Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

[roscoetuff-Skip Mersereau]

Question 1: How do you store your lenses? Do you adjust the aperture systematically open or closed? Do you close the preview? Do you keep yours on the lens board? Do you keep a cable release attached or in the bag - if you use a bag, or cloth cover or case? Do you clean your lenses as you put them up?

Question 2: Relates to how you travel with your lenses in your pack? I like to keep mine already mounted, in a cloth lens protector of one sort or another, with the cable release attached and lens caps on.

Maybe none of this makes a difference. I like to think it does, and that good care will not only keep you ready to go, but help avoid damage, fungus, oil on the blades, etc. but I'm not sure I'm doing it right. Looked and came up empty. Doesn't mean it ain't there, only I didn't find any prior notes. Yes, I also suffer "male refrigerator blindness". My bad.

Appreciate any insight.

[jim_jm]

I keep mine in lens wraps with caps on (if I have them). No specific aperture set, preview closed, but I keep the shutters at B or T. They stay on the lens board but I don't have enough cable releases for every lens.
I only touch the glass when I'm mounting the lens during a shoot, and only with a brush or blower bulb. I shoot a lot in the desert, so I will sometimes brush / blow any dust off the glass and barrel before putting them away.
As with any lens, it's helpful to store them in low humidity environments, but that's never been a problem where I live.
Use common sense - just treat them with care, exercise the shutters regularly and don't be overzealous with cleaning the glass. It does make a difference if you sell them in the future.

[fotopfw]

I do follow a schedule of using the shutters on a regular basis. I do that also for my MF camera's and lenses.
I store lenses dust free and in the dark. I don't have all lens caps, but I put the lenses in a non static bag.

[Havoc]

I put them in my display cabinet on a glass shelve. They stay on a lensboard, top cap on, bottom cap removed. I have a habit of putting the diaphragm half open and the shutters fired. I don't keep the cable release on as I put them in a bag when I use them and when getting them in or out of the bag that cable often snags behind something.

[Alan9940]

All my lenses are stored either in specific lens cases or in backpack compartments, depending on the bag used for any particular setup. Each has lens caps on front & back, shutter closed, shutter speed setting is left at wherever I last used, no cable release. I use a rocket blower after each shoot to remove any dust/debris before storage. I do exercise the shutters when I think of it, but no particular schedule.

[Ulophot]

In my camera bag, in padded surrounds, cap on back and front non-hooded 135, on back of hooded 210. Shutters, when I remember, stored on T, blades closed, aperture open. If not used in a couple of months, they get exercised, as do all my lenses (2 other formats; only two lenses for 4x5).

[Joe O'Hara]

I keep mine in the cloth lens wraps with the velcro closures you used to be able to get from Calument, on the lensboards, caps on, with a shutter release on each one. Always in the camera bag ready to go. I blow them off with compressed gas if they look dusty but haven't taken a cloth to any of them in years.

A while back I heard of someone who made custom team jackets, uniforms, etc, who had the ability to embroider large numbers onto fabric. I had them embroider reminders of the focal length of each lens (75, 90, 15, 21, 30) on the lens wrappers. That saves me a lot of time in the field, not having to root around in the bag and check to make sure I pulled the right lens out.

[neil poulsen]

I have three backapacks , each on it's own cart, that are ready to go and stay near the front door: one for 8x10, for 4x5, and one for medium format. Each lens has their own, cushioned pocket, though I will stack one on top of another to conserve space.

The lenses in the 8x10 kit are dedicated to that pack. But in alternating between the 4x5 and MF carts, I'll need to swap the 75mm, 150mm, and 180mm between the two packs.

[roscoetuff-Skip Mersereau]

Thanks for these comments. I haven't been too worried about this, but figure there were some small changes I can and should make. I'm carrying 4 lenses now that I have a pack big enough, and the finer points: PREVIEW closed, APERTURE open, SHUTTER on T... these are worthy additional mods. Thanks for the suggestions here.

Joe: Really like your website btw. Some of those shots in the woods are literally inspiring. Love the way you've captured the light and the range of tones. Thanks for that. And of course I wondered: Lebanon PA? or elsewhere?

Love the shots I see from EVERYONE else as well (Philip and JimJim who had links)... just these stood out to me - not having looked earlier. As a FLICKR guy myself who hasn't posted much in an eon, have to say there's a difference between what I'd post on a blog and what I'd put on FLICKR... so there may fairly be a difference in target thinking more than the work. Just saying so that my compliments on a blog don't mean more than they should. I like a LOT of what I see on FLICKR... we just often post stuff for family and friends there that wouldn't match what we'd require of ourselves elsewhere.

[Heroique]

Do you close the preview?

I started closing the shutter when packing-up, because it forces me to open the shutter when I set-up the next time. For me, the physical act of opening the shutter during composition makes it a lot less likely for me to forget to close it before shutter snap!