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Thread: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

  1. #21
    Paul Ron's Avatar
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    Re: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

    zip loc bags.
    When in the field, I have what I need in individual home made cardbard boxes to fit each mounted lens in my backpack.
    No specail treatment.

  2. #22

    Re: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

    I have tool boxes and I lined them with wood and cut grooves vertically for the lens boards to slide into.The bottom is foam for shock resistance under the ense board. This keeps the lenses separate and secure. Easy to see what lens I have brought when I open the top of the tool box. The lens boards are vertical. I got the idea from the Sinar 4x5 carry box and I just inovated that for the 8x10 lens boards in a separate toll box.

  3. #23

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    Re: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

    Lenses kept on panels with the caps on in fishing reel cases, two lenses to each case.

    Aperture wide open, preview open, shutter uncocked and no cable release attached.

    Mike

  4. #24
    Drew Bedo's Avatar
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    Re: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

    I keep my 4x5 lenses mounted on their Toyo-Linhoff-Wista compatible boards. These are stored in a with the rest of my 4x5 out fit as a ready to shoot grab and go bag. The lenses themselves are kept in PhotoBackpackeer brand boxes with a UV or Skylite filter on the front and lens caps front and back. I do not have a schedule of snapping the shutters, but get them CLA'd every 5-8 years or so.

    My 8x10 lenses are mounted on boards for my Kodak 2D. These are stored in wooden boxes at home. these boxes are substantial finger jointed mahogany wood cigar boxes found on e-Bay . . .The "ACID " brand seem to work best for me.

    Example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Set-of-3-Em...QAAOSwTmpfczxw
    Drew Bedo
    www.quietlightphoto.com
    http://www.artsyhome.com/author/drew-bedo




    There are only three types of mounting flanges; too big, too small and wrong thread!

  5. #25
    (Shrek)
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    Re: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

    I have a china cabinet with glass shelves that used to hold a bunch of small format collectible cameras, now mostly lenses piled in stacks with a couple of moisture control things in the middle. Plus whatever is in current rotation in my bag, plus a few plastic trays on a shelf with the smaller lenses.

  6. #26

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    Re: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

    Wow, lots of high-tech solutions here. Hat's off!

    Me, I just duct-tape some corrugated-cardboard boxes together to fit lens, both lens caps, lensboard and attached cable release. I stack the boxes in my backpacks, so they have to be high enough to protect the cable-release attachment. But, no tops for the boxes, so I can access the lenses easily. When they are not in my camera pack, I'll tuck a paper towel in the top to keep out the dust. Some get stored in a plastic storage bin along with other photo stuff, some are in my spare lens bag and some stay in the kit.

    Often, I'll leave a lens (with cable release) mounted on and folded up with one of my cameras. No lens caps on that one, but they are safely stored. My Wista DXs will fold up with any 135mm Plasmat, many 150mm lenses, my 203mm Ektar and even the 180mm and 240mm Fujinon A lenses. It's nice to have a lens on and ready to go, plus it takes up less room in the pack.

    I always have a dedicated cable release attached to each lens and a ZipLoc of spares in my bag somewhere. I've never lost a release, but I've had several break on me. I don't really want to fiddle with attaching a cable release every time I set up.

    After making an exposure, I leave the lens uncocked and open the aperture and the preview so the lens is ready to go for the next shot. They stay at whatever shutter speed they were for the last exposure unless it was a fairly high speed; then I'll set the speed lower to take pressure off the spring. Usually, they stay around 1/8-1/2 a second or slower.

    My double-wall corrugated boxes are tough enough. Never had a damaged lens in 30+ years of dragging them around the backcountry and the deserts and the cities in various packs (I did rattle a 4x5 folding camera apart rolling it in a wheeled carry-on over the cobbled courtyard of the Venice airport once though. Fortunately, all the parts were there and re-assembly was possible. I carry the pack now...).

    Best,

    Doremus

  7. #27

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    Re: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

    Preview switch on the shutter, and my routine involves using that and opening the aperture at the start of the cycle. I don't open the aperture on my MF cameras, so I try to be as consistent across formats. It also means if I decide to make another LF exposure before packing up, I have not changed anything.


    I have been caught out a couple of times with a lens nearly fully open because the control was knocked getting the lens in or out of storage. Now I set everything to a known starting point before I have the bellows fully extended and my head under the dark cloth 8-)

  8. #28

    Re: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

    Venice , A gorgeous city, Did you know that now the City has banned the rollabout luggage? They felt it was ruining the cobbles an was too noisy.

  9. #29
    Drew Bedo's Avatar
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    Re: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

    I like and admire the duct tape and cardboard solution. There is way more than one way to approach these types of things.

    When I broke into LF in the late 1980s it was on a short, frayed shoe string budget. To make a photo backpack I got a Jansport book bag from Goodwill along with an army surplus sleeping pad. Cut up the pad into tombstone shaped pieces and stacked them to fill the backpack. Then cut holes into each layer to fit the Speed Graphic, film holders and a few other things.

    I do have a friend who has a lot of high end stuff. He keeps it locked up in two tall, roll-around Snap-On tool chests with custom foam inserts in the drawers. That is the other end of the spectrum!
    Drew Bedo
    www.quietlightphoto.com
    http://www.artsyhome.com/author/drew-bedo




    There are only three types of mounting flanges; too big, too small and wrong thread!

  10. #30

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    Re: Lens storage and carry - stupid but practical question

    Quote Originally Posted by Drew Bedo View Post
    I do have a friend who has a lot of high end stuff. He keeps it locked up in two tall, roll-around Snap-On tool chests with custom foam inserts in the drawers. That is the other end of the spectrum!
    Reminds me of a friend back in the 1980s who had just about every camera and lens that Hasselblad ever offered at the time and a 4x5 Technika outfit with a Biogon, Planar, Xenotar, and more. Everything stored in drawers in which he made custom raised velvet lined cutouts for each of the items. Memories of him only once using the equipment. Definitely one extreme end of the spectrum... Had another friend who had an 8x10 B&J Commercial wooden view camera and a 12 inch f/4.5 Wollensak Velostigmat. He was out there shooting with his one camera and one lens every weekend... I did my best to emulate him.

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