LENS STORAGE

Uncle Fester

Uncle Fester

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Hi

I'm pretty much a complete beginner. I have a Fuji XT10 and I've recently purchased some new lenses for my camera.

This has got me wondering about the best way to store lenses. Should lenses be stored vertically or horizontally? In shops I always see them displayed vertically; but is this the correct way to store lenses at home? And if they should be stored vertically; does it matter which way up they are?

Sorry if this is a dumb question but I obviously want to look after my lenses as best as I can.

Also; can anyone recommend a storage box or bag that would accommodate six lenses?

Thanks.
 
It doesn't really matter but most people store them vertically as they are less likely to roll off the shelf...

If you want to store your lenses in a bag (I don't bother - a shelf or drawer do fine) then any cheapy bag will do to keep the dust off - look on Amazon or 7dayshop.
 
I have most of mine in old metal biscuit tins lined with tissue paper. I try and include a sachet of that gel stuff to grab any moisture too.
 
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Nawty said:
It doesn't really matter but most people store them vertically as they are less likely to roll off the shelf...

If you want to store your lenses in a bag (I don't bother - a shelf or drawer do fine) then any cheapy bag will do to keep the dust off - look on Amazon or 7dayshop.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

To be honest; I wasn't sure if lenses contain any form of lubricant that could drain or 'pool' in a way that could effect performance if not stored correctly.
 
Humidity is the big problem, for most of us the winter is less of a problem as we have heating on and our houses are dry, but in summer indoor humidity can creep up and where you keep them needs thought.
Mine are in a tupperware tub with rechargeable dehumidifiers, and I have a weather station style sensor in with them I keep an eye on to recharge if it creeps up to 40%.
Fungus can start above about 40% and rooms can easily be 70% at times.
Strong light is another way to keep fungus at bay however sunlight might have a negative effect on rubber or plastic parts so not sure leaving them on a sunny window is wise.

The worst thing of all must be forgetting them in a closed 'waterproof' camera bag along with any dampness for months on end.
 
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4wd said:
Humidity is the big problem, for most of us the winter is less of a problem as we have heating on and our houses are dry, but in summer indoor humidity can creep up and where you keep them needs thought.
Mine are in a tupperware tub with rechargeable dehumidifiers, and I have a weather station style sensor in with them I keep an eye on to recharge if it creeps up to 40%.
Fungus can start above about 40% and rooms can easily be 70% at times.
Strong light is another way to keep fungus at bay however sunlight might have a negative effect on rubber or plastic parts so not sure leaving them on a sunny window is wise.

The worst thing of all must be forgetting them in a closed 'waterproof' camera bag along with any dampness for months on end.
Click to expand...

Thanks; that's very informative. I hadn't considered the issue of humidity and fungus growth! I suppose it would make sense to store the camera body in the same way as the lenses?

Could you give me an idea of the rechargeable dehumidifier and the weather station sensor that you use?



Cheers.
 
Personally, I've always kept my gear in standard camera bags in the wardrobe and have no problems. Unless you have pretty heavy damp in your house, I'd be very surprised if there's any need for additional monitoring etc.

My kit ranges from current digital body and lenses (Sony A6K) back to 60 year old analogue kit and I've never had any problems with excessive humidity. If your kit gets wet when you're shooting, make sure you dry it off and leave the bag open for a few hours after you get home. Other than that, enjoy the new hobby ;0)
 
same here, as stevelmx5, all my gear is my lowepro bag, and never had any problems, no real need of special gear etc
 
I remember years ago back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I used film a batch of my film came back with a little note from the Quality Department. No, they weren't commentating on my composition or choice of subject but on the fact that my pictures were sort of brown/orange and they said that this could be caused by glue fumes from new furniture and indeed that was the cause as I'd put my film in the drawer of a new cabinet.

So, these days I'm careful to keep my memory cards in a very old cabinet.


PS.
I'm joking about the memory cards.
:D
 
stevelmx5 said:
Personally, I've always kept my gear in standard camera bags in the wardrobe and have no problems. Unless you have pretty heavy damp in your house, I'd be very surprised if there's any need for additional monitoring etc.

My kit ranges from current digital body and lenses (Sony A6K) back to 60 year old analogue kit and I've never had any problems with excessive humidity. If your kit gets wet when you're shooting, make sure you dry it off and leave the bag open for a few hours after you get home. Other than that, enjoy the new hobby ;0)
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input - much appreciated.

My house can get really cold in winter (victorian property, no cavity wall) and tend only to minimally heat the rooms we don't use regularly. I'll make sure my camera gear is stored in one of the warmer rooms!

I also need a new camera bag capable to taking one body and about four lenses; so any suggestions are welcome.
 
woof woof said:
I remember years ago back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I used film a batch of my film came back with a little note from the Quality Department. No, they weren't commentating on my composition or choice of subject but on the fact that my pictures were sort of brown/orange and they said that this could be caused by glue fumes from new furniture and indeed that was the cause as I'd put my film in the drawer of a new cabinet.

So, these days I'm careful to keep my memory cards in a very old cabinet.


PS.
I'm joking about the memory cards.
:D
Click to expand...


:D
 
Keep mine in appropriate sized Lowepro lens cases http://store.lowepro.com/lens-case-11-x-11cm along with a small dessicant pack then stored in a cupboard. I use an ordinary rucksack for carrying my gear, camera with lens attached in one small bag gets placed inside then any extra lenses come along in their cases.
 
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Just a thought about the the use of dehumidifiers/moisture absorbers. I understand that they will absorb moisture around the area of the lens. But do they draw in more moisture from the room?

Could their use bring more moisture into the lens storage area? Could their use be counter productive?

Again; sorry if this is dumb question!

Thanks.
 
If the moisture absorbers are in an enclosed space, they will reduce the humidity locally and are a good thing. They do need to be recharged occasionally (I am assuming you mean silica gel) by baking in a coolish oven (a bit over 100 C).
 
john.margetts said:
If the moisture absorbers are in an enclosed space, they will reduce the humidity locally and are a good thing. They do need to be recharged occasionally (I am assuming you mean silica gel) by baking in a coolish oven (a bit over 100 C).
Click to expand...

Thanks. I appreciate the info.

I didn't have a specific dehumidifier in mind. I was really responding to an earlier post where they had been mentioned.

I have used something similar to THIS in an old car that suffered from moisture. I suppose that this would be ok to prevent moisture reaching lenses? The one I had was 'recharged' by microwaving it for a short period of time.

Of course, if anyone has a specific suggestion for a dehumidifier that they know works well, it would be appreciated.
 
I keep mine in a cupboard in the dining room as it's one of the drier, warmer rooms. On one of my expensive lenses I use a Brno dehumidifying cap instead of the standard lens cap if it's being stored for a few weeks and not used. It's like little silica gel sachets but it's absorbing moisture from inside the lens rather than outside.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BRNO-Dehumidifying-Lens-Canon-JU2032/dp/B004MW5566
 
I have a dehumidifier to use in the spare room when washing is drying indoors during the winter.

Judging by how much water it collects houses (or mine at least) must be a bit damper than I thought
 
rob-nikon said:
I keep mine in a cupboard in the dining room as it's one of the drier, warmer rooms. On one of my expensive lenses I use a Brno dehumidifying cap instead of the standard lens cap if it's being stored for a few weeks and not used. It's like little silica gel sachets but it's absorbing moisture from inside the lens rather than outside.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BRNO-Dehumidifying-Lens-Canon-JU2032/dp/B004MW5566
Click to expand...

Thanks - what a great idea!

I have never heard of dehumidifying cap before. Alas, after a quick 'Google', I can't seem to locate them for Fuji cameras...
 
tijuana taxi said:
I have a dehumidifier to use in the spare room when washing is drying indoors during the winter.

Judging by how much water it collects houses (or mine at least) must be a bit damper than I thought
Click to expand...


My house is certainly prone to condensation. As I said earlier; it's a singled skinned victorian property and can be really cold. We are slowly replacing the original windows with double glazed units and things are improving. A few years ago; I was having to use a Karcher Window-Vac to remove the condensation!
 
Nawty said:
Unless you live in a jungle or a seriously mouldy house I really wouldn't worry, there's a whole load of unnecessary paranoia going on here...
Click to expand...

See my post above. Whilst my house has no mould (that I'm aware of) ; some rooms feel quite cold.

Obviously I will store my lenses in the warmer rooms; but I'd like to be sure the lenses will be ok.
 
My house is also Victorian, don't think they did cavity walls and the damp course is some slates between the brickwork.

Last house was also built pre 1900, love these old houses with proper chimneys and fireplaces, got some character along with the odd bit of damp. Is all double glazed and centrally heated, never had any bother with lenses or anything else for that matter, don't worry about it
 
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Don't go over the top with it.
I have dozens of lenses all over the house - in the open on shelves, in cupboards, in bags, in boxes.
I've never had a case of fungus or mould in almost 40 years...

I do keep them clean! I've been known to dust one or two sometimes.
 
I use a couple of these for my camera body and lenses. The handle comes in handy to lift it off the shelf easily:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lock-handy-Rect-Incl-Freshness/dp/B0013G77RY


And then I use a rechargable dehumidifier which I swap between the boxes to keep the relative humidity down. You might find these cheaper on eBay:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Senyoo-Portable-Dehumidifier-Wardrobe-Organizer/dp/B01489U7QA


Finally I use a cheap humidity meter/hygrometer in each box just to monitor the RH.
 
There's definitely a lot of caution going on in this thread :0). Maybe I'm just lucky in that I don't live in the tropical rainforest but I've always found that the best place to keep my kit is in a camera bag. I've got a couple of Lowepro's as well as an open shelf unit. I've never had any issue with fungus/humidity and have never had to cuddle my gear to sleep either..
 
There really is no need to be so precious about this. I don't even have lens caps on most of my lenses. No damage has befallen them. No loss of image quality, my 70-200 has a crack in the front element(I bought it that way before anyone says anything about lens caps) and the image doesn't suffer at all. Lenses can take some hammer.
 
I have a lockable cupboard all my kit goes in, I buy packs of silica gel from Amazon or 7 Day Shop every 2 months and stack them between the cameras and lenses. I've never had a problem with any kit stored this way.

£2-£3 every 2 months seems cheap just to be sure the kit is kept in good condition.

I've bought both of these before:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/7dayshop-Moisture-Absorbing-Dehumidifier-Sachets/dp/B002K95U54
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silica-Gel-Pouches-Sachets-Weight/dp/B00WK6SF5E/
 
Dave1 said:
I have a lockable cupboard all my kit goes in, I buy packs of silica gel from Amazon or 7 Day Shop every 2 months and stack them between the cameras and lenses. I've never had a problem with any kit stored this way.

£2-£3 every 2 months seems cheap just to be sure the kit is kept in good condition.

I've bought both of these before:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/7dayshop-Moisture-Absorbing-Dehumidifier-Sachets/dp/B002K95U54
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silica-Gel-Pouches-Sachets-Weight/dp/B00WK6SF5E/
Click to expand...
Why replace the silica gel? It will not wear out in your lifetime. Just cook it occasionally to drive off the water it has adsorbed and it is as good as new.
 
john.margetts said:
Why replace the silica gel? It will not wear out in your lifetime. Just cook it occasionally to drive off the water it has adsorbed and it is as good as new.
Click to expand...

I know, I suppose I'm just being lazy, but it does work out at only £1.50 or so a month.
 
Tend to just wrap mine in micro fibre cloths until recently I just purchase some pouches off eBay to store my new Fuji len's in made of neoprene.
 
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Thanks for that.

Looks like just the sort of thing I need. I'm still considering a storage box, but these look great, even if I use them as additional 'padding' when I carry my lenses around in a bag/case.

Cheers.
 
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