the beach, it makes more sense to leve it on and miss them "pop up" shots! this is why you need a clear UV filter and a good blower such as the rocket blower.. just a little bit of maintenence and your lens will last a life time! Hell, also DONT turn my camera upside down to change lenses and I hardly have a dirty sensor, I just blow it off before and after a shoot with the rocket. it makes even less sense to me to fumble around, trying to quickly change a lens while holding my cam upside down for fear of something that is hardly ever happening. Also, after changing a lens, blow off the rear element before putting it away to insure its clean before putting it back on later.. THATS how your sesnor gets its dirtiest! As for walking with the cap off, I always do..

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August 14, 2006

Bob Cammarata

Craig brought up a few good points:

Sticking a lens cap in your pocket does allow for the possibility of dust particles accumulating on the inside...which will later be in contact with your front element.
A blower is a good thing to have on hand but may not always be practical.
It pays to inspect the inside of the cap before re-installing it.

Also...when changing lenses, contaminants can enter critical areas.
I once had a small bug venture inside my camera body while my lens was off.
I don't know why he decided to go in there. (Maybe he saw his reflection in my reflex mirror and fell passionately in love...Who knows?)

All I know is that it was a pain trying to focus with him running around on my focusing screen. Exentually, I managed to coax him out.

Now, I change lenses more quickly and invert the camera body during the change.

Bob

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August 14, 2006

Mark Feldstein

As a working photojournalist, I've been known to inadvertently abuse a body (including my own) and a lens or two. But they're tools and get worn. Althnough I don't deliberately mistreat equipment, I don't baby it either.

IMHO, part of the problem these days isn't so much the disposability factor but rather that equipment made these days can't "take it" like the older gear, say like my Leica M-3's or Nikon F-2's with MD2 drives that you can use to pound fence posts with. Well, not really but they're still pretty solid bodies made mostly out of metal not plastic.

I'm with Greg in that I almost never have a cap on a lens/body I'm wearing on a strap. It's that second or two it takes get the cap off and into my pocket that might cost me a missed shot and I can't afford for that to happen. And as for lens cap leashes, YIKES !!! Something else swinging in the breeze to get in the way.

Careful maintenance before and after the shoot, in my view, is really important to making gear last, whether it's new or older.
Take it light.
Mark

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August 14, 2006

Paul Michko

When I'm in a situation where I want the camera at a moments notice. I leave the cap off put on the lens hood and screw on a UV filter or Skylight filter of good quality, Though I know it adds another layer of glass it also adds protection.