Lens caps

peoorvendal

I am paranoid about lens caps. Lugging my D90 around with me all the time in my Domke bag, I sometimes find that the lens cap can pop off when the camera is in the bag, if the contents of the bag shifts around in unlucky ways, unless I have the lens hood in place.

So I've been thinking about buying neoprene hood hats that I can then put over the lens, which should keep the lens cap in place.

Has anyone else found a solution to this? Am I the only one with this problem? :-)

peoorvendal

I am also curious about abrasions. My thought is to take off the hood, put on the normal cap, and then the neoprene sleeve over that to keep it in place. Does that make sense?

peoorvendal

I wouldn't say ongoing. It's maybe happened twice over the last six months. I'm pretty careful putting the lens cap on correct, so I don't _think_ it's User Too Stupid Error, but then who knows. It's enough that I worry about anything but the cheapest glass...

peoorvendal

And, of course, if it turns out that no-one else really has this issue, I'll have to assume that it indeed IS User Too Stupid Error and start double-checking myself. :-D

Overfocused

I have a bag that allows for sideways or upright placement of lenses on a body... never have had the caps fall off that way.

divamum

I LOSE caps more than have them pop off - I swear I need to buy about 10 in every size because I'm hopeless for putting them in my pockets or setting them down on a shelf and then discovering when I go to put them on later that they've vanished.

My gear is packed very secure and snug in my bag (no movement even when I travel light - I just rearrange the dividers to suit, or take a smaller bag). I keep UV filters on my lenses and only take them off in very, very specific circumstances where they might degrade or interfere with capturing an image. In the rare event a cap might pop off, the worst that's likely to happen is that the filter might get scratched.

While of course it's important to take the best care we can of our gear - and I'm pretty dogmatic about caring for the glass itself and keep it reasonably protected however and wheverer I can - camera gear comprises tools to be used... which means it may not look brand spanking new forever. I think of it more like a car - some wear-and-tear is inevitable, so I don't stress over small things that won't have any impact on image quality.

Freezframe

Snug is the key!
I use BNRO WB lens caps so that gave me another dilemma with the protrusion of the WB globe its self. So I made harder foam rings at the bottom of bag dividers. Its not fool proof but it has decreased the frequency of the mishaps. You might also try some soft foam which should eliminate the pressure points that causes this problem.

Good luck!

Brady:D

Matthew Saville

I haven't used a lens cap on certain lenses in years. For me, the lens hood is FAR more important, then second is a UV filter if necessary, and LASTLY on the usefulness VS practicality scale is a lens cap, I really only use them for the ultra-wide lenses that often have impractical hoods.

But, for lenses like my Sigma 50-150 or a 24-70, the hood is huge and it really protects the lens very well, even when jammed into a camera bag. A 70-200 gets a little impractical if you're gonna try and plop it into a camera bag with the hood FORWARD, so maybe you'd put a cap on that if you're not a filter kinda guy, but personally I just use UV filters most of the time. I'm just to active of a guy, while at the same time a little clumsy and forgetful. All those things just equate to me missing shots if I have a lens cap on, and potentially damaging my front element if I don't have at least a UV filter on. I climb rocks, trees, etc. I shoot from-the-hip photojournalism.

Anyways, make your decision based on your own needs. But concerning your original question, I would say that it's probably overkill to add a neoprene pouch on top of a hood, on top of a lens cap. I mean you can try it, but if you start missing candid moments because you have to take off a neoprene cover and THEN your lens cap, you'll probably regret the purchase. Dunno what you shoot mostly, though...

=Matt=

catspaw

caps are cheap to replace that's my theory and I've never lost a cap, although it DOES like to pop off of my 85mm 1.8 when the hood is on (they don't play nice toether). but with the hood on, it's just dust protection, since nothing else is getting in there (metal screw on hood).

Tmetroff

Matthew Saville wrote: »

I haven't used a lens cap on certain lenses in years. For me, the lens hood is FAR more important, then second is a UV filter if necessary, and LASTLY on the usefulness VS practicality scale is a lens cap, I really only use them for the ultra-wide lenses that often have impractical hoods.
=Matt=

I am the same way

Art Scott

all of my lens caps are in the soft bag that the lens came in in the lens box.....too easy to loose and to expensive to replace just to see the lens.....
then again, my cams and lenses fit so tight in my cam bags nothing shifts around...only my longer lenses (70-200 / 50-500 have to have the lens hood reversed
when in the bag.........so I have never had this problem...might just need to tighten up the dividers in your bag around the camera / lens.......just a thought....