Cheap lens caps

[John_SD]

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?

[RobertTheFat]

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@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.

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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.

[ebiggs1]

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

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

[John_SD]

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@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.

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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.  

[diverhank]

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

[RobertTheFat]

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@diverhank wrote:

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

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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.

[diverhank]

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.

[ebiggs1]

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

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

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

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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.