topic Re: Cheap lens caps in General Discussion

Cheap lens caps

John_SD — Sun, 13 May 2018 15:36:16 GMT

Does anyone know of a cheap source for lens caps? I seem to lose mine in the field. The cap I had for my Canon 18-135mm STM costs $8, which seems high.

I do keep a UV or polarizing filter on, especially in some of the harsher environments. Once in the field, I remove the cap for the day, but I like to keep a cap on until then. Or do you guys dispense with the cap entirely?

Re: Cheap lens caps

RobertTheFat — Sun, 13 May 2018 15:47:52 GMT

@John_SD wrote:
Does anyone know of a cheap source for lens caps? I seem to lose mine in the field. The cap I had for my Canon 18-135mm STM costs $8, which seems high.

I do keep a UV or polarizing filter on, especially in some of the harsher environments. Once in the field, I remove the cap for the day, but I like to keep a cap on until then. Or do you guys dispense with the cap entirely?

I think it's fair to say that even those of us who don't use "protective" filters have a great respect for lens caps. If I'm shooting an indoor event, I guess I usually leave the cap(s) in my pocket for the duration. If I'm out in the field, I generally try to keep the cap on whenever I'm not shooting.

Actually, I've lost the case for a 580EX II speedlite (and couldn't replace it, because Canon doesn't sell it) since the last time I lost a lens cap.

Re: Cheap lens caps

cicopo — Sun, 13 May 2018 17:06:56 GMT

2 or 3 years back I bought some center pinch caps (all as 77 mm replacements but there is a good variety of sizes available) from an Ebay seller based in China for under $3 each & free shipping. Took 2 or 3 weeks but they fit great & were worth the money. I bought lens hoods from another seller & they worked great too but took longer to get here.

Re: Cheap lens caps

John_SD — Sun, 13 May 2018 17:44:40 GMT

Cicopo, thanks for the Ebay suggestion! I hadn't thought of that before your post. I just ordered two Canon 67mm caps from a guy for $4.95. That's a price I can live with.

Robert, sorry to read about the loss of your speedlite case. I hope it was empty LOL.

Re: Cheap lens caps

RobertTheFat — Sun, 13 May 2018 21:38:31 GMT

@John_SD wrote:
Cicopo, thanks for the Ebay suggestion! I hadn't thought of that before your post. I just ordered two Canon 67mm caps from a guy for $4.95. That's a price I can live with.

Robert, sorry to read about the loss of your speedlite case. I hope it was empty LOL.

Yeah, it was empty, but the incident was embarrassing. And the Brand-X case I had to settle for didn't fit very well.

Re: Cheap lens caps

RobertTheFat — Sun, 13 May 2018 21:41:08 GMT

@cicopo wrote:
2 or 3 years back I bought some center pinch caps (all as 77 mm replacements but there is a good variety of sizes available) from an Ebay seller based in China for under $3 each & free shipping. Took 2 or 3 weeks but they fit great & were worth the money. I bought lens hoods from another seller & they worked great too but took longer to get here.

One has to be a bit careful in such cases. Some lenses can take a center-pinch cap and some can't.

Re: Cheap lens caps

cicopo — Mon, 14 May 2018 03:14:05 GMT

I bought 8 & have put all of them to use. I'm thinking of ordering a few more plus some other sizes.

Re: Cheap lens caps

cicopo — Mon, 14 May 2018 12:45:05 GMT

Think Tank makes a nice pouch for our flash units. I have 2 and they are very nice fits & high quality.

Re: Cheap lens caps

RobertTheFat — Mon, 14 May 2018 13:04:59 GMT

@cicopo wrote:
Think Tank makes a nice pouch for our flash units. I have 2 and they are very nice fits & high quality.

The case I bought was high in quality, but it was really made for the original 580EX. The 580EX-II is just enough larger to make it a tight fit.

Re: Cheap lens caps

ebiggs1 — Tue, 15 May 2018 14:31:35 GMT

I hardly to never use or have a lens cap. Most full timers and pros don't use lens caps at least the ones I know don't. Mostly goes back on when I put the lens away in its bag where it does a magnificent job of protecting it.

Re: Cheap lens caps

RobertTheFat — Tue, 15 May 2018 19:05:11 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
I hardly to never use or have a lens cap. Most full timers and pros don't use lens caps at least the ones I know don't. Mostly goes back on when I put the lens away in its bag where it does a magnificent job of protecting it.

I have to confess I'm baffled by that. Ernie loves lenses. He's owned most of the lenses Canon has ever made and a good percentage of those made by several other manufacturers. Full timer or not, how can such a committed connoisseur eschew lens caps? It's like a coin collector storing his collection in a plastic bucket.

Re: Cheap lens caps

John_SD — Tue, 15 May 2018 20:04:47 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
I hardly to never use or have a lens cap. Most full timers and pros don't use lens caps at least the ones I know don't. Mostly goes back on when I put the lens away in its bag where it does a magnificent job of protecting it.

Well, about the only time I put the cap back on is when I am finished in the field. As I say, I usually have a filter on (UV or CP), as I am often in the desert or around tidepools.

I never keep the cap on in the field, or walk around with it, as I have missed some shots that way and learned early on that a shot missed is gone for good. You can't pose wildlife like you can friends or family. But once done for the day, I like to put the cap on as I would rather it absorb any undue scuffs, bumps or jostling around rather than a B+W filter. YMMV.

Re: Cheap lens caps

ebiggs1 — Wed, 16 May 2018 14:00:06 GMT

"It's like a coin collector storing his collection in a plastic bucket."

I beg your pardon, I use Tupperware ! Lenses are just tools.

Re: Cheap lens caps

diverhank — Sun, 20 May 2018 06:47:52 GMT

I replaced all of my Canon older lens caps with the center-pinch after-market ones. They work just as well.

Re: Cheap lens caps

RobertTheFat — Sun, 20 May 2018 12:49:23 GMT

@diverhank wrote:
I replaced all of my Canon older lens caps with the center-pinch after-market ones. They work just as well.

If you say so. Center-pinch caps are usually thicker in the middle, and not all lenses have enough clearance to accommodate them. I believe that's why Canon tends to use center-pinch caps on their telephotos, but not on their wider lenses. If you use Canon's intended cap, the lens won't get scratched.

Re: Cheap lens caps

diverhank — Sun, 20 May 2018 13:35:05 GMT

Happily there were no such scratches...(I had made sure there was enough room). I've been using them way before Canon comes out with their own.

Re: Cheap lens caps

ebiggs1 — Sun, 20 May 2018 13:36:41 GMT

" If you use ~~Canon's intended cap~~ protecto filters, the lens won't get scratched."

Re: Cheap lens caps

Waddizzle — Sun, 20 May 2018 15:02:19 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
" If you use ~~Canon's intended cap~~ protecto filters, the lens won't get scratched."

Yup. And, I admit to being blind in one eye makes me a real goofball when it comes to replacing a lens cap.

Sometimes, I reach to remove the lens cap, only t find out that I already removed it, and I smearing the lens filter.