Best Way to Store My Large Format Lenses

[LFLarry]

What is the best way to store my large format lenses to try and avoid undesirable issues over time?

My home has central heating and cooling, and we typically keep the temperature inside the house at about 67F to 68F all year.

According to a little meter I got from Amazon, the humidity inside the house is in the 40% to 44% range most of the time.

I currently store the lenses in a hardshell Pelican case in our spare bedroom. I have each lens in a small padded case.

I want to make sure I am storing them properly.

I would appreciate any ideas or tips you might have.

Thank you.

[Tin Can]

Use SS Cabinet with vents

Came from China as kiT
SS
No outgas
2x4x6’

NO DUST

[Eric James]

I use Pelican cases with the old LowePro Omni inserts. They buffer temperature changes and provide a low-moisture environment, provided I swap out the silica gel cartridges regularly. Be vigilant though — I imagine the silica gel can be detrimental if it becomes saturated and is exposed to temperature fluctuations.

Out of curiosity, I once weighed a one of the rectangular aluminum-sheathed silica gel cartridges before and after drying it in a laboratory glassware oven. It held 11 grams of fungus fuel!

Despite living in Seattle and near a Great Lake, I've never had a problem with fungus. Another anti-fungal approach is to protect your gear from condensation when coming in from the cold.

[popdoc]

Air conditioning for sure, as dust free and low humidity as possible.

As big a question(s), and fuel for controversy, what f stop (closed down vs. wide open), and shutter status (cocked or fired, on B/T, slow speed vs. fastest speed).

This should be fun…!




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[Alan Klein]

What is the best way to store my large format lenses to try and avoid undesirable issues over time?

My home has central heating and cooling, and we typically keep the temperature inside the house at about 67F to 68F all year.

According to a little meter I got from Amazon, the humidity inside the house is in the 40% to 44% range most of the time.

I currently store the lenses in a hardshell Pelican case in our spare bedroom. I have each lens in a small padded case.

I want to make sure I am storing them properly.

I would appreciate any ideas or tips you might have.

Thank you.

Sounds fine. You probably don't need the Pelican case.

I'd add silica packets to it as you may actually add moisture compared to the ambient humidity in your home if you close and seal it in a damp area beforehand. For example, you travel to the Caribbean and its very humid., You seal the Pelican while there which then holds all that moisture after you get home. As the temperature in the case goes down, the water vapor will increase and can condense. You'd want to keep the pelican open and let the inside stabilize to the lower home ambient temperatures and humidity before sealing it. Also add a few silica gel packets to pick up whatever moisture is left.

[Mal Paso]

According to a major gunsmith supplier (Brownells) tension on a spring does not affect the useful life of a spring. Cocked, uncocked doesn't matter.

Quote by Caleb Savant: "Springs wear out through compression-and-release cycling, not through sitting compressed. If compression wore out springs, we'd have to put our cars on blocks when they're parked!"

[Drew Wiley]

I don't recommend anything tightly enclosed like Pelican cases, unless they themselves are in a low humidity storage environment.

[Kevin Crisp]

Fungus loves moist darkness, so no need to pack things away in camera bags, etc. According to Zeiss, humidity should be kept below 70%, which seems pretty high to me. I keep the darkroom below 50%, using a dehumidifier when needed. (And the water it takes out of the air is handy for mixing chemicals.) I've never had fungus start during my possession of a lens. Where there is some in a used purchase, I clean it and it never comes back.

[Vaughan]

A dry cabinet would be ideal but air-tight food storage boxes, a humidity indicator strip, and a couple of bags of desiccant also get the job done and scale well. If storing in the camera bag I keep the lens in a zip-lock bag with a small bag of desiccant and an indicator strip. Takes up a bit more room and looks naff but I know the lens will be ok even if I neglect it for a couple of months (eg, the 8x10 kit).

I buy the orange desiccant in kg bulk packs and split it into cheap calico drawstring bags, refresh it in an oven every 6 to 9 months when the indicator changes colour. I ruined a very nice Nikkor 18mm by leaving it in a camera bag for 6 months, came out full of fungus. I vowed never to let that happen again: desiccant and zip-lock bags are cheap.

[Peter De Smidt]

I bought a rifle recently. The owners manual warned of storing it long term in a gun case. My guess is because foam and similar will likely leach nasty fumes.