Lens cases

[Mark Christopherson]

I shoot 4x5 landscapes and travel fairly lightly, placing all my gear in an ordi nary backback. Until recently, I have simply put bubble wrap in Tupperware cont ainers to carry my lenses (one for each, total of two lenses). Recently, howeve r, I obtained an Super Angulon 90/8, which is larger than the lenses I carried a s noted above (e.g., Ektar 203). Result: I need another option for protecting t hese lenses in my backpack. Any suggestions? I am open to purchase or do-it-yo urself solutions. Thanks in advance.

[paul owen]

Hi Mark, You might want to check out the posting I submitted on the 3 Jan, entitled "Protection". I'm still waiting for delivery so can't comment on them yet, but from the pics in the book they seem ideal.

[neil poulsen]

The best and lightest weight system I've come across is just a hollow rectangular type cloth backpack with a with a size-matched foam rubber insert. I've cut rectangular holes in the foam to fit my camera and individual lenses. Thin lenses re stacked between which are placed a thin piece of foam rubber. (The foam rubber is best cut using an electric knife.) Each lens has lenscaps, such as they are. (See previous posts on protection.) This caps/foam-rubber combination provides plenty of shock-resistant protection.

[Scott Bacon]

Outdoor Research (OR) makes a padded cell case that is about 4.5" square and about 4" tall. I put in an extra piece of foam with a hole cut for the rear element. This works very well for my Symmar-S 210, Grandagon-N 75, and Symmar 135. I bought mine at Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS), but you can probably find them in a variety of outdoor stores. You can view them online at www.outdoorresearch.com. I think mine is padded cell #3. This has worked well for me and I do a considerable amount of backpacking.

[Robert A. Zeichner]

Rubbermaid Serv 'n Savers are great lens cases. I cut two circles of 1/4" closed cell foam and put one in the bottom and one in the lid. I can even burp them so the tops won't accidently come off. You can see what's inside and I suppose, mark the lids with a Sharpie if you need to quickly I.D. the contents.

[Tony Karnezis]

Someone previously mentioned www.gnassgear.com on a recent post. They make zippered lens cases that hold 3-4 lenses on lens boards for either 4x5 or 8x10. You'll have to burp yourself, though.