Traveling with camera gear

[Edward1064]

 I feel that minimizing the number of times I remove a lens from my camera minimizes dust entering the optics.  So whenever I have traveled by air, I have not removed the 100-400 mm zoom from the camera.  But since I recently uograded to the 7D II and 100-400 mm II, I am reconsidering, because I also think that the coupling between lens and camera body should not be stressed too much.  We will be heading to South Africa later this year.

I would appreciate the thoughts and experience of others on this topic.

Thanks!

Edward

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Cameras are like cars.  They need to be used.  I cover my body's with EasyCovers.  Just go to >> BandH.  Your camera is gong to get exposed to dust.  Mine has also seen light rain.  Have a big lens?  Cap it at both ends and put it in a case.  Body is perfectly fine with its body cap installed.  Ready for transport. 

Lenses..  same principal.  Want to take pictures?  Don't be afraid to change lenses.  Common sense says don't change them during a sand strorm or right when your open air land rover skids to stop (dust flying) and a pack of lions takes a wildabest down.  You should have anticipted that shot and had the lens you wanted mounted ready to shoot. 

Lens coupling/decoupling...  can be performed a million times if you like..  do it carefully.  Don't worry. Its designed for this. 

Bring ziploc bags...  and an air puffer, bring two.  Microfiber cloth and some lens solution.  Use your camera and your lenses... and enjoy your trip.

[TCampbell]

Fear not... in all my years of photography and of all the troubles I've ever heard of anyone encountering... I have never actually heard of anyone "wearing out" the lens mounting flange (you're not planning to go at it with metal file are you?)

The mounting flange is designed to let you attach & detach the lens as often as you want.  

You WILL want to keep dust out.  

Don't swap lenses in a dusty environment.  When you do swap lenses, protect the body.  If there's a table, I lay the camera face down.  If I've got my camera on my sling-type strap, I let the camera rest against my body facing inward while I change lenses.

I grab the next lens I want to attach and put that on the camera first (so I minimize the time when the camera is exposed to the environment.)  Then I put the dust caps on the lens I just removed last.  

The reason I do "camera first, lens last" is becuase it's EASY to clean the rear element most lenses (tilt-shift lenses being an exception) and harder to clean the camera interior.  So I prioritize protecting the camera over protecting the lens.

But I do always keep caps on all lenses that arent' currently being used... and my gear bag has a spare rear dust cap as well as a spare 77mm front cap (since 90% of my lenses use the 77mm size) "just in case" I lose a dust cap.

[Waddizzle]

I always carry a spare lens and body cap.  I have dropped caps on the ground, and they get dirty and dusty.

[Edward1064]

Tim,

Thank you for your detailed comments.  It is helpful to me to hear someone who thinks the same way about the details.  In particular, about giving preference to the camera body’s cleanliness. while changing lenses.  

Ed

[RobertTheFat]

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Edward1064 wrote:

Tim,

Thank you for your detailed comments.  It is helpful to me to hear someone who thinks the same way about the details.  In particular, about giving preference to the camera body’s cleanliness. while changing lenses.  

Ed

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One point that I don't think has been made in this thread is that the best way to keep from getting dust in a camera while changing lenses is to not change lenses. If that means that you have to carry two cameras, so be it. In event photography the side benefit of that trick is that it costs you nothing, because at most events you wouldn't have time to change lenses anyway.

It is, of course, true that you may not have room to carry two cameras when travelling. But most travel situations aren't as time critical. Or to put it another way: if you're good enough that people call you in from far away to cover an event, you can probably afford to have your equipment shipped separately.

[Waddizzle]

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@RobertTheFat wrote:

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@Edward1064 wrote:

Tim,

Thank you for your detailed comments.  It is helpful to me to hear someone who thinks the same way about the details.  In particular, about giving preference to the camera body’s cleanliness. while changing lenses.  

Ed

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One point that I don't think has been made in this thread is that the best way to keep from getting dust in a camera while changing lenses is to not change lenses. If that means that you have to carry two cameras, so be it. In event photography the side benefit of that trick is that it costs you nothing, because at most events you wouldn't have time to change lenses anyway.

It is, of course, true that you may not have room to carry two cameras when travelling. But most travel situations aren't as time critical. Or to put it another way: if you're good enough that people call you in from far away to cover an event, you can probably afford to have your equipment shipped separately.

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If there is often not enough time to change lenses, then where do you find time to change batteries?  

[RobertTheFat]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@RobertTheFat wrote:

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@Edward1064 wrote:

Tim,

Thank you for your detailed comments.  It is helpful to me to hear someone who thinks the same way about the details.  In particular, about giving preference to the camera body’s cleanliness. while changing lenses.  

Ed

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One point that I don't think has been made in this thread is that the best way to keep from getting dust in a camera while changing lenses is to not change lenses. If that means that you have to carry two cameras, so be it. In event photography the side benefit of that trick is that it costs you nothing, because at most events you wouldn't have time to change lenses anyway.

It is, of course, true that you may not have room to carry two cameras when travelling. But most travel situations aren't as time critical. Or to put it another way: if you're good enough that people call you in from far away to cover an event, you can probably afford to have your equipment shipped separately.

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If there is often not enough time to change lenses, then where do you find time to change batteries?  

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Changing batteries is much faster than changing lenses, but I can't recall ever having the issue come up. The batteries on the cameras I commonly use (7D, 5D3) can go quite a long time between charges.

If you're talking about flash unit batteries (which do take longer to change), I use a battery pack that clips to my belt and can keep two speedlites going pretty much all day.

[ebiggs1]

There you go again.  The difference between a pro doing it for a living and a hobbyists.  Neither changing batteries nor lenses means much to the pro shooter.  In fact some guys I have known in the business throw the lens caps away when they get a new lens.

The hobbyists or amateur takes extreme measures with their gear.  That is because the gear is more important to them than the  shot. 

All the while I was working I did take good care of my equipment.  However, if I had a shot I really wanted the shot reigns supreme even now.  That is what CPS is for.       

Best advice is, don't be stupid but do enjoy your gear.  That's why you buy it.

[Edward1064]

I am a hobbyist, and yes, the gear is very important to me.  My hobby is photographing birds, and all aspects of that are interesting: appreciating and using the equipment well, the challenge of getting a good shot, the appreciation of the bird's beauty, and the editing process.   For me, the equipment itself is a real draw.  Modern DSLRs are magnificent pieces of engineering. 

When I fly and take my 100-400 mm zoom, I have always taken it attached to the camera body, because I do not like to detach them, from dust considerations.  They travel in a Lowepro holster case, as  carry-on of course.  But some say it is better to detach the lens and camera when traveling, since the weak point in that arrangement is the lens-camera coupling.  One must then compromise, and I have chosen to not disconnect the lens.

Since I recently upgraded to the new 7D (from a 60D) and the improved 100-400 mm zoom, I am revisiting the issue.  That's the reason for the original post. I appreciate the comments that have been made.